Water Taxi Beach

Oh man, almost forgot about this place. It was pretty good while it lasted. Got some attention to LIC area at the time. I think the man-​made beach was cool.
The Unilocal event there in 2009 was kind of a big deal. Got there at 4:10pm and enjoyed the burgers, chicken, hot dogs, even the vegetarian potato salad. It was one of those events we got to enjoy some day time drinking, dancing to hola hoops and just alot of relaxing and checking the great views of Manhattan. Event lasted a long time and some of us stayed until 9 pm and after to listen to the music and enjoy more beer and other good food. I remember the day was a scorcher and the Unilocalers I met then were really great. It was not completely the same once it moved to manhattan in south street seaport area.
R.I.P this place.
.

Rest in peace Water Taxi Beach. While the Manhattan version got a semi makeover (
), it seems this plop of sand is going to be the new site of construction spot for a future condo. LIC and condos are like peas and carrots. LIC and man made beaches unfortunately were just not meant to be.
There are some things I will genuinely miss about this place. I loved knowing just one stop outside of Manhattan was a sandy oasis that sometimes exuded fun, often resulted in drunkeness, and always had a killer view of Midtown. My favorite nights were when there was no cover, the crowd was sparse, while enjoying the skyline and a slight breeze. That was nice.
Not so nice were the bartenders on a slow night or the folks collecting cover. I certainly won’t miss the «facilities» aka the village of porto-​potties in the back. The smells were putrid enough on weekends but when you add a bit of regurgitation into the mix? It slows the appeal very quickly, trust me. Oh, and there was never enough soap. Woof.
I think if the stars were aligned this could have turned out to be one of the most popular venues ever in the borough. But fate has struck again and sadly, it goes back to being another part of the industrial face lift of the most western hood in Queens.

I had heard about this place a lot and I was expecting this to be amazing. I went on a Thursday night in July, a very lucrative/​well known house DJ was supposed to be playing, which is the main reason my friends and I picked that night to go.
It’s kind of cool how it’s in an industrial part of town and the walk creates some sense of anticipation. You can hear the music as you get closer, but once you get there, you’re greeted by the maze of porta-​potties on your left (which were disgusting). Then you approach the bouncer and get IDed and I was expecting not to pay a cover because I was supposed to be on the guest list for the DJ, but it turned out the dj that was supposed to be playing got rescheduled for the next night. Cover was $ 10.
So we proceed inside it seems pretty cool, a little empty (at 10pm) but that was fine. We went to get drinks which weren’t crazily priced until you realize your standing at a makeshift bar made out of bare plywood (the website photo’s are very deceiving, they never give you a full view of the bars), the food stand is the same thing. It looked pretty ghetto. Then you get your beer and you see them pouring it out of kegs sitting in coolers (with no ice), so of course the beer was warm. Then we all find a pick nick table and hang out in the corner. The prices for food isn’t bad but then again, it’s really nothing special (it’s greasy carnival food at best, not amazing street food).
So it turned out we stayed till 12:30 and it was still dead. The DJ that night was horrible and the dance floor is a little ghetto. The crowd of people that was there was really random too. The only saving grace of this place was the view, it really has an amazing view of the skyline. The only reason I sort of want to go back would be to see the sunset on the skyline.
The one at the South Street Seaport in Manhattan is much better from what I hear, better food and everything. Only thing is you don’t get the view of Manhattan. Hopefully they renovated the LIC location for summer 2011…

I’m not really a fan of this place.
First of all, it felt totally sketchy to get there by subway. The path was really dark, and there didn’t seem to be anybody around. Once I got there, it just seemed really cheesy. The sand is nice, but it makes it hard to walk around. The drinks were typically overpriced ($ 10 for a bad margarita?), but the best part was when one of the bartenders literally rolled her eyes and angrily shook her tip jar at me after I ordered one beer (before I even had a chance to open my wallet). That just really rubbed me the wrong way. For my next beer, I went to another bartender, who was equally bitchy and clearly unhappy to be there. Oh yeah, and the bouncer looked at my ID forever and kept insinuating that I wasn’t really 21… I’m 23. He still let me in despite his «doubts.»
I’m not sure if this is a better happy hour or day-​drinking spot, but I went on a Friday night, and it was pretty dead. There was a couple having sex on a bench right in the middle of the place, and the only people on the dance floor were girls who had clearly been drinking there for a loooong time. The music was pretty terrible too.
The views of Manhattan are fantastic, but that’s really the only positive.

Water Taxi Beach is a decent destination if you want to have a relaxing day/​night outside the chaos of Manhattan, without traveling far. Just a few minutes away from the first stop off the 7 train in Queens, the beach has a fantastic view of the Manhattan skyline. Unfortunately, that is probably the only amazing thing about this place.

Beach? You mean some sand… Ok, it feels like a beach with a volleyball net and some picnic tables. They have food, which is sub-​par and drinks, which are expensive, but you really come here for the view.
The veiw is Smack dab in the middle of Manhattan island. You see the UN and all the other eastside landmarks right from the gated section of sand on the east river.
Never even took the taxi across but didn’t need to. They do have a misting system and that was pleasant on the hot day we attended. DJ and tent is available too.

Went on a Saturday evening for a friend’s birthday and was completely underwhelmed. The only good thing were the views.
We actually live in Greenpoint so we drove and parking was free so the commute wasn’t a problem but it does look desolate and plain scary over there. They scanned our IDs and charged a $ 10 cover at 7:30pm.
The drinks were $ 10 and were watered down with too much ice. The music was bad, bad house and bad techo mixed in with a little crappy old school R&B. The crowd was mixed, saw a little entertainment when these 2 young-​looked barely 18 girls were high off of something, and were grinding on each other. The bouncers were watching them closely and i’ll bet that the bouncers «personally» escorted them home. All-​around, it seemed trashy, weird creepy guys staring at the females in our group and overrpriced.
This place has potential but is the concept is executed poorly. The previous reviews were correct, I will not return unless there is a birthday party or something.

This is a fake beach across the East River of Manhattan with a spectacular view of the city. Don’t give it any more credit than deserved and keep your expectations low.
— Cover was $ 10 the night that we went.
— I was starving and eagerly scarfed down a burger and fries for $ 10. Not too shabby.
— Yes, there is real sand! I don’t recommend wearing anything nice on your feet here. If you miss sand between your toes, this is it.
— Crowd is random. Someone was celebrating their birthday at an adjacent table and gave us some leftover homemade cupcakes. Score.
— Music is very techno. Not sure if it changed later on. There is a huge tented area for the dance floor.
— I didn’t check out the bathrooms — wasn’t that desperate.
— Don’t expect cabs to be waiting outside — only black cars. I didn’t see the so-​called shuttle to the 7. If you walk towards the 7, you’ll eventually find yellow taxis. I decided to head out after I saw lightning in the distance. There were two rainstorms on our walk towards a taxi and we ducked into a nice doorman building for a bit (Thanks!!)
— You can’t get to the water. It’s fenced in.
— After all of the bedbug talk, the white couches near the water kinda gross me out.
— All in all, not a bad place for a group of friends to chill on a beautiful night. Leave the anti-​LIC people at home.

bunch of meat heads fist pumping to the sounds of trucks…
PASS
not even worth the $ 40 admission charge

WTB is pretty much what you expect it to be — a walled off piece of heaven in LIC.
You’ll feel lost walking there, but follow the signs, which are posted on random fences and walls. Yes, you’re walking through a seemingly industrial waste land maze.
But then you’ll approach a beachy wonderland with awesome music, plenty of picnic tables, and lots of sand!
The beers on tap are pretty decent, and the hot dogs aren’t as expensive as they are at Yankee Stadium.
It’s too bad that the fence is so high. You feel like you’re in a walled off beach. Also, don’t dig your feet down too low, because you’ll inevitably feel the concrete ground.
And then you’ll be brought back to reality.

A small beach transplanted on the edge of LIC with great views of the city.
When I say beach, I mean there’s only sand. Don’t bring your towel and expect to catch a tanning session on the sand. There’s not that much room. It’s literally a small patch of less than 100 ft of sand mostly covered with picnic tables for people to lounge at. A large tent for the DJ and dance floor. 2 outdoor bars and 1 food stand. It’s serve yourself, no waiter service.
Port o potties for bathrooms. Thank god for the 2 actual sinks next to them. Someone said there were clean bathrooms *ahem Tony C* Not really. I don’t consider port o potties clean at all.
There was no pulled pork sandwich so I got the Motz burger. Tastes like something I’d make for a BBQ, lean ground beef formed into a thin patty and charred on the grill. I wish they came with some chips or fries.
Mini water guns and pitchers of beer made for fun times. I liked the big colorful couches. Get there early to hold one down. This place kind of reminds me of a Beer garden but with sand. Their Sangria was overly sweet, was barely able to finish a cup.
They started charging a $ 10 cover charge around 5 PM. Parking in the lot was free.
I’d come back again to hang out with friends and a couple pitchers of beer, but if I want to go to a real beach I’ll head East to LI.

FANTASTIC for after-​work happy hours. Not too crowded, no cover, beautiful sunset, beautiful skyline, decent sangria, hot dogs, and burgers. 5 stars.
We went on a weekend night for the first time. $ 20 cover and um, interesting crowd. 2 stars. DJ music was great, view was still great, but I’ll stick to the more peaceful happy hours.

Ok, when this place first opened it was amazing. After coming here last night though, it wasn’t as exciting. First, $ 10 cover? I thought that was crazy, especially considering it was so early in the season! The DJ sucked. There was a Jersey Shore esque crowd there, which were annoying and very rude. The view was nice… until a super trashy couple started to hardcore makeout at the gate overlooking the city. Not just make out, they were bumping and grinding and at one point he had her up against the fence with her legs wrapped around him. G-​ross.
BUT the view (when not of a skanky couple necking) is awesome and the drinks are priced well. Contrary to the site, they did NOT have veggie dogs at the restaurant, which I had my hopes on. It’s best to come here BEFORE 8 (no cover) with a large group so you don’t care about the other people in the crowd.

Great views, great food, lots of sand, clean bathrooms, and plenty of hotties!
Well then., on to the food.
— Angus Hot Dog: tasted like a regular grilled dog to me.
— Pulled Pork Sandwich: came with flying recommendations from a hoard of Unilocalers. Sure enough, that sandwich did not disappoint.
— Grilled Chicken, very simple and very delicious
— Grilled Shrimp: I couldn’t get enough of this. It was good!
— Potato Salad: I love potatoes, but the herbs didn’t sit well with me. Not a fan.
And?, The Motz Burger
I’ve heard great things about this burger in the past. It has garnered praise from many notable burger critics. It’s been on standby on my burger hit list for the longest of times. And then, along came Unilocal’s A Beach event…, opportunity!
Here’s some background about this burger.
Only fresh ground beef is used. They cook it to a decent exterior char on both sides. And, they drizzle on the Schnack sauce.
This is a good burger. Good char, mediocre beefiness. I would have liked it if they cooked to order, and splashed on more sauce though.

Was here yesterday for the Unilocal party, and then stayed later to enjoy the music. Food options are a little sparse, but it turns out they do have some veggie options, so that was great. Music is hit or miss… I enjoyed it, but compared to PS1 it’s just ok. Now they also do Turntables on the Hudson, so that’s worth checking out as well.
And another little discovered, the water taxi is free to and from!

There’s no 21+ sign for all day, but at least the parking was free until about 8p when they started to turn people away.
The beach is okay, but again, don’t dip into the water. It’s not great.
The food here — best were the grilled shrimp and the pulled pork sandwiches. The hotdogs made my stomach hurt, I think. The burger wasn’t really as special as I thought it was…
As it is, a bit far from the subway, but at least they have some parking during the weekends. Weekdays parking lot is only for buses.

To quote Jill M.: «mass appeal+great expectations=major disappointment»
In this case, a fucking huge disappointment.
Ok, you have a great view over Manhattan. So what? You get the same view from anywhere along the East River. For free! here, there is a $ 10 cover.
Yes, the feeling of sand under your feet is nice. But $ 8 for a pint of beer in a plastic cup?!? You gotta be fucking kidding…
I really wanted to give this place just one star, but I give it half an extra star because Turntables on the Hudson always put up a solid show (but the guy before them??? What the fuck was that?!? Truly truly awful). And another half star because this place attracts very different people: the crowd here s pretty diverse, which I always like.
This is NYC people! There is so much better around; leave this place to tourists and B&T people.

Sand in your toes… Toes in your sand… Toes meet sand meet sex… on beach… Chill at beach… Meet Morgan Spurlock (which I did for Eric Goia’s Public Advocate rally/​get together… his College buddy how awesome and I’m also coaching for Gioa’s little league =awesome squared:)…
Beer on tap… beer in bottle… imported beer… Half a Hundred reviews equals 50 which I have compiled since May 14^th…
Going on short tangents… Long Island City is not Long Island!!!
This is in Long Island CITY!!! Emphasis on the CITY considering it is 10 minutes from Queens Plaza if your taking the N… Okay short tangent over…
You can see Manhattan from the Taxi Beach and also get toes in the sand… sand in your toes… STRAIGHT OUTTA LAWWNG EYELAAAAAND… CITY!!!WHAAAAAAT!!!

My experience at Water Taxi Beach was like meeting a gorgeous idiot.
At first, you’re really into him because he’s just so beautiful. And you’re excited because you’ve met someone new and he seems exciting. But after a very short time, you’re over him because you’ve realized you’re just enamored with the façade and not much else. He has nothing to offer you other than his outside appearance. You’re left feeling bored and wanting more. And then you realize his pretty face isn’t going to be enough to make you want to stick around.
We had to pay a $ 10 cover charge. The security at the entrance insisted on rummaging through my bag, which made me feel violated. The DJ played only techno all night, and became rude and surly when we inquired if he could play something else. The dancefloor was taken over by a small group of break dancers who each took turns showcasing their utter lack of skills. Drinks were $ 10 each, and were WEAK. After being there for only about 2 hours, my boyfriend and I had dropped $ 80 and our group decided to leave out of sheer irritation and boredom.
The ONLY good thing about the place is the view. We went around 10 pm and the views of the skyline were absolutely breathtaking. We spent about an hour remarking on the beauty of the place, but even that got old pretty quickly. I don’t see myself returning here anytime soon.
I will give Water Taxi Beach this much: their port o pottys were the most sanitary, best smelling ones I’ve ever seen.

I like this place. It would be better, though, if they had more shade (the only shade is under the tent but that’s where the DJ is and it’s also a dance floor). The food and drinks are reasonably priced. They could use more beer options, they also don’t sell pitchers of sangria.
Other than that, it’s really simple to get to (7 train). The hours seem okay (check the website). And it has a beautiful view of the skyline. You can also watch the water taxi swirl around, picking up and dropping off passengers.

Finally got a chance to check this spot out. Not bad not bad… Walking in around 8pm, the sun was setting, the breeze felt nice, and the view was amaaaaazing! Very cool concept. With all the sand, you get the feel of being on the beach, and then you got music, alcohol, food, and friends. Such a great way to start my night. The ONLY thing i disliked was the techno dance music. I get headaches when i hear too much of it. If the music was more chill, i would’ve been in heaven. Since i live in the city, i wouldn’t exactly go out of my way to come back here but it is a nice spot for a group of friends on a summer night.
Cool that they had Peronis… Not cool it was $ 6 for draft.