Quantcast

The DNAinfo archives brought to you by WNYC.
Read the press release here.

Beach Beer Garden Reopens Next Week at Pier 17

By Julie Shapiro | May 18, 2011 2:22pm | Updated on May 19, 2011 6:55am
New York Water Taxi founder Tom Fox decided to keep the sand at the Seaport after people said they would miss it.
New York Water Taxi founder Tom Fox decided to keep the sand at the Seaport after people said they would miss it.
View Full Caption
DNAinfo/Julie Shapiro

By Julie Shapiro

DNAinfo Reporter/Producer

SOUTH STREET SEAPORT — Manhattanites will soon be able to enjoy a beer on the beach — without leaving the borough.

A revamped Water Taxi Beach on Pier 17, at South Street Seaport, will reopen for the summer with a paella festival May 23, and will allow inner city relaxation seven days a week starting May 27, said the beer garden's founder Tom Fox.

The seasonal venue ran into trouble earlier this spring when Community Board 1 nixed Fox's proposal to transfer the venue to a new operator, Telly Hatzigeorgiou, who owns the Slate party space in Flatiron.

Residents were worried that Hatzigeorgiou would blast music late into the night. The community board demanded such restrictive hours of operation that Hatzigeorgiou dropped his bid for a liquor license.

Workers filled the beer garden with plants Wednesday afternoon.
Workers filled the beer garden with plants Wednesday afternoon.
View Full Caption
DNAinfo/Julie Shapiro

That left Fox with his original license, which is still good through the end of the year and allows the beach to stay open and play music until 3 a.m. on weekends.

"We're way out on the water," Fox said in response to the noise concerns. "We couldn't quite understand what that was all about."

Hatzigeorgiou will help Fox run the venue this summer, and Fox hopes that the community will see his partner is a good neighbor and will allow him to take over the license next year. Fox is now applying to change the beach's name to Beekman Beer Garden this summer.

To draw a more local, upscale crowd to the pier, Fox scrapped the mini-golf course and plastic palm trees the beach has featured in the past for lush vegetation and an array of American craft beers. The menu will now feature moderately priced bratwurst, lobster rolls and quesadillas.

The sand is returning this year, by popular demand.

"We decided that if everybody liked it so much, why would we take it away?" Fox said.

He initially planned to get rid of the sand because it was hard for people in dressy clothes to navigate — especially women in heels — but Fox solved that problem by building a small boardwalk across the beach.

The beer garden's first event is the Paella Parade on May 23 at 6 p.m., which will feature a cook-off by local chefs. Tickets are $35, or $60 for a pair.

Starting May 27, the beach will be open from 11:30 a.m. until 8 or 9 p.m. on weekdays and until 3 a.m. on weekends. On Sundays, the beach will do live concerts featuring jazz, blues and indie music, Fox said.

Fox hopes that this week's rainy weather will be over in time for the beer garden's opening.

"Everyone will be ready for the beach by then," he said.