Honorable William Wall in New York
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Location on the map
New York, New York County, New York, US
Accessibility
Site: http://www.willywall.com/
Related: motoring club
- Monday:Closed
- Tuesday:5:15–10PM
- Wednesday:5:15–10PM
- Thursday:5:15–10PM
- Friday:5:15–10PM
- Saturday:12:15–4:30PM
- Sunday:Closed
Unique! Classy! Fun! Relaxing! (Google says it has an address in New Hampshire, but dont be fooled. It is located in New York Harbor adjacent to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty.) I went to the Willy Wall for the second time in August 2016. It is the floating race barge and clubhouse for the Manhattan Yacht Club. The public is invited to watch the sailboat races from the barge a few nights per week during the warm season. I live in Philly and I originally learned about the booze barge from an article in the New York Times. I go to the Willy Wall as a tourist and spectator, because I love being in New York Harbor with all its boat traffic, because I am a sailor, and because of the magnificent views of the NYC skyline, the Statue of Liberty, and Ellis Island. When you go, the first step is to book a $20 reservation on the motor launch that is operated by the yacht club. During my first visit in 2014, I boarded the motor launch at Battery Park Citys marina. But now the routing has changed a bit, and this time I boarded the motor launch at the Surf City restaurant in Jersey City. Both times, the ride to the launch went without a hitch. The two men who operate the motor launch are professional and courteous, and the boat is very nice. After a 10-minute motor cruise, you arrive at the 2-level barge. You walk up the stairs to the main deck containing a bar and restaurant tables beneath an open-air roof that provides shade for everyone. Drinks are reasonably priced, and in fact, the whole evening turns out to be inexpensive, especially considering how special the experience is. Parking is free at Surf City restaurant in Jersey City. What do you do on the barge? You relax! You sit there and have cocktails and watch exciting sailing, you watch the wide variety of motor yachts, ferries, tugs and ships cruising the harbor, you gaze at the Statue of Liberty and the sunset, you chat with the other spectators, and most of all, you look at the wonderful NYC skyline. You are sitting in one of the coolest spots on planet earth! The motor launch returns you to your point of origin every 30 minutes. I was on the barge from 6:30 to 9:00pm. Everything is well organized. The employees are kind and pleasant. For me, driving from Philadelphia, the Jersey City departure shortens my travel time a great deal and simplifies my trip (although it is also fun to visit Battery Park and Lower Manhattan, where you can still board the launch). My evening was stress-free and the whole experience was classy. I love visiting the Willy Wall! Its a hidden gem. Its unforgettable.
The William Wall is a special adventure in New York. Have drinks from the bar on the top deck of this boat moored by Ellis Island. Bring your own cheeses and snacks to watch the sailboat races around you. They sell drinks and encourage you to bring your own food.Don’t expect a loud clamorous rooftop scenes. There are about 50 people. You can actually have a conversation. Such a special place to watch the sunset over the harbor.Crowd mainly 20’s and 30’s with one rowdy table of 50-80 year olds.I’ve taken many sail boats and ships around New York harbor. The William Wall gives a unique experience and vista of New York.Advice: Come with a group of five to eight friends. It’s more fun with a small crowd. Buy your tickets online. Take the 5:45 boat from WFC. With later boats you will not always get a table. If you are coming from Jersey use the Warren Street pier. When you transfer to the launch that takes you to the William Wall, sit or stand right by the exit. You want to be the first upstairs to grab the best table. It isn’t an enormous boat.The last boat back that makes a connection to Manhattan is 8:08, which works for this time of year when the sun sets earlier.Please note that the round trip ticket doesn’t cover the $7 fee to return to Manhattan from the Jersey Warren St pier.Definitely worth a visit.
A real unique spot. We were able to get a ticket to see the fireworks for 4th of July on the wall. It was a great experience. The location was a bit tricky to get to from the city but once we were at the yacht club it was very smooth. The barge was very nice. The bartenders were a bit overwhelmed and there was a long line for a drink. They didn’t have a very wide selection but the drinks were cold and prices were pretty reasonable. We had a nice spot inside for the dinner we brought and a great view of the fireworks!
Total reviews rating 4.6
37 Reviews for Honorable William Wall 2023:
Review №1
2022-02-07There arent two ways about it: the Honorable William Wall experience is tops. If you come with great company, you will have an astounding time. The staff were fantastic, as were the sights and drink.
Review №2
2022-05-26Went there last summer with friends. The alcohols offered are HORRIBLE. The service was meh (at best). It was COVID, so Im cool about stuff. The views were excellent, but not unique to Willy Wall It used to be all around better, so I thought I would try again this year. Got a group of friends to do it - purchased multiple tickets and got a cancellation notice form Willy Wall about one week before our ticket date. I try to be understanding with staffing shortages, but reality is that they overbooked - they should not have sold the tickets on that date. They said they would refund me and so far I have received only one of two refunds, and am concerned - why is the other one taking so long.I am unable to get anyone on the phone (voice mail is full). I have also emailed two separate addresses with no response. Dont waste your time or money here.
Review №3
2020-06-27I have been enjoying the Honorable William Wall experience for the past 5 summers and it it definitely one of my TO GO place every year.I brought a lot of friends and clients to discover this incredible spot😍They serve drinks but no food, you are welcomed to bring your own.If you go from the city you will need to catch the ferry from Brookfield Place then switch to a smaller boat in Jersey City or you can take the path to Journal Square in Jersey.I like to go as early as possible (5-6pm) and stay till the end. I have seen some incredible sunsets from there.Can’t wait to go back!!!!
Review №4
2018-10-10Id heard about the Willy Wall in the past, but never had the chance to go. That is until I won a pair of ferry tickets via Yelp (THANKS YELP!). I went on the last day of the season (early October) and caught the first ferry from Warren St. Pier in Jersey City (same pier as the Liberty Landing Ferry) at 12:15. Theres also an option to come in from Manhattan, but I believe you just need to pay a separate ferry ticket for that. Our boat was a little late, but it was fine - Id rather be waiting for the boat than having missed it. You have to book your ticket there online, but for the boat back, you just hop on.The boat ride was about ten minutes, and they take you to a barge out in the water, which is also a bar. You can bring your own food, which is recommended, since they dont sell any food on the barge. There werent many people around when I went - maybe because it was a bit chilly and cloudy. That might even be the best time to go if you dont mind the breeze because we were able to get a prime table with a view of the Manhattan skyline. There was a bunch more people who arrived from a later boat, so I can imagine how packed this place gets during the summertime. To go back to JC, the boat leaves from Willy Wall every 30 minutes.Warning - if you get seasick easily, this might not be for you. I occasionally get seasick, and since it was a little windy that day, I did feel the barge moving. We caught the first boat out of there but it was still a great experience. Definitely something Id recommend doing at least once in your life!
Review №5
2018-08-18Honestly a great time! We had about 18 people and we were there about 4 hours easily. It was a great time! Awesome views of Manhattan and the harbor. I will definitely be going back.
Review №6
2017-01-02Really unbelievable views - what a cool experience. Bring your own cheese and crackers. Reasonably priced bar for cocktails and other drinks. Difficult to get back if you stay past the last direct ferry (ferry to New Jersey, 10 min long walk, then Path train back to manhattan). Would go back again despite the travel and overall one of the better nights out in the city.
Review №7
2021-06-23It was a rainy night and they had us board an inflatable style dinghy boat with very wet seats to ferry us over to the Willy wall. There were people in suits and dressed very nice and this did not seem to be a very appropriate style of transportation. Once at the Willy Wall we had a nice time. The MYC personnel and members were there and all very welcoming. All the previous reviews talked about how reasonable the drink prices were. However $14 for a mixed drink in a plastic cup did not seem very reasonable to us. Our bill was $89 for five drinks, and the bill amount came as a complete surprise based on the previous reviews as we did not know the charges until the end. We did get the real ferry boat for the ride back. We will probably not return again but it was a fun night for a first time adventure.
Review №8
2019-09-23Superb place for aCocktail while watching the boatsAnd the sun go down.
Review №9
2021-06-22Nice view! Too bad they dont have snacks
Review №10
2021-06-04I haven’t even boarded the Willy wall and I have to speak about how amazing the experience has been already. I’m planning a birthday party for my husband and - mistakenly - have friends the wrong boarding time!! Michael and Katherine, in particular, were INCREDIBLY understanding and accommodating. They were pleasant to communicate with and helped our entire crew iron out the mistake and hop aboard. Katherine was professional and a delight to work with. I’ll post a follow off post-disembark :)