I have lived in New York City for 14 years now and never did I have the desire to get on one of the rowboats in Central Park.  Well, never say never!  We are taking Dubbers to Disney World and I am trying to think of anything and everything to prepare him for this upcoming trip. With his recent anxiety over different modes of transportation (see The Train), we realized he had never been on a small boat (and several of Disney’s rides involve riding on one). We would hate for him to miss out on these rides, so I was determined to get him on a small boat before we left. 

Luckily we live in the Greatest City and can find just this kind of experience on short notice and not too far away. The Loeb Boathouse in Central Park has a fleet of 100 rowboats that are available to rent for just $15 per hour. There is also a $20 deposit that you will get back once you are done.  Four people is the max per boat and life jackets are available.

I briefly introduced the idea of “riding in a boat” to Dubbers earlier in the week, but did not mention too often where it could potentially raise alarm.  Saturday after reuniting with some of his old friends from pre-school, we made our way from Central Park West to the lake that is off East 74th street and behind the Loeb Boathouse restaurant.  As we wound our way down and through the park, we walked parallel to part of the lake and could see several people in and enjoying the rowboats. Dubbers took notice, but stayed relaxed. As we got closer to the Boathouse where the lake was more crowded with boats, Dubbers said, “ride boat” on his Talker. We were so thrilled to hear this!  The whole experience went so incredibly smooth. I was able to put a life jacket on him with no fuss, and he independently walked to our boat. Phil was the designated rower, and Dubbers sat on my lap. He was very calm and seemed intrigued throughout the ride. He even wanted to help Dad row!  All in all, it was a pleasant and rewarding experience.  Fingers crossed we will make it on “It’s a Small World” next week!