Have to say that the crowd in that picture is a total turn-off to me. It’s why I like cold season paddling.
sing
Same here. Young love after college years. NYC seems fabulous, even when Time Square was a human cesspool back in the late 70’s. These days, when I have to go down for work meetings, it feels like a torture test of my psyche.
sing
Times Square was a sesspool at the time, but what the hell it was cool
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I can’t say that along the Detroit River as being the best urban paddling. I can say it is a very good location being an international border with varied paddling conditions, for a variate of paddle craft including rowing shells, sea kayaks and paddle boards.
Beautiful riverside parks and skyline and easy to get to launch spots. Islands to circumnavigate and conditions from tranquil to confused. There is always something new to discover.
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Whoever made the list hasn’t ben to Portland Maine or Providence RI
You can camp on an island within city limits
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Providence is a great urban paddle. My office is in the building in the middle of this picture with the round window at the top. In the summer I would often bring my boat and do a quick trip on the Providence River at lunch or at the end of the day before I went home. That was pre-COVID - I work mostly at home now. 
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Lake Union in Seattle is the greatest urban water front in the world.
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People like to promote their own city in these kinds of urban-focused polls.
Away from cities, the C of C and vested commercial interests do the most promoting, and locals prefer to not make things more crowded.
Another possibility is that there was a bias towards highlighting a poll result showing the Cinderella transformation of a blighted area. And that is a positive thing indeed.
I remember when the Charles River was so filthy that college rowing teams were required to get yearly vaccinations against an array of diseases normally associated with third-world locations.
I also remember that the urban species of trashneck buttheads would drop old tires from the bridge onto rowers passing below.
The former condition improved. I can only hope that the latter improved also.
Hawaii sure sounds terrific right now. It’s snowing yet again here, with the whole week predicted to be either rainy or snowy.
I need to put in a vote for Newport Beach, CA, as a top urban paddling venue. Salt water in both the surfy and sheltered versions, marine wildlife, pretty water (translucent, not murky), sandy shore, and year-‘round pleasant seasons. The water isn’t “warm” but it’s not frigid, either.
The downside would be COL close to the water. But the same applies to HI and coastal WA.
There are many ideal locations, but the best part of paddle powered boats is the opportunity to explore. It’s a chance to be alone or share the experience with others. It’s a way to improve physical conditioning and develop skills to manage the hazards of nature or to enjoy the beauty. Whether learning how to keep a straight course, fight tidal forces, negotiate tight ranging moutain streams or ride ocean surf, it’s all the same. It just depend on the level of involvement and on individual comfort level.
So all 10 of the top urban paddling spots are rivers; seems more credible than most USA Today articles.
Are you assailing USA Today’s reputation for hard-hitting journalism and substance?
Oh, that’s right…It never had one.
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Hey, USA Today is free in all the urban hotels that I lodged in when traveling for work. I got my money’s worth!
sing
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“If it’s free, it’s me.”
Yeah, generally I’m always glad to get a headline and five sentence-article with my continental breakfast as well!
My father always said, “When you get something for nothing, that’s whst its worth - nothing!” In Maryland. Newspapers are used to line tables for steamed blue crabs. Lobsters are smart. They can adapt their shell to camouflage themselves. I’ll post on funny pictured.
Lobsters natural
color is mottled that blend in but the poor blue or albino lobster…or newly molted
Lobster will eat lobster
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Doesn’t pay to be clever . . . The albinos are adept at mimicking ice?
Ice? They are down deep where it doesn’t freeze
Been a long tine since our harbors froze too
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They hide in ice, in coolers. Not too smart.