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Kites: Putting Wind to Good Use Since 200 B.C.
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Published Apr 6, 2004
Modified Mar 6, 2008
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By
weather_leslie weather_leslie
Published Apr 6, 2004
Modified Mar 6, 2008
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The last kite Gothamist flew prominently featured Rainbow Brite--but that might soon change. April is National Kite Month, and the American Kitefliers Association has put together a ton of activities in the New York area for kids, amateur fliers, and those, ahem, serious kite aficionados out there. Honestly, Gothamist can't believe the hipsters haven't reclaimed lovable, kitschy kiteflying as their weekend activity of choice. (It's the logical next step after rollerskating.) It probably has something to do with the near-impossible task of finding a safe place to fly a kite in the city.
Some possibilities: Liberty State Park, just across the river in Jersey City, who rumor has it fields its own club, the Liberty Fliers; Jones Beach, Coney Island, or Staten Island's South Beach; Jamaica Bay's Floyd Bennett Field; Corona Park in Flushing Meadows; and near the Belt Parkway, under the Verrazano Bridge. Central Park seems like an obvious omission--but Gothamist hears the tall buildings that surround it keep the wind from really picking up. (Still, The Great Lawn seems like your best choice for some casual kite hijinks.)
New York City's premier kite shop, Big City Kites, has a great general get-started page. Gothamist bets if you popped in to their Upper East Side digs, they'd be more than happy to evangelize, too.
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