At La Marina, South Beach Meets Inwood | NYTimes

By LIZ ROBBINS

Photo: Marcus Yam | NY Times Eight friends met at La Marina on Tuesday in time for happy hour and stayed for the sunset and a meal.

A misty, not-quite-full moon hung over the railroad tracks on Tuesday and peered quizzically onto an expansive new waterfront spot in Upper Manhattan, featuring candlelit cocktail tables, twinkling lights, a beach bar with beds and a covered 200-seat restaurant. La Marina in Inwood, open for a month, seems to be trying for a Miami-on-the-Hudson vibe, but it’s still closer to the South Bronx than South Beach. The incongruity of such a sprawling paradise at the end of Dyckman Street, several blocks from the A train, past broken glass and bingo players, never quite disappears. On weekends, the deck and beach bars are jammed, but this weeknight, the atmosphere was just comfortably buzzing. Patrons smoked hookah pipes in the patio lounge while a modest band played. Diners watched the sun set behind the Palisades, summoning still-learning wait staff. Firefighters, police officers, bankers, romantics, families and old friends converged for the scene and the company. Jet Skis whined on the river, kayakers glided in the moonlight and the George Washington Bridge burst into crystals of light, making the spectacular setting worth the trip.

Read more: At La Marina, South Beach Meets Inwood – NYTimes.com.

Related: Open for Business: La Marina

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