Gosh, I’d disagree that you need radar for this area, and would consider it more of a distraction than anything else.
There are three keys to successful navigation from the George Washington Bridge on the Hudson, around to the Throgs Neck Bridge in western Long Island Sound:
- a favorable tide (do not even think of making the trip during a time you lack this)
- an attentive lookout
- benign weather
(I kept my boat in the middle of this range at the 79th Street Boat Basin in Manhattan for several years, and on LIS just past the Throgs Neck Bridge for the last fifteen years.)
With those three conditions in place you’ll find that part of the trip fascinating and not as complicated as you might think. Lack any of them, and you’ll have a miserable, white-knuckle, possibly terrifying experience. Consider that stretch of the trip a day passage; I do not recommend lingering anywhere in that zone. If you want to visit NYC stay outside that area and commute easily by train or Uber. Pro tip: the West Marine in Manhattan is interesting only in the fact that it exists in the middle of the Garment District; it is not a must-see destination.
You might find AIS helpful, interfaced to an iPad or other digital device. But I just installed it last year myself.
The Hudson above the GW, or east of the Throgs Neck, is relatively benign in terms of tide and traffic.