Lower Manhattan’s equivalent of Central Park will open for the season tomorrow (Saturday, May 28) when the first ferry to Governors Island departs from the Battery Maritime Building (10 South Street, between Whitehall and Broad Streets) at 10:00 am.
“It’s going to be a year of grills, thrills, and hills,” predicted Leslie Koch, president of the Trust for Governors Island, at the April 26 meeting of Community Board 1. She explained that the hills will be comprised of ten acres of new promontories, the thrills will be supplied by drone races in August, and the grills will consist of new barbecues available for public use.
The sylvan enclave of Discovery Hill will be adorned
with ornamental trees and shrubs.
The Hills, part of 30 new acres of open parkland (with more than 40,000 new shrubs and 800-plus new trees) will contain features like the City’s longest slide (at three stories tall and 57 feet long) and a granite rock scramble. A quartet of peaks (Grassy Hill, at 25 feet; Slide Hill, at 40 feet, Discovery Hill, also 40 feet; and Outlook Hill, topping out at 70 feet) will offer breathtaking, panoramic views of New York’s skyline and harbor. Although the hills have been carefully designed and landscaped to resemble natural terrain, they were created using almost 300,000 cubic yards of landfill. The Hills section of Governor’s Island is scheduled to open on July 19, almost a year ahead of its originally slated debut. In the meantime, Ms. Koch will be giving free “hard hat” tours of the area this weekend, several times each day.
This year, for the first time, guests will be allowed to cook in the open air on Governors Island, which has recently installed six new grills. Reservations must be made in advance (please contact the Governors Island Events Office 212-440-2238 for more information), and come with complimentary use of a Radio Flyer wagon, which will be waiting for you at the ferry dock to transport your barbecue supplies.
Grassy Hill will feature gentle slopes and views overlooking
30 acres of the new park land.
But one word of warning: you may have to guard your burgers from the reigning king of Governors Island — Max, a border collie who will be patrolling all 172 acres several times each day to scare away Canada Geese. (These legally protected birds are a major nuisance who, if left to their own devices, would quickly decimate the new plantings and despoil public green spaces with their waste.) Max treats the unwanted visitors fairly, but firmly, chasing them away without inflicting any injury.
For the 2016 season, Governors Island will be open to the public seven days a week, through September 25. Hours of operation will be 10:00 am through 6:00 pm weekdays, and 10:00 am through 7:00 pm on weekends, plus Memorial Day and Labor Day.
The ferry at the Battery Maritime Building will depart for Governors Island every hour on the hour from 10:00 am through 5:00 pm on weekends, and make the return trip to Manhattan every hour on the half-hour, from 10:30 am to 6:30 pm, with a final boat at 7:00 pm.
The ferry is free in the morning, but the round trip is priced at $2 for adults in the afternoon. Children younger than 12 ride free at all times, and senior citizens are charged half price. There is no surcharge for bicycles.
Please browse GovIsland.com for more information.