Governors Island

It has been an unseasonably cool August here in New York (unlike July which was the hottest month on record!) and last weekend Alex and I took advantage of the weather by boarding a ferry to Governors Island. We’ve never been before and I wasn’t really sure what to expect, but it ended up being a really great New York day!!

Governors Island is only 800 yards from Manhattan and the ferry to get over there takes less than five minutes. It costs $3.00 roundtrip to ride and is free if you go before noon. The whole island is just 172-acres and offers amazing skyline views of downtown Manhattan. Governors Island underwent a pretty major renovation in the last few years and the end result is a beautiful green space complete with paved sidewalks for bicycling (there are several places to rent bikes), large picnic areas, and two small man-made hills to climb.

Upon arrival, we rented bikes and spent the first part of the morning cruising around the island and enjoying the views of New York City.

Governors Island was a military post in addition to a major command headquarters for the United State Army from 1794 until 1966. It was then used by the U.S. Coast Guard for the next 30 years before being sold and now used as a public park. There are still remnants of its military history including old barracks, churches, and a few family homes.

We also spent some time climbing the man-made hills. Although they are not very tall rising only 75-feet above sea level, they do provide some unique view points of lower Manhattan.

We ended our afternoon with lunch at Taco Vista and beers from Island Oyster, which was a great way to wrap up our first visit to Governors Island. I’m already looking forward to returning!