The Enchanting Views of Governors Island
Apr 1, 2011 4:11 pm
[caption id=“attachment_4289” align=“aligncenter” width=“300” caption=“The birds eye view of Governors Island, though different than it was in 1932, is still extraordinary (photo by A. Frieden)”]
[/caption] In yesterday’s New York Times, there was an item in the Streetscapes column about a room at 70 Pine Street from which you have extraordinary views of Lower Manhattan and New York Harbor. The article remarks on the beauty of Governors Island as seen from the 66th floor of the building and mentions: A reporter for The New York Evening Post visited in July 1932 and noted that “Governors Island, with its unfulfilled promised of harbor prettiness, seems to ride at anchor almost at one’s feet.”The view of the Island today is definitely different than it was in 1932 (there was no Picnic Point then and the southern part of the Island would not yet have become home to the non-historic Coast Guard era buildings that are there today); but it seems that even 80 years ago people couldn’t get enough of the great view of the Island. Not only is the view of the Island remarkable, but so are the views from it. The Island’s perimeter roadway affords incredible views that can be seen whether you are walking or biking. Visitors to the Island can see the Statue of Liberty, Jersey City, Lower Manhattan, the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges, Brooklyn Bridge Park and the Brooklyn Waterfront and the Verrazzano Bridge, all in one trip around the 2.2 mile loop.
- Visitors relax at Picnic Point and enjoy the views of Lower Manhattan and the Harbor
What is great about the Island is that the views are great on all sides!
[caption id=“attachment_4293” align=“aligncenter” width=“300” caption=“These visitors took a break to check out the view of the Brooklyn waterfront from the Island’s eastern side. ”]
[/caption] And while visitors today are experiencing these great views, visitors in the future will have even more opportunities to see New York Harbor and the surrounding land in ways they never had before. The Governors Island Park and Public Space Plan includes new hills from which visitors will be able to experience extraordinary, 360 degree panoramic vistas of the Harbor. [caption id=“attachment_4295” align=“aligncenter” width=“282” caption=“A rendering of the view from the Hills in the Governors Island Park and Public Space Plan”]
[/caption] In less than two short months, you too can come over to the Island, get on a bike or take a walk and enjoy some of the great views.