City of Water Day 2013

Last July 20 was the sixth City of Water Day in New York City. Presented by the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance, an alliance of over 700 organizations with ties to regional waterways who are working to transform the waters of New York and New Jersey Harbor into clean and accessible places to learn, work and play, with inviting parks, dependable jobs and reliable, eco-friendly transportation for all.

 MWA’s City of Water Day Festival is a free day-long celebration of the world-class potential of the water that surrounds us and brings us together.  Held on Governors Island and Liberty State Park in NJ--the event draws thousands of people from throughout the NY-NJ metropolitan region to participate in hundreds of unique, fun, and educational waterfront activities organized by MWA and its 700 Alliance Partners.   

This year's celebration included free public kayaking and rowing, fishing demonstations and some hands-on waterfront activities for kids. The highlight of the festivities, for me, were the free boat tours on historic and educational vessels. The different vessels had limited passengers and I was lucky to get tickets to two of the boat tours. 

My first ticket was in the morning aboard the yacht the Marco Polo Jewel. 

Climb aboard the Marco Polo Jewel, a glorious 120-foot yacht boasting two sprawling outdoor decks, for a scenic river cruise up the Hudson. The Jewel will sail north up the Hudson to the George Washington Bridge then return to West Harlem Piers.

We set off from the West Harlem Piers around 10:30 am 

From the yacht i could see the 125th Street part of the Cherry Walk, I've walked along these 25 blocks of continuous walking path along the Hudson River Greenway in the spring. The path is planted with cherry trees, a gift of Japan to the people of New York City. I could also see the bell tower of the Riverside Church, as well as the top of the General Grant National Memorial. When you walk around Morningside Heights, you'll see these beautiful structures up close.

We also passed by Riverbank State Park, a 28-acre park built on the top of a sewage treatment facility on the Hudson River

Riverbank is the only park of its kind in the Western Hemisphere. Inspired by urban rooftop designs in Japan, this 28-acre multi-level landscaped recreational facility is a state-of-the-art park facility. Rising 69 feet above the Hudson River, Riverbank offers a wide variety of recreational, athletic and arts experiences for all ages, interests and abilities.

Pretty soon, the Little Red Lighthouse came into view. There it is, a beauty in red under the George Washington Bridge.

The yacht didn't stay long, it already started to turn before we came near the George Washington Bridge. Still, being in the middle of the Hudson River gave us a great view of the bridge.

The hour passed quickly, pretty soon we were docking back at the West Harlem Piers. I declined the offer of food and drinks as I wanted to be early at Governors Island where my afternoon trip will depart from. 

On my way to the Battery Maritime Building which houses the ferry to Governors Island, I passed by Water Street and saw that part of the street has been cordoned off, the area displaying a large sand castle.

It even comes with a warning sign.

Then I'm at the ferry on my way to Governors Island.The Soissons landing now sports the island's name in big letters.

Much of the island's south end is currently undergoing construction. There is a sort of viewing deck at the Liggett Arch where you could monitor the project.

There were also some exhibits on the island in relation to the City of Water day festivities.

Then it was time to board the NY Waterway Ferry for the Harborside Memorial Tour. It was a hot summer day, I could see the haze looking out at lower Manhattan and Governors Island.

We passed along Buttermilk Channel, our tour guide pointed out the Snapple factory.

One of the memorials our tour guide mentioned was the Tear Drop Memorial in Bayonne, New Jersey. It is an official gift of the Russian government as a memorial to the victims of the September 11 attacks and the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. We were too far to take a closer look but this was what it looks like from where we were at the New York harbor. The wiki link above has a great pic of the memorial.

After the Tear Drop Memorial, Lady Liberty came in sight. She reopened just last 4th of July after hurricane Sandy damaged most of its brick walkways. There she is, always holding that beacon of hope for all the world to see.

After our boat left the Statue of Liberty area, I looked back and saw the sun's rays shining down on the statue. It looked like the heavens were pouring out their blessings on her and the tired, the poor and the huddled masses.

Next to Liberty Island, we passed by Ellis Island, the former gateway for millions of immigrants to the United States from 1892 until 1954. Like Liberty Island, Ellis Island was heavily damaged by hurricane Sandy and is still closed to the public.

Then we were heading towards lower Manhattan. The skycrapers looked so colorful when viewed from the New York harbor.

Battery Park City has a lot of memorials. When I was walking there at the end of last Winter, I passed by the Irish Hunger Memorial, the New York Police Memorial and tried to see the single panel of Berlin Wall on display at the Kowsky Plaza but the area was cordoned off for repairs at that time. Battery Park City also houses the Museum of Jewish Heritage, which was created as a living memorial to those who perished during the Holocaust. The memorial is housed in the low buildings at the foreground of the pic below.

Then there is the National September 11 Memorial.

The National September 11 Memorial & Museum is the principal memorial and museum commemorating the September 11 attacks of 2001, which killed nearly 3,000 people, and the World Trade Center bombing of 1993, which killed six. The memorial is located at the World Trade Center site, on the former location of the Twin Towers, which were destroyed during the attacks.

The memorial can't be seen from the river as it consists of two pools which was the former site of the Twin Towers but One World Trade Center, which rose from the ashes of Ground Zero, is now standing proudly over the site. Standing at 1,776 feet, it is now the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere.

We then passed by Pier A, the 127-year-old former home of the harbor police. From the river, it looks like the restoration work is nearly finished but it seems the outdoor public plaza has hit a snag.

From the New York Harbor, I can also see the pylons of the East Coast Memorial in Battery Park. The memorial commemorates the U.S. servicemen who died in the coastal waters of the western Atlantic Ocean during World War II. There are a total of 4,609 names inscribed on both sides of the eight 19-foot tall granite pylons.

Battery Park has a lot of memorials. I've covered some of them during my walk there on Veterans Day last year.

By then our time was up and we have to go back to Governors Island. We passed by the Staten Island Ferry Terminal and the historic Battery Maritime Building which is used by the Governors Island Ferry.

We also passed by the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges, two of the three bridges connecting Brooklyn with lower Manhattan.

One last pic of lower Manhattan and then we were heading back to Governors Island.

After the boat tour, I walked around Governors Island again, this time at its east side. I saw the new public art by Figment entitled Head in the Clouds.

Head in the Clouds offers visitors the chance to walk into the clouds, experiencing them from the inside out. Clouds are collections of water and movement that seem to form animals, people, and cities by dreamers gazing at the sky.

I also saw the Tree House, a Figment project which has returned to the island for the third year. Both kids and adults love it!

When I crossed over to Nolan Park, I was amazed as the area was filled with vintage rides, mostly carousels. Turns out Fête Paradiso, the world’s first traveling festival of vintage carnival rides and carousels, is making its American debut on Governors Island. This cute ride was the first one I came across.

Some carousels have been damaged over time that only the seats were intact.

There were also vintage carnival games.

And a bicycle carousel ..

Among the attractions, which come from the collections of Francis Staub and Regis Masclet, is a bicycle carousel from the late 19th century – one of only two in the world that were created in Paris to encourage the use of what was then the new mode of transportation – the bicycle.

The rides were so fascinating, I made a collage of some of the unique seats.

It was so much fun to see the rides, hopefully I can go back before Governors Island closes for the season. On my way to the ferry to go back to Manhattan, I saw this drawing on the street.

Cool! Makes you want to run all the way to the rides and hop on one of the vintage seats.

That was a very enjoyable and informative City of Water day celebration, with a bonus of vintage carousels from Fête Paradiso. I hope to join again in next year's festivities.

For the rest of my pics, here are the albums on Flickr:

NYC Harbor Tours

Fete Paradiso at Governors Island

Governors Island

Governors Island

When my sister told me my niece's summer camp group is having a reunion in Governors Island, I volunteered to go with them. I have long wanted to go there but just didn't find the time, so last September 15, I went to the island for the first time.

Governors Island is recognized as the birthplace of the state of New York.  Much of the island is considered as national monument and about 92 acres of the northern half is open to the public for several months in the summer and early fall. The circumferential road around the island is also open to the public.

When I look at the map of the island, I am reminded of an ice cream in a cone. :)

The green portion in the map are the parts accessible to the public. This year, the island was open for only 40 days, every Saturdays, Sundays and holidays from Memorial Day up to the last Sunday of September.

The island is accessed by free ferries from Brooklyn and Manhattan.  On the Manhattan side, you can take the ferry from the historic Battery Maritime Building. We were too much in a hurry to catch the ferry I didn't have enough time to take many pics but here's one of the front of the building.

The picture does not do justice to its beauty, I may need to come back and take pictures of its features one of these days. 

Governors Island is right across lower Manhattan. While waiting for the ferry to fill up, I soak up the views across the water. Gazing towards the island, you can see Lady Liberty at your right while at your left are the three bridges spanning the East River and connecting Manhattan with Brooklyn. Fondly referred to as the BMW, they're the Brooklyn Bridge, Manhattan Bridge and Williamsburg Bridge.

After a very short ride, we arrived at the island.  As you can see from the map above, going right will lead you to Castle Williams while the left way leads to Nolan Park, where my niece's friends were waiting.

Nolan Park is a great picnic area, surrounded by houses and buildings that date back to 1810. All the houses are painted light yellow, almost all are empty except for those that are used to house art exhibitions during the open season.  When we were there, there was even a wedding reception near where we were.  Here's one of the houses.

I tried to covered the area as much as I can during the limited time that I was there.  At the edge of Nolan Park, I came across the Chapel of St. Cornelius the Centurion which is part of the Trinity Parish in lower Manhattan.  The first chapel in 1846 was made of wood but was later replaced with this Gothic style building. The chapel was named for the sainted Roman centurion, known as the first Gentile to convert to the Christian faith.

The chapel was open when I passed by although it was empty inside. I'm not sure if it is still being used, but the stained glass windows are beautiful.

 

The chapel is near the Brooklyn side of the island and you can see the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal from outside the chapel.

 

Also near the chapel is the South Battery, which was erected during the war of 1812 to guard Buttermilk Channel.  A pair of cannons guard the entrance.

The star-shaped area you see in the map is Fort Jay, one of the island's former army post. On top of its entrance is a replica of the War Dept. seal. This link gives you a nice before and after pic of the sculpture, while this plaque gives a little info about the more than 200 year old structure.

Between Fort Jay and Nolan Park is a vast expanse of green grass called the Parade Ground. It is often the site for public artwork and other activities.  Mark di Suvero's large art pieces, presented by Storm King Art Center, are seen around the island. Here's one of his art pieces placed right in the middle of the grassy field.

The Parade Ground also has nice views of lower Manhattan.

At the time of our visit, Governors Island just opened the Figment Interactive Sculpture Park and Mini Golf.  I love the tree house ..

and the Face of Liberty, which is a hit with the kids as it makes a good slide.

Colonel's Row was filled with people when I walked by. Signs were everywhere advising everyone of the ongoing construction for the planned improvements.  At the end of the area is the island's other national monument, Castle Williams.

I didn't go inside as I was pressed for time but the area outside the fortification has awesome views of lower Manhattan.

There's still a lot of the island I wanted to explore so I promised myself to come back before the 2012 season close.

I did come back, on the last Saturday the island was open for the year. It was a very gray and cloudy day. It was also Museum Day Live! and I had to juggle my time between Governors Island and the New York Historical Society.

My second visit to the island was primarily to complete my pictures of Mark di Suvero's artwork around the island. However, when I passed by Castle Williams, the park rangers were offering a free tour which I did not pass up and will write about in a future blog. The tour further shortened my stay at the island so instead of walking towards Picnic Point where some of Suvero's sculptures are located, I took the tram instead.

On the way, the tram passed by a lot of old and unused buildings being destroyed to make way for the island's planned improvements.

 
Picnic point has awesome views of Lady Liberty.

It was also where then President Ronald Reagan, with French President Francois Mitterand looking on, pushed a button to send a gleaming blue laser beam across New York Harbor toward Liberty Island during Liberty Weekend, celebrating the restoration and centenary of the sculpture.

Picnic point is another grassy area with some tables, chairs and even hammocks.  It's nice to just stay there and gaze across the magnificent view or just simply people watch.

Since the island is accessible by foot or bicycle, it rents out different kinds of bicycles.  There are bicycles for individual, tandem and even surrey bikes for those in groups.

The gray day also gave me a different view of lower Manhattan from the previous one I had when I was at the island. I think a cloudy lower Manhattan looks as good as the one taken during clear skies, what do you think?

Soon, it was time for me to head back to Manhattan as I wanted to avail of my free ticket to the New York Historical Society courtesy of Museum Day Live!

Governors Island was purchased with two axe heads, a string of beads and a handful of nails.  It has come a long way since, and I hope the proposed improvements would further enhance its charms and historical value.

I know I haven't covered everything I wanted to, so next season I'm sure I'll make it back. See you in 2013, GI!

For the rest of my Governors Island pics, here's the album on Flickr - Governors Island