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Gov­er­nors Island Reopens to the Pub­lic on July 15

Jul 8, 2020 8:52 am

NEW YORK (July 8, 2020) —The Trust for Gov­er­nors Island announced today that Gov­er­nors Island will reopen to the pub­lic with lim­it­ed capac­i­ty for pas­sive recre­ation­al activ­i­ties on Wednes­day, July 15, 2020. Start­ing that day, Gov­er­nors Island will be open to vis­i­tors dai­ly from 10AM to 6PM on week­days and 10AM to 7PM on week​ends​.In order to serve New York­ers most in need of open space, The Trust is launch­ing an exten­sive out­reach ini­tia­tive and offer­ing free fer­ries to all New York City Hous­ing Author­i­ty res­i­dents and com­mu­ni­ty orga­ni­za­tions across the city. Brook­lyn fer­ries will also be redi­rect­ed from Pier 6 to Red Hook’s Atlantic Basin, begin­ningSat­ur­day, July 18. 

The Trust ini­tial­ly post­poned its 2020 sea­son in April in order to help slow the spread of COVID-19 and for the health and safe­ty of its vis­i­tors, staff, ten­ants, ven­dors and com­mu­ni­ty of cul­tur­al orga­ni­za­tions. To ensure a safe envi­ron­ment for all vis­i­tors, The Trust will launch a num­ber of health, safe­ty and social dis­tanc­ing pro­to­cols upon reopen­ing, includ­ing a new tick­et reser­va­tion sys­tem to man­age capac­i­ty on fer­ries. With these mea­sures in place, vis­i­tors will be able to safe­ly enjoy the Island’s wide-open park spaces, his­toric sur­round­ings, and stun­ning pub­lic art while engag­ing in pas­sive recre­ation activ­i­ties like bik­ing, bird­ing, pic­nick­ing and much more. 

“Equi­table access to open spaces in our city has nev­er been more impor­tant, so we’re thrilled to wel­come New York­ers to Gov­er­nors Island in just a few short weeks,” said Clare New­man, Pres­i­dent and CEO of the Trust for Gov­er­nors Island. ​“This sum­mer, Gov­er­nors Island will be an afford­able, local get­away for New York­ers who need it most.We’ve focused on a plan to make the Island more acces­si­ble to New York­ers in areas under­served by parks this sea­son, and have tak­en impor­tant steps to ensure the health and safe­ty of our vis­i­tors. We look for­ward to see­ing every­one on the ferry!” 

“Gov­er­nors Island is an idyl­lic place for New York­ers to spread out and enjoy sum­mer in the City,” said Ali­cia Glen, Chair of the Trust for Gov­er­nors Island. ​“While the sea­son was cut short by the pan­dem­ic, the Trust has worked around the clock to increase access to the Island for those hard­est hit. I look for­ward to enjoy­ing the views from the Island’s fab­u­lous out­door din­ing spots – thank you to the Trust staff and all of our part­ners for giv­ing New York­ers safe and secure access to one of the City’s true gems.” 

“We’re thrilled to reopen Gov­er­nors Island this July, in order to pro­vide New York­ers even more ways to cel­e­brate sum­mer, safe­ly,” said Deputy May­or Vic­ki Been. ​“Gov­er­nors Island has put smart, thought­ful plans in place to ensure safe­ty and to be a respite for com­mu­ni­ties across the five bor­oughs at a time when open space is need­ed more than ever. As in all parks, for your safe­ty and for those around you, vis­i­tors should con­tin­ue to prac­tice social dis­tanc­ing and wear a face cov­er­ing when on the fer­ry and while enjoy­ing all that the Island has to offer.” 

“As New York­ers seek oppor­tu­ni­ties to safe­ly enjoy out­door spaces where they can main­tain social dis­tanc­ing and adhere to health guide­lines, the re-open­ing of Gov­er­nors Island comes at the per­fect moment,” said Con­gress­man Jer­rold Nadler. ​“This sum­mer, the pub­lic will once again be able to explore the his­to­ry, green spaces, and excel­lent views of the Man­hat­tan sky­line avail­able on Gov­er­nors Island. I thank the Trust for Gov­er­nors Island for expand­ing access to the Island’s invalu­able open space to more New York­ers dur­ing this time by waiv­ing fer­ry fees for NYCHA res­i­dents, seniors and select com­mu­ni­ty-based organizations.” 

“This announce­ment is great news for Red Hook and our entire City. Although social dis­tanc­ing is far from over, pub­lic out­door spaces pro­vide a much-need­ed escape from the con­fines of our homes,” said Con­gress­woman Nydia Velázquez. ​“With Red Hook’s ball fields still closed, the reopen­ing of Gov­er­nors Island is an excel­lent alter­na­tive for fam­i­lies to enjoy open spaces and fresh air. Red Hook res­i­dents have always enjoyed a great view of Gov­er­nors Island, but still find it incon­ve­nient to get there. This will change with this summer’s direct fer­ry ser­vice from Red Hook, offer­ing recre­ation­al oppor­tu­ni­ties exact­ly when fam­i­lies yearn for out­door sum­mer fun. I am par­tic­u­lar­ly thank­ful that the Trust has offered free fer­ry ser­vice to NYCHA res­i­dents and local com­mu­ni­ty groups, which will mean even more of our neigh­bors can vis­it the Island this sum­mer. I am look­ing for­ward to enjoy­ing the fresh air and can­not wait to see the island alive with activ­i­ty once more.” 

“At a time when New York­ers need good news, I’m thrilled Gov­er­nors Island will be open this sum­mer,” said City Coun­cil Speak­er Corey John­son.​“The Coun­cil has been fight­ing to save sum­mer for as many New York­ers as pos­si­ble, and to have a gem like this one open and acces­si­ble is a big win. The Coun­cil is glad to see the Trust for Gov­er­nors Island has a plan to ensure New York­ers are able to enjoy this beau­ti­ful space safe­ly, and I encour­age all New York­ers to con­tin­ue prac­tic­ing social dis­tanc­ing and wear­ing face cov­er­ings as rec­om­mend­ed by health officials.” 

“Sum­mer is not can­celled, with respon­si­ble plan­ning! I thank the Trust for Gov­er­nors Island for all its work to make this reopen­ing pos­si­ble” said Coun­cil Mem­ber Mar­garet S. Chin. ​“Our pub­lic parks are a pub­lic health resource, and I am thrilled that this 172-acre gem in the heart of New York Har­bor will soon be open for fam­i­lies to enjoy and safe­ly social dis­tance. With free fer­ries being offered to our neigh­bors at NYCHA and local com­mu­ni­ty groups, I high­ly encour­age all of my con­stituents to come out and enjoy the sun. Thank you to Clare New­man and all the staff at the Trust for their unwa­ver­ing com­mit­ment to pro­tect­ing New York­ers’ health and safe­ty this sum­mer and expand­ing access to open space.” 

“As the City recov­ers, we need more parks and large spaces to reopen so New York­ers can enjoy the sum­mer while social dis­tanc­ing. Gov­er­nors Island’s plan to move a fer­ry stop to Red Hook and pro­vide free fer­ries for NYCHA res­i­dents strikes that bal­ance per­fect­ly. I am proud to sup­port their reopen­ing plan and look for­ward to join­ing res­i­dents there to take in the unpar­al­leled sight of New York Har­bor flanked by Red Hook, Man­hat­tan, and the Stat­ue of Lib­er­ty,” said City Coun­cil Mem­ber Car­los Men­cha­ca.

“As we imple­ment new ways for New York­ers to enjoy the out­doors while also safe­ly social dis­tanc­ing, news that the 172 acres of Gov­er­nors Island will re-open to New York­ers is an excit­ing boost to our city’s open space capac­i­ty,” said Coun­cil­woman Car­li­na Rivera. ​“I am par­tic­u­lar­ly thank­ful to the Trust for offer­ing free fer­ry ser­vice to some of the com­mu­ni­ties hard­est hit by the pan­dem­ic, name­ly seniors and NYCHA res­i­dents. With part­ner­ships like this, we can ensure a safe and enjoy­able sum­mer for vul­ner­a­ble New York­ers who are seek­ing some time out­side their homes.” 

“I adore Gov­er­nors Island– it’s con­sid­ered part of Man­hat­tan, after all– so I’ll be thrilled to be able to vis­it again once it reopens, even under the need­ed social-dis­tanc­ing guide­lines on the fer­ries and beyond,” said Man­hat­tan Bor­ough Pres­i­dent Gale A. Brew­er. ​“I applaud the Trust for Gov­er­nors Island for launch­ing free fer­ry reser­va­tions for NYCHA res­i­dents and com­mu­ni­ty orga­ni­za­tions– giv­ing every­one the chance to enjoy free recre­ation­al open space when we need it most.” 

“This is wel­come news for the res­i­dents of Low­er Man­hat­tan and Brook­lyn, and all New York­ers who appre­ci­ate the won­ders of Gov­er­nors Island,” said State Sen­a­tor Bri­an Kavanagh, who rep­re­sents the Island and near­by parts of Man­hat­tan and Brook­lyn. ​“After spend­ing much of the year shel­ter­ing in place, we now can ven­ture out to explore Gov­er­nors Island’s lush greens, wide-open spaces, breath­tak­ing views, and his­toric archi­tec­ture. I applaud the Trust for Gov­er­nors Island for their stew­ard­ship of the island, and their efforts to reopen access with appro­pri­ate social dis­tanc­ing and safe­ty guide­lines in place for the ben­e­fit of all visitors.” 

“I thank the Trust for Gov­er­nors Island for think­ing of all New York­ers by pro­vid­ing fer­ry ser­vice from Atlantic Basin/​Red Hook to Gov­er­nors Island this year,” said Assis­tant New York State Assem­bly Speak­er Felix W. Ortiz. ​“There has nev­er been a more impor­tant time to pro­vide all com­mu­ni­ty mem­bers access to fresh air and the abil­i­ty to main­tain social dis­tanc­ing. The free fer­ry rides for NYCHA res­i­dents will ensure every­one has equal access to this beau­ti­ful Island. Fresh air, open space and a stun­ning view is just what we all need now.” 

“Man­hat­tan Com­mu­ni­ty Board 1 and the low­er Man­hat­tan com­mu­ni­ty are excit­ed for the re-open­ing of Gov­er­nors Island,” said Antho­ny Notaro, Jr., Chair­per­son, Man­hat­tan Com­mu­ni­ty Board 1. ​“This jew­el of our city will offer a wel­come envi­ron­ment for all to enjoy. Although ini­tial­ly, there will be a lim­it on the capac­i­ty of the island, it is a sign of mov­ing into the future in a pos­i­tive way.” 

“Peo­ple in our dis­trict, and across the city, are going to need more and more safe open space as this pan­dem­ic con­tin­ues through the sum­mer,” said Michael Raciop­po, Dis­trict Man­ag­er, Brook­lyn Com­mu­ni­ty Board 6. To that point we’re always hap­py when Gov­er­nors Island opens up, but espe­cial­ly this year” 

“We can’t wait to wel­come New York­ers back to Gov­er­nors Island to enjoy a true escape from the con­crete jun­gle,” said Mer­ritt Birn­baum, Exec­u­tive Direc­tor of the Friends of Gov­er­nors Island. ​“At a time when our city needs open green space more than ever, the Island brings fresh air, cool har­bor breezes and plen­ty of room to bike, pic­nic and relax. We’re so grate­ful to our sup­port­ers and vol­un­teers for help­ing us make the 2020 sea­son safe and wel­com­ing for everyone.” 

FER­RY SERVICE

Begin­ning July 15, fer­ries will depart dai­ly from the Bat­tery Mar­itime Build­ing at 10 South Street in Man­hat­tan. Capac­i­ty on Gov­er­nors Island’s fer­ries will be lim­it­ed dur­ing the 2020 sea­son to allow for social dis­tanc­ing. For the first time, vis­i­tors will be able to reserve tick­ets in advance through a new reser­va­tion system.A lim­it­ed num­ber of tick­ets will be avail­able for pur­chase in per­son for each time slot, and will be made avail­able to the gen­er­al pub­lic on Fri­day, July 10 at 10:00AM by vis­it­ing gov​is​land​.org.

To increase access for com­mu­ni­ties less served by open space in New York City, Brook­lyn fer­ries to Gov­er­nors Island will depart from Atlantic Basin/​Red Hook rather than Brook­lyn Bridge Park’s Pier 6 in 2020. Brook­lyn fer­ries will begin ser­vice on Sat­ur­day, July 18 and will run on Sat­ur­days and Sun­days. Tick­ets for Brook­lyn Fer­ries may also be reserved at gov​is​land​.org begin­ning July 10. 

Round-trip fer­ry tick­ets will cost $3 for adults. Fer­ries are always free for rid­ers age 12 and under as well as Gov­er­nors Island Mem­bers, IDNYC hold­ers and cur­rent and for­mer mil­i­tary ser­vice mem­bers. Fer­ries are now also free for all res­i­dents of New York City Hous­ing Author­i­ty (NYCHA) hous­ing and seniors 65 and over. Morn­ing fer­ries before noon on Sat­ur­days and Sun­days are free for all. There is no sur­charge for bicy­cles at any time. Vis­i­tors are required to wear face cov­er­ings at all times while trav­el­ing on Gov­er­nors Island ferries. 

The Trust will offer spe­cial waived fares for non-prof­it com­mu­ni­ty-based orga­ni­za­tions, youth camps, and senior cen­ters through­out New York City. To inquire about spe­cial group vis­its, orga­ni­za­tions may email groupvisits@​govisland.​org.

The city’s NYC Fer­ry ser­vice will offer addi­tion­al con­nec­tions to Gov­er­nors Island’s Yan­kee Pier via a ded­i­cat­ed week­end shut­tle from Wall Street/​Pier 11 which will oper­ate approx­i­mate­ly every 30 min­utes. Tick­ets are $2.75 or by free trans­fer from any NYC Fer­ry route. All vis­i­tors who arrive to Gov­er­nors Island via NYC Fer­ry are strong­ly encour­aged to depart using NYC Fer­ry as the Gov­er­nors Island fer­ry ser­vice will oper­ate on a reser­va­tion tick­et ser­vice and walk-up tick­ets are not guar­an­teed. NYC Fer­ry rid­ers are required to wear a mask or face cov­er­ing while onboard, even on the upper deck. For tick­et­ing infor­ma­tion and for a full sched­ule, please vis­it www.ferry.nyc.

ISLAND ACTIV­I­TIES

In response to the COVID-19 pan­dem­ic, Gov­er­nors Island will oper­ate with lim­it­ed ser­vices and will remain open for pas­sive recre­ation activ­i­ties only, such as hik­ing, walk­ing and run­ning, bik­ing and bird­ing through­out its expan­sive landscapes. 

Vis­i­tors can enjoy sweep­ing, 360-degree views of the sur­round­ing sky­lines and Har­bor land­marks like the Stat­ue of Lib­er­ty from the sum­mit of Out­look Hill. Ham­mock Grove pro­vides a relax­ing respite in com­fort­able ham­mocks tucked cozi­ly into seclud­ed pock­ets in the foliage. Kids will enjoy climb­ing and swing­ing at the Ham­mock Grove Play Area and zip­ping down Slide Hill’s col­lec­tion of twist‑y, turn‑y slides includ­ing a tan­dem slide and the longest slide in the city at 57 feet long. The Urban Farm will be open Sat­ur­days and Sun­days for vis­i­tors to explore GrowNYC’s Teach­ing Gar­den and Earth Matter’s Com­post Learn­ing Center. 

Pub­lic art instal­la­tions remain on view, includ­ing Shantell Martin’s The May Room, a com­mis­sion for the 2019 sea­son, Rachel Whiteread’s Cab­in, a per­ma­nent instal­la­tion on Dis­cov­ery Hill, and more. 

Bike rentals will be avail­able from Blaz­ing Sad­dles and Citi Bike, and vis­i­tors may bring their own bikes on Gov­er­nors Island fer­ries for no addi­tion­al fee to enjoy the Island’s sev­en miles of car-free bike paths. Blaz­ing Sad­dles also rents ped­al cars, sur­reys, scoot­ers and more and will offer free one-hour bike rentals on week­day morn­ings before noon. Height­ened clean­ing and safe­ty pro­to­cols will also be implemented. 

Vis­i­tors will be able to embark on self-guid­ed tours offered through Urban Archive. Vis­i­tors can fol­low the phys­i­cal route of these walks across the Island using their smart­phones, reveal­ing new his­toric pho­tos as they go. A vari­ety of Gov­er­nors Island self-guid­ed walks explor­ing its his­to­ry and trans­for­ma­tion are avail­able on gov​is​land​.org and through Urban Archive’s app. 

FOOD & BEVERAGE

Food and bev­er­age ven­dors offer­ing a wide range of options will be avail­able for Island vis­i­tors to enjoy upon reopen­ing. All­Go­v­er­nors Island ven­dors will com­ply with the lat­est food ser­vice guide­lines and adhere to health and safe­ty plans that min­i­mize per­son-to-per­son con­tact, empha­size hygiene, and allow for social dis­tanc­ing in serv­ing areas. 

This year’s ven­dors present at open­ing will include: 

• Island Oys­ter, a one-of-a-kind des­ti­na­tion fea­tur­ing easy­go­ing sum­mer fare, trop­i­cal­ly inspired cock­tails and panoram­ic views 
• Taco Vista, pur­vey­ors of tacos, mar­gar­i­tas, craft beer and some of the best views from Gov­er­nors Island 

• Fauzia’s Heav­en­ly Delights, an award-win­ning Jamaican-fusion estab­lish­ment offer­ing Caribbean clas­sics and home­made desserts as well as veg­an and gluten-free options 
• Kim­chi Taco, which serves Kore­an-inspired tacos and bowls as well as appetizers 
• Mak­i­na, which serves tra­di­tion­al Ethiopi­an and Eritre­an food with a mod­ern twist 
• Threes Brew­ing and The Meat Hook, two Brook­lyn main­stays that will com­bine local craft beer options with offer­ings from the acclaimed butch­er shop 
• The refresh­ing, deli­cious gourmet ice pops and slush­es of People’s Pops

• Melt Bak­ery, whose unique cook­ie and ice cream fla­vor pair­ings cre­ate sur­pris­ing and delight­ful ice cream sandwiches 
• Venezue­lan-style hot dogs com­plete with mounds of top­pings and accom­pa­ni­ments from Per­ros Y Vainas
• Cof­fee and tea plus sweet treats and light bites from Joe Cof­fee
• Share­able snacks and take­away lunch options from Three Peaks Lodge at Col­lec­tive Retreats 
• Lit­tle Eva’s, a long­time Island estab­lish­ment offer­ing sum­mer­time grilled fare as well as sis­ter loca­tion, Sea Bis­cuit, which fea­tures pic­turesque Har­bor views 

• Piz­za Yard brings gourmet Neapoli­tan and Roman-style wood-fired piz­zas to his­toric Colonels Row 
• Sweet and savory crepes from Every­thing About Crepes make a per­fect lunch, snack or dessert 
• Wings Lovers offers a robust range of fla­vors and options to sat­is­fy any chick­en wing enthusiast 
• Ter­ry & Yaki spe­cial­izes in halal teriya­ki chick­en bowls along with veg­an options and snacks 
• Authen­tic Bel­gian waf­fles heaped with tasty top­pings at Wafels & Dinges

CLEAN­ING & SAFE­TY PROGRAM

For the safe­ty of vis­i­tors, the Trust will imple­ment increased clean­ing pro­to­cols and sched­ules in all restrooms, in pas­sen­ger com­part­ments aboard fer­ries, and in high-touch areas across the Island. 

Hand san­i­tiz­er and hand wash­ing sta­tions will be installed through­out the Island.Ferries, restrooms, ATMs, bike rentals through Blaz­ing Sad­dles and Citi Bikes will also be reg­u­lar­ly dis­in­fect­ed. These and oth­er steps will be tak­en to ensure a safe and healthy vis­it for Island patrons. 

All vis­i­tors will be required to wear face cov­er­ings while rid­ing the fer­ry, or when social dis­tanc­ing is not possible. 

SER­VICE CHANGES

Fol­low­ing local, state and fed­er­al guide­lines, some changes will be imple­ment­ed to Gov­er­nors Island ameni­ties. Out­door event per­mits and per­mits for team ath­let­ic field use will be post­poned until at least August 1, and indoor pub­lic pro­grams will be post­poned until at least August 31. Gov­er­nors Island Nation­al Mon­u­ment, includ­ing Fort Jay and Cas­tle Williams, will remain tem­porar­i­ly closed. For updates on ser­vice changes on Gov­er­nors Island, please vis­it www​.gov​is​land​.org.

GOV­ER­NORS ISLAND AT HOME

Dur­ing its reduced sea­son, New York­ers will con­tin­ue to enjoy access to the best of Gov­er­nors Island and its pro­gram­ming, whether they are able to vis­it in per­son or not. In May, The Trust launched Gov­er­nors Island at Home, a hub of free inter­ac­tive tours, resources and vir­tu­al pro­grams relat­ed to the Island’s his­to­ry and nat­ur­al sur­round­ings, as well as its com­mu­ni­ty of pro­gram­ming part­ner orga­ni­za­tions. Gov­er­nors Island at Home can be accessed at gov​is​land​.org.

For the lat­est infor­ma­tion, includ­ing fer­ry sched­ules and ser­vice changes in response to COVID-19, please vis­it www​.gov​is​land​.org.