Dan Yawitz, a sophomore at Princeton University, worked on the Island this summer as an Alliance intern.
The first time I saw Governors Island I was seven years old, standing on the Staten Island ferry and staring at that cool brick fort. It looked like it was ready to fire its cannons at me from about thirty different angles. I remember thinking that, despite the fort, it looked like a quaint little town. I wondered if I'd ever be allowed to go.
The first time I saw Governors Island I was seven years old, standing on the Staten Island ferry and staring at that cool brick fort. It looked like it was ready to fire its cannons at me from about thirty different angles. I remember thinking that, despite the fort, it looked like a quaint little town. I wondered if I'd ever be allowed to go.
This summer, I went for the first time. I was pleasantly surprised to find what I thought I saw from the ferry that day, a tranquil green space that felt more like it belonged in rural Massachusetts than in the heart of New York City. It was like a private haven in the middle of the harbor, except it was open and I could come back whenever I wanted (on weekends from May to October).
I saw thousands of people come to the Island this summer, and I heard them call it things like "beautiful," "one of my favorite places in the city," or - my favorite - "my own personal catharsis." Many of them were New Yorkers like me. We've known about the Island for years but have never been out there. Nearly half of this summer's 200,000 visitors were from New York City alone! It's great to see people coming out and connecting with the Island on a personal level like this.
The park will matter most to the people who really enjoy and identify with it, and they will shape its future. The Alliance's motto is "It's Your Island. It's Your Park." I'm proud that helping connect with this amazing space has helped them make it their park, in the same way I made it mine.