Summer 2010: Like No Other
Events
Governors Island: It's My Island!
Dear Friend of Governors Island,
It's no longer the Harbor's sleeping beauty: Governors Island has awakened. With over 275,000 visitors at the end of the summer, the Island has hit the tipping point as one of New York's newest and fastest-growing favorite public spaces. It's visible, it's popular, and, most importantly, it's yours!
So how did you enjoy your Island this year?
Did you ride your bike all the way around the waterfront promenade, or did you lounge in a hammock looking up at Lady Liberty? Maybe you and some friends saw Judy Collins sing on the lawn at Colonels' Row, or just grabbed a burger at Water Taxi Beach. Did you take your children to see the cannons at Fort Jay, play soccer, or challenge the mini golf course behind Liggett Hall?
Whatever your favorite part was, we are glad you were able to enjoy more of your Island than ever before, including the new round-Island esplanade, 8 more acres of park space at Picnic Point, and more creative, quality events.
But all this progress hasn't happened by accident. Support from our members this year has helped make great strides in the Island's progress. We write to you today to ask for your help. Please consider making a tax-deductible gift to Governors Island Alliance in support of our advocacy and public programs.
Since 1995, Governors Island Alliance has worked to ensure that New Yorkers and their friends and family have the opportunity to visit this unique and wonderful place. We sponsor public programs like the Folks on the Island concerts and our opening day Family Festival. We reach out to Island visitors and use their feedback to help improve your Island experience year after year. We work with students and volunteers to improve the Island and stretch public resources, and to create public programs. Most importantly, we let City, State, and federal officials know how special Governors Island is to people like you.
Last year at this time, it was uncertain whether Governors Island would open at all due to the tough economic climate. But thanks to the Alliance's "Keep the Island Afloat" advocacy campaign, public officials recognized the many people who cared about the Island and its historic buildings, and 2009 became our most successful season ever - with more than double the number of visitors of 2008. The Alliance also helped secure the funding needed to rehabilitate and open key Island resources: Yankee Pier, a new destination for historic and other ships; and Castle Williams, the 1811 fort at the heart of the Island's National Park. We also joined with the Harbor School to celebrate the rehabilitation of the historic hospital building for their public high school - the Island's first tenant.
But in order to sustain this exciting momentum, we need your support. We encourage you to consider becoming a member of the Governors Island Alliance.
Members of the Alliance are invited to private on-Island events and receive special briefings on recent Island developments. There are opportunities for special acknowledgment on our website, annual report and all our summer Island materials.
Being a member of Governors Island Alliance means you are playing a vital role in the ongoing preservation of the National Monument and other nationally significant historic buildings, the creation of over 110 acres of parkland, and the renewal of one of New York's greatest public resources.
Support from Island friends like you is more important than ever in difficult economic times like these, when parks and historic buildings are most often left out of City, State, and federal budgets. We need your help to keep our elected officials on track, to run our volunteer and intern programs, and to produce the free public programs that bring so many faces to Governors Island in the summer.
That's why we hope you'll lend your support by joining the Governors Island Alliance today. Simply mail or fax us our membership card or contribute online through our secure website.
One of things we enjoy most is taking first-time visitors out to the Island. The most jaded New Yorker is taken aback by the Island's beauty, history, and incredible potential. We know that you too appreciate Governors Island for all these qualities. Please take the time to make it truly yours by joining the Alliance as a contributing member. You will be a wonderful addition to our family at a time when we need your help most. We hope to hear from you soon.
See you on the Island,
Ken Fisher Robert Pirani
Chair Executive Director
Successful Summer Comes to a Close
Visitors said goodbye to Governors Island last Sunday, knowing the Island would be closed from Columbus Day until May 2010.
On Thursday, the Alliance and the Urban Assembly New York Harbor School celebrated the summer with our program partners at Water Taxi Beach. We want to thank all our supporters and sponsors, plus all the folks who came out to enjoy the Island and the Beach for one last hurrah.
With the help of our members, the Alliance has raised roughly $30,000 this summer - all of which will go towards our free programming events and our advocacy work.
On Thursday, the Alliance and the Urban Assembly New York Harbor School celebrated the summer with our program partners at Water Taxi Beach. We want to thank all our supporters and sponsors, plus all the folks who came out to enjoy the Island and the Beach for one last hurrah.
With the help of our members, the Alliance has raised roughly $30,000 this summer - all of which will go towards our free programming events and our advocacy work.
Special VIP Tour Added for Thursday, Oct 8 Party
To get you into the Swing of Fall, we've added a
special VIP tour of the Island. Come see the Urban Assembly New York Harbor School's brand new high school building with founder Murray Fisher. You'll also have a chance to check out the new eco-dock at Pier 101, the historic forts and beautiful fall-colored parks.
RSVP for the tour
Dance, drink and celebrate with us as we close out the summer season with a bang!
RSVP for the party
special VIP tour of the Island. Come see the Urban Assembly New York Harbor School's brand new high school building with founder Murray Fisher. You'll also have a chance to check out the new eco-dock at Pier 101, the historic forts and beautiful fall-colored parks.
RSVP for the tour
Dance, drink and celebrate with us as we close out the summer season with a bang!
RSVP for the party
Get Into the Swing of Fall: The Details
Thursday, October 8, 5:30 - 8 pm
Water Taxi Beach, Governors Island
$25 - Includes one free drink, transit, dancing and live music from the Stumblebum Brass Band
Boats depart the Battery Maritime Building at 5:15, 5:45 and 6:15 pm
RSVP to Elizabeth, call 917 546 4304, or RSVP online
Don't miss it! It's your last chance to party at the beach
with us until May 2010!
Goodbye Summer, Hello Fall!
Governors Island has become New York's newest hot spot - at sea level, at least, so as not to ignore the High Line - and we'll all be sorry to see it close after Columbus Day. It's been a tremendous summer, with over 240,000 visitors, a new picnic grounds with stunning up-close views of Lady Liberty, a popular esplanade circling the perimeter and an infinite variety of free events within it.
The Alliance and the Urban Assembly New York Harbor School are throwing a beach party on Thursday, October 8, to celebrate the arts and educational groups that made the season such a success. Toast your favorites - artists, performers, teachers and waterfront volunteers - watch a sunset over the water one more time and enjoy live music by New York's own Stumblebum Brass Band on the new Water Taxi Beach.
The Alliance and the Urban Assembly New York Harbor School are throwing a beach party on Thursday, October 8, to celebrate the arts and educational groups that made the season such a success. Toast your favorites - artists, performers, teachers and waterfront volunteers - watch a sunset over the water one more time and enjoy live music by New York's own Stumblebum Brass Band on the new Water Taxi Beach.
RSVP here.
Get into the Swing of Fall - on Facebook!
Planning on coming to our "Get Into the Swing of Fall" beach party October 8th? RSVP on Facebook! Invite your friends and family! Kids under 12 are free.
Click here to go to the Facebook group.
Closing Reception: 4heads Collective
The Second Annual Governors Island Art Fair compiled by the 4heads Collective and sponsored by Gallery Bar will culminate with a closing reception on Sunday, September 27 from 3 - 6 pm. Visitors will be allowed one last chance to stroll through the abandoned army barracks of Governors Island while viewing a selection of work by 150 independent and international artists and performers as well as a selection of art galleries. All galleries will be open from 11 am - 6 pm on both Saturday and Sunday.
National Parks Week on GI
Join the National Parks Conservation Association in celebrating our nationals parks this upcoming week. There will be many events all over the city, two of which are on Governors Island - with the Children's Museum for the Arts and the National Park Service.
Check out the week-long schedule here.
Feel Free is an attitude, an ambition and an invitation. Feel Free is a belief that the National Parks should be well funded, broadly and enthusiastically visited, respectfully experienced and cherished for the national treasures they are. Feel Free is the momentum to restore the parks in time for their 100th anniversary, 7 years from now. Feel Free is impassioned advocacy and successive opportunity.
Feel Free is now: It's time to take in the scenery. www.feelfree.org
Countdown for Dutch Festival
New Island Festival activities are endless, but the festival is not. It ends on Sunday, September 20. Direct from Holland, watch circus acts and daredevil stunts or comedy and improv, hear classical music in the park, take in dance performances by some of the Netherlands most prominent contemporary choreographers...or peer into the Island's past at the archeological dig. The festival is alive until midnight every night.
The full program is available here. The ferry schedule for each day is here.
Kites and Flights on Governors Island
GIA distributed 100 mini Mighty Kites at a reading of Touching the Sky by co-authors Trish Marx and Louise Borden on Sunday, September 13.
Cinema al Fresco September 17
Join us this Thursday evening, September 17, for "Zombie Honeymoon"at Water Taxi Beach. The film will start just after sundown, around 7:30 pm. Doors will open at 6:30 pm. Seating is first-come first-serve so get there early with your blankets and folding chairs!
Ferries depart from the Battery Maritime Building every 20 minutes beginning at 4 pm. You can see the full ferry schedule here.
If you have questions, call Elizabeth at 917-546-4304.
Get into the Swing of Fall
For full event invitation, click here
Join us for a final summer event to celebrate a successful
year and to honor our programming and educational partners
Let's Go Fly a Kite - September 13
Mighty Kite flying on the Parade Grounds last weekend
The first 100 children who come to a reading of Touching the Sky on September 13 will receive a free pocket-sized Mighty Kite of their very own.
Join us in Building 4B in Nolan Park at 12:30 on Sunday, September 13
Zombie Honeymoon: In Sickness and in Health...
Join the Governors Island Alliance and partners Slamdance Film Festival and Post Factory FilmsNY for an evening of cinema al fresco at Water Taxi Beach September 17.
Zombie Honeymoon
Written and Directed by Dave Gebroe, run time 83 minutes
Angel Orensanz Foundation, Inc.
The Urban Divers Estuary Conservancy/ENVIROMEDIA MOBILE
Hint Water
Written and Directed by Dave Gebroe, run time 83 minutes
We'd like to thank our partners and sponsors in this project:
Water Taxi Beach, Governors Island Liberty Event ManagementAngel Orensanz Foundation, Inc.
The Urban Divers Estuary Conservancy/ENVIROMEDIA MOBILE
Hint Water
Click through for the movie description.
Continue reading "Zombie Honeymoon: In Sickness and in Health..." »
Learn about - and fly your own - kites on September 13
The first 100 children who come to a reading of Touching the Sky on September 13 will receive a free pocket-sized Mighty Kite of their very own. Touching the Sky is a charming work of historical narrative, telling the story of Wilbur Wright's first flight over water, launched from Governors Island, and Orville's groundbreaking flights on an early tour of Europe. Selected as one of Booklink's Best Books for Children in 2003, it describes, in imaginative and colorful detail, the brothers' historic invention, small and light enough to get off the ground, but stiff and strong enough to support their weight, as well as the skill it took them to maneuver it in the air. These tricky aerodynamics, necessary to keep them airborne, are also described in GIA's About Kites exhibit, in Building 4B in Nolan Park through September 27.
Co-authors Trish Marx and Louise Borden are seasoned writers of children's books. Ms. Marx's includes Echoes of World War II and Everglades Forever, and more than a dozen others with topics ranging from world history to the environment. Many of Ms. Borden's works are historical non-fiction, but they also include heartfelt stories about elementary school kids, with examples drawn from her own experience in the classroom.
Join us in Building 4B in Nolan Park at 12:30 on Sunday, September 13, to hear them read from Touching the Sky.
Summer 2009 Calendar and Ferry Schedule
Here is the most up-to-date Summer Schedule
. Check back from time to time, as events are added frequently.
For the most frequent ferry schedule, check GIPEC's site. The schedule changes every weekend.
For the most frequent ferry schedule, check GIPEC's site. The schedule changes every weekend.
A Tomato Plant Grows in Picnic Point
And not just one.
Added Value, the nonprofit with a model farm in Red Hook, has started a slightly larger one - three acres - in Picnic Point. The first planting, in June, included hot season crops like eggplant, peppers and, of course, tomatoes. They have also planted cover crops to improve the soil. Come fall they will plant for the winter - garlic, perennial herbs, flowers - and will start planning for livestock - bees, chickens, maybe sheep or goats.
Added Value, the nonprofit with a model farm in Red Hook, has started a slightly larger one - three acres - in Picnic Point. The first planting, in June, included hot season crops like eggplant, peppers and, of course, tomatoes. They have also planted cover crops to improve the soil. Come fall they will plant for the winter - garlic, perennial herbs, flowers - and will start planning for livestock - bees, chickens, maybe sheep or goats.
Goldman Sachs Community TeamWorks volunteers planted vegetables
at the Added Value farm on the Island in June / Photo by GIA
at the Added Value farm on the Island in June / Photo by GIA
Kites: Past, Present and Possibilities
Kite-flying fun during last summer's Free Bike and Kite Day / Photo by GIA
Earthlings have always wanted to fly, but long before there were airplanes and space ships to fly in, they flew kites. The Smithsonian Institution has packaged kite history, shapes and possibilities in a traveling exhibit now showing on an island near you. The exhibit, sponsored by the Alliance and the Drachen Foundation, is open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays in Building 4B, next to the Admiral's House in Nolan Park.
Follow the Clues to Island History
A fun-loving offshoot of Cornell University and the New York Harbor School have come up with a set of clues to help young explorers discover how the Hudson River, New York Harbor and Governors Island have changed since Henry Hudson first sailed by in 1609. It's free. The trail begins with an orientation session at the entrance to Fort Jay every half-hour from 10:30 to 5, on September 13 and 20. You're on your own from there, and will probably finish in about 90 minutes. While this is billed as a Scavenger Hunt, it's not the kind where you collect things and there's no prize at the end. All you have to collect is your thoughts about what you discover. To prove your sightings, you could take a camera.
To reach the fun-loving sponsor, the Cornell University Cooperative Extension NYC, one of the Alliance's civic partners, call (212) 340-2962 or email sjc265@cornell.edu.
To reach the fun-loving sponsor, the Cornell University Cooperative Extension NYC, one of the Alliance's civic partners, call (212) 340-2962 or email sjc265@cornell.edu.
A Reminder Why We Matter
It's been a wonderful summer on the Island. But the record crowds and terrific programs don't tell the whole story.
On July 24, the New Settlement's Bronx Helpers program brought 55 kids out for a day of reflection and relaxation. This non-profit community organization - dedicated to leadership development, civic engagement and community service for teens - was looking for an easy way to recharge their batteries.
On July 24, the New Settlement's Bronx Helpers program brought 55 kids out for a day of reflection and relaxation. This non-profit community organization - dedicated to leadership development, civic engagement and community service for teens - was looking for an easy way to recharge their batteries.
Bronx Helper sniffs flowers in the FIGMENT sculpture garden / Photo by New Settlement's Bronx Helpers
City of Water Day Sets New Record
Kayakers, canoers, boaters of all descriptions and waterfront activists swelled the Island crowd to a record 10,674 on the second annual City of Water Day, July 18, sponsored by Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance. Including ordinary landlubber visitors with no idea what they were in for, and students at opening day of the New York Harbor School's summer session, it was the Island's biggest single day since it reopened three summers ago. One more thing: Yankee Pier reopened. Bigger boats can now tie up there - research vessels and historic ships on exhibition.
Lessons in Greening
The City University's "Sustainable Living for Sustainable Cities" lecture series on Saturday afternoons is bringing even more green to our island this summer. The lectures are at 12:30 and continue through September 5.
Click to continue reading the highlights from talks about greening the home and office:
Click to continue reading the highlights from talks about greening the home and office:
Update: New Island Festival
Celebrating the anniversary of Henry Hudson's voyage up the Hudson in 1609, the Island plays host to the New Island Festival next month. Sponsored by the Dutch government, it will transform the Island with a cavalcade of Dutch culture - art, live performances, concerts and an abundance of creativity from the folks who first settled here in 1624. Much of the festival will be free; some of it ticketed. The Island will be open, and the free ferry will operate, until midnight, Thursday through Sunday, September 10-13 and September 17-20. Check the listing of events here.
Reading All About It: August 8
Ann Buttenwieser will read from her forthcoming history of the Island on Saturday, August 8, in the Admiral's House at 12:30. Buttenwieser, well known for her efforts to enliven the harbor, was recently named to GIPEC's board of directors. Her book, Governors Island: The Jewel of New York Harbor, is due in the fall.
Read more reviews.
NOTE: Saturday, August 8, is also the first day of the National Monument's Civil War Weekend.
Garden Party Success
Photo by Zara Fernandes, GIA Young Professionals Member
On Sunday, GIA had a successful garden party in the Admiral's House in Nolan Park. Guests enjoyed the Judy Collins Folks on the Island concert in the early afternoon, and they joined other GIA members for champagne and food. This summer, our GIA fundraisers have raised almost $20,000 for public programs and advocacy work for the Island. We thank our members and our generous sponsors for their help in making these events possible!
Join us this Sunday, July 26 for a Garden Party
There's still time to reserve your tickets to GIA's Garden Party this Sunday, July 26!
We will also accept cash or check payments at the door.
The Judy Collins concert on Colonels' Row begins at 2 pm. Ferries depart from the Battery Maritime Building every 30 minutes, and from the Fulton Ferry Landing in Brooklyn every 20 minutes.
Seating on the lawn is first-come first-served - we suggest arriving by 12:30 pm to reserve your spot on the grass.
And don't try to fight the post-concert crowds on the 4 pm boat - Join us for a drink in the Admiral's House! Enjoy champagne and light hors d'oeuvres with other Island enthusiasts from 4 - 6 pm in Nolan Park.
Double Bill on the Island July 26: Judy Collins and a Garden Party
All funds raised by these events go towards free public programs on the Island and the Alliance's advocacy work. Sponsorships are available.
Keep in touch with the Alliance on Facebook and twitter (@govisalliance). You can also e-mail Elizabeth with any questions. For directions and ferry times, visit govisland.com.
Roomy Beach; River Views
Celebrating the Grand Opening on July 10 / Photo by GIA
The Water Taxi Beach is open. With 300 tons of freshly imported sand, it has transformed the northern end of the Island from a parking lot to an urban seashore. It opened officially for frolic (and five-figure fund-raising!) under a perfect blue sky on the evening of Friday, July 10.
Following on the inauguration of Picnic Point at the southern end last month, the beach is yet another new addition to the Island's historic attractions and its matchless setting. It is the third beach that water taxi entrepreneur Tom Fox has created, and easily the most spectacular.
GIA chairman Ken Fisher awards special GIA crown of
gold to beach creator Tom Fox / Photo by GIA
gold to beach creator Tom Fox / Photo by GIA
The July 10 opening raised $10,000 for the Alliance's programs on the Island and its work promoting the open spaces. The event was co-sponsored by the Alliance and Emerging New York Architects, the young professionals group of the New York chapter of the American Institute of Architects.
City of Water Day, July 18
City of Water Day, this coming Saturday, means fun and light doses of education for boaters and landlubbers alike. The Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance organizes it to celebrate the New York region's hundreds of miles of shoreline and to promote it as an asset for the whole area. Activities include tours of historical and educational vessels that will be tied up at the pier, musicians, food carts and a Waterfront Information Fair. www.cityofwaterday.org
NOTE: July 18 is opening day for the Urban Assembly New York Harbor School's first summer school program on the Island.
NOTE: July 18 is opening day for the Urban Assembly New York Harbor School's first summer school program on the Island.
Yankee Pier is Back
Built by the Coast Guard in the 1960's, Yankee Pier on Buttermilk Channel needed serious rehab when Washington deeded the Island back to New York control in 2003. Thanks to funding by Borough President Scott Stringer, GIPEC has now completed the job and will reopen it on City of Water Day this Saturday, July 18. Use of the pier is limited to educational and historical boats with programs for Island visitors. Because of security concerns, private boats cannot be accommodated.
In order to open the pier to the public, GIPEC made extensive investments in its railings, resurfacing its deck and installing protective fendering for boats that will tie up there. The pilings needed work, too, as did lighting, electrical wiring and plumbing. A grant from the Hudson River Foundation's Hudson River Improvement Fund is enabling the Alliance to sponsor a special "spud" barge attached to the pier - for this occasion only - to accommodate small boats.
In order to open the pier to the public, GIPEC made extensive investments in its railings, resurfacing its deck and installing protective fendering for boats that will tie up there. The pilings needed work, too, as did lighting, electrical wiring and plumbing. A grant from the Hudson River Foundation's Hudson River Improvement Fund is enabling the Alliance to sponsor a special "spud" barge attached to the pier - for this occasion only - to accommodate small boats.
Volunteer!
Parks aren't parks without help, and Governors Island is no exception. There are plenty of ways to get involved, and spend some quality time on the Island, too.
GIPEC has a need for greeters at the Battery Maritime Building and on the island who can help visitors with directions and information about what to do, see and hear, can tell them where to find food and restrooms, and will lend a hand wherever useful. There may also be openings for your special passions - for instance, backstage in the Green Room at Folks concerts, managing miniature golf or assembling kites.
The Alliance also enlists volunteer help on Island and off. Our Welcome Tent at the crest of the hill has to be staffed every weekend, introducing visitors to the Alliance and its mission. We also use volunteers at special events, such as the Grand Opening of Water Taxi Beach last week and planting day at the new Added Value Farm on Picnic Point.
There is an application form on GIPEC's Get Involved webpage. Last year there were about 20 volunteers, but the sky's the limit. The greatest need is on weekends. To learn more about volunteering with the Alliance, email Elizabeth or call 917-546-4304.
GIPEC has a need for greeters at the Battery Maritime Building and on the island who can help visitors with directions and information about what to do, see and hear, can tell them where to find food and restrooms, and will lend a hand wherever useful. There may also be openings for your special passions - for instance, backstage in the Green Room at Folks concerts, managing miniature golf or assembling kites.
The Alliance also enlists volunteer help on Island and off. Our Welcome Tent at the crest of the hill has to be staffed every weekend, introducing visitors to the Alliance and its mission. We also use volunteers at special events, such as the Grand Opening of Water Taxi Beach last week and planting day at the new Added Value Farm on Picnic Point.
There is an application form on GIPEC's Get Involved webpage. Last year there were about 20 volunteers, but the sky's the limit. The greatest need is on weekends. To learn more about volunteering with the Alliance, email Elizabeth or call 917-546-4304.
Boat Instructions for Water Taxi Beach Party July 10, 2009
Boats depart from the Battery Maritime Building (10 South Street at the corner of Whitehall Street) every 30 minutes starting at 5:30 pm. Boats will return to Manhattan at 6:45, 7:15, 8 and 8:30 pm.
RSVP here
Tickets will be sold at the door for purchase with cash or check.
Hope to see you there!
RSVP here
Tickets will be sold at the door for purchase with cash or check.
Hope to see you there!
Progress on Water Taxi Beach!
The parking lot that used to be home to Olafur Eliasson's waterfall is undergoing a major facelift. Water Taxi Beach, Governors Island is on its way to completion! Check out the beach's progress - the sand has arrived!
Don't forget to RSVP for the 2-hour Happy Hour on July 10, from 6 - 8 pm.
Don't forget to RSVP for the 2-hour Happy Hour on July 10, from 6 - 8 pm.
Two Exciting Events on Governors Island This Summer
This summer, two special events will take advantage the Island's most enticing spots, one brand new, the other dating back to pre-Civil War years. Next week, join the Governors Island Alliance in welcoming a one of the newest crowds of Island-goers - the young professionals - and the Island's newest tenant, Water Taxi Beach. And later in the summer, after what promises to be a riveting performance by folk music icon Judy Collins, celebrate the Island's architectural beauty with fellow Alliance members for a Garden Party in the historic Admiral's House in Nolan Park.
For more information, contact Elizabeth.
Water Taxi Beach Grand Opening
July 10, 6 -8 pm
Includes 2-hour Happy Hour
RSVP Here
GIA Garden Party in the Admiral's House
July 26, 4 - 6 pm
Includes light refreshments
RSVP here
July 10, 6 -8 pm
Includes 2-hour Happy Hour
RSVP Here
GIA Garden Party in the Admiral's HouseJuly 26, 4 - 6 pm
Includes light refreshments
RSVP here
For more information, contact Elizabeth.
Continue reading "Two Exciting Events on Governors Island This Summer" »
Beach Party July 10 6-8 pm
The Alliance invites you to a grand opening reception for the Island's newest hot spot, Water Taxi Beach, on Friday, July 10. A happy hour from 6 to 8 will feature a gorgeous sunset (we hope) and incomparable harbor views (we promise). Be among the first to explore this all-new café and performance space.
The Dutch are Coming! The Dutch are Coming!
Dutch forces have announced their intention to retake the Island on September 10, roughly 275 years after the original colonists lost it to the British. The invading force this time is New Island Festival, a spectacle of performing arts with more than 100 performing artists.
Continue reading "The Dutch are Coming! The Dutch are Coming! " »
Brooklyn Ferries, To and Fro
Flood-tide below me! I see you face to face!
Clouds of the west--sun there half an hour high--I see you also face to face.
Walt Whitman, Crossing Brooklyn Ferry
There are far fewer ferries criss-crossing the harbor now than in Walt Whitman's day, and until now there have been none connecting the 400 yards between Brooklyn and the Island. More than one-quarter of last year's visitors to the Island came from Brooklyn, and they all had to come via Manhattan. This summer, for the first time, two services will offer direct crossings - GIPEC's free rides on NY Waterway ferries from the Fulton Ferry landing on Saturdays when there is a scheduled event on the Island, and New York Water Taxi's supplementary service for events at the Water Taxi Beach.
Clouds of the west--sun there half an hour high--I see you also face to face.
Walt Whitman, Crossing Brooklyn Ferry
There are far fewer ferries criss-crossing the harbor now than in Walt Whitman's day, and until now there have been none connecting the 400 yards between Brooklyn and the Island. More than one-quarter of last year's visitors to the Island came from Brooklyn, and they all had to come via Manhattan. This summer, for the first time, two services will offer direct crossings - GIPEC's free rides on NY Waterway ferries from the Fulton Ferry landing on Saturdays when there is a scheduled event on the Island, and New York Water Taxi's supplementary service for events at the Water Taxi Beach.
Photo by Flickr/jag9889
The Biggest, Bestest Opening Day
Opening day 2009 - Saturday, May 30 - drew a single-day record of 7,876 visitors to the Island. The waiting line for the ferry stretched out the door of the Battery Maritime Building and at times all the way to the Staten Island Ferry terminal. Hundreds of children came out with their families for the Alliance's fourth annual Family Festival - and, surely some of them, to have a peek at Prince Charles who played in the afternoon Veuve Cliquot polo match.
Friends and family did arts and crafts at the Goldman Sachs Community Teamworks activities station
Photo by GIA
Photo by GIA
Creating Creative Creations
Lawrence Weiner, AT THE SAME MOMENT, commissioned by Creative Time
Photo by GIA
Photo by GIA
Creative Time, the folks who brought David Byrne's music machine to the Battery Maritime Building last year, are swarming the Island this summer with "site responsive" public art, including this imaginative greeting at the BMB's ferry dock. They call it PLOT09: This World and Nearer Ones. It's everywhere, indoors and out, with works by artists from near and far. Free and open every Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Experts Spill Their Beans
Experts on the past and future of the human race will come to the Island almost every weekend this summer to share their thoughts in a series of talks sponsored by the National Park Service and the City University Institute for Sustainable Cities.
The NPS talks focus on history. The CUNY talks are about ecology and the environment, and what to do about them. Both series start on Saturday, June 27. They are all in the afternoon, and mostly in Pershing Hall. Time and location directions available on the Island and on these websites: nps.gov/gois and cunysustainablecities.org.
Click through to see the listing of events.
The NPS talks focus on history. The CUNY talks are about ecology and the environment, and what to do about them. Both series start on Saturday, June 27. They are all in the afternoon, and mostly in Pershing Hall. Time and location directions available on the Island and on these websites: nps.gov/gois and cunysustainablecities.org.
Click through to see the listing of events.
Join us for our first-ever Happy Hour: July 10, 6 - 8 PM
On Friday, July 10th, Governors Island Alliance will host our first reception of the summer at the Island's newest hot spot: Water Taxi Beach.
Join us at the grand opening celebration for the Island's newest tenant, Water Taxi Beach, where GIA will bring Island enthusiasts together for a happy hour to enjoy music, the sunset and the views. You can be one of the first to explore Water Taxi Beach's innovative café and performance space, and its extraordinary views of the Harbor and Lower Manhattan.
The event is being produced in partnership with the AIA NY's young professionals group, the Emerging NY Architects. The evening will be a great networking opportunity for young design and real estate professionals city-wide.
Details about the boat ride to the Island will follow soon, so stay in touch.
RSVP now! Buy your tickets
Brooklyn Ferry Service begins Saturday, June 6!
Ferry boats will leave from Fulton Ferry Landing and arrive at Pier 101 on Governors Island for the first time this Saturday.
Schedules leaving Fulton Ferry
Landing and returning from Pier 101:
11:20 11:30
11:40 11:50
12:00 12:10
12:20 12:30
12:40 12:50
1:00 1:10
1:20 1:30
1:40 1:50
2:00 2:10
2:20 2:30
2:40 2:50
3:00 3:10
3:20 3:30
3:40 3:50
4:00 4:10
4:20 4:30
4:40 4:50
5:00 5:10
Also departing Pier 101 at 5:30 and 5:50
Schedule subject to change. Check www.govisland.com for updates.
11:20 11:30
11:40 11:50
12:00 12:10
12:20 12:30
12:40 12:50
1:00 1:10
1:20 1:30
1:40 1:50
2:00 2:10
2:20 2:30
2:40 2:50
3:00 3:10
3:20 3:30
3:40 3:50
4:00 4:10
4:20 4:30
4:40 4:50
5:00 5:10
Also departing Pier 101 at 5:30 and 5:50
Schedule subject to change. Check www.govisland.com for updates.
What's New?
If
you haven't been to the Island since last
summer, look what's happened! There is visible progress even before you get
there. The reception area in the Battery
Maritime Building,
where the ferry comes and goes, is being expanded to handle the numbers that
were beginning to crowd the space as it was. Also, the National Park Service is
now staffing the information desk and bookstore on days the Island
is open to the public.
Once you land you will see the Alliance's new Welcome Center. You'll find us by Building 110, to the right as you climb the hill from the ferry. It's the same location as last year, with a new shaded station. Stop by for information about the day's events, for the 2009 Summer Schedule and to fill out a survey about your trip to the Island. Meet our new GIA interns and get yourself a baseball cap!
Once you land you will see the Alliance's new Welcome Center. You'll find us by Building 110, to the right as you climb the hill from the ferry. It's the same location as last year, with a new shaded station. Stop by for information about the day's events, for the 2009 Summer Schedule and to fill out a survey about your trip to the Island. Meet our new GIA interns and get yourself a baseball cap!
Opening Day: Family Fun and Discovery
Come celebrate opening day at the fifth annual Family Festival on May 30. Music and live performers, arts and crafts, maritime lessons and oysters will fill the day, and it's all free.
New this year is a befuddled clown, Dr. Ima Confused, courtesy of the Big Apple Circus and its wonderful Clown Care Program. Returning are the musical Hudson River Ramblers, exploring America's 'First River' in story and song. The Arm of the Sea Theater will present Mutual Strangers, depicting Henry Hudson's historic encounter with the New World through live music and mask-and-puppet theater. Yet another new clown, Loony Toony, brings juggling and magic and a giant bubble to climb in. Two closing acts will raise the noise level with 50's bluegrass, rock, retro-pop and honky tonk: The Jeff and Vida Band, returning for year two, and Mad Tea Party, a new group. Full details and performance times are available on a separate flyer .
New this year is a befuddled clown, Dr. Ima Confused, courtesy of the Big Apple Circus and its wonderful Clown Care Program. Returning are the musical Hudson River Ramblers, exploring America's 'First River' in story and song. The Arm of the Sea Theater will present Mutual Strangers, depicting Henry Hudson's historic encounter with the New World through live music and mask-and-puppet theater. Yet another new clown, Loony Toony, brings juggling and magic and a giant bubble to climb in. Two closing acts will raise the noise level with 50's bluegrass, rock, retro-pop and honky tonk: The Jeff and Vida Band, returning for year two, and Mad Tea Party, a new group. Full details and performance times are available on a separate flyer .
Sailors of the Half Moon, "Mutual Strangers" / Photo by Elijah Vanaver
Breeding Bivalve Filters
Governors Island has a flupsy! The Alliance's summer intern, Elias Schewel, helped partners NY / NJ Baykeeper and the New York Harbor School deliver the first one in the harbor to its site a few meters off of the Island.
A flupsy is a critical piece of shellfish farming equipment, allowing very young mollusks, or "seed," to be cultured at a higher density and speed than they would be under natural tidal conditions. "Flupsy" is not some colorful waterfront term, but a compression of its full name: Floating Upweller System. Most of its workings happen under water; above the water line it just looks like a floating dock.
A flupsy is a critical piece of shellfish farming equipment, allowing very young mollusks, or "seed," to be cultured at a higher density and speed than they would be under natural tidal conditions. "Flupsy" is not some colorful waterfront term, but a compression of its full name: Floating Upweller System. Most of its workings happen under water; above the water line it just looks like a floating dock.
FLUPSY / Illustration by Jeff Ferzoco
Third Summer of FIGMENT Creativity
A dose of free participatory arts events on Governors Island won't end the recession, but it is guaranteed to give you a lift. Come on out for the return of FIGMENT on the weekend of June 12, 13 and 14. FIGMENT is a free celebration of participatory art and culture. This will be its third summer on the Island. More than 10,000 - let's call them "Islanders" - celebrated last year, painting in Nolan Park, dancing under a giant pink bracelet, splashing in a pool of rose petals and generally reveling in all the color and creativity that FIGMENT brings.
Park Preview this Week; Fun and Games this Summer
The chief architect of the Island's future parkland, Adriaan Geuze, will make a public progress report this Friday evening, open to all who want to hear the state of the plan. The program runs from 6 to 8 at the Center for Architecture, on LaGuardia Place just south of Washington Square.
Five weeks and one day later - on Saturday, May 30 - another open season on the Island begins with another Family Festival sponsored by the Alliance and enough new open space to make the Island seem a new place. Not least, there's a grassy eight-acre clearing at the south end and two miles of open Promenade around the Island's circumference.
Continue reading "Park Preview this Week; Fun and Games this Summer" »
Restoring the Urban Oyster
Live Oysters
Photo courtesy of the River Project
Many have said that New York was born on the water. One could also say its first meal was an oyster.
Oyster reefs once covered 350 square miles of the New York / New Jersey Harbor Estuary supporting an extensive commercial fishery that sent New York all over the world. The dense population of bi-valves filtered the harbor's waters, removing silt and pollutants, helping the estuary's other marine life to survive, but over time, pollution and over-harvesting caused a drastic decline. Though the health of the estuary's waters continues to improve, most areas remain closed to shellfish harvesting.
Parks Advocacy Day: May 19
New Yorkers for Parks tell citywide candidates and council members to put parks at the top of their campaign agenda.
When: Tuesday, May 19, 2009, 10 to noon.
Where: NYU Law School's Greenberg Lounge, Vanderbilt Hall, 40 Washington Square South
10:00-10:30: Introduction to Parks 2009 Campaign Goals, events, and this year's candidate survey.
10:30-11:30: Town Hall Meeting with Citywide Candidates Questioning candidates to ensure commitment to New York parks.
11:30-12:00: Networking Giving voice to issues affecting community parks and residents. Copies of the 2009 District Profiles will be available.
Sign up here.
When: Tuesday, May 19, 2009, 10 to noon.
Where: NYU Law School's Greenberg Lounge, Vanderbilt Hall, 40 Washington Square South
10:00-10:30: Introduction to Parks 2009 Campaign Goals, events, and this year's candidate survey.
10:30-11:30: Town Hall Meeting with Citywide Candidates Questioning candidates to ensure commitment to New York parks.
11:30-12:00: Networking Giving voice to issues affecting community parks and residents. Copies of the 2009 District Profiles will be available.
Sign up here.
America 2050: Building the Next Economy
Things changed last year. We moved to a different economy and a different president. As the years unfold, 2008 may be remembered as a pivotal one, like 1929, 1941 or 1968, where times changed, and the country grappled with those changes either successfully or unsuccessfully.
Our region's leaders can - and have previously - helped guide America through such challenging times. This year's Regional Assembly will be a part of making that happen. On Friday, April 17 at the Waldorf=Astoria, RPA will host the 19th annual Regional Assembly, titled "America 2050: Building the Next Economy," a full day of workshops, conversation and collaboration with the goal of building consensus and understanding solutions to repair our tattered economy.
Sign up today
Governors Island Park and Public Space Master Plan: On the Drawing Board
A West 8 Team design update, presented by Adriaan Geuze:
Friday, April 24, 6:00 - 8:00 PM
Center for Architecture
536 LaGuardia Place
(between Bleecker & West 3rd St)
Co-sponsored by the American Institute of Architects - New York Chapter; American Society of Landscape Architects - New York Chapter; the Architectural League of New York; and the Governors Island Preservation and Education Corporation.
RSVP here.
GIA on Facebook!
GIA has officially joined Facebook. Join our group for more frequent updates about the Island's progress and Summer 2009 announcements!
FDNY Closes Firehouse
Photo by Downtown Express / Jefferson Siegel
Lower Manhattan residents, local leaders and Alliance
members rallied outside Engine 4 firehouse in January.
FDNY cuts reduced its hours and shut the Island firehouse.
Lower Manhattan residents, local leaders and Alliance
members rallied outside Engine 4 firehouse in January.
FDNY cuts reduced its hours and shut the Island firehouse.
The 14 city firefighters based on the Island are gone, extinguished by budget cuts. The Fire Department says that this and reduced hours at four downtown Manhattan firehouses, will save $8.9 million a year.
The Alliance, in a January 7 letter to Mayor Bloomberg, called it "a shortsighted move that may place [Island] workers, public visitors and recently rehabilitated historic landmarks at risk." Moreover, the letter said, it may violate the responsible stewardship that the city and state pledged when they took back the Island from Washington's control.
Turnover in Command at National Monument
Linda Neal, one of the Island's original settlers, has left her post as Superintendent of the Governors Island National Monument for a new assignment in Washington, replaced by Patti Reilly, who has been acting superintendent for Jamaica Bay in the Gateway National Recreation Area.
Linda Neal first came to the Island in 1996, to check it out as a site that warranted preservation by the National Park Service. She recommended it, and you know the rest. When President Clinton created the National Monument, she became its first superintendent - with no staff.
Linda Neal first came to the Island in 1996, to check it out as a site that warranted preservation by the National Park Service. She recommended it, and you know the rest. When President Clinton created the National Monument, she became its first superintendent - with no staff.
Continue reading "Turnover in Command at National Monument" »
Legislators Rally for Island Funds
The Alliance and a star cast of public officials rallied on the steps of City Hall last Friday to "Keep the Island Afloat!" - an appeal to Albany to kick in its share of funds for Island operations.
Sporting orange life jackets loaned by New York Water Taxi and the New York Yacht Club, standing inside a huge pink inner tube from FIGMENT, the demonstration was infinitely more colorful than most that take place on those steps. For most of an hour, speakers and sign-bearers deplored the absence of operating funding in Governor Paterson's proposed budget for the 2010 fiscal year. Absent those funds - for summer programs, upkeep, mundane housekeeping and, not least, the ferry - the Island might have to be closed to visitors.
Come Rally at the "Keep the Island Afloat" News Conference!
Congressman Jerry Nadler, City Councilman Alan Gerson and Governors Island Alliance Chairman Kenneth Fisher will be joined by 50 Alliance civic and coalition members including sports leagues, musicians, artists, boaters and others calling for Governor Paterson to restore cuts to Governors Island and continue to allow access to the public this coming summer.
Participants will be wearing life jackets in front of a gigantic 20-foot tall pink inner tube with signs and banners reading "Keep Governors Island Afloat!".
WHAT: "Keep the Island Afloat" news conference and rally
WHERE: Steps of City Hall
DATE: FRIDAY, February 27, 2009
TIME: Noon
If you'd like to attend or help out, please let us know! Send Elizabeth an email!
Participants will be wearing life jackets in front of a gigantic 20-foot tall pink inner tube with signs and banners reading "Keep Governors Island Afloat!".
WHAT: "Keep the Island Afloat" news conference and rally
WHERE: Steps of City Hall
DATE: FRIDAY, February 27, 2009
TIME: Noon
If you'd like to attend or help out, please let us know! Send Elizabeth an email!
Following the Action: Keep the Island Afloat Campaign
Last week, Governors Island Alliance launched the "Keep the Island Afloat" campaign, asking Governor Paterson to provide the funding necessary to open the Island for Summer 2009 and to maintain the historic buildings on the former military base. With the help of our Alliance coalition partners and Island-supporters, we're on our way to making a big splash.
Since just last week, almost 650 Island-lovers have signed our postcard to the Governor.
Many thanks to our program partners who have sent action alerts of their own:
FIGMENT
Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance
New York Harbor School
Transportation Alternatives
New Yorkers for Parks
United War Veterans Council
The Greenpoint Video Project
Michael Arenella and his Dreamland Orchestra
Gotham Planning Society
Manhattan Community Board 1
Governors Island Coast Guard Brats
Since just last week, almost 650 Island-lovers have signed our postcard to the Governor.
Many thanks to our program partners who have sent action alerts of their own:
FIGMENT
Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance
New York Harbor School
Transportation Alternatives
New Yorkers for Parks
United War Veterans Council
The Greenpoint Video Project
Michael Arenella and his Dreamland Orchestra
Gotham Planning Society
Manhattan Community Board 1
Governors Island Coast Guard Brats
Keep Governors Island Afloat!
Now is your time to speak out. Send the Governor a postcard asking him to keep the Island open to the public and maintain its historic buildings. Without Albany's commitment by April 1, the Island may be shut down. The Governor and other elected leaders need to know that Governors Island is your Island, and that you care.
Here is what's happening:
GIPEC depends on matching operating funds from the State and the City. The Alliance requested $7.4 million from each for the 2009-2010 fiscal year that starts July 1, 2009 - money to run the ferry, open the Island to the public, pay contractors to tend the buildings and maintain the landscape. The combined $14.8 million would be about 10 percent less than the Island got this year.
The Governor's proposed state budget includes no operating money at all. Without it, the City will not provide a match in its own budget. The State budget is due April 1; the City's is not due until July 1.
GIPEC has indicated that without substantial operating money, they will shut down the Island - leaving public programs adrift and historic buildings at risk.
While we are still early in the budget process, and nothing has been decided, it's imperative that those of us who care about the Island let our elected officials know how important it is: its public parks and programs, its historic buildings and its current value and potential as an educational center and tourist destination.
The Alliance, working together with our civic coalition, has been meeting with State officials since the fall. Community Board 1 in Manhattan and Board's 2 and 6 in Brooklyn have passed resolutions supporting the requested funding. Speaker Sheldon Silver, whose lower Manhattan district includes the Island, has made strong public statements in support of the Island. We have received private indications of support from other legislators around the state as well.
Please add your voice to our efforts by sending a postcard to the Governor. You can also see our Campaign Statement for more information.
GIA Holiday Party a Success
Photo by Jeff Ferzoco / RPA
On
December 16, more than 100 GIA members gathered in the
It was wonderful to have everyone together to discuss the future of the Island
as we gear up our advocacy campaign for the
We rely on member donations to support our
Please also tell us what you thought about our party
and about potential future GIA events.
GIA Winter Party!
Join us at the Battery Maritime Building for our annual Winter Party.
RSVP to elizabeth@rpa.org today!
Click here to read the latest news from the GIA Chair and the Executive Director.
RSVP to elizabeth@rpa.org today!
Click here to read the latest news from the GIA Chair and the Executive Director.
Park Designer Speaks November 18, 7pm at Cooper Union
Adriaan Geuze, principal of the West 8 firm that heads the design team for the Island's park space, will talk about his past award-winning work and the Island project at Cooper Union's Great Hall. The event, free and open to the public, is sponsored by the New York Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects, the Architectural League of New York, the American Institute of Architects New York Chapter, Cooper Union's Irwin S. Chanin School of Architecture,
and GIPEC. More information here.
and GIPEC. More information here.
Workshopping Days
Up to a dozen volunteers came out for each session - morning, midday and afternoon on both days. They came in great variety - landscape designers, architects, urban planners, bikers, some parents (with one youngster), a Little League organizer, a Harbor School director and four representatives of the Alliance. Most had been to the Island before, even frequently. The range of their thoughts showed the breadth of the Island's potential.
Coming, Ongoing and Ebbing Events
Coming Events
The First Annual Governors Island Art Fair
Every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, through October 12
10am-5pm Fri., 10am-7pm Sat.-Sun.
Organized by the 4heads Collectives, the fair will showcase hundreds of new works by more than 40 New York City artists together under one roof. Opening reception: September 13. Information: www.4heads.org.
Free Bike and Kite Weekend
Friday, September 19-Sunday, September 21
All weekend, visitors can borrow a bike for up to one hour entirely for free. Bikes are limited and are available on a first come, first served basis. Also, the first 250 visitors each day will be given a kite to fly on the Island's Parade Ground. Sponsored by Transportation Alternatives and GIA.
Mini-Golf Open
Saturday, September 27, 10am-5pm (Rain date Sunday)
FIGMENT sponsors games and a mini-tourney on its imaginative mini-mini-golf course.
Young Alliance Membership
More than 100 new Alliance "friends" came to the Island for a get-acquainted tour and a harbor cruise on September 10. The event was co-sponsored by the Alliance and the Gotham Planning Society - an association of young planning and real estate professionals. New York Water Taxi contributed the transportation. For more information about future events, contact Elizabeth at the Alliance, elizabeth@rpa.org.
What a Summer!
Summer 2008 - Memorial Day through Labor Day - saw more tens of thousands of visitors to the Island, newcomers "discovering" its charms for the first time, and repeaters who already knew what a special place it is. GIPEC counted 96,683 visits through September 1, up almost eighty percent from last year's 56,000.
As evidence of the Island's growing attraction, $80 tickets sold out in advance for the New Yorker magazine's bike tour next month, guided by park designer Adriaan Geuze, GIPEC President Leslie Koch, archtect Ricardo Scofidio and New Yorker architecture critic Paul Goldberger.
The Island has been open Friday, Saturday and Sunday every week - one day more than last year, and longer hours each day - and remains open a month longer than before, through the citywide Open House weekend, October 4 and 5, and Columbus Day weekend, October 11 and 12.
As evidence of the Island's growing attraction, $80 tickets sold out in advance for the New Yorker magazine's bike tour next month, guided by park designer Adriaan Geuze, GIPEC President Leslie Koch, archtect Ricardo Scofidio and New Yorker architecture critic Paul Goldberger.
The Island has been open Friday, Saturday and Sunday every week - one day more than last year, and longer hours each day - and remains open a month longer than before, through the citywide Open House weekend, October 4 and 5, and Columbus Day weekend, October 11 and 12.
Coming Events
- CUNY Lecture: Curbing Catastrophic Waste in your Home, Sat., Aug. 2 at 12:30. Click here for more information.
- Folks on the Island Concert featuring Ronnie Cox, Sat., Aug. 2.
- Civil War Reenactment Weekend, Aug. 8-10. Sponsored by the National Park Service. Click here for more information.
- CUNY Lecture: PlaNYC: Toward a Greener, Greater New York, Sat., Aug. 9 at 12:30.
- African Film Festival, Sat., Aug. 9. Click here for more information.
- Battery Dance Company performances, Aug. 16-17. Click here for more information.
- CUNY Lecture: Water Efficiency in New York, Sat., Aug. 16 at 12:30.
- SAW Doctors ticketed concert, Sat. Aug. 23. Click here for more information.
- CUNY Lecture: The Queensbridge Wind Power project, Sat., Aug. 23 at 12:30.
- Battle of Brooklyn Reenactment, Aug. 23-24. Sponsored by the National Park Service. Click here for more information.
- Shakespeare's Twelfth Night performed by Pulse Theatre, August 29-31. Click here for more information.
- CUNY Lecture: Sustainable Cities Town Hall: An open forum for New Yorkers, Sat., Aug. 30 at 12:30.
- Jazz Age Festival: Michael Aranella and the Dreamland Orchestra, September 13-14. Click here for more information.
City of Water a Big Splash
Folks on the Island! Round Two
Two-time Grammy Hall of Famer Janis Ian kicked off the 2008 Folks on the Island! concert series on July 5 with a program of her gutsy, introspective ballads. Slaid Cleaves, another talented singer-songwriter followed on July 12 with his Texas troubadour style.
The series, now in its second year, is co-sponsored by the Alliance and Trinity Wall Street. It features five folk stars on five consecutive Saturdays, all free and all starting at 1:30 in the afternoon.
Other Coming Events
~ Folks on the Island! Saturdays at 1:30 (see article below)
~ CUNY lecture: Water and NYC Infrastructure, Saturday, July 19 at
12:30. See www.cunysustainablecities.org.
~ City of Water Festival, Saturday, July 26. Co-sponsored by the
Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance, Governors Island Alliance and
others. See www.waterwire.net.
~ CUNY lecture: Fuel from Algae, Saturday, July 26 at 12:30
~ CUNY lecture: Curbing Waste at Home, Saturday, August 2 at 12:30
~ Civil War Reenactment Weekend, August 8-10. Sponsored by the
National Park Service. See www.nps.gov/gois.
~ African Film Festival, Saturday, August 9. See www.africanfilmny.org.
~ CUNY lecture: Water and NYC Infrastructure, Saturday, July 19 at
12:30. See www.cunysustainablecities.org.
~ City of Water Festival, Saturday, July 26. Co-sponsored by the
Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance, Governors Island Alliance and
others. See www.waterwire.net.
~ CUNY lecture: Fuel from Algae, Saturday, July 26 at 12:30
~ CUNY lecture: Curbing Waste at Home, Saturday, August 2 at 12:30
~ Civil War Reenactment Weekend, August 8-10. Sponsored by the
National Park Service. See www.nps.gov/gois.
~ African Film Festival, Saturday, August 9. See www.africanfilmny.org.
Free Helmets
There will be free helmets for bikers on Saturday, August 2, as long as supplies last. New York City Department of Transportation staffers will distribute helmets from the DOT tent at the bike rental station.
Come between noon and 4 for safety instructions and a helmet--and to sign a waiver. The helmets are for keeps. For more information call 212-839-2200.
Come between noon and 4 for safety instructions and a helmet--and to sign a waiver. The helmets are for keeps. For more information call 212-839-2200.
Cruise Harbor, Visit Offshore Island
The ferry line to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island now offers a separate Liberty Harbor Cruise stopping at Governors Island. While it doesn't connect with the other islands--a link that could be established in the future--it is nonetheless welcome new exposure.
The new cruise loops around Lower Manhattan and the other two islands and makes just one stop--at Governors Island. It departs Gangway 3 in Battery Park on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at 11 and 12:30, and stops at the island 45 minutes later. Passengers may return to Manhattan anytime on the free ferry.
Cruise tickets at Castle Clinton and dockside or online at www.statuecruises.com.
The new cruise loops around Lower Manhattan and the other two islands and makes just one stop--at Governors Island. It departs Gangway 3 in Battery Park on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at 11 and 12:30, and stops at the island 45 minutes later. Passengers may return to Manhattan anytime on the free ferry.
Cruise tickets at Castle Clinton and dockside or online at www.statuecruises.com.
Governors Island Alliance Cocktail Reception
June 17, 6:00pm - 8:30pm
The Governors Island Alliance requests the pleasure of your company for a cocktail reception honoring the JM Kaplan Fund & Harry Poulakakos and Family. Join us for a special tour of Governors Island from 5:00 - 6:30pm with the award winning designer, Adriaan Geuze of West 8, as he presents his vision for the
To register online, click here. For a printer friendly version, click here.
Folks on the Island: An American Folk Music Festival
This summer, you will see:
Janis Ian July 5
Slaid Cleaves July 12
Bearfoot July 19
Eric Bibb July 26
Ronny Cox August 2
All performances are free, and will be held outdoors beginning at 1:30.
Click here for more information.
It's FIGMENT 2008!
FIGMENT invites the public to take part in extremely interactive art exhibits, live performances, fixed art installations, mixed-media presentations and workshops throughout
the island. Everything is free.
Celebrate the Fourth On the Fifth - con brio
A hundred musicians are coming to the Island with seven Civil War-era cannon for a concert that ends with Tchaikovsky's exuberant 1812 Overture - and fireworks! The musicians are the New York Philharmonic, which has performed in more than 400 cities around the world but never before on Governors Island. The date: Saturday, July 5. The time: 6:30. The price of admission: It's free.
The orchestra will perform on its own stage - the one it carries around to all its summer concerts - on the newly cleared site of the Coast Guard's old Super 8 Motel at the foot of the "glacis" parade ground.
The orchestra will perform on its own stage - the one it carries around to all its summer concerts - on the newly cleared site of the Coast Guard's old Super 8 Motel at the foot of the "glacis" parade ground.
Continue reading "Celebrate the Fourth On the Fifth - con brio" »
Explore Governors Island with a National Park Ranger
Join a Park Ranger on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays for free programs including walking tours, special lectures,
and other activities within areas of the historic district.
Programs are offered every hour at:
10:25, 11:25, 12:25, 1:25, 2:25, 3:25
10:25, 11:25, 12:25, 1:25, 2:25, 3:25
Governors Island Family Festival May 31st, 2008
Come celebrate opening day of Governors Island at the FREE 4th Annual Family Festival on May 31st from 12:00-4:00! The festival will feature a full range of children's activities throughout the day. Bring a picnic and spend a great day on Governors Island! Click here for a printable flyer with complete details.
Exciting activities and performances include:
* The Mercantillers
* The Hudson River Ramblers
* Drum Zone's interactive musical demonstration
* Literally Alive Children's Theater
* Two Man Gentleman Band
* Puppet making with Lisa Abbatomarco
* Arts and Crafts
* The Waterfront Museum and Showboat Barge CIRCUSunday Performers, Karen Gersch, Ringmistress
* Kristin McArdle Dance
* Walkabout Clearwater Chorus
* Jeff and Vida Band's musical performance
* Face Painting
* Free Helmet Fitting
* Bike Parade with Bike New York
For more information about the free helmet fitting, see the NY Department of Transportation's flyer.
Brought to you by the Governors Island Alliance, GIPEC, and the National Park Service, This festival is made possible by funding from City Council Member Alan Gerson and the generous donation of time by Goldman Sachs volunteers.
Summer Events: 2008
Bring your family and friends out to beautiful Governors Island. Rent a bike and enjoy a car-free spin, hear great music, catch a striper, see New York's history come alive, or just relax on the shady green waterfront. It's your Island getaway right here at home.
Click here to see the summer calendar and a full description of activities available.
Click here to see the summer calendar and a full description of activities available.
Fest o' FIGMENTS
Photo by Mollyn Karnofsky
Anyone can play. Offer an art installation, a performance, an activity or anything else that's imaginative. Last year's figments included inflatable structures, group dance lessons, tree-based art installations, roving samba bands, medieval swordplay. Get the idea? It's basically an outdoor event. There may be some indoor space, too, but not much. Apply soonest if your project is large or has specific requirements. Projects for Fort Jay, Castle Williams or the Parade Grounds must be submitted by April 10; everything else by June 1. Click here for full details.
In addition to all of the above, FIGMENT plans to set up a fully functional 9-hole minigolf course with holes designed and built by local artists. It seeks imaginative input for each hole, using the theme "City of Dreams." Query minigolf@figmentnyc.org for details. Proposals are due by April 5.
Park Service Open House February 27
The National Park Service has scheduled an Open House in Federal Hall on Wall Street on Wednesday, February 27, to showcase its ideas for Fort Jay and Castle Williams - the Governors Island National Monument. NPS staff will be on hand from 2 until 4 in the afternoon and from 6 to 8 in the evening to talk with members of the public, answer questions and take comments.
The General Management Plan is available for public review and comment on NPS's website until March 18. It offers four approaches to the Monument's future, ranging from modest modification of current restoration work to a radical upgrade of the Monument's role as a center for New York Harbor. Regardless of which approach is selected, a key next step will be to address safety issues at Castle Williams, where visitors cannot yet explore its old prison cells or climb to the roof for sweeping views of the harbor and the skyline.
There will also be a public hearing for the new NPS plan with an opportunity for formal public testimony on March 10, 2008. The even will be at Federal Hall, at 26 Wall Street, from 5-7 p.m.
The General Management Plan is available for public review and comment on NPS's website until March 18. It offers four approaches to the Monument's future, ranging from modest modification of current restoration work to a radical upgrade of the Monument's role as a center for New York Harbor. Regardless of which approach is selected, a key next step will be to address safety issues at Castle Williams, where visitors cannot yet explore its old prison cells or climb to the roof for sweeping views of the harbor and the skyline.
There will also be a public hearing for the new NPS plan with an opportunity for formal public testimony on March 10, 2008. The even will be at Federal Hall, at 26 Wall Street, from 5-7 p.m.
2009: Multi-Centennial Year
The Wright Brothers taking off from Governors Island
Henry Hudson set out from Holland 400 years ago to find an easterly passage to Asia. Instead he found America - and New York. Governors Island is one of the possible legacy sites for the quadricentennial celebration in 2009. Hudson explored today's Hudson River up as far as Albany before realizing that it was not a shortcut to the Pacific. He did, however, establish the Dutch presence in the New World, trading furs, beads and wampum with the natives. Fifteen years later, in 1624, the Dutch West India Company established a settlement on Governors Island, before moving to the larger Island of Manhattan.
Next year is also an anniversary for "Fulton's Folly" - Robert Fulton's wrongly scorned steamboat. He built his first commercial boat - the North River Steamboat, later known as the Clermont - in a Manhattan shipyard, launched it on the Hudson in 2007, and two years later, in 1809, presented the city with an improved version, the Car of Neptune, that was put into service as a ferry between the city and Albany. Fulton is buried in the Trinity Church graveyard.
While neither Hudson 400 years ago, nor Fulton 200 years ago, landed on Governors Island, Wilbur Wright did 100 years ago, during the Hudson-Fulton celebrations in 1909. With a canoe strapped to his plane as a pontoon, Wright flew from the Island across the harbor around the Statue of Liberty and back again. It was the world's first flight over water. Months later he returned to claim a $10,000 prize by flying five miles up the west side of Manhattan to Grant's Tomb.
Summer 2008: A Sneak Peak
Spectators at the Richie Havens concert in July 2007
The Island will be open to the public for three days every week this summer - Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The Alliance opens the season on Saturday, May 31, with its second annual Family Festival - games, performances, exhibits and surprises yet to be concocted. As before, there will be free ferries from the Battery Maritime Building in Lower Manhattan and a Water Taxi from several points in Brooklyn.The popularity of last summer's concerts guarantees that there will be more this year, and likely a repeat of last year's successful Figment Arts Festival, a full day of 72 - count'em 72 - performances and displays by clowns, artists, dancers, musicians, face-painters and you-name-it. The Island is also happy to welcome back the folk concert series sponsored by Trinity Church - Wall Street and the Governors Island Alliance.
In addition, Governors Island is one of four sites for mechanical waterfalls that will be installed in New York harbor this summer. Commissioned by the Public Art Fund and designed by Danish artist Olafur Eliasson, they will rise more than 90 feet and fall from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. from mid-July to mid-October. It is estimated that they will cost $15 million in private funds and generate $55 million in tourism. The other three sites are the Brooklyn side of the Brooklyn Bridge, Piers 4 and 5 in Brooklyn and Pier 35 in Lower Manhattan. The Island waterfall will be next to the Soissons ferry dock, at the seawall behind Building 110.
GIPEC is still shaping the rest of the summer program. Groups interested in presenting a program of arts or performances should get in touch with Elizabeth Rapuano at GIPEC headquarters: (212) 440-2200.
A Day on the Island, on Film
Need your Governors Island fix? Or want to check out what to expect for your first visit? All the fun and festivities from opening day 2007 was captured on film by Trob Productions and the Governors Island Alliance. Check out the Alliance's Family Festival, the first day of public bicycle riding, free historic tours and picnicking at Streetfilms
Visitors Comment on Island Experience
This summer on Governors Island marked the true beginning of the Island's next stage as a great new park at the heart of New York's harbor:
· Approximately 55,000 people - a record - made the ferry crossing from Manhattan during the three months the Island was open to the public.
· Singer Richie Havens attracted the largest turnout for 3,656 fans for his concert on July 21, one of the four 'Folks on the Island' sponsored by Trinity-Wall Street and the Governors Island Alliance..
· For the first time, visitors could walk through the entire National Historic Landmark District (the northern half of the Island). This was also the first summer that the Island was open for visits on both Saturday and Sunday. Free ferry transportation was expanded with service by N Y Waterway to and from Manhattan. Water Taxi also added a stop at the Island on its ticketed route around the harbor, thus offering a connection between the Island and Brooklyn. The media caught on to the fact that the new Governors Island is news!
A Secret No Longer: More and More Island Visitors
Record numbers of visitors are coming out to the Island this summer, as many as 5,000 on an average weekend. The largest one-day crowd so far - more than 3,500 -- turned out for the Richie Havens concert on July 21. http://www.governorsislandalliance.com/pdf/OnlineOffshorevol2_6.pdf
A Day in the Life of The Governors Island Garrison
The National Park Service hosts a Civil War Weekend on August 11 and 12. Re-enactors will take you through daily routine beginning with morning exercises, a War Rally to recruit new troops and a crackling display of historic weapons. A contingent of confederate prisonersof war will add to the reality and a recreated Governors Island Music School will liven the air.
Please see http://www.nps.gov/gois/ for more information on the day's events.
http://www.governorsislandalliance.org/pdf/OnlineOffshorevol2_6.pdf
Come Join the Fun, Every Weekend Through September 2
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In the Pocket: New World Music on the Island On Saturdays in August, the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council presents a new world music series. Concerts are free and begin at 1 pm. Visit lmcc.net/inthepocket for more information.
August 4: Antibalas with Ogans
August 11: Sweet Micky
August 18: Si*Se with Toubab Krewe
August 25: Bhangra vs. Reggae
Inna Soundclash
Folks on the Island Opening Draws Crowd
This summer, New York's harbor is filled with music, thanks to Trinity Wall Street and the Alliance. The Folks on the Island series, every Saturday in July, attracted almost 2,900 people to the opening on July 7- the most visitors since the Island was opened to the public three years ago. This free festival of American folk music greats is presented with additional support from WFUV radio and the Village Voice.The Festival began with Odetta, a musician essential to the American songbook. The audience picnicked on the grass of Colonels Row while listening to her soulful renditions of folk classics "He's got the Whole World in His Hands," "This Little Light of Mine" and "The House of the Rising Sun."
Continue reading "Folks on the Island Opening Draws Crowd" »
Record Turnout for Opening Day Family Festival
The summer season kicked off with the Alliance's Family Festival on June 2nd. Some 2,300 people explored the Island on bicycles (for the first time) and on foot to participate in the day's activities. You can see all the action at http://www.streetfilms.org/archives/go-togovernors-island.
The day started with an FDNY fireboat water show, jugglers, and serenades by the Two Man Gentleman Band to greet the crowds. Children (and their parents) were also entertained by songs by the Mercantillers and the Hudson River Ramblers, a special appearance by Herman Melville, and a performance by Literally Alive Children's Theater. A "Design Your Dream Park" table led by the City Lore, Hester Street Collaborative, and the Alliance let kids add their input to the design competition for parks and open spaces. This scavenger
hunt will be available all summer long. Some of the standout ideas from Saturday's workshop included the world's biggest slide, pony rides and George, a green island mascot standing 7 feet tall.
http://www.governorsislandalliance.com/pdf/OnlineOffshorevol2_4.pdf
Saturday, June 2nd Opening Day Events
Welcome to the Opening Day of Governors Island Summer 2007 Season!
Family Festival
Please join us in celebrating the opening day of Governors Island for our FREE third annual Family Festival! The festival will feature children's theater, sea-shanties, puppet-making workshops, Yo-Yo artists, musicians and more!Performers include:
*The Mercantillers
*The Hudson River Ramblers
*The Waterfront Museum's CIRCUSunday acrobat entertainers
*Drum Zone
*Herman Mellville of the South Street Seaport Museum
*Literally Alive Children's Theater
*The Two Man Gentleman Band
*Children's Park Charette
*City Lore's Place Matters Program
*Juggler Josh Weiner
*Arts & Crafts with Lisa Abbatomarco
*Performer Adam Auslander
"Acrobrats" Entertainment provided by Red Hook's Waterfront Museum and Showboat Barge under the artistic direction of Karen E. Gersch, Ringmistress. For a more in-depth glimpse at of possible future programming which could bring visiting historic ships to dock at Governor's Island, visit www.waterfrontmuseum.org/circus.htmCUNY Climate Change Lecture Series For the second year in a row, CUNY presents an environmental lecture series every Saturday during the summer season. Lectures are held in historic Pershing Hall and will begin at 12:30. Please check back closer to the event date for a more detailed description.
The lecture will begin at 12:30 and is FREE and open to the public.
Governors Island will Open on Sundays!
Governors Island willbe open to visitors on Sundays this year for the first time, starting the first weekend in
June. In the past few years it has been open on Fridays and Saturdays. Now it will be open Saturdays and Sundays, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Long advocated by public officials and theAlliance, the new schedule opens the island to even more visitors.
Concerts, workshops and festivals, starting with the Alliance's Family Festival on Saturday, June 2, are scheduled throughout the summer.
See you then!
Directions and Tours
Hours of Operation:
Governors Island will be open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from Saturday, May 31, through Sunday,October 5. Friday hours are 10 to 5; weekends 10 to 7.
National Park Service Tours:
On Wednesdays and Thursdays there will be tours of the 92-acre historic district guided by the National Park Service Rangers. Tickets are required for NPS tours (60 people per tour) and are available at the Battery Maritime Building one hour before the tour; tours depart from there at 10 and 1. For tour details call 212-825-3045 or visit www.nps.gov.gois.
How to Get There:
Just minutes from lowerManhattan , Governors Island is accessible by ferry only. Ferries depart from Slip 7 at the Battery
Maritime Building
on South Street Whitehall and Broad Streets, adjacent to
the Staten Island ferry terminal.
Governors Island will be open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from Saturday, May 31, through Sunday,October 5. Friday hours are 10 to 5; weekends 10 to 7.
National Park Service Tours:
On Wednesdays and Thursdays there will be tours of the 92-acre historic district guided by the National Park Service Rangers. Tickets are required for NPS tours (60 people per tour) and are available at the Battery Maritime Building one hour before the tour; tours depart from there at 10 and 1. For tour details call 212-825-3045 or visit www.nps.gov.gois.
How to Get There:
Just minutes from lower
- Subway: R to
- Bus: M1, M6, M15 to South
Ferry M9 to
- Access by car: Note - There
is no parking at the
Summer 2009 Visitors So Far ...
and Counting!
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