Governors Island

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GOVERNORS ISLAND

This 172-acre island in the New York Harbor spent several centuries as a U.S. Army post, dating back to the Revolutionary War. From 1966 to 1996, it served as a United States Coast Guard installation, but was then decommissioned by the military. At the end of the Giuliani years and beginning with the Bloomberg era, plans began to transform Governors Island into a public amenity, and in 2003, it was sold to the public. Thus began a joint effort between the city and state to develop Governors Island as, per terms of the deed, part parkland, part “educational, civic or cultural” development.

A portion of Governors Island was opened to the public in 2005; over the last 15 years, the island has continued to develop, hosting art installations, festivals, concert series, a day spa and glampsite. Easily accessible via ferry from the Battery Maritime Building and Brooklyn Bridge Park, it is a delightful parklike escape for city-weary New Yorkers and tourists alike.