Governors Island: Off-Season

Sometimes, the Internet is a magical place that connects like-minded strangers who wouldn’t have otherwise met, like me and my new friend Hollis. Through a friend of a friend, we were connected via Instagram a few years ago, but we recently met up in person for the first time. Hollis volunteers a few times a week with the Earth Matter NYC organization and goes to Governors Island to tend to the chickens that live there year-round. The island is not open to the public in the winter, but there is a ferry that takes workers back and forth, and Hollis generously offered to take me along with her on a recent Sunday afternoon.

Earth Matter was started in 2009 to promote local composting of organic waste, and they educate the community on composting as well as water conservation practices. The site on Governors island is home to several huge compost piles, along with chickens and (seasonally) baby goats, rabbits, worms and beehives. The chickens need to be fed daily by volunteers, so I helped Hollis spread out fresh food scraps and even fed them some chicken feed out of my hand (a first for me, despite growing up in Ohio).

The chickens are all hens and they lay eggs year-round, although they do produce less in the winter months. We went around and collected the day’s haul (some were still warm), which totaled nearly a dozen eggs in all shapes, sizes and colors. The chickens are all different breeds—some have elaborate headdresses, some look like they’re wearing feathered pantaloons and some have iridescent feathers and feet—and produce a wide variety of eggs. I had never eaten a farm fresh egg before, but I’m happy to report that they tasted just as good as they looked.

The Coast Guard left Governors Island in 1996, and they left behind a huge amount of infrastructure that currently sits mostly empty and abandoned. The island has undergone a drastic transformation in the last few years, and more buildings are slated for demolition or development in the near future. There are manicured hills, a grove of hammocks, a lavender field, art installations and even a glamping site on the island, with possible plans to add a hotel or spa (sigh). I’ve been to Governors Island several times in the summer, but getting to explore the island when it was essentially empty is an experience I won’t soon forget (thank you again, Hollis!).

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Want to help out with Earth Matter? Check out their volunteer and apprenticeship opportunities here.

Governors Island: The Hills

Governors Island is one of my very favorite New York City summer destinations. It's cheap (or free), and fairly quick/easy to get to, but once you're there you feel miles away from the city. I first went in the summer of 2013, and returned later that summer for the French carnival Fête Paradiso, in September of 2014, and in July of last year.

Just in the three years since my first visit, the island has undergone some wonderful transformations. About a third of the island was still under construction in 2013, and in 2014 a new section of the island opened, including the too-sunny-but-fun Hammock Grove. This year the remaining portions opened to the public and I was thrilled to discover some wonderful, new-to-me abandoned buildings: a crumbling service station, old military housing and a strip mall of sorts containing a hair care center, dry cleaners and commissary.

The southwestern tip of the island has been transformed into a new landscape known as "The Hills," featuring four, man-made hills, picnic areas, lookout points, winding paths, slides and art installations. The line for the slides was insanely long—as most lines in New York usually are—so we just headed to the top of two of the hills. The views of lower Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty are wonderful, and Rachel Whiteread's permanent, site-specific art installation, Cabin, is worth checking out.

We also happened upon a Volkswagen car show, which was something unexpectedly charming on a usually car-free island. It's a funny thing to have finally lived in New York long enough to personally witness drastic changes, improvements, demolitions, sad closures and grand openings, and I look forward to checking in on Governors Island for many more summers to come.

Outdoor Art

Sometimes I don't really "get" large-scale installation art, and sometimes I find it downright annoying—but there's something about actually living in New York that has softened my view on public art installations. Maybe it's the novelty of seeing a familiar space in a different way, or maybe it's just fun for me to have new things to photograph. I still think Kolonihavehus is still my favorite piece that I've seen this year, but I've found myself enjoying similar exhibits around the city more and more.

Recently I had some time to kill so I walked around Madison Square Park, where the new Teresita Fernández installation, Fata Morgana had just opened. Described as "the Conservancy’s largest and most ambitious outdoor sculpture to date," the sculpture consists "of 500 running feet of golden, mirror-polished discs that create canopies above the pathways around the Park’s central Oval Lawn."

At first glance they are deceptively simple and kind of underwhelming. Taken individually, they're just oddly-shaped, overhead mirrors. The joy comes in taking in the installation as a whole—when layered and stacked, they're quite beautiful and surprisingly mesmerizing. I recommend walking the entire oval—the effect changes dramatically with every angle, and I would imagine, time of day.

Every summer, Governors Island has different art pieces scattered throughout the lawns. My first time on the island there was a hut made from milk jugs and I'll always be sad I missed out on the Planet of the Apes-like Statue of Liberty sculpture. However, this year's umbrella-and-hubcap-and-bicycle-wheel piece might be my favorite one yet. The bright colors were really incredible with the midday sun shining through and I love anything that grants me a perfectly-framed peek of skyline—just don't ask me what its all supposed to mean.

Governors Island

When it looked as if this past weekend's weather was going to be very pleasant and summery, I knew I wanted to do something worthy of the sunshine. We decided to go to Governors Island, which is just about the most summery thing you can do in New York that doesn't include laying on a beach.

I feel as if I say this about everything—but it's true about most places—no matter how many times I go to Governors Island, I see something new. I love laying on the lawn, checking out the new art pieces and soaking in the view of lower Manhattan that somehow never gets old.

My very favorite part of the island, however, is the history. Once used for military and defense purposes, the island is littered with remnants of its past, all in various states of decay or restoration. We spent a great deal of time walking the perimeter of the island, peeking into any window we could. Most of the buildings are closed to the public and most windows and doors are locked, but you can see a lot just by snooping a bit.

From what we could see, the interiors reminded me a lot of the Ellis Island hospital complex, and even Eastern State Penitentiary. I love the multiple layers of peeling paint, institutional paint colors, exit signs, old radiators, elaborate moldings and decorative fixtures. One of the buildings even had a few large trees growing entirely indoors—the leaves pressed up against the window, struggling to get light but yet so green they barely looked real.

Governor's Island

Governor's Island is one of those summer activities that you promise yourself that you're going to do when the weather starts getting warm and then suddenly it's snowing and you wonder if summer even really happened at all.

Last year I went a few times and loved it so I vowed to go back. This year an entirely new portion of the island opened to visitors—including a magical land called Hammock Grove—so of course I had to go check it out.

Jim and I were finally able to make it by the end of August, and this weekend is the last chance to see Governor's Island before it closes again until May. We were lucky enough to grab two (out of the fifty) hammocks when we first arrived, and they're just as relaxing and fun as you think they'll be. The only problem with Hammock Grove is that there is absolutely zero shade—you are surrounded by trees, but they're tiny and new—in a hundred years it will be amazing. Although we roasted and got awkwardly sunburnt, we were still laying in hammocks in the middle of New York City.

The rest of the time we spent just walking around the island (it was Jim's first time there) and I always manage to see something new. A lot of the old military buildings are abandoned and I almost got up the nerve to slip into the open window of one, but I chickened out like usual. I settled for sticking my camera through the window to creep on the incredible layers of peeling paint while scolding Jim for being such an upstanding, law-abiding citizen (the nerve).

The only bad part about Governor's Island is the excess of children, especially around the part of the island that houses a huge bell (oh god,that bell), but maybe that's just the spinstery, get-off-my-lawn old lady in me. There are a ton of food trucks to pick from, and we had delicious Philly cheesesteaks before hitting up the iconic Mister Softee (the first time for both of us!) because rainbow sprinkles always make an already-wonderful day even better.

We also both tried coconut water for the first time because they were handing them out for free. Turns out we weren't missing much, because no one told us that coconut water is terrible. But we did drink it while sitting in rocking chairs on the porch of an old dormitory overlooking men in Civil-War-era costumes, so I can't really complain.

Governors Island: Fête Paradiso

I went to Governors Island for the first time earlier this summer, and this past Saturday two of my best friends and I went back to see Fête Paradiso, a festival of vintage carnival rides and carousels that made its American debut on the island in June.

We had planned on taking the ferry from Manhattan, but thanks to the MTA being kind of a free-for-all last weekend (90% of the lines were experiencing some sort of change/delay), we ended up in Brooklyn. Thankfully we remembered that there is also a Governors Island ferry that departs out of Brooklyn, so we decided to just catch that one. Not so thankfully, it only departs every hour and they cut off the line about 20 people in front of us so we had to wait for the full hour.

I recommend taking the ferry from Manhattan, if you can, now that I've done both. The Manhattan one leaves more frequently, and the waiting room and ferry terminal are definitely worth seeing. That being said, I had no idea that Brooklyn Bridge Park continued so far south, and what we saw of the park was very nice — while I won't be back to catch the ferry, the park deserves some exploration on its own.

When we finally got to the island, we found a shady spot and laid out our much-deserved picnic.

Pro-tip: the official posted island rules might state that there is no alcohol allowed, but our bags were searched twice before we boarded the ferry and two of our three bags very obviously contained wine. I think it's one of those scenarios where as long as you're not doing a keg stand in the middle of the lawn,* you should be fine.

Pro-tip no. 2: You might be able to see a bit of Alisha's hand in the top of the photo holding keys — we sadly discovered that one of our wines was not a screw top and tried poking it with everything we had to get it open. After our unsuccessful attempts, she asked a group of fellow wine-toting picnic-ers for help. They didn't have a corkscrew, but they did have a spoon, which we used to push the cork into the bottle and we all lived happily ever after.

After our leisurely (and very delicious) picnic, we headed over to see the carnival. The rides aren't free ($3 a ticket), unfortunately, but they sure were pretty to look at. It's crazy to think that they've survived all of these years, and are still in working, rideable order.

They were all completely charming and the operators in cheesy French costumes added to the ambiance. There were little wooden boats for kids, a few different carousels, skill games and even a bicycle carousel that you had to pedal yourself — one of only two ever created.

It's a much more interesting installation than the "art" performances that were there the last time I was on the island. Fête Paradiso is on the island until September 29th, so I still have plenty of time to go back and explore further.

Speaking of Governors Island, a friend of mine sent me this video of the plan for the under-construction parts of the island, and it looks so exciting. I love that the city is in a constant state of change, and there's always something new and in the works to look forward to. I'm already reserving a large portion of my 2015 to be spent picnicing in the hills, who's with me?

*As deduced by my very wise friend, Alisha.

Governors Island

A few weeks ago, in between apartment hunting and sunscreen re-application, I made it to Governors Island for the first time. I had been aware of the island for some time, but it's not open in the winter so it was one thing on my list I literally could not do when I was in the city earlier this year.

The weather forecast for Sunday was promising — sunny, high in the 80s — so I headed downtown in the morning to catch the 11 am ferry. I stopped at a Dunkin' Donuts to get an iced coffee on the way (so necessary), and I ended up on the 11:30, but luckily I only had to wait about 20 minutes before boarding.

The ferry to Governors Island is right next to the Staten Island Ferry station, and there is a separate line for people with bikes and strollers. I accidentally got in that line before I realized my mistake — if you don't have either, make sure to go

inside the building labeled "Governors Island Ferry Waiting Room," where you can join the "people only" line.

FYI: When I returned to Manhattan on the ferry around 3pm the line to go to the island was insane. I have no idea how long the wait was, but the line was at least ten times as long as the one I had waited on. I've noticed that New Yorkers tend to get moving a little slower in the mornings, especially on weekends (the only time Governors Island is open to the public), so I would recommend going as early as possible. The island also "closes" at 7pm, so factor that into your trip times.

The ferry ride is short (and free!), but just like the Ikea ferry you are rewarded with amazing views of lower Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty. New York is known for being insanely expensive, which it is, but there's no reason why you couldn't spend an entire day exploring Governors Island without spending a dime — just another reason why I love this city.

I spent the day exploring the island — for two centuries Governors Island was a functioning military base, and has the structures to prove it. There are tons of amazing old, brick buildings, hospitals, barracks and forts to explore, all in various stages of decay or repair.

I recommend taking the (free!) National Parks tour of Castle Williams, even if you're not an eighty-year-old super nerd like me. The views from the top of the former fort (and jail, and haunted house, etc.) are pretty stunning, and the interior just went through a extensive renovation — open to the public for the first time in its 200-year history.

Governors Island is pretty much the perfect place to take a picnic, but if all you brought was your iced coffee (like me) there are a bunch of food trucks and places to grab a snack. I'm the worst person in the world to talk about food, but just trust me when I say you won't be disappointed or hungry.

There is also an island-wide art festival of sorts going on all summer long. I don't have the best grasp on it as a whole, but everywhere you look there are art installations or performances. Some of them were cool — like a huge hut made of plastic milk jugs, but most of the "performance" art is kind of beyond me. As I was walking to the ferry dock, a grown woman in a fairy costume walked by me blowing bubbles — totally cool I guess if you're into that.

Like most things I've done in New York (and my life, now), I went to Governors Island by myself. I never felt lonely or bored, and I love going at my own pace. I took a million pictures and just tried to enjoy the amazing weather and atmosphere. Like Roosevelt Island (and I'm assuming Randall's Island, I haven't been yet), Governors Island is an amazing way to "escape" the city without going very far or spending very much.

It's a little weird, a little decayed and a lot of fun. I can't wait to go back when they open other parts of the island — right now only about half is developed but the plans for the future spaces are totally exciting. Next time I'll bring more substantial supplies — who wants to join me for a picnic?