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More Governors Island photos | Watch the slideshow

Perhaps it was the weather, perhaps it was the economy that made this place so attractive… or perhaps this place simply offered something many city folks desperately needed: a quick getaway from everyday chaos.  The place was (at least felt) bigger than I expected, and I only got to see half of the island.  Nonetheless, here are the highlights.  Perhaps this will help you decide why this place is so special.

For most of us, the only way to get to Governors Island is by the free ferry service.  From Manhattan, this departs from Battery Maritime Building right next to the Staten Island ferry (South Ferry Station):

Expect this line (especially on weekends), but don’t worry too much. Once the ferry arrives, it moves really fast.  You won’t be waiting more than 20 minutes, I would say:

If you are coming with a bike, you can bypass this line and go to the bike entrance. No wait there, nice huh?

I noticed some cars on the ferry, but as you can tell they are just official/emergency vehicles:

There’s a security checkpoint (it’s quick, don’t worry) and some other stuff.  Don’t pay too much attention here, just move on so you can finally say “I’m on a boat!”

You will go through this dark alley and onto the brighter side.  It will feel like Blade Runner: “a new life awaits you in the off-world colonies…”

So, you’re on a boat finally!  It’s quite spacious inside, but on a beautiful day like this?  You want to be outside of course:

The ride itself is very short: about 5 minutes.  Then you’re off to Governors Island:

There’s a visitor center nearby.  I wanted to take a guided tour (also free) but didn’t have enough time.  There’s also Building 140.  It has a post office, bathrooms, and ATM:

Behind this building is where the Bike and Roll rental center is located.  I highly suggest you get a bike if you want to see the entire island in short amount of time.  They have some fun-looking bikes.  More info on Bike and Roll here.

Speed limit is 15 MPH, if you care:

If you decide not to get a bike, that’s fine too.  There’s a free shuttle going around, just wait by one of the stops.  It’s basically a stretch-golf cart.  Drivers tend to have some (odd) sense of humor:

There’s plenty of green fields, shaded areas, benches, and other places for you to relax if that’s the reason why you came here:

You can find some food carts and tents, but the food situation is not that great overall.  Some vending machines did not work:

They offer some free activities from time to time, like kayaking:

Next to the kayak place happened to be Pier 101. This is where the Brooklyn-bound ferry operates (also free of course):

There are so many art installations, performances, historic sites, buildings, etc.  This is where I got distracted and failed to finish the whole island, basically:

You may find lots of oysters, well… oyster shells that is:

For some buildings you may be asked to sign a waiver, because the building might collapse on you.  Like this one:

At around 5:30 PM, they prepare to close the island.  You can still walk around, but the shuttle service will stop shortly, and you’ll be denied access to half of the island on bike.  Just walk around and enjoy many beautiful views from all directions:

Oh yea, there’s also that Water Taxi Beach… not sure if I’m a fan of this (as opposed to real beaches) but people seem to like it:

Then it’s time to go, which means… lines again!  Don’t worry: it moves fast, but be sure to check out the ferry schedule.  On this day (Saturday) last ferry out the island was at 7 PM.  You probably don’t want to stay overnight there.

Coming back to Manhattan, if you are on one of the last ferries, might be a little more crowded. You may also feel like you’re in Saving Private Ryan:

Another short ride and we’re back, to the chaos that we all love. Who needs tanning-salon really?

For more information about Governors Island, visit: http://www.govisland.com
For more information on many of the arts featured here, visit: http://www.creativetime.org

Update: Governors Island is 2.0!
Official Blog: http://govislandblog.com
On Twitter: http://twitter.com/Gov_Island

Note: this trip took place on Saturday, Ausgust 1st, 2009.

More Midtown West photos | Watch the slideshow

Visited midtown west and took a look around the Intrepid, Pier 84, bike path alongside West Side Highway, etc. Didn’t see too many sailors despite the fact that it is fleet week; they were probably in the better parts of the town.

Went to Daisy May’s BBQ. They didn’t have a seat, so came back to Pier 84 where they had some tables. People next to me were also having the BBQ. People next to them got tickets for drinking beer with their BBQ. Bummer.

Sort of a “meh” kinda area, but the bike path seemed pretty nice if it is less crowded. Bike and Roll stand seemed to offer reasonable deals. I may try bike riding around the city one day.