Park Unit 89: Governor's Island National Monument

9/23/17. For my birthday this year, I got the family together to go to Governor's Island. Even though I've lived in the NY area my whole life, I'd never been there!

We took the Staten Island Ferry to Manhattan, then went right next door to the Governor's Island Ferry. On the island, we started at Castle Williams, then explored Fort Jay. Not surprisingly, many of the buildings and layout were very similar to other 19th century military monuments we've been to (such as Fort Sumter and the Presidio in San Francisco).

Next we explored a lot of the art displays that had as part of an ongoing art show. This brought us to the center of the island where we had a delicious lunch. There are many food booths with a wide variety of different types of cuisine. 

After lunch we walked through a lovely wild flower garden and the hammock garden, then we watched a Polo match for a little while. They were hosting a tournament and it was fun to see the attendees in their over-the-top outfits and hats!

Next we climbed to the top of Lookout Hill where we had the best views I've ever seen of New York Bay, Manhattan, Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Jersey City, Bayonne, Brooklyn - It was truly amazing! If someone was visiting New York as a tourist, I would highly recommend this as a must do place to go. It was a beautiful day so the river was also filled with fabulous sailboats.

We slowly walked back across the island, visiting the parade ground and the rest of the historic district before catching the ferry back to Manhattan. What a terrific day! It was so much fun to feel like a tourist and have a special day, right here in NY!