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Governors Island

Governors Island wants New Yorkers to weigh in on its year-round plans

by Ameena Walker Sep 6, 2016, 3:30p

Through a new cube-shaped chalkboard installation named #GovIsland365, visitors are encouraged to write their ideas that will later help shape an official Request for Expressions of Interest that will determine the island's annual offerings.

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Free kayaking returns to Governors Island

by Tanay Warerkar Aug 30, 2016, 5:30p

The previous dock was located at Pier 101 on the island but was destroyed beyond repair in 2014. With funds provided by the Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer’s office, the floating dock however has come to back to life.

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Photos: Governors Island’s new Hills welcome visitors

by Amy Plitt Jul 19, 2016, 4:15p

It’s a big day for Governors Island: The Hills, four manmade elevations that have been in the works for several years, officially opened to the public. See how the day went down through Instagram photos.

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On Governors Island, the world's smartest hill

by Karrie Jacobs Jul 19, 2016, 10:30a

The Hills on Governors Island are a perfect example of the hallmark of 21st century design: objects that are hybrids, part manmade and part natural. Karrie Jacobs examines the engineering behind the landscape.

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On Governors Island, a historic monument is prepped for its next century

by Tanay Warerkar Jul 1, 2016, 1:28p

Placed atop Fort Jay's Archway on Governors Island, the Fort Jay Eagle or the Trophée d’Armes sculpture as it is officially known is now considered one of the earliest examples of a domestically carved monumental sculpture.

Write graffiti—legally—on a historic Governors Island house this summer

by Zoe Rosenberg Jun 10, 2016, 3:34p

Cool activity alert! This summer, head to Governors Island for one of Writing On It All’s sessions, which promotes legalized (and site-specific) graffiti as a form of self expression.

Photos: Figment NYC Brings Wacky Sculptures, Minigolf to Governors Island

by Scott Lynch Jun 4, 2016, 10:32a

Check out the public art coming to Governors Island this summer as part of the 10th annual Figment NYC festival.

What to Do On Governors Island This Weekend

by Amy Plitt May 27, 2016, 1:24p

One of NYC's best free attractions, Governors Island, is opening for the summer. Get the scoop on the new things to see, best events, and more.

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Governors Island's Man-Made Hills Now Have a July Opening Date

by Amy Plitt May 9, 2016, 10:31a

Though the Hills are opening almost two months after the rest of the Island's attractions open to the public, they've still been completed over a year ahead of schedule. The Hills will have NYC's longest slide when complete.

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The Hills in the Harbor

by Jessica Dailey May 5, 2016, 11:00a

Take a sneak peak at Governors Island's newest attraction: three man-made hills that allow visitors to climb 70 feet above the New York Harbor for some of the most jaw-dropping views around.

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Floating Forest of Free Food to Dock in NYC This Summer

by Evan Bindelglass Apr 13, 2016, 2:15p

The barge, called Swale, will moor at Governors Island, plus Brooklyn and the Bronx. Visitors will get to pick their own produce!

Governors Island May Become a 'Year-Round Destination' Under New Proposal

by Zoe Rosenberg Feb 4, 2016, 3:30p

Not only will Mayor de Blasio's State of the City on Thursday night bring news of a planned $2.5 billion streetcar connecting Brooklyn and Queens, but Politico reports that the mayor is also expected to announce a mixed-use "Innovation Cluster"...

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Governors Island's New Rolling Hills Will Open This Summer

by Amy Plitt Jan 21, 2016, 5:15p

When Governors Island reopens to the public this summer, it'll have one very new, big attraction: the Hills, four sloping slabs of land totaling 10 acres, each of which has a specific purpose. Some are meant for active use—Slide Hill is pretty...

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Coming to Governors Island: A Pavilion Made of Coat Hangers

by Tanay Warerkar Jan 20, 2016, 4:45p

The newest sculpture to go up on Governors Island this summer will be a pavilion made entirely out of coat hangers. Yes, that's right, "Hanger Barn," as the art project is titled is the winning entry for this year's City of Dreams Pavilion...

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20 Must-See Open House New York 2015 Sites

by Amy Plitt Oct 6, 2015, 11:30a

It's here! Open House New York released its list of the sites that will be open for its 2015 festival, and predictably, it's a doozy. Many of the greatest hits from recent years are back, including the TWA Flight Center at JFK Airport, the B...

Governors Island's Rolling Hills Are Ready for Your Instagrams

by Zoe Rosenberg Sep 24, 2015, 11:15a

It's a nice view @governorsisland A photo posted by Alexandra Lange (@langealexandra) on Sep 22, 2015 at 10:50am PDT Out in New York Harbor just south of Manhattan, teams of people are hard at work transforming the topography of Governors...

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Pope Francis Visits NYC: Where He Will Be, and Where You Should Go Instead

by Curbed Sep 23, 2015, 4:00p

Pope Francis will arrive in New York City on Thursday evening, marking the beginning of one of the biggest logistical SNAFU's the city has faced in decades. Never mind the United Nations General Assembly, which is convening this week on the East...

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Could the City of New York Build a "Sixth Borough"?

by Rowley Amato Aug 16, 2015, 10:30a

What would it take to dredge and construct an entirely new sixth borough in the middle of New York Harbor? It's an interesting question that preoccupies writer Jon Methven over at The Awl. Methven recounts the history of land reclamation in the...

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See Where New York City Parks Are Being Beautified & Built

by Curbed Jul 31, 2015, 2:40p

One of the great pleasures of living in New York City is being able to escape New York City without actually leaving. The parks and green spaces throughout the five boroughs make this possible, and new acreage is being added all the time. In the...

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Pool-Equipped Day Spa Approved for Governors Island

by Curbed Jul 22, 2015, 12:35p

What does Governor's Island have in common with the Italian cities of Rome, Milan, and San Pellegrino? They were all deemed historic enough to be the site of QC Terme day...

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New York's Zany Floating Pool Will Test 10 Potential Locations

by Hana R. Alberts Jun 23, 2015, 2:30p

In the five years since a few dreamers first proposed a cross-shaped floating pool for the East River, a lot has changed. The concept, which would employ a filtration system that cleanses the surrounding (icky) waters for use in the pool itself,...

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The Hills Are Coming to Life on Governors Island

by Jessica Dailey May 5, 2015, 4:00p

In the middle of the New York Harbor, where unused, decades-old buildings once stood, four hills are taking shape, sloping up toward the sky and pointing to the Statue of Liberty. The man-made mounds are the newest parkland on Governors Island,...

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Island Hopping

by Zoe Rosenberg Aug 20, 2014, 2:05p

While seasonal visitors to Governors Island increased 15 percent from last year to 400,000 visitors, the island still struggles to woo year-round occupants despite improvements to infrastructure and spiffed-up parkland. Thirty-three acres of the...

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A 24-Hour Stay on the Rapidly Changing Governors Island

by Nathan Kensinger Jul 17, 2014, 3:00p

Welcome back to Camera Obscura, Curbed's series of photo essays by Nathan Kensinger. This week—happy Outdoors Week—Kensinger spends a night on Governors Island. [The historic structures and new parks on Governors...

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The Great Outdoors

by Hana R. Alberts May 20, 2014, 12:35p

Attention, New Yorkers: the hammocks are ready for you now. New York Magazine's Justin Davidson proffers a preview of Governors Island's 30 new acres of parkland, the first phases of which are open to the public this spring. A "$75 million urban...

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Public Art

by Hana R. Alberts Apr 25, 2014, 11:35a

Get ready for even more cool stuff on Governors Island this summer. Beyond staples like the Figment festival, the new 20-acre park opening on May 24 will have a ton of site-specific public art, including Susan Philipsz's bugle-infused sound piece...

Gov. Island Sculptures; The Geography of Brownstone Brooklyn

by Zoe Rosenberg Apr 22, 2014, 6:55p

GOVERNORS ISLAND—FIGMENT, a participatory and "de-commodified" art event, will be hosting a summer-long sculpture exhibition on Governors Island. The exhibition is free and open to the publicand will be open June 7 until September 21. The event's...

Sales Check At The Adeline; Petition To Save Rizzoli Bookstore

by Hana R. Alberts Jan 21, 2014, 6:00p

HARLEM—West 116th Street's Adeline condos launched sales just last week, and word comes that the 83-unit project is already 25 percent sold. Well, that was fast. [Harlem Bespoke; previously] MIDTOWN—There's a nascent campaign to save Rizzoli...

From 57th Street to the Fulton Center, What To Watch In 2014

by Jessica Dailey Jan 3, 2014, 3:05p

2013 saw a lot of pretty awesome crap (too much holiday boozing made you forget everything? Take a gander at the Curbed Awards), but what's done is done, and it's time for some new awesome crap. What does 2014 have in store for New Yorkers? Quite...

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Curbed Cup Elite Eight: (16) Governors Island v. (8) Greenpoint

by Hana R. Alberts Dec 23, 2013, 12:15p

Half the field has already been eliminated in the Curbed Cup, our annual award to the New York City neighborhood of the year. This week we'll have two matchups apiece on Monday and Thursday—with the polls left open for 24 hours—and by Friday only...

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Serpentine Recycled-Cup Structure To Grace Governors Island

by Hana R. Alberts Dec 17, 2013, 4:50p

Once called Governors Island's "annual quest for weirdness," the competition to design a pavilion for the annual Figment arts festival is always somewhat wacky. Out of this year's five zany finalists, New York-based CDR Studio's "Governor's Cup"...

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Curbed Cup 1st Round: (1) 57th St. vs. (16) Governors Island

by Jessica Dailey Dec 16, 2013, 11:00a

The Curbed Cup, our annual award to the New York City neighborhood of the year, is kicking off with 16 'hoods vying for the prestigious fake trophy. This week we'll have two matchups per day, and all the results and the full tourney bracket will...

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