It's Official: Manhattan Now Has Its Own Beach

This week saw the launch of Gansevoort Peninsula on Manhattan's west side; however, swimming is not permitted on the peninsula.

With the opening of Manhattan's very first public beach on Monday, it is now possible to combine a vacation to the urban jungle that is New York City with a day spent on the sand.

The 1,200 tons of sand on the Gansevoort Peninsula in the Hudson River Park came from a quarry in Cape May, New Jersey, and was installed with sprinkling stations, beach shades, and Adirondack-style chairs for the park's grand opening.

The new outdoor space was once a Department of Sanitation depot. It is situated in a prominent location in the Meatpacking District, adjacent to the Whitney Museum of American Art.

“This day, this place, reminds me why New Yorkers are so exceptional.

“To take a place that had been abandoned and overlooked and forgotten and turn it into a gathering place for people from around the world,” commented state governor Kathy Hochul at the official lauch, highlighting that the pier is the largest park built in the city following Central Park.

Unlike many of Manhattan's other riverfront parks, which are typically constructed on floating piers, Gansevoort Peninsula was constructed on solid ground and features amenities such as a boardwalk, picnic locale, site-specific public art setup and a salt marsh.

According to the information provided on the website for Hudson River Park, "Native grasses and plantings, coupled with submerged reef balls and oyster gabions seeded with 20 million juvenile oysters, provide valuable habitat, improve resiliency, and serve as an educational touchpoint for the public to learn about the environmental benefits of intertidal ecosystems."

The city beach has all the makings of a picture-perfect day at the riverbank, with the exception that swimming is not allowed there, as stated on the park's official website. The New York Times noted in August that this makes sense given the presence of possibly hazardous garbage in the Hudson River.

Despite this, residents in the area express their gratitude for the brand new feature, as local communities wanted a beach for quite some time, for kicking back and unwinding after a long day. It is considered to be different from the other piers, so it's a welcome change in the area.

 

source: travelandleisure.com