Get Out & Enjoy LM’s Newest Outdoor Spaces!

By: Justin Dizon

Why not make Lower Manhattan your staycation destination this summer? Check out these three brand-new, inviting outdoor spaces.

The Battery’s newest green space is the 90,000-square-foot Battery Oval.  The lush park at Manhattan’s southern tip is free for anyone to enjoy. Bring a book and plop down in one of the blue, floral-shaped chairs scattered throughout the grassy expanse (the chairs were the winner of a 2014 design contest held by the Battery Conservancy).

Governors Island’s newest section, “the Hills,” (opening July 19) includes four new hills, each offering unrivaled views of the city and New York Harbor. There are a number of other features as well.  Grassy Hill rises 25 feet and features green slopes, affording a view of the nearby parks.  Discovery Hill stands 40 feet high and has 54 different species of trees.  It’s also home to an art installation by British artist Rachel Whiteread. Her concrete sculpture, called “Cabin,” was inspired by the congruence of nature and civilization that is Governors Island.  Slide Hill is 40 feet high and will boast four slides, including New York City’s largest slide (measuring 57-feet long and three stories tall).  Outlook Hill rises a towering 70 feet above the island.

Liberty Park is a verdant, one-acre public walkway, topping the World Trade Center’s Vehicle Security Center and overlooking the 9/11 Memorial.  The 336-foot “Living Wall” features 22,000 plants grown vertically to soften the look of the structure.  Liberty Park also includes a sapling that came from the horse chestnut tree that grew outside Anne Frank’s home in Amsterdam, as well as the “horse statue” that honors American troops who served in Afghanistan. Park hours are 6 A.M. – 11 P.M. daily. The park also connects to Brookfield Place via the Liberty Street pedestrian bridge.

So get and enjoy any or all of these wonderful new additions to Lower Manhattan’s beautiful landscape!