• Governors Island

  Free ferries leave from the Battery Maritime Building, 10 South St., nr. Broad St.

  Despite being left off this year’s state budget—and barring any last-second cutbacks from the city—Governors Island will again take its place as New York’s most woefully underappreciated open space. The group that oversees the pastoral, lawn- and Victorian-filled island expects the summer season to kick off May 30, with plans to once again offer free ferry rides from lower Manhattan, bike rentals (free on Fridays), and free kayaking lessons and tram tours. New this year: a 2.2-mile promenade around the island’s perimeter (including the southern portion that was closed last year), artist-in-residence studio tours, and an eight-acre picnic area with views of the Statue of Liberty.

From the 2009 Best of New York issue of New York Magazine