Travel
Just a short ferry ride from Lower Manhattan lies a car-free island that offers a slice of rural escapism in full view of the city.
ByAmanda Canning
Published October 31, 2023
• 7 min read
This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK).
The passengers who spill off the boat at Governors Island ferry terminal are already in holiday mode. In the eight minutes it’s taken to make the crossing from Manhattan, any daily preoccupations have been cast off. Sunglasses on, day bags slung over shoulders, they consult the map on the information board and then go their separate ways.
Some make straight for the Mexican restaurant just 50ft away, aiming to do nothing but sit in the sunshine with cold beers and tacos. Others rent bright-red bikes, setting off on a leisurely circumnavigation of the car-free island, their baskets full of picnic supplies. A few pad up to QY NC Spa, ready to get into white dressing gowns and slowly rotate through its relaxation rooms, saunas and pools.
The spa’s location, in a former army barracks, gives a clue to the island’s former life. The 172-acre site was used as a US military base for over 200 years and much remains from that time. There are canary-yellow cottages, once used by soldiers and their families; a grand colonnaded Admiral’s House, befitting its commanding officer; and a clapboard chapel and red-brick theatre that served all.
A 2003 ban against permanent residency on Governors Island, part of which is a National Monument, means that many of the buildings stand empty and dilapidated. Their future is, however, in safe hands. Run by a trust whose focus is on public art projects, sustainability and low-key hospitality, the island has been given a fresh lease of life in recent years. Among its new tenants are the Billion Oyster Project, which aims to restore the oyster reefs around New York Harbor, and Circular Economy Manufacturing, which uses solar power to turn the city’s plastic waste into new products such as planters and lighting.
One of the first arrivals was Collective Retreats. On a former car park on the western edge of the island sits a collection of glamping accommodation, from canvas safari tents with shared bathrooms to an extraordinary, wood-framed villa with hanging fireplace and walk-in shower. No matter which option guests choose, they’ll likely spend most of their time on the outdoor decks, unable to quite break away from the views of the Manhattan skyline to one side and the Statue of Liberty to the other.
It’s hard to process that the Collective Retreats site is less than a mile from the most densely populated patch of land in the entire US. The occasional toot from the Staten Island Ferry or calls from barn swallows, warblers and herring gulls provide the soundtrack here. The breeze carries the scent of salt, not fumes. And the main distractions are a game of baseball or giant Jenga on the clover-pocked lawn. Come nightfall, when the day visitors have taken the last ferry home and the only people left on the island are those staying at Collective Retreats, the sense of quiet seclusion deepens. General manager Paige Carter, in black jeans and a baseball cap, has worked here for over a year and is still in a state of palpable wonder. “It’s crazy we’re only a few minutes from the city,” she says, gazing over the water as the sky turns pink and amber in the setting sun. “It feels like you shouldn’t be allowed to be here.”
Paige explains that 70% of people who stay are New Yorkers, many returning year after year for an easy-to-access hit of escapism. “They come for the night and commute into the city first thing,” she says. And while the setting that draws them is rustic, the service is not. A sunset cocktail hour brings guests together to chat and share stories, while dinner, served from an open kitchen on a decked terrace, might include compressed watermelon salad or grilled langoustine fettuccine.
Diners continually pause to take in the showboating spectacle around them, the skyscrapers of Manhattan ablaze with lights and Lady Liberty’s torch glowing steadily in the thickening darkness. But it’s the simple pleasures that win out at night here: s’mores cooked on the campfire; fireflies flickering their amorous intentions in the long grass; and a universe of stars slowly revealing itself above. Safari tent from $203 (£163).
This story was created with the support of Collective Retreats.
Published in the November 2023 issue of National Geographic Traveller (UK).
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