by Brooklyn Bridge Park on Sep 23, 2010
Free NY HarborWay Ferry Service and Bike Rentals
Saturday, September 25, 2010, 11- 5pm
To celebrate the opening of Brooklyn Bridge Park’s greenway and temporary bikeway/walkway, Brooklyn Bridge Park is teaming up with NY HarborWay, Bike and Roll and New York Water Taxi to provide free ferry and bike rentals on Saturday, September 25 from 11am to 5pm. Catch the NY HarborWay Ferry at Fulton Ferry Landing (at the foot of Old Fulton Street) or at Pier 6, at the foot of Atlantic Avenue. Boats leave Pier 6 every 30 minutes on the hour and half hour; Fulton Ferry Landing at ten after and twenty of every hour; and South Street Seaport at twenty after and 10 of each hour. The ferries provide a short scenic ride on the East River among Piers 1 and 6 and South Street Seaport, allowing visitors to experience all the amenities of Brooklyn Bridge Park as well as a free connection to Lower Manhattan with one free boat ride. th Annual Dumbo Dance Festival, a vital component of New York City’s contemporary dance scene, presents a series of site-specific works on Pier 1 from 11am to 4pm, featuring the work of young dance artists who have gone on to become important figures in emerging dance.
Bike and Roll’s concession is located at the foot of Old Fulton Street adjacent to the entrance of Pier 1. Free 1 ½ hour rentals will be available on Saturday from 11am-5pm on a first-come first-serve basis. This special offer marks the kick off of a short-term Bike and Roll concession at Pier 1 offering a selection of bicycles for adults and children for rent through the end of October.
This Greenway Celebration takes place in coordination with the Dumbo Arts Festival and the Dumbo Dance Festival. The 3-day Dumbo Arts Festival (Fri, Sept 24-Sun, Sept 26) offers a variety of exciting programming all over Dumbo, including visual and performing arts offerings at the Tobacco Warehouse.
Regina Myer, President of Brooklyn Bridge Park, said “We are thrilled to celebrate the opening of the Brooklyn Bridge Park Greenway on Saturday with the help of our terrific partners from NY HarborWay, Bike and Roll and New York Water Taxi. We invite everyone to take advantage of these wonderful free amenities and see the new greenway — New York’s new window on our extraordinary harbor.”
Paula Berry, Harbor District Director, said “We’re so happy to celebrate the opening of Brooklyn Bridge Park and now the opening of its park greenway because it makes our job — greater access and connecting to the waterfront — even easier.” NYHarborWay is an initiative of the Bloomberg Administration to make the New York Harbor a major recreational destination for New Yorkers and visitors. Spearheaded by NYC & Company, the initiative eventually will connect the nine major waterfront points of interest by ferry or bike greenways. In addition, NYHarborWay will develop a cohesive programming, marketing and communications platform which will drive visitation to the nine waterfront sites. In addition to Brooklyn Bridge Park, the destinations are Governors Island, Hudson River Park, The Battery, Ellis Island, Liberty Island, Atlantic Basin, the East River Esplanade and Liberty State Park.
Darryll White, President of Bike and Roll, said “Bike and Roll is honored to be a part of the greenway celebration of Brooklyn Bridge Park. We salute the long history of hard work that went into making this park a reality and the dedicated people involved in this wonderful and challenging project. This park is another jewel in the emerging NY Harbor renaissance and one of several amazing destinations along the harbor waterfront. We look forward to working with Brooklyn Bridge Park and the NYHarborway, providing a means for both the resident and visitor to enjoy the parks and waterfront by bicycle. We also envision connecting with NY Water Taxi and other water transit to provide a comprehensive, fun, practical, healthy and green means to move about and connect destinations within the waterfront park system.”
In August, five additional acres of Brooklyn Bridge Park were opened to the public, including the first 2,000 feet of the park’s greenway, a 30-foot wide, scenic bikeway and walkway along the East River shoreline. The first section of the new greenway starts at the park entrance at Old Fulton Street and ends at the foot of Pier 2, approximately 2,000 feet to the south.
The Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation, known as Brooklyn Bridge Park, is the not-for-profit entity responsible for the planning, construction, maintenance and operation of Brooklyn Bridge Park, an 85-acre sustainable waterfront park stretching 1.3 miles along Brooklyn’s East River shoreline. More information is available on the park’s website: bbpprod2020.wpengine.com
Bike and Roll is celebrating 8 years as America’s leading bicycle rental and tours company and operates in parks, waterfronts, resorts and major attractions all over the country. In New York City, Bike and Roll operates concessions in Central Park, Hudson River Park, Riverside Park, Prospect Park, The Battery and Governors Island. They offer hourly and daily rentals of all types of bicycles and feature a Hop On Hop Off program that works with the NY Water Taxi services. See the NYC section at www.bikeandroll.com for more information. Brooklyn Bridge Park is one of the nine waterfront destinations that comprise NYHarborWay.