Governors Island ferry to service
two Brooklyn piers this season
BY KEVIN DUGGAN
The Governors Island
ferry will depart from both
Red Hook and Brooklyn
Bridge Park this year, taking
seafaring Brooklynites to
the idyllic nearby isle in New
York Harbor starting May 1.
“We are thrilled to be able
to open Governors Island for
its full, six-month public season
again this year, and with
more access from Brooklyn
than ever before,” said Clare
Newman, the president and
CEO of the Trust for Governors
Island, in a press release
obtained by Brooklyn Paper.
The island’s overseers
moved the Kings County
berth from swanky Brooklyn
Heights to Red Hook’s Atlantic
Basin last year, but decided to
service both locations this season,
which runs through Oct.
31 on weekends and a number
of holiday Mondays.
22 COURIER LIFE, APRIL 2-8, 2021
ESCAPE
Community Board 6 leaders
sent a letter to Newman in
January requesting the Trust
continue servicing Red Hook
year-round, arguing that it’s
the closest city neighborhood
to the island at only 500 yards
apart. On top of that, the Red
Hook stop would provide easier
access to open space for
the area’s NYCHA developments,
which are home to
more than 7,000 people.
Governors Island is offi -
cially part of distant Manhattan’s
Community Board 1,
TWO TICKETS TO PARADISE: Governors Island will serve both Red Hook’s Atlantic Basin and Pier 6 at Brooklyn
Bridge Park starting May 1. Photo by Julienne Schaer/Governors Island Trust
and the vessels will also run
daily from the Big Apple at
the Battery Maritime Building,
according to the Trust.
The nonprofi t corporation
hopes Brooklyn’s twin piers
will provide greater access
to the former military base
that’s since been transformed
into a 172-acre car-free and
hilly meadow.
Visitors must reserve
timed tickets in advance
through the island’s online
reservation system starting
April 1, and a limited number
of walk-up tickets will also be
available for purchase in person.
A round trip costs $3 for
adults, but it’s free for children
under 13, seniors over
64, New York City Public
Housing Residents IDNYC
holders, Governors Island
members, and current or former
military service members.
Ferries before noon on
Saturdays and Sundays are
also free for all, and there’s
no surcharge on bicycles or
strollers
BY KEVIN DUGGAN
A family-friendly “Spring
Fling” will take over Atlantic
Avenue from Fourth Avenue
to the waterfront Saturday
afternoon, offering pent-up
Brooklynites a chance to go
on scavenger egg hunts and
win prizes, according to the
event’s organizer.
“We wanted to get people
out and have a good time, encourage
people to mask up
and have a day out in a safe
way,” said Howard Kolins,
the head of the Atlantic Avenue
Local Development Corporation.
The nonprofi t advocacy
group, which prior to the pandemic
organized the beloved
Atlantic Antic annual street
fair, decided to debut the
Spring Fling to give residents
a chance to support the area’s
vibrant enterprises while
staying safe amid COVID-19.
The event will have a notouch
virtual Easter egg scavenger
hunt, where young and
old can scan QR codes on one
of the more than 40 participating
businesses along the
thoroughfare that will direct
them to fun riddles.
You can also show off your
or your fl uffy friend’s fi nest
Easter bonnet or mask at
several fl oral selfi e stations
where you can take photos
and post them on social media
with the hashtag #atlanticavespringfl
ing for a
chance to win prizes worth
$100, which can range from a
local dance class to chocolate
treats from beloved area grocer
Sahadi’s.
For those without phones
there will be informational
handouts at booths at the intersections
of Court Street,
Smith Street, and Third Avenue,
according to Kolins.
FESTIVAL
The Development Corporation
has worked to support
Atlantic Avenue businesses
with recent events as annual
staples such as the Antic had
to be put on hold due to the
coronavirus.
In October the organization
joined forces with Arts
Gowanus and the local Business
Improvement District
to host the ArtWalk, exhibiting
more than 100 borough
artists’ works in 65 forefront
windows or inside shops, luring
cooped-up Kings Countians
back to the avenue.
The group plans to bring
back the Antic this October,
but may continue hosting
the Spring Fling and the Art-
Walk, according to Kolins.
“We can either refi ne it or
establish it as a new event, as
an annual basis hopefully,”
he said.
Double dock
‘Spring Fling’ with
virtual egg hunt
comes to Atlantic
BROOKLYN
Hop to it
Governors Island ferry
opens daily on May 1. The
Island is open 10 am-6 pm
on weekdays, 10 am-7 pm on
weekends. Ferry tickets $3
roundtrip. Tickets available at
www.govisland.com starting
April 1.
“Spring Fling on Atlantic
Ave” Atlantic Avenue, between
Fourth Avenue and the
waterfront, www.atlanticave.
org, (718) 875-8993. April 3
noon-5 pm. Free.
HATS ALL FOLKS: (Above) Show off your best Easter bonnet at the
Spring Fling on Atlantic Avenue on April 3. (Right) Post pictures of yourself
or your pet at selfi e stations for a chance to win $100 in goodies.
Atlantic Avenue Local Development Corporation
/www.govisland.com
/www.atlanticave
