Inside scoop: The Bayside Historical Society is located in the
former Fort Totten Officers’ Club, which is known as “the
Castle.” The venue is listed on the National Register of Historic
Places. See the History section for more information.
Address: 422 Weaver Road, Bayside, www.forttottenparks.org.
Gantry Plaza State Park covers 12 acres of shoreline on the
borough’s Western coast. With the East River and Midtown
Manhattan to the immediate west, the park contains playing
fields, fishing piers, a promenade and outdoor furniture in a site
that was once a dock facility with gantry cranes. A 120-footlong
93
and 60-foot-high neon Pepsi-Cola sign, which has NYC
Landmark status, adds to the feel.
LIC Landing is to the south of Gantry in Hunters Point South.
With similar spectacular views of the Manhattan skyline, this
public space features a promenade, children’s play area, fields,
and an upscale café. NYC Ferry stops there.
The Hunters Point Parks Conservancy administers
this area. Founded in 1998, the volunteer-run nonprofit
(www.hunterspointparks.org) organizes outdoor movies, concerts,
a fun run, clean-ups, and community celebrations. Working
with city and state officials, members also maintain the gardens,
lounge furniture, and recreational facilities.
Inside scoop: Hunters Point South keeps growing. A recent
development phase added 5.5 acres of park with a 30-foot-high
cantilevered platform, greenery, bicycle pathways, a kayak
launch, fitness equipment, wooden benches, and picnic terraces.
Address: 4-09 47th Road, Long Island City, and
www.nysparks.com.
Gateway National Recreation Area encompasses 11 parks in
three regions. Operated by the federal government, the entire
park covers more than 26,607 acres and straddles three boroughs
(Queens, Brooklyn and Staten Island) and two states (Monmouth
County, New Jersey is included). The entire circuit includes
locations for outdoor activities, such as swimming, hiking,
camping, boating, and bird-watching.
In Queens, the Jamaica Bay unit stretches from the shoreline
below Brooklyn’s Shore Parkway to dozens of uninhabited
islets in Jamaica Bay to the Rockaway Peninsula, which leads
to the Atlantic Ocean. The Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, one of
the best bird-watching areas in the Northeastern United States,
is located there. Roughly 9,155 acres, the refuge features salt
marshes, woodlands, estuaries, and sand dunes.
/www.forttottenparks.org
/www.hunterspointparks.org
/www.nysparks.com
/www.forttottenparks.org
/(www.hunterspointparks.org)
/www.nysparks.com
