Little Island NYC Review: Was It Worth The Massive Price Tag?
Little Island, a new free public park, is the latest tourist attraction in New York City. With a price tag of $260 million, the unique green space offers a small oasis in Manhattan. Little Island opened up to the public over the weekend, and Miles to Memories was on hand to see what the hype is all about and give you plenty of information and pictures. So now let’s get into this Little Island NYC review.
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Little Island
Little Island is part of Hudson River Park and is located at Pier 54 and 55 on Manhattan’s West Side. The idea for this 2.4-acre park was conceived almost 10 years ago. Most of the Little Island’s $260 million price tag was covered by Barry Diller. He stood behind the project even as the estimated price doubled from the original $130 million.
The park sits on 132 concrete structures that look like mini islands, rising 15 feet above the Hudson River. The support structure provides a variety of elevations, ranging between 15 and 62 feet.
The structure was designed by Thomas Heatherwick who also designed the Vessel at Hudson Yards. Within the park, visitors can enjoy 350 species of flowers, trees and shrubs, a plaza with seating and food and beverages stalls called “The Play Ground,” a lawn area named “The Glade,” and an amphitheater titled “The Amph” that hosts 687 people. The park will host various local performers and artists as well as throw a barrage of programs for people of all ages.
Little Park has plenty of paths to walk around. There are either steps, or paved roads to take you all around. Some fun games for kids are added along these paths.
If you make your way to Little Island’s highest point, you get incredible views of Manhattan, the river and across to New Jersey. However, the small space at the highest point was very crowded, so you might need to wait a bit to take those Instagram pictures.
How to Get to Little Island
The park is located on the Hudson River, to the west of 11th Ave, between 13th and 14th Street. The closest subway stop is at 7th Ave and 14th Street (1,2,3 Trains). From there you can either take the M14 bus or just walk for 15 minutes.
There are two ramps that connect the island to 11th Ave. You can only enter from the ramp on the left, closer to 13th Street. The ramp to the right is for exiting only. No bikes are allowed within the park.
Reservations
The park opens at 6AM and entry is free. If you want to go between noon at 8pm, which are expected to be high-traffic times, you’ll need to make a reservation on its website first.
The park has a capacity of 852 people. Timed entry reservations are released four weeks at a time on a rolling basis. Children ages three and up need a reservation. You must arrive within 30 minutes of your ticket reservation. Tickets may be printed out or shown from your mobile phone.
If you have a ticket to see a performance at Little Island, that ticket will also grant you entry to the park for that day
The park stays open until 1AM.
Other Nearby Attractions
Hudson River Park, where Little Island is located, runs four miles along Manhattan’s west side. It attracts over 17 million visits each year, so it is a great place to visit on a nice day.
Just a few blocks away you can also find The High Line, a public park built on a historic freight rail line elevated above the streets of Manhattan. You can enter at Gansevoort Street and Washington Street. Reservations are required, but again it is free and it can be quickly done on your phone on the way there.
Then there’s the Chelsea Market, located in the heart of New York City’s Meatpacking District, where you can find lots of shops and places to eat. Seating is available all around the building.
North of Little Island, on Pier 57, more community spaces will open up, including a food court and a roof deck. City Winery is already up and running there. You can also find plenty of restaurants around the Meatpacking District.
Little Island NYC Review: My Experience
I visited the Little Island park on a Sunday morning around 10AM. Since it was before noon, I didn’t need a reservation. The park was crowded, considering it was still early morning and most of Manhattan is still quite empty compared to usual summers. But it was the weekend, and the park was just opened to the public two days earlier.
Little Island is a stunning piece of architecture that stands out as soon as you get close to 11th Ave. Once you enter, you walk into an open lawn and get a 360-degree view of the park. It feels like you have left the city.
The park looks much bigger once you are in it, and start walking around. It wasn’t a very relaxing place due to being crowded, but if you get there early enough and find a place to sit on the grass, you can soak in some sun, the views, and people watch.
So is it worth the price tag of $260 million? As a park, I think not. But it is an interesting and unique design, providing another tourist attraction for to-do lists of those visiting NYC. On opening weekend the park was super clean and in great shape obviously, but hopefully it is maintained the same way for years to come.
Check out more pictures below.
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Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.
A slight quibble: when framed as “was it worth the price tag” in the subject line I think most readers would think that it was publicly financed as most parks are assumed to be, which you clearly state in the article that it isn’t, but most won’t click the link to read and will have an anti-government anti-NYC bias to confirm.
After that, once permission to build was granted, only Barry Diller can decide if it was worth it.
Once the crowds quiet down it will be a great amenity for those living in the area, and certain to increase property values (and resulting property tax revenues) as a result.