New York City is always bustling, but it just seems to come alive in the summer. In addition to the indoor places like museums that can be enjoyed all year round, the City offers a lot of outdoor activities that visitors can enjoy -- whether walking or using the aid of a wheelchair.
Here is just a sampling of some places in and around New York City that I have enjoyed in my wheelchair, along with those on two feet.
South Street Seaport, Fulton Street and South Street: Located in lower Manhattan, the Seaport is a relaxing and fun way to spend a summer day. Once a thriving Seaport for the City, today it is a popular place to visit, and at any time you can see tourists, street performers, Wall Street stockbrokers and locals taking in what it has to offer -- from a mime entertaining onlookers to The Yankees Official Clubhouse shop to the delectable seafood or Italian dishes at Il Porto.
If shopping is your preference, you'll find the Pier 17 Mall and outlet stores available. While the Mall is completely wheelchair accessible, the outlets are along cobblestone streets which can be very bumpy in a wheelchair and some do have a step into the store. However, some of the stores will provide a ramp to enable a wheelchair to enter. You only need to ask.
Another option is to avail yourself of either the South Street Seaport Museum or the Bodies Exhibit. Only part of the Museum is wheelchair accessible, but it is worth a look.
You can also take a 90-minute guided cruise around Manhattan aboard the Zephyr, a yacht offering beverages, snacks and some incredible views of New York Harbor.
Throughout the summer, South Street Seaport offers a concert series and other special events.
Perhaps, you want to just sit on the third floor deck of the Pier 17 Mall and soak in the sun (or the shade) and the awesome view which includes the Brooklyn Bridge, the Statue of Liberty and the yachts, ferries, water taxis, sailboats and cruise ships that come through the Harbor.
South Street Seaport is accessible via either ferry, subway or by road. If you're coming from New Jersey, probably the easiest way to go is the ferry. It leaves from at least four locations in New Jersey, and the crew is very helpful in getting a wheelchair on and off the ferry. You can check out the departure points, ferry schedules and prices on the New York Waterway web site. For more information on using the subways or Access-a-Ride, see my article, "Visiting New York City in a Wheelchair Tips and Commentary," here at the People's Media.
BrooklynBridge, Centre Street and Park Row, near City Hall: Not far from South Street Seaport is the Manhattan-side entrance to the Brooklyn Bridge, a world-recognized monument of New York City. The wheelchair user can join pedestrians and bicyclists who take the impressive path from Manhattan to Brooklyn and back again. Both entrances and the Bridge itself are completely wheelchair accessible. The Brooklyn side even welcomes wheelchair users by including the international sign of accessibility on the entrance to the pedestrian path.
If you move leisurely, reading the signs along the Bridge and appreciating the Bridge's structure and view, it can take a little over an hour to go from one side to the other. Depending on the speed at which you move, the return trip can take as little as 20 minutes. Before returning, however, you might want to check out The Fulton Street Market, which is walking distance from the Brooklyn entrance.
You can get to the Manhattan entrance by walking from South Street Seaport or by taking the subway or the road. Whichever way you come, once there, the Bridge path is easy to maneuver in a wheelchair and worth the trip.
The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island: No trip to New York City is complete without a visit to these two historic landmarks. Although the wheelchair user cannot go inside the Statue of Liberty, most visitors do not get to enjoy this either. Since 9-11, no one is allowed to go above the podium, and the number of people allowed in each day is now limited. Like the many visitors who do not go inside the Lady, you can still appreciate the sites on Liberty Island, as you easily get your chair around and admire Lady Liberty's beauty from the outside and the view of both the New York City and New Jersey skylines (with or without the aid of the wheelchair-height observation magnifiers). You can also have lunch either inside or at one of the outside tables overlooking the Hudson River. (There is also a place to eat on Ellis Island. However, the cafeteria on Liberty Island offers a wider selection and a better quality food.)
Once you've Circle Liberty Island, you can hop back on the ferry and go to Ellis Island. The Ellis Island Immigration Museum is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the National Park Service. Each year, more than 3 million visitors from around the world take the ferry ride to the island and walk the grounds and through the Great Hall where millions of immigrants were either permitted into this country or denied admittance. Nearly a century after the peak immigration years, The Gateway to America today offers a glimpse of the past through the museum's self-guided exhibits, artifacts, photographs, prints, videos, interactive displays and oral histories. It also provides trained professionals who can help you research your family history. The building itself, both inside and outside, is an impressive site.
Circle Line provides year round ferry service to both islands. You can depart from either Battery Park in New York or Liberty State Park in Jersey City, New Jersey. Both departure points are wheelchair accessible, and the crew members are very helpful in getting the wheelchair up and down the gang walk. Be prepared to spend 1.5 hours at the Jersey site and two hours in New York City in the security check line. (The Circle Line Downtown web site recommends departing from New Jersey where parking is available and the lines are shorter.) Also, while the able-bodied will go through metal detectors, wheelchair users will be patted down by park police officers.
For the price of one ferry ticket, you can spend as much of the day as you desire on either or both islands.
LibertyState Park, in Jersey CityNJ: Liberty State Park is not just the place to get the ferry to Liberty and Ellis Islands. The park itself has 300 acres of recreational space that includes a picnic area, a walking path along the river with a view of the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and the New York skyline, and Liberty Landing Marina. Ferry tickets are sold in the Old Train Station, an interesting building in its own right -- both for its architecture and history. Once greeted by Lady Liberty and processed at Ellis Island, immigrants purchased tickets and boarded trains at the CRRNJ Terminal, as it was known then. The Old Train Station served as the "gateway to the realization of their hopes and dreams of a new life in America."
Visitors should be aware that the park provides few options for purchasing food. Hot dogs and New York style pretzels are generally available during daytime hours near the Old Train Station. Liberty House is a restaurant across from the Marina. There is a snack bar get a picnic area, but it is only open weekends. The picnic area does provide grills for barbecuing.
All parts of the park are wheelchair accessible.
Broadway: The Great White Way offers a variety of musicals and plays. Many of the theaters offer discounts to wheelchair patrons and one companion. (Others in the party must pay full price.) These discounts range from half off to orchestra seats for only $20.
Coney Island and the New York Aquarium, Brooklyn: Coney Island has been a part of the New York experience for over a century. Home of the original Nathan's, Coney Island was America's first amusement park and remains the largest one in New York City today. Among its many claims to fame, it is the site of the annual hot dog eating contest and the Mermaid Parade. Three of the rides at Coney Island are protected as designated New York City landmarks and recognized by the National Register of Historic Places:
The Wonder Wheel, built in 1920, is a steel ferris wheel that has both conventional stationary cars and rocking cars that slide along the track. It holds 144 riders, stands 150 feet tall and weighs over 2000 tons.
The Cyclone is one of the oldest wooden roller coasters still in operation. Built in 1927, the Cyclone includes an 85-foot, 60 degree drop.
The Parachute Jump was built by the 1939 New York World's Fair and was the first of its kind. Riders were raised 190 feet in the air and then dropped using parachutes. Although the ride has been closed since 1968, it is still a prominent feature along the Boardwalk and referred to by many as Brooklyn's Eiffel Tower.
Coney Island reached its peak in the early 1900s, and it declined in popularity after World War II. After years of neglect, recent years have brought it a new revitalization. The opening of Keyspan Park and growth of the minor league baseball team, the Brooklyn Cyclones, are attributed for much of this renewal. Although Coney Island pales in comparison with today's amusement parks, it has a history the others lack. That alone is worth the trip to see this historic place, popularized in songs and movies, before most of Astroland, the amusement park, is demolished at year end 2007.
Once you've seen what there is to see in the amusement park and along the Boardwalk, you can treat yourself to a trip to the New York Aquarium. The aquarium, which opened in 1896, is the oldest continually operating aquarium in the country. Originally located in what is now Battery Park, it moved to Coney Island in 1957 and is located right off the Boardwalk and easy to walk to and access in a wheelchair.
The aquarium boasts over 350 species and over 8000 specimens of sea life -- including sharks, sea turtles, penguins and a walrus. There are regular performances by the sea lions for spectators to enjoy. But a visit to the New York Aquarium is more than just a fun afternoon. As part of the Wildlife Conservation Society, the aquarium's mission is to raise public awareness of the issues facing the ocean and its inhabitants and to protect marine life. A visit is an opportunity to learn about these issues and support this mission.
Hoboken, New Jersey: Birthplace of Frank Sinatra and baseball, Hoboken is located on the West Bank of the Hudson River, directly across from Manhattan. A city with an illustrious past, Hoboken had slipped into a deep decline. However, in recent years, it has become a trendy town and is considered to be one of the country's most vibrant "comeback" towns.
Within its one square mile, Hoboken densely populated with an especially ethnically diverse group of people. Its compactness, historic street layout, shortage of on-street parking and uneven road surfaces combine to make a car a liability, and the city retains a basic pedestrian orientation, making for a lively street-scape. This is both good news and bad news for the wheelchair visitor. Many of the things to see and do in Hoboken are in close proximity to each other. However, the sidewalks can be just as uneven as the roads, and some of them are on very steep hills.
Fortunately, the rougher terrain tends to be in the parts of Hoboken that offer the least to the visitor. Among the places that are not so difficult to maneuver in a wheelchair are the following:
Washington Street, the city's commercial thoroughfare, is both a typical American "Main Street" and reminiscent of smaller European cities. Here you will find a mixture of popular chain stores to a few mom-and-pop shops. Two of the highlights here are Cold Stone Ice Cream and Carlo's Bakery, of which ABC News food critic, Bill Evans, once said, "The best bakery in New York is in Hoboken."
The city also offers a diverse collection of outdoor cafes, restaurants, bars and clubs popular with both locals and visitors. "Gate sales" are the city's version of yard sales and occur almost every weekend.
Also, Hoboken boasts six parks within its one square mile. Frank Sinatra Park is particularly nice, providing a walk along the water's edge with a view of Manhattan on one side and a row of cafes and restaurants on the other. There is a concert series every Thursday evening in Sinatra Park during the summer. And, on Wednesday nights, the summer also brings Movies under the Stars in the Pier A Park.
You can get to Hoboken by car or train. The Hoboken terminal is wheelchair accessible.
So, there is plenty of summer fun just waiting for you. Go out and enjoy!
http://www.southstreetseaport.com/html/
http://www.bodiestheexhibition.com/
http://www.circlelinedowntown.com/
http://www.nywaterway.com/
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/259690/visiting_new_york_city_in_a_wheelchair.html
http://www.ellisisland.org/
http://www.Broadway.com
http://www.coneyisland.com/
http://www.astroland.com/
http://www.nyaquarium.com/
http://www.hobokennj.org/
http://www.carlosbakery.com/about.html
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