WALK the WALKWAY
Liberty State Park
May 2, 2011
On Sunday May 1, with the sun shining brightly and a slight breeze blowing, the Hudson River Waterfront Conservancy held it first "Walk the Walkway" walk of 2011 in Liberty State Park(LSP).
Between 9:30 and 10:00 the walkers arrived in the LSP Picnic area Parking Lot. After a brief introduction to the HRWC, its members and the issues we face, we started the walk at 10:00 sharp. We reached Port Liberte at 11:05 and returned to the start at 12:00 noon. We saw the normal cast of walkers, joggers and bikers all along the route. The boat launch parking lot had a dozen or so trailers indicating the early morning fishermen had come and gone out before we arrived. Everyone on the walk was very pleased with the day and all promised to spread the word and return on Jun 12 for the next walk.
We started at the southern end of Liberty State Park and it offered no surprises along the Walkway. As always it is well maintained. The newly opened area is spectacular and a model for others to imitate. Part of the wooden walk near the boat launch was under repair. We expect that it was damaged by the many storms.
As we approached Liberty National Golf Club, the site of the Clubhouse gleaming in the sun was amazing to all of us, especially those who had never seen it before. The very good news is that every HRWC Walkway sign that the Conservancy originally specified with the architect of the golf course is now in place. They are beautiful and have been mounted on soft green colored poles that blend in perfectly with nature. We will post pictures on the website.
We stopped near the area where the Golf Course marina is proposed. It was generally agreed that the space for a marina is very limited and will likely interfere with boats using the adjacent public boat launch. We need to stay alert for the marina proposals and make sure the design is suitable for the space available.
As we rounded the south end of the Club House we found a small section of the riprap and a few walkway pavers had washed away in a recent storm. It again shows how powerful Mother Nature can be. There was also some crushed shrubs behind the sitting wall that will have to be replaced and were probably due to the heavy snow this winter.
The Boardwalk in the bird sanctuary is in good shape. Here also, those who have not been there before were amazed that such a beautiful and serene area exists so close to Manhattan.
Approaching Port Liberte, we were pleased that the HRWC Walkway signs were all new and had the proper directional arrows for walkers coming in either direction. This is exactly as we had discussed it with the Golf Course architect.
We proceeded into Port Liberte and marveled at the multi million dollar views of the harbor. We then retraced our steps and returned to the starting point by noon, a little tired but very satisfied with the gorgeous and inspirational day Walking the Walkway.
Everyone is looking forward to our next walk on June 12 in Downtown Jersey city.