Bumper to number traffic has officially returned to the Westside highway in Manhattan. It took us quite a while to get from the Upper West Side to Pier 55 on a Wednesday afternoon, so plan accordingly. If you decide to drive, may I suggest that you park at Chelsea Piers (that’s what we did). It’s so easy and very close to the entrance to New York City’s latest attraction, Little Island.
What is Little Island?
This man-made oasis of land floats on stilts high above the Hudson River. Even though this 2.4 acre park is a public space, a timed-entry ticket is mandatory. (Order your free tickets here). Several staff members are on hand at the entrance to scan your tickets and answer any questions that you might have (they are all super nice and helpful).
What is there to do?
Create music
Indulge in some optical illusion play
Check out the view from little island
nosh
commune with nature
enjoy a performance in a beautiful environment
hang out and relax
I think 45-60 minutes is a sufficient amount of time to see everything.
What’s for dinner in this area?
The food trucks on Little Island offer a variety of treats from crudite to buffalo style cauliflower. Instead of dining al fresco on the island, we decided to cross the street and head to the Standard Hotel. This trendy spot is located on The Highline, which I highly recommend visiting as well. I had never been inside before. It is a seriously funky place featuring dark hallways with unexpected blasts of color.
We saw no signs to help us navigate, but luckily we bumped into enough staff along the way to direct us to our destination: the Standard Grill.
The atmosphere at this restaurant was lovely! The space has a much different feel than the hotel entry: it is bright and homey, kind of like a country kitchen. The staff was very friendly and upbeat, however, I don’t think they have much experience feeding families (or at least a family like mine). We are not a bunch that is accustomed to leisurely dining, and it was tough for us to wait to be served. Both my dad and my 10 year old twins were exceedingly frustrated with the snail’s pace of the service; it was even difficult to get a refill for our jug of tap water. That said, we all agreed that the food there is beautifully presented and delicious!
