The amazing view from Liberty State Park

It has been a while that I wanted to visit Liberty State Park in New Jersey, but when the weekends arrived, the weather was awful. But last Saturday, with the temperature hitting 90 degrees and sunny day, we finally went to this park near New York City that provides one of the most beautiful views of Manhattan. You’ll see: the images tell everything.

Located in Jersey City, this park has a huge green area, with space for activities such as walking, running, and biking, as well as picnic and barbecue. But the highlight of the place is the prime location by the Hudson River. The view of the river and the island of Manhattan is so beautiful! I’ve been in several places with views of Manhattan, but this park is undoubtedly among the best places to see the skyline of New York. In addition, the park also offers views of Ellis Island and our beloved Statue of Liberty.

Another highlight is the “Empty Sky” 9/11 Memorial, the official State of New Jersey’s Memorial that honors the memory of the 749 people that lived in or had ties to New Jersey that lost their lives at the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. The names are placed randomly on the twin brushed stainless steel walls. The memorial, designed by Jessica Jamroz and Frederic Schwartz, was dedicated on September 11, 2011, the 10-year anniversary of the tragedy. The brushed stainless steel twin walls are 210 feet long, the width of each side of the World Trade Center Towers. They rise 30 feet, standing parallel to each other with a 12-foot wide paved path of bluestone between them. Like the World Trade Center, the stainless steel reflects the constantly changing light of the day. The memorial invites visitors to literally and metaphorically look toward the empty sky in memory and look forward as a community.

Just beside, there is an old and disabled train station – and there, you can buy tickets for the Statue of Liberty – there is a ferry that departs from Liberty State Park towards the island.

And if you go there, my tip is having lunch or dinner at Liberty House Restaurant, a restaurant that is located inside the park. Can you imagine having lunch with a wonderful view of Manhattan? Yeah! The place has a huge structure and super nice enviroment, with tables inside and also outside. In the menu, the main dishes (from $15 to $21) include meat, fish and pasta, and sandwiches and burgers super great, as well as the appetizer options. The food is delicious! I recommend to make a reservation online – but if you can not, be sure to go there and give a try. It was what we did! By the way, it is a tip for everybody looking for a super romantic place for dinner or lunch, see?

Now, the question remains: how to get to the park? I’ve checked some routes via subway + Path (NJ subway) + Uber or taxi until I found out about Liberty Landing Ferry, which makes the path from Manhattan to the park in 12 minutes. Super easy, right? Not to mention that the view from the ferry is beautiful too. Liberty Landing Ferry departs from World Financial Center Terminal (199 Vessey Street) in Downtown, next to Brookfield Place, very close to One World Trade Center. When you arrive at the terminal you just have to head to gate 2 – the ticket costs $7 (for one-way, Roundtrip is $14) and you pay in the Ferry – ie, you don’t need to buy a ticket before. Boats leave every half hour. On weekdays, the service begins at 6:15 am and continues until almost 9 pm. On weekends, the service runs from 9:30 am until 7:45 pm. Check the schedule on the website so you can plan your trip.

PS: as I mentioned before, you can buy tickets for the Statue of Liberty at Liberty State Park. Liberty Landing Ferry doesn’t go to the Statue! We are talking about different tickets and services.  Liberty Landing Ferry leaves Manhattan and has two stops: one in Warren Street (just across the park) and the second in the park.

Laura Peruchi

Content creator and journalist in New York City. Here, I share lifestyle, beauty, NYC tips, thoughts, and the struggles about living in the most amazing city in the world! I’m not gonna pretend to be another person: I’m a Brazilian immigrant and I think this is my soul, it is part of who I am. I hope you enjoy my content! Follow me on Instagram!