Heard about The Hills? No? Well, it's a good thing you have us to fill you in, isn't it?
The Hills, a 10-acre park, will offer panoramic views of the New York Harbor. It's set to open on Governors Island in 2017, according to The New York Times.
Its architect, Adriaan Geuze, had two incentives for increasing the park's elevation. The first: to safeguard against flooding. Geuze's second motivation? Well, the incredible, breathtaking, panoramic view, of course.
Governors Island's 172-acres are located right in the middle of that stunning New York Harbor.
Once the island's altitude is increased, it'll offer astonishing sights of the Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn skyline, along with the Brooklyn Bridge and the Statue of Liberty.
Since Geuze's firm, West 8, is located in the Netherlands, he's more than familiar with the threat of flooding. Since Geuze is an architect, he has an astute appreciation for outdoor aesthetics.
"You go uphill and have this panorama, where you really feel you are in the middle of the ocean," Geuze said in regards to the Hills, four large mounts that were just piled to their full heights. They range from 25 to 70 feet tall.
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This isn't the only exciting news for the island. As you may have guessed, the increase of beautiful views goes hand-in-hand with the expansion of cool stuff to do.
The Trust for Governors Island, the group overseeing the development of the island, recently announced plans for a new day spa. When the whole project is completed, Governor's Island will become a year-round commercial district.
It'll have hotels, shops, 50 bright red hammocks for lounging, and slides.
You read that right. There will be slides.When the project is completed, Slide Hill, one of the four mounds under construction, will have four slides. Some of these slides will be large enough for a few people to glide down at once.
The Hills alone will cost around $70 million. Half of this funding is expected to come from the city, and the other half from private fund-raising.
"Each hill will encapsulate what New Yorkers have come to love about Governors Island - relaxation, art, play and openness of the harbor," said Leslie Koch, the president of the Trust for Governors Island.
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Are you stoked to get your play on? We totally are.
The future of this city is looking pretty bright. Soon we'll have an underground market, the world's first underground park, a new subway line on 2nd Avenue, and giant, elevated slides with amazing views.
We knew they called NYC the best city in the world for a reason.
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[Feature Image Courtesy Bakfiets en Meer]