Visits To Randall's Island Surge Among Cooped-Up New Yorkers

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — One slight silver lining of the pandemic is the new attention being lavished on some of New York's lesser-known outdoor spaces — like Randall's Island Park, where visits have surged this year.

According to the Randall's Island Park Alliance, pedestrian and bicycle visits to the 330-acre park have risen by 140 percent in recent months. The park takes up most of the land on the island, which sits in the East River between Manhattan and Astoria, Queens.

The island is also home to dozens of ballfields, Icahn Stadium, a wastewater treatment plant and an FDNY training academy, and is criscrossed by the Triborough and Hell Gate Bridges.

Have a great day #NYC! pic.twitter.com/9FYvlMclFg
— Randalls Island Park (@randallsisland) December 30, 2020

"The Park has served as a respite for all who come to walk, run, and bike along its ten miles of safe, open non-vehicular pathways," the alliance wrote. "All of us at RIPA have been truly cheered to see the Park’s visitors picnicking, exercising, playing games, and having fun."

One attraction that has lured visitors to the island this month was the unexpected appearance of a greater white-fronted goose, which was spotted on the northeast corner Randall's Island starting on Dec. 21.

It was a thrill to see Manhattan's first-ever GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE foraging on the northeast ball fields of @randallsisland this afternoon. pic.twitter.com/u1xwY7DYEa
— Manhattan Bird Alert (@BirdCentralPark) December 21, 2020

Last week, birder David Barrett suggested that Manhattan residents could take the M35 bus from Harlem over to Randall's Island, where the rare bird had remained for nearly a week.

That attraction may be in jeopardy: by Tuesday, there was reportedly no sign of the goose.

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