About New York
Upper New York Bay opens with the Statue of Liberty, a 93-metre copper figure designed by Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi and gifted by France in 1886 to mark a century of American independence. Across the East River, Coney Island's boardwalk fronts a wide Brooklyn strand still anchored by the wooden Cyclone, while Rockaway Beach unspools five and a half miles of Atlantic surf reachable on the A train. The water peaks at a brisk 21-23 °C70-73 °F from July through September, with JFK airport 45 minutes away via the Van Wyck.