Realizing paradise on the north shore
So many wonderful songs have been inspired by waterfronts including “Sitting on the Dock of the Bay,” by Otis Redding. The easy rhythm and flow of the water makes people want to come walk, dream and live the reality of the waterfront community on Manhasset Bay. The two-mile stretch of Bay Walk is lush and inviting and when you are sitting outdoors at Nikkei of Peru enjoying Asian Fusion, or dining at La Piccola Liguria to enjoy the Italian specialties, you feel as though you have been transported to a tropical paradise with an azure sea and yachts in the background. Simply, lifestyles of the
rich and famous.
Bay Walk Park was a dream that began with a vision—a unique vision from some talented individuals. The land, which was once the site of an oil transfer station,took more than a decade to be transformed into the magnificent Bay Walk Park and Nautical Museum in the Incorporated Village of Port Washington North. It was formally
opened in July 2017.
The project was so massive it had to be accomplished in two phases.
The excitement shows in Mayor Bob Weitzner’s face every time he speaks about the Bay Walk and the monumental effort that began in 2003 that made the dream a reality.
“It’s amazing to think that 14 years ago, a Bay Walk Steering Committee was formed of government officials, stakeholders and residents of this wonderful hamlet to figure out what we could do with 1.5 acres of this wonderful property,” said Weitzner at the ribbon cutting. “Many said we would never get a consensus to make this happen, but they were wrong. We’ve spent the past 14 years planning, raising funds and finally constructing this magnificent park. We are proud to turn it over to the Port Washington community.”
There was so much to think about. There is an amazing Nautical Art Museum which includes Lyman Whitaker’s three kinetic art sculptures of double helix sails flanked by two meridians, and Aaron Morgan’s stained glass sculpture depicting the history of yacht clubs along Manhasset Bay.
The motivation of the artists to create these awesome sculptures was aided and abetted by the efforts of the committee providing the materials necessary to build this memorial for the residents of Port Washington. The art and the beauty draws people to the peninsula encouraging walkers, joggers, bicyclists and boaters to come and visit and makes them never want to leave.
