New York City Park Service

Getting There

We suggest that you arrive by public transportation as parking is difficult and expensive in New York City. The public buses and subways are reliable and inexpensive, and they will transport you quickly from the airport, bus terminal, or train station to the hostel. We will provide detailed instructions to confirmed participants. 

Accommodations and Food

We will stay at the International Youth Hostel, located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan at Amsterdam Avenue and 103rd Street. The dormitory-style rooms are clean, attractive, air conditioned, and comfortable. Most meals will be catered by the hostel and a local caterer so we will not need to do any food preparation. Five dinners, four lunches, and all breakfasts are included in the trip fee. The first meal provided will be dinner on the first day, and the final meal will be breakfast on the final day. Special meals are available for vegetarians. We will probably have two dinners at restaurants during non-work days. These meals are not included in the trip price.

There are lockers in each room for personal belongings and equipment. All that is needed is our own padlocks to secure each locker. Valuables should not be left in the lockers, however. Wearing a money belt is advisable. The hostel has laundry facilities, recreation rooms, lounges, and an outside garden.

Trip Difficulty

The work in Riverside Park can be demanding and our walking tours require that all participants be in good physical condition. Participants should exercise regularly and be in reasonably good shape for the effort required.

Equipment and Clothing

All necessary tools and equipment will be supplied by the Riverside Park Conservancy. For work, clothing should include two pairs of work pants, boots, two long-sleeve shirts, two pairs of leather work gloves, back support, and sun hat (baseball cap is best). You will also need spray-on insect repellent, talcum powder (which is helpful in keeping boot odor down in the rooms after work), a small daypack, two quart-size water bottles, and a personal first-aid kit. For recreational activities, two changes of lightweight casual clothes and comfortable walking shoes or sneakers are fine. You may also want to include hand sanitizer (such as Purell) for use before meals, walking shorts, rain gear, umbrella, camera, and film. 

References

• Burrows, Edwin G. and Mike Wallace, Gotham: A History of New York City to 1898.
• Shorto, Russel, The Island at the Center of the World.

Conservation

The New York City Parks Department and the Riverside Park Conservancy present conservation-related issues as they apply to New York City.

Since its founding in 1892, The Sierra Club has worked to preserve and restore the natural environment we all share on this planet. Thousands of grassroots-level volunteers spearhead our efforts to conserve and sustain resources, both in our own backyards and on a global scale. Through direct experience in the outdoors, Sierra Club outings enable participants to better understand, advocate, and participate in the environmental conservation goals of the Club.

Service outings, in particular, stand out as one of the Sierra Club’s most important “boots on the ground” conservation efforts. The work done by service trip participants in our nation’s public lands is a way of practicing conservation in the most direct way possible, whether it’s improving access while preserving wilderness values, restoring wildlife habitat, or repairing human-caused damage to a natural area. Service trips are a great way to pitch in and do something tangible to make the world a better place; they’re a way to go beyond just talking about conservation; a way to get out there and experience conservation with your whole being.

Sierra Club National Outings is an equal-opportunity provider and when applicable will operate under permits obtained from U.S. federal land agencies.