Car Rental New York City and Barren Island

Barren Island was an island off the southern end of Brooklyn in Jamaica Bay, just opposite Rockaway Peninsula in Queens. Today, a landfill connects the series of marsh islands (Barren Island being the largest) to create Floyd Bennett Field. It is now connected to the Brooklyn mainland. Travel is easy around the area with a Brooklyn car rental. You can travel all over the greater New York area, as well as Long Island and New Jersey.

Gateway National Recreation Area

All of what was once was Barren Island, is now part of Gateway National Recreation Area. This is a 25,607 acre park owned by the federal government in the metropolitan New York area. There are four separate areas of this park. The Jamaica Bay Unit is the area in which Barren Island is found. This whole area is a wildlife refuge, the only one in the National Park System. There is an extensive trail system here, connected to car and subway routes. The Jamaica Bay area of the park is the only unit that does not have beaches. Fishing, nature-viewing, photography, boating, cycling, and sailing are the most popular activities within this unit. Beaches are nearby with a car rental in Brooklyn.

Aviation Records

The area on which Barren Island is located was created to form the Floyd Bennett Field. Here, many civilian aviation records were set during the early years of aviation. During the Second World War, this was used as a Naval Air Station. This was New York City’s first municipal airport, opened on May 23, 1931. New York mayor Fiorello LaGuardia wanted this area this airfield to replace Newark Airport. In order to make the airport more attractive, LaGuardia had the New York Police Department escort limousines to and from the airport at high speeds. Some of America’s greatest aviation specialists such as Amelia Earhart and Howard Hughes even used this air field. Come down with your Brooklyn car rental to learn more about this important part of America’s history of aviation.

Rockaway Beach

Why not take a drive down to nearby Rockaway Beach with your Brooklyn car rental to relax in the sun. It is located in Queens, with parking available at the beach for your Brooklyn car rental or you can take public transportation. This is an interesting beach. There are high waves, ideal for surfers. There are also numerous hardball courts, so you can catch a game while you are there. This is quite a large beach located on the Atlantic Ocean, stretching from Beach 1st Street in Far Rockaway to Beach 149th Street in Neponsit.

A Short Trip to the Big City

Barren Island is located in Brooklyn, which is only a short trip to New York and New Jersey in your Brooklyn car rental. You can sightsee by day and relax at night in a small-town atmosphere. Or, you can travel through Long Island without being far from the big city.