Recreation and Leisure

Recreation and Leisure. Bayonne and Staten Island were once Playgrounds of Pleasure. , Long before the City of Bayonne and Richmond County (Staten Island) were fully developed, they were destinations of leisure and recreation for New York City residents. People came by the thousands from the crowded city to fish, hunt, bathe, sail, play tennis, and in wintertime, skate. Businesses catered to a growing leisure class, who came even as the Kill Van Kull was transformed into a leading industrial corridor., Early Tourists , In Bayonne, tourism flourished in the early nineteenth century. visitors were attracted to Bayonne's pastoral setting, proximity to New York City, and ferry service. Nearby, Shooters Island was a sportsman's destination for hunting fowl and wild animals. one of the largest establishments serving vacationers was the Latourette House, which was known as one of the most fashionable resorts in the suburban New York area. The hotel, which opened in the 1840s, was located along First Street from Broadway to Avenue C in Bayonne, overlooking the Kill Van Kull. After a fire in 1916, the hotel closed and was demolished in the 1920s., America's Cup , The America's Cup is a premier international sailing competition. The yacht America won the first race held in 1851 in England. Early races included multiple vessels that met qualifying rounds, and 17 yachts participated in the 1870 America's Cup race on the Kill Van Kull. Over 50,000 people watched as the American yacht Magic placed first, with the aging America placing fourth. Since 1881, races have been limited to two vessels, with the competition occurring around the world., Tennis Comes to America , Tennis was introduced to the United States on Staten Island. In 1874, Mary Ewing Outer bridge played "lawn tennis" while vacationing on Bermuda (the Outerbridge Crossing is named for her brother, E.H. Outer bridge, who was chairman of The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey). Upon her return, she created an hourglass-shaped court at the Staten Island Cricket Club. The first tennis game in America was held there on March 201874, and the first American national championship was held there in September 1880. In 1881, the U.S. National Lawn Tennis Association (now the U.S. Tennis Association) was formed, creating the modern sport of tennis.