The Denny Party came ashore here in November 1851 and named it New York Alki — Chinook jargon for 'by and by', which turned out to be optimistic since they moved across the bay within a year. Today it is two and a half miles of sand and promenade with the downtown skyline directly across Elliott Bay, a miniature Statue of Liberty, and the closest thing Seattle has to a beach town. The water is around 50°F year-round.