🌷Hudson River Park🪻 Take a Long Walk Off A Short Pier + Market 57 ~11 miles

Hudson River Park spans four miles between 59th and Chambers Streets and is best known from the early miles of the Great Saunter. While the esplanade is gorgeous in and of itself, walking its 20 public piers out and back is a total immersion experience, and about 11 miles.

This is an opportunity to appreciate the riverfront's historic role in New York City, to enjoy the spring flowers and birds, lawns and gardens, innovative park architecture, playgrounds, and "riv vus." We'll walk at a moderate but steady pace.

Meet: Friday, April 18, 2025 at 10:00 a.m., Columbus Circle entrance to Central Park (Maine Monument).

Highlights:

• Newly opened Pier 97 with lawns, a sunset plaza, and optional all-ages slide.
• Intrepid Pier 85: We will get passes to access the pier only, and we'll have to pass a security check -- bags will be inspected, and each of us will need to pass through a metal detector.
• Late lunch on Pier 57's gorgeous roof deck (BYO or purchase at Market 57 Food Hall).
• Gansevoort Peninsula featuring FDNY Marine 1 Fireboat and Manhattan’s only beach.
• Tribeca Pier 26: Giant sturgeon! This 2.5-acre ecologically themed pier incorporates indigenous plants evocative of Manhattan's ecosystem prior to human development *and* a new fish-themed playground.

Course:
We’ll enter Hudson River Park at 59th Street and check out Pier 97, Clinton Cove Park and tiny Pier 95. We’ll pass Sunset Pier 94 Studios (under construction), the cruise ship terminals, and hit the piers in earnest: Pier 85/Intrepid; Pier 84 in Hell’s Kitchen, where passenger steamships once landed; Pier 76, a cargo steamship terminal and later the NYPD Manhattan tow pound; Pier 66, adjacent to the colorful Frying Pan historic lightship; Piers 64 (spring flower display), 63 (Chelsea lawn bowl), and 62 (Chelsea Entry Garden). And then, we’ll skirt Chelsea Piers 61 and 60.

After our lunch break at Art Deco Pier 57, we’ll hit Little Island; 5-acre Gansevoort Peninsula (salt marsh, Marine 1 FDNY fire boat station, playing fields, pine grove and beach); Greenwich Village Piers 51, 46, 45, and massive Pier 40; and Tribeca Piers 34, 26 and 25.

Bring: Water, hat, sunscreen, lunch – or you can buy food at Market 57 Food Hall at Pier 57, our lunch stop. We will be lunching on the late side, after 1 p.m, so bring snacks to hold you over.

Restrooms: Please use the restrooms before the start of the walk at Deutsche Bank Center (third floor near Tartinery) or inside Central Park, close to the Columbus Circle entrance. Our first restroom break will be 1.5 miles into the walk, with additional restrooms along the way, as needed.

Drop-out points: Along the Hudson River Greenway (12th Avenue), crosstown buses at West 44th Street connect to A/C/E, 1/2/3, B/D/F/M/ and 4/5/6 subways; at West 23rd Street, buses connect to all of the above except B/D and 3/5. The No. 7 is accessible at West 34th Street (Hudson Yards).

Return: The walk ends at Chambers Street, with subways 1/2/3/A/C within 2-3 blocks and R/W, J/Z, and 4/5/6 2-3 blocks beyond that.

Post-walk Gathering: Van Leeuwen Ice Cream and Vegan Ice Cream, 310 Greenwich Street (en route to subways).

In the event of steady rain, we'll postpone the walk.

Hike Leader Contact Info (day of walk only):
Christine 646 491 0764, and Brigitte, 646-651-3911