Summer in the city is a wonderful time, but many New Yorkers are partial to the fall. The weather cools, the leaves change, and the entire color palette of the town shifts to reds, browns, and golds. The earthy vibrancy of autumn just can’t be beat. Fortunately, residents of the One Manhattan Square condos on the Lower East Side are ideally located to enjoy the season. One of the city’s best green spaces is just a short stroll away: East River Park.
East River Park opened on July 27, 1939, and it has been an organic coastal haven for Manhattanites in the eight decades since. And whether you’re looking for a place to exercise, picnic, shoot some hoops, take in a concert, or just relax, this urban oasis is there for you.
The 57-acre park is one of the best destinations for running and biking in the entire city, thanks to the East River Greenway, which passes through it. The greenway is a scenic, car-free path along the East River, offering amazing views of the Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges. All levels of runners will feel at home here. Since it’s flat and very wide, it works for speed trials and distance training. And it is rarely overcrowded, so relaxed joggers and walkers — as well as cyclists — can go at their own pace and set their own distance.
If you want a bit of friendly competition along with your exercise, East River Park has you covered. Organize a pick-up game or play a few sets with friends at the park’s many playgrounds, which include tennis courts, basketball courts, soccer fields, football fields, and baseball and softball fields.
In the mood for some entertainment? The park’s amphitheater, which was built in 1941 and restored in 2001, hosts an array of incredible music, dance, and theater performances, many of which are free to the public. This past August, the amphitheater hosted dance company Elisa Monte Dance, pianist Eddie Palmieri, and folk-rock band The Mountain Goats. It’s an amazing open-air venue.
And if you’re just looking for a serene place to relax, there’s plenty of space for that, too. Pack a blanket and some food, and mark out your own section of grass for a picnic with a view. Perhaps the best aspect of East River Park is how completely it separates you from the ever-present din of the city. It’s a quiet respite that somehow sheds the energy of the city it borders.
Lower East Side residents treasure the park and all that it offers. And when you make your home at One Manhattan Square, East River Park will be at your feet — whenever you need it.