New spot a-piers

Park opens place to relax & explore by Hudson River

After months of coronavirus closures, an important city partner has launched a valuable project.

The Hudson River Park Trust opened a new public pier Wednesday, the first berth to open along the West Side’s 4-mile-long Hudson River Park in a decade.

Pier 26, with its peaceful promenade and sloped wooden lounge chairs, will serve as a vital open space resource for New Yorkers as the city works to recover from the ongoing pandemic.

Located in Tribeca between Hubert and N. Moore Sts., Pier 26’s most unique feature is a Tide Deck – with native shrubs, trees and grasses intended to mimic the wetlands that once existed along the Hudson River shoreline.

The coastal area regularly

Pier 26 features a sunning lawn, sports area and a Tide Deck with shrubs, trees and grasses harkening back to the site’s original wetlands.

floods with the daily tidal cycle, giving plants and wildlife vital nourishment from the river.

“The opening of Pier 26 would be cause for celebration anytime, but it is particularly momentous given the challenges of COVID,” said Holly Leicht, chairwoman of the Lower Manhattan Devel

opment Corp.

“Hudson River Park has played such a critical role in revitalizing lower Manhattan since Sept. 11, and its place at the heart of this community has never been more apparent than during the pandemic.”

The pier also features a short habitat walk that leads visitors through five native ecological zones: woodland forest, coastal grassland, maritime scrub, rocky tidal zone and the Hudson River.

A nearby sunning lawn and sports play area with boardwalks and seating areas offer parkgoers seating and recreation space.

“This year has truly shown how much we should value public open spaces and parks as a respite from indoor activities and responsibilities,” said Assemblywoman Deborah Glick.