Let’s jump back 20 years. Titanic has swept the Oscars; Seinfeld is airing its final episodes; Harry Potter has just arrived on US bookshelves. From Tribeca to Hell’s Kitchen, decaying piers and parking lots dominate Manhattan’s west side waterfront—but the newly signed Hudson River Park Act promises a change. These four+ miles are destined to become the nation’s longest riverfront Park.
Many of you witnessed this transformation first-hand, how four miles of crumbling industrial riverfront became your tree-lined evening walk, your picnic nook, your child’s playground, the pier where you kayak in the summer or the quiet riverside bench where you go to feel you’ve escaped the city.
Others have never experienced life on the west side without knowing that if you head toward the Hudson, you’ll find an active green oasis: your daily running path, your pup’s dog run, your favorite boat-bar, your tennis court or the sweeping lawn where you join friends for outdoor movies.
Hudson River Park has given all of us a beautiful, active space to come together, relax and play—to make memories. And for the past two decades, you have filled our four miles with activity, laughter and adventure. So to celebrate the Park’s 20th Anniversary, we want to know:
Did you train for your first marathon on our esplanade? Does your dog lead you by the leash to Leroy Dog Run even in a blizzard? Did your daughter win her first MVP trophy on the Pier 40 soccer fields? Did you and your partner have your first date playing mini golf at Pier 25?
This is your Park—we want your story. Send us your favorite memories and photos from the last 20 years in Hudson River Park to HRPK20@hudsonriverpark.org, or tag #HRPK20 on social media. We’ll be featuring what you share throughout our 20th Anniversary season, here and on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, so stay tuned!