Hudson River Park

Encompassing way more than Battery Park (although its beginning is located here) the 5-mile, 550-acre Hudson River Park that runs along the lower western side of Manhattan edges neighborhoods including the West Village, Chelsea and Hell’s Kitchen. It is overseen by the Hudson River Park Trust and is still in various stages of construction, but it’s been a beloved addition for a decade now, as previous to its creation the west side was known more for snarling highway traffic, unseemly pastimes and smoggy New Jersey vistas. With this park NYC follows the lead of most other cities that sit on bodies of water – Paris, Chicago, Miami – and turns the shoreline into something spectacular. Among its charms are a bike/run/skate path snaking along its entire length, community gardens, basketball courts, playgrounds, dog runs, and a collection of renovated piers jutting out into the water, serving as riverfront esplanades, miniature golf courses and alfresco movie theaters and concert venues come summer. For a detailed map of the entire park, visit the Trust’s website.