Brooklyn Bridge Park Takes Green to a Whole New Level

The first portion of Pier 1 at Brooklyn Bridge Park opened last month, offering  close up views of Manhattan and the Brooklyn Bridge. Among the park’s many treasures is the “Granite Prospect,” a dramatic set of steps built from granite stones salvaged from the Roosevelt Island Bridge reconstruction along the western edge of the pier.

Brooklyn Bridge Park's Pier 1

At 9.5 acres, this brand new park is built on landfill rather than the usual waterfront pile-supported foundation making it extra strong.  As you walk numerous paths with spectacular views, you’ll pass through lush garden swaths.  70% of the water used for irrigating all this vegetation is collected from excess storm water runoff from building roofs, paved areas, and lawns. The system begins in a small pond near the Old Fulton Street entrance and as the water passes through each segment of a water garden, pollutants and sediment are removed. When the water reaches the lowest section at the southern end of Pier 1, it is drained back into the underground tank and ultimately used as irrigation for the entire Pier 1 landscape.

Half of the fun of visiting this park is the ride over on NY Water Taxi.  On Fridays, for less than the cost of a subway ride ($2 for a one way single-ride ticket & $3 for a round-trip ticket, you can board a ferry in Manhattan’s South Street Seaport and zip over. The service also runs Saturday and Sunday, but Friday is the discount ticket day with ferries running  every half hour from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m..

photo courtesy of Barry Yanowitz on Flickr