A Day At Brooklyn Bridge Park

The Brooklyn Bridge Park is an exciting new waterfront recreational oasis for families. Currently in the midst of its auspicious construction plans, the park is replacing abandoned piers, parking lots and storage sheds, and will be the first major park to be built in Brooklyn since Prospect Park 135 years ago.%uFFFD

The expansive 85-acre park site stretches 1.3 miles along the East River,and will feature four miles of floating and fixed walkways, boardwalks and beach areas, plus 12 acres
of safe water for kayaking and canoeing. It will also boast two multi-use playing fields, three tennis courts, 10 handball courts, six basketball courts, two volleyball courts, three playgrounds, a hockey rink, a seasonal ice skating rink, a bike path and 12 acre-safe paddling zone.

As of now, only four
sections of the park are currently opened to the public,
but there are still tons of fun activities for children of all ages. Here are some of our
favorite features; we’ll be sure to keep you updated on the park’s
progress, as all of these wonderful amenities become available for
families!

The park’s piers%uFFFD provide
climbing ropes, playgrounds and a long list of entertaining events for the
whole family.%uFFFD Pier 6’s “Water Lab”%uFFFD includes a water channel and water
jet field for refreshing experiments and awesome water play. Though the
water games and activities are the main attraction, Pier 6 also has “Swing Valley,” a playground of Tarzan climbing
ropes, 10 swing sets, tot seats and post swings. There’s also the “Sandbox Village,” which is one of the largest park
sandboxes in New York City.

Main Street’s playground doesn’t have water
activities, but we love its nautical-themed playground with decorative sails
and boat-shaped sandboxes to make children feel as if they’re on an adventure on
the high seas.

If all that
water and sand is a too much for the little ones, try heading over to Pier 1,
which has a playground with equipment for younger children. There’s also a
promenade and concessions. For older children, the bikeway between Piers 1 and
6 has a great trail with bike racks. But bike rentals aren’t available (yet), so
be sure to bring your own.

If your
children love the outdoors then go for some of the Brooklyn Bridge Park
Conservancy’s programs, such as Cove Camp, nature walks, National Estuaries Day
activities and their stewardship program. Later this summer Pier 1 will include
a salt marsh with beautiful displays of native plant life. This park’s focus is
nature education, and we love that it’s also environmentally friendly,as all of the park’s amenities are constructed from recycled or sustainable materials.

Brooklyn Bridge Park isn’t just a daytime spot; it’s
open until 1 a.m. That’s because one of the park’s most successful and fun
events is “A Movie with a View.” Bring the whole family to watch a film on the
big screen in the park on a Thursday night. (Free and open to the public,
“A Movie with a View” starts in July, and features family favorites like “Monsters vs. Aliens in 3D”.)

Want a
tour? Try going on the Brooklyn Bridge Park’s Tuesday Night Tours event, every
Tuesday night through August. It’s a great way to learn the site’s history, hear
about future developments and enjoy the landscape. It’s also great for all
ages.

Brooklyn Bridge Park has so much to do already, but in
the next year there will new amusements added to the park, such as the
reopening of Empire Fulton Ferry Park with “Jane’s Carousel,” new
playgrounds, picnic grounds and boat facilities. If the opened piers are any
indication, these new additions are sure to be a blast!

Check it
out for yourself and find your family’s favorite park activities! Visit
brooklynbridgeparknyc.org for construction information, a complete list of programs,
and super fun activities, and see below for two great events happening at the
park this summer.

Events:

Sunday July 18, 2010

Walk-Up
Kayaking and Community Rowing

Take your
family kayaking at the DUMBO Cove at Main Street. There are free walk-up, public
kayak sessions. Boats and equipment are provided. These sessions take place a
few times a month from 1 – 5 p.m., so find a date and get ready to
row!

Friday August 13, 2010

Sleeping
Beauty presented by PuppetMobile

Bring the
whole family to see Sleeping Beauty, performed
by the Marionette Theatre troupe on Pier 1! Kids ages 2 to 8 will love seeing Princess
Aurora and the three fairies brought to life. The show is from 10 a.m. to 12p.m. and it’s free and open to the
public.

Photo: copyright Julienne Schaer