Hunter’s Point South Park – Incredible Views of the New York Skyline
Hunter’s Point South Park located in Hunter’s Point, Long Island City, New York is a waterfront park sitting on the other side the East River directly facing Manhattan in New York City. It offers visitors nothing less than a million dollar view of the New York skyline.
The aesthetically designed park is part of Hunter’s Point South, a new neighborhood being built on approximately 30 acres of prime waterfront property in Long Island City, Queens. With the first phase of the park having been recently completed, New York’s former mayor Michael Bloomberg officially opened it to the public in a ceremony on August 28th 2013. The park is stunningly beautiful with unobstructed views of the gorgeous Manhattan skyline from virtually any point. Clearly designed with the skyline in mind, and built at a cost of over $66 million dollars, it provides the perfect setting for mentally transporting visitors from the hustle and bustle of New York City to an environment that feels like a vacation resort. This feeling is further fed by the sight and sound of the East River Ferry docking in the park, as it transports commuters and visitors to and from Manhattan on a three minute ride.
Although the centerpiece of the Hunter’s Point South Waterfront Park is indeed the view of the New York skyline, there are other great activities at the park that make it worthy of a visit. Just to the right of Park is the equally gorgeous Gantry Plaza State Park which recently celebrated its 16th year of existence. The cohesive design of these two parks renders them seamless to visitors and make them ideal for a delightful walk along the LIC waterfront. Hunters Point Park itself is home to a gorgeously tempting oval shaped soccer field, a basketball court with an outdoor gym. There is also a well equipped children’s playground with bells and whistles, and a nicely laid out dog run area where our canine comrades can hang out while barking their approval at the skyline. For those who prefer to sit back while basking in the ambiance of the waterfront , the park is gracefully adorned with elegant trees, and adequately furnished with comfortable benches and chairs.
Hunter’s Point South Park is also a photographer’s dream, full of vantage points for taking amazing photos of your friends, family and loved ones. For the amateur, your photos will stand out with the New York skyline in the background. The professional will also benefit from this incredible setting.
To the north of Hunter’s Point Park or on its right hand side for the geographically challenged, sits Gantry Plaza State Park, itself another jewel on the East River. With their side by side locations and their seamless designs, many visitors stroll back and forth between these two parks without ever realizing that they are actually moving from a city park (Hunters Point South) to a state park (Gantry Plaza State Park). Interestingly, these two parks stand together as a living testimony of what could be accomplished in government when the state and the city work together.
With the first phase of Hunter’s Point Park now completed, it occupies just over 5.5 acres of land on the Long Island City riverfront, and along with Gantry Park a total of about 17.5 acres. When Hunters Point Park is fully completed, both parks together will ultimately grow to over 40 acres in size, covering no less than one mile of riverfront in Long Island City, all spectacularly overlooking the eastern side of the New York skyline.