A couple of weeks ago, we lamented the loss of the Banks, the skate park located underneath the Brooklyn Bridge. Since then, New York skaters have taken refuge in a newly opened complete skateboard Mecca: Pier 62.
The new Pier, just west of Chelsea on the Hudson River, has a 15,000 foot skate park. The first of its kind, built on top of a marina, the city used concrete covered foam to create the deep bowls and California style pool because they were unable to build into the ground. There is a beginner’s Ollie area, an Intermediate box area, and 18 and 24 foot ledges. I haven’t yet been, since it just opened last week, but word round the campfire is that for soaring skateboard decks, this is the place.
This new training ground is ideal for boarders of all ages. It precipitates a new era in New York city, specifically Manhattan, in which skating now has a respectable recreational place. It is no longer underground, and is less burdened with the stereotyping of skating as a crime. Having a complete skateboard park gives skaters a place in an urban dynamic, a niche that will surely continue to grow over this generation.