Sunday, March 27, 2016

Pier 45 and Pier 46 at Hudson River Park

"Nice guys finish first. If you don't know that, then you don't know where the finish line is." 

--Garry Shandling, in a 2007 Esquire article called 'What I've Learned.'

I'm still very sad about the recent passing of Garry Shandling. He was a great comedian and seemed like a very genuine, deep person. The Larry Sanders Show is just incredible.

The two piers in this post are at the western edge of the West Village, in Hudson River Park. Here is a panorama of them, with 45 on the left, and some of the park area at the waterfront:
At the far right above is just a piece of an apple sculpture nearby.
It is in a nice little garden area.






It is late March and everything isn't quite in bloom yet, but there are signs here and there, including in this apple area and in other nearby sections.
Actually the berries didn't look too fresh, to be honest. 
I thought that was a fitting image of a city park: flowers next to some pipes. Or whatever those things are. 

Pier 46 is just to the north of Pier 45 and it doesn't jut out quite as far into the Hudson River. As you first enter it, there is a nice area with circular benches around trees:
Its field is artificial turf but still nice to walk on. Here is a shot facing west towards the water and New Jersey beyond it:
And facing south, towards Pier 45 and the Financial District in lower Manhattan:
Here's a panorama view at the western edge of Pier 46:


There are nice views in every direction while out on this pier, including facing back towards Manhattan... 


And north along the Hudson River and New Jersey:
 And south again:
I'm not good with being near ledges, even if the drop is short, but I took this photo:
I know, I'm quite the daredevil. 

The wall where the pier meets Manhattan was covered in moss that was a very bright green. It was pretty trippy, man, and this photo doesn't quite do it justice:
Maybe I'm easily amused, but that's okay, it saves money.

Back at the Manhattan waterfront, between the two piers, is this area:
You can spot some dogs in that photo, and this whole waterfront is definitely prime dog-walking territory. 

I think I've walked across that bridge before but I was hesitant this time because it seemed a bit scary. Again, quite the daredevil. But many people were going across it so I figured no big deal. It turned out to be really wobbly while I was walking on it! Maybe that was in my head but I really don't think so. Anyway I survived, and it is a cool bridge and little river nook.


I liked seeing the water occasionally hit up against the wall:
Too bad there was a lost ball floating in there. 

Pier 45 also has a field, and this one is real grass!
I'm not sure what that row of posts and their attachments are for, but it does look a bit odd.

Anyway, artificial turf seems good enough until you step on the real thing. Ah, so soft. 

There was some occasional poop on this field, which I thought might be from geese, especially because I didn't see many dogs around the field in general. I'm not a poop expert, though. 

Then I saw these folks and my suspicions increased.
I'm not saying the poop was from them specifically, but the geese population seems to be a strong suspect here.

Those two geese were just hanging out, doing their geese thing.
They certainly didn't seem to be afraid of people:
They actually looked like people should be afraid of them. I think they could've messed me up if they wanted to. 

Here's a look facing back towards Manhattan:
Out near the edge of the pier was this cool tent structure:

In the distance to the south, you can make out the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge and Statue of Liberty:



Along with the nice views, the western edge of the pier is pretty quiet and gives a feeling of being out on the water, which you are I guess. Unfortunately the quiet is occasionally disrupted by helicopters, just to remind you that this is still the city, after all.

It was an overcast day but the sun would shine through now and then, creating some interesting light.
 
Here are some more looks at Pier 45 from Manhattan, including more coverings on the eastern part of the pier:
You can see that there are street markers along the waterfront to tell you where you are as you travel either north or south along Manhattan. The next block north after West 10th Street is Charles Street, which has a marker closer to Pier 46:
Back near Pier 45, right in front of it at the park is a cafe that seemed closed. I thought maybe it was only open in warmer months, but an online search tells me that unfortunately it is closed permanently. Oh well.
At least there is a big seating area open to the public between the cafe and the apple sculpture.

Just south of the former cafe is this building:
Why are there separate information areas for men and women? Oh, those are bathrooms. I see. 

You can see some of the walkway along the water in this panorama:
And between the walkway and the West Side Highway is a path for bikes, the Hudson River Greenway.

There are other areas along the water without walkways where that path is for both biking and walking. The Hudson River Greenway is part of the Manhattan Waterfront Greenway, which stretches 32 miles around Manhattan. 

There's a place to cross the highway at Charles Street:
And another just south of West 10th at Christopher Street:
In this area, the other side of the highway, which is also called West Street, seemed to be mainly apartment buildings, a bicycle shop, and some graffiti. 

I did see some more birds during my visit to the piers. Along with the usual pigeons was this one that had its own interesting look.
Oh the things I show you!

I also saw a man and lady duck swimming close to each other right up against the park walkway. They seemed to be looking for food, as animals tend to do.
Maybe the two of them were a couple. Aww. Hey, maybe the two geese were also a couple. I don't know, I'm just speculating.

Anyway, Piers 45 and 46 and the nearby park areas are great for visiting, whether you're one of a number of bird species, a dog, or even a human. It's a relaxing spot in the West Village, and especially inviting when the weather is nice. Don't forget that it is possible to catch an occasional breeze off the water in Manhattan. It's an island, after all.

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