Pier 62 Skatepark at Hudson River Park

An East Coast version of California's Venice skatepark, Pier 62 sits on the edge of the Hudson River in the Chelsea District of Manhattan. Designed and built by California Skateparks/Site Design, this is a thoroughly modern park with smooth, fast concrete and an eye towards high-speed flow.

Pier 62 is a new park, and it rides like it, featuring ample flat ground, several rails, numerous hubbas and ledges, as well as a flow bowl with escalators, steel coping, noping, rounded hips, banks, transition walls and a cradle, and a stellar pool. The concrete is perfect--super smooth, but not slippery, and incredibly fast. The park is open daily 8am-dusk. There is no on-site attendant, and despite the signage advising pads, there was no enforcement. It is fenced, and there was evidence that grafitti is aggressively removed.

The park was very clean, and skaters ran the full gamut from young groms with their parents, teen-agers, and adults of all ages including several crusty older vert-dogs and the now common instructor giving lessons. I was surprised to see a lot of the pool skaters wearing pads, and not just the older dudes. Roller blades are permitted, and there were several cruising around.

The park flow is very well designed, from the upper flat-ground with hubbas and rails leading to a series of banks, and gradually merging into a deeper bowled run that terminates into a cradle. Wall sizes range from knee-high to 10ft+, with lots of escalators and banked decks--plenty of fly-outs on order.

The pool is very, very good, although a little light on vert in the deep end. It features a 7ft shallow end with squared corners, and rides like a mini-ramp, stopping well short of vert--an excellent learning zone. A rounded 8-ft. mid-section just hits vert, and the 11-ft (maybe 11.5) deep section is large enough for serious air. It has tile and new-school pool coping. Bring your park-formula wheels and get your shred on!