For our group activity, we decided to go to Riverbank State Park located on 145th street and Riverside Avenue. The park is not in plain view and took some time for me to find because in order to get to the park, you have to walk down a long overpass that leads you closer to the Hudson River. Riverbank is the only state park left in Manhattan and brings a very suburban feel to such a hectic urban environment, which is a rare find. I didn’t expect the park to be so clean and beautiful; and the weather that day was incredible, we chose the perfect day to go.
When you first walk in to the secluded park, you find a waterfront restaurant and an amazing view of the George Washington Bridge and surprisingly my hometown. I even had my apartment building staring right at me from across the river. The park has so many recreational activities and sports fields such as a massive soccer and football field combined, a baseball field, basketball courts, tennis courts, an Olympic size pool, a skating rink and probably more that we didn’t see.
There were so many people of all ages on the day we visited. A lot of people were working out by either running on the track or playing a game of soccer and others occupying the many other fields. It looked like fun so I joined them on the track for a few laps. Others were also tanning, jump roping, and children were playing tag. In one part of the park, there was also loud music being played.
I learned that because of budget cuts, the state is considering closing this massive park down. Personally, I think this is a horrible idea just from seeing how many people actually use the facilities and it keeps the Harlem community closer. This field trip was a lot of fun and I discovered a place which I will most definitely come back to visit.
What a great blog!! Thanks for sharing!!!
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