Teardrop Park

Battery Park City is a mixed-use development in lower Manhattan created by landfill from the excavation of the original World Trade Center in the 1970s. The result is a strip of land bounded on one side by the Hudson River and the other by the West Side Highway. A park with various recreational facilities was built along the river, including several playgrounds and play areas. Teardrop Park, however, is a recently built addition, nestled in between two apartment buildings one block in from the river. It is by far the most abstract and adventurous of all the play areas in the development. The architects built a large, artificial hill that rises about two stories in the air. On the top of the hill is a landscaped area with a multifaceted water feature that is very popular with toddlers and preschoolers. Near the water play area is a two-story metal slide drops down from this area into a sand pit. From the pit, children climb stone stairs up a rock wall to the top of the slide (a paved path around the wall is also available). There are park benches and seating areas surrounding the play areas, allowing for adult supervision. A separate sandbox area is also available. This is not a playground with the usual, cookie cutter playground equipment and swings, although there is a playground nearby along the Hudson with this type of equipment, if that’s what your kids are looking for. Public bathroom facilities are available in the apartment building to the West of the park. North of the slide area is a large, grass field, which is great for picnics and running around. Because of the secluded nature of this park, it took a little while to gain popularity. Increasingly, though, more and more families are discovering it and the park can become crowded on Summer weekends. It is extremely well maintained and clean.