Alyssa took the train from Philly to be our knowledgeable and fearless leader on a tour of the Hudson River Greenway.
We met her at Penn Station and headed west to the water.
The Frying Pan was originally a Coast Guard lightship (built in 1929) and has since been turned into a bar. (A bar that’s weather-dependent.)
I noticed the massive, full-block building in the foreground because it reminded me of White Memorial. It’s actually the Starrett-Lehigh Building, originally constructed as a freight terminal where the Lehigh Valley Railroad could drive trains inside, unload goods, then store, repackage, distribute and do any other necessary freight-related things with those goods. Unfortunately for them, they opened a couple years into the Great Depression, and they ended up selling the building and removing the rail lines. It’s since been used as office buildings.
This is new! It’s called Little Island, and it opened during the pandemic. It’s a 2.4-acre park supported by 132 “tulips” made of concrete.
Looking through the tulips to New Jersey. The idea is that the park will be high enough to escape a flood.
Little Island is delightfully landscaped. It feels like a cozy version of the Getty.
The view from the top. The park has a concession stand and a small stage (which had a puppet showing going while we were there).
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