Waterfront park opens along East River

A new garden park of sea grass and flowers with bar stool chairs and chaise longues straddles the East River on Wall Street these days, offering a respite from the crowded city streets.

Lower Manhattan office workers and residents have a new place to cool their heels and enjoy a salad, play a game of chess or exercise their pooch at a state-of-the art dog run -- all part of a redevelopment project along the East River starting from the tip of Battery Park to the Manhattan Bridge.

"It's about time," said Linda Allen, 53, a computer graphics artist from Brooklyn, who works across the street. "Before this we had no place to eat."

Sitting on one of the stylish stools, facing the East River and New York Harbor, Allen called the park "a hidden gem."

"It's nice and quiet and very private," she said. "And you can't beat the views."

Called the East River Waterfront Esplanade, the park is the first phase of a $165-million project to revitalize a two-mile stretch along the East River.

Next to Wall Street under the FDR Drive, the park offers sweeping views of Brooklyn and is next to the South Street Seaport. A new outdoor cafe is still being constructed adjacent to Pier 15, which is being rebuilt into a two-level, steel and glass launch. The second level will offer another sitting area with a lawn for picnics and sunbathing. Completion is expected in the fall.

"I think it's a really nice addition to the seaport," said Lindsay Shultz, 29, a recent medical student graduate from Pittsburgh who was taking an afternoon break last week with a coffee and a book. "I love this countertop table on the railing. It's very comfortable for a nice lunch or coffee."

Another highlight to the park is a set of steps that lead to the river's edge. People can sit on the steps and dip their feet into the lapping waters.

The entire project is scheduled for completion in 2013. "This fabulous waterfront esplanade will give a unique, exciting new open space," City Planning Commissioner Amanda M. Burden said last week, when the park officially opened.

For dog owners the park's dog run is an amusement park complete with a water sprinkler to cool off pets; a climbing bridge for dogs to run across and a bigger-than-life statue of a squirrel and giant-sized dog bones.

"It's amazing," said Andreas Vagelatos, 29, who lives nearby and brings his shar-pei, Jin, to the park. "This is the best dog park. It definitely has helped Jin. He's a lot happier."