Hudson River Park

#TBT to learning with Dr. Victoria Ruiz about microbes, pathology and pedagogy through our Ask A Scientist series! She discusses microbial community dynamics in two ecosystems and cues we can take from nature. Check it out at HudsonRiverPark.org. Description: Two individuals sit, in split screen. The man on the left is in a dark blue polo, the woman on the right is in a black blazer.

Shrimp, seahorses and perch, oh my! We’re glad to see more species visiting our fish survey traps as the water temperature rises during the spring season. As estuary wildlife becomes more active, so do our River Project scientists. We’ll check our traps more frequently than we do over the winter to make sure no critters are held inside too long. This week’s STEM Activity helps young students learn a few different animal species found in Hudson River Park, and provides instructions to create their own wildlife puppets.

This week we saw our first seahorse of 2021! It’s easy to see that the lined seahorse is built differently from other fish: they have a head that looks like a horse, a tail that works like a spider monkey’s, and bony armor covering them from top to bottom. They have the scientific name Hippocampus erectus, which has interesting origins in Greek mythology. These seasonal visitors to the Hudson River Estuary share their genus name, Hippocampus, with a creature of legend. In Gre...ek mythology, the hippocampus was a creature with the front half of a horse and a tail like a fish, and was often shown pulling Poseidon’s chariot. The name hippocampus is a great description for seahorses: in Greek, hippos means horse, and the word kampos means sea monster. Even though we know seahorses are not monsters, it is fascinating to see how scientific names help to describe the species! This lined seahorse was collected as part of River Project’s ongoing fish ecology survey and then returned to the River. This species normally starts to appear in Hudson River Park in spring, when the water begins to warm and food becomes available. Stay tuned for more seahorses later this season!

Today is an exciting day as installation began on David Hammons’ Day’s End at #HRPK’s Gansevoort Peninsula. This public art project, in partnership with the Whitney Museum of American Art, is one of the largest public art installations in New York City and takes inspiration from Gordon Matta-Clark's 1975 artwork of the same name. Day’s End may be viewed in person on the esplanade near Pier 51 in the Meatpacking District area of the Park. For more information, please visit our website.

#YasserTejeda is a versatile guitarist and composer whose music with @Palotre gives traditional Dominican folkloric music a new take incorporating jazz, rock and Caribbean rhythms. Listen to an intimate Sunset on the Hudson performance of the album dubbed one of the 100 essential recordings of Dominican music and more at HudsonRiverPark.org. Description: Man stands with electric guitar and pedals in front of a mic. In the background are plants and four guitars hanging on the wall.

The emergence of tulips across #HRPK is one of the spring milestones we look forward to most each year. Take a look at this selection of scenes from the entrance to Pier 45, and you’ll see why! Now that the tulips are up and spring flowering is in full swing, every time you visit the Park, there is more colorful beauty to enjoy.

From golden hour through dusk, #HRPK sunsets are worth bundling up for. This beautiful dusk view was photographed north of HRPK’s Pier 64.

Happy Lunar New Year! Wishing fortune, happiness and health to everyone celebrating, from all of us here at Hudson River Park. This photo was taken in the Park in 2019.

The western edges of #HRPK piers are among the best places in NYC to find a moment of quiet, especially at sunset. Watch visitors take in the view at Pier 25 in this time lapse video. #MondayMeditation

Spring may still be 67 days away, but we’ve spotted #HRPK’s first flowers of 2021! Winter jasmine’s bright, nickel sized yellow flowers have begun to bloom in our Apple Garden. Stay tuned for more signs of the colorful season to come as we #CountdowntoSpring.

Soon, we’ll see snowdrops like these blooming in the Park. Have you ever wondered why these beauties and other winter flowers emerge despite cold weather? One reason is reduced competition. By blooming in winter, flowers like snowdrops can grow beside large deciduous trees. They gather up energy in late winter and early spring when the sun may be weak, but the trees they grow near have yet to sprout light-blocking leaves. By the time their arboreal neighbors have sprouted f...ull foliage, enough of the sugars these flowers have photosynthesized have been turned to starch, stored safely in bulbs under the ground. Since leaf-cover blocks sunlight where they grow in warmer weather, these hearty winter flowers don’t need to compete for real estate with more aggressive summer blooms. Stay tuned for early-blooming signs of the season to come as we #CountdowntoSpring! 35 days to go.

Soaking in sunshine and river views is a year-round activity at #HRPK’S Pier 26. Thanks to Instagram user gothamfairytales for sharing this fantastic shot! Tag @hudsonriverpark and #HRPK in your photos of Hudson River Park’s newest pier for a chance to be featured.

In this snowy picture, you can see the unusually high tide at #HRPK’s Pier 26 Tide Deck during our first major snowfall of the season. Check out this same view at low tide! Learn more about the Tide Deck and the ecosystem supported by its daily tidal cycles at hrpkpier26.org.

Learn, bond and grow with this #TBT of Hudson RiverKids featuring Shine On Kids NYC! Miss Maria, the founder of Harlem local Shine On Kids NYC and her daughter bring multilingual educational Mommy and Me music to life. Sing along with the full performance at hudsonriverpark.org.

Where is your favorite place in #HRPK to enjoy a sunset stroll with your best friend? (You’ll find this popular view for sunset chasers at #HRPK’s Pier 45.)

With 70 days to go until spring, the Hudson River is still pretty chilly. But even in these colder months, our waters are full of life. As we #CountdowntoSpring, we wanted to share a few stories about how species living our local estuary weather the months until our waters warm up once more. Fish are cold blooded animals, so they rely on their environment to warm themselves up or cool down, which means colder temperatures can have a huge effect on their metabolism and behavio...r. Two of our favorite fish residents, the lined seahorse and oyster toadfish, have wildly different strategies for dealing with winter in the Hudson River Estuary. How do lined seahorses deal with winter in the estuary? The short answer is, they don't! Lined seahorses are a common sight in Hudson River Park during the late spring, summer, and early fall. As waters start to get cooler in late fall, these seahorses begin a long, surprisingly slow migration from the relatively shallow estuary to deeper warmer coastal waters, where they winter until they return the following spring. Oyster toadfish, on the other fin, are New York residents year round. These cantankerous fish compete for ideal NYC real estate during warmer months: burrows, cracks, crevices and other defendable hideaways where they can escape predators, surprise prey and eventually lay eggs in. As the water around them cools, toadfish don't just give up the spot they worked so hard for! Instead, they enter a state of torpor, a lethargic state similar to hibernation, and stay in their burrows until the water warms. Interested in how the species that inhabit our local waters save up energy through the winter? Stay tuned we’ll be sharing more stories from our Estuarine Sanctuary as we continue our spring countdown.

Do you know where in the Hudson River this microscopic critter can be found? (Hint: think about its size and what it might eat.) Check out this week’s STEM Activity to learn the answer! This week’s lesson teaches where most plankton live in the water column. Build your own plankton and experiment with different materials to construct something neutrally buoyant that floats in the water column, just like these microscopic plants and animals.

You are invited to a free virtual discussion with the curators of the Whitney Museum of American Art’s exhibition, Around Day’s End: Downtown New York, 19701986, tomorrow, Tuesday, October 27 at 6:30 PM. Around Day’s End provides context for the anticipated completion this December of David Hammons’s Day’s End in Hudson River Park. During the virtual discussion, curators Laura Phipps and Christie Mitchell of the Whitney Museum will share an overview of the Around Days End s...how and participate in a moderated question and answer session with attendees. The discussion is free and open to the public; please pre-register to join online: https://whitney.zoom.us//tJEtd-isrDgvGtZLhAq-AD26hlydwBkar

Can you identify this bird watching over the skies of Chelsea in Hudson River Park? Birds of prey like this red tailed hawk have become a more common sight in New York City. According to the Audubon Society, in 2008 only 8 Red Tailed Hawks were nesting in Manhattan, but by 2016, that number had increased to at least 20! Hawks, falcons, kestrels and other birds of prey are often found perching on elevated structures that offer a clear view of their surroundings, such as dead ...trees, skyscrapers or this windsock on top of HRPK’s Pier 66. In these elevated spots, birds of prey are able to take full advantage of their keen eyesight as they look for potential prey. Have you seen any interesting wildlife in Hudson River Park? You can contribute to ongoing bird research and help international experts to create a real-time snapshot of bird populations by participating in the #GreatBackyardBirdCount February 12 to 15. Visit birdcount.org for more details, anyone from hobbyists to experts can take part! You can also tag your wildlife posts @hudsonriverpark for a chance to be featured on our channel!

Get ready for a smashing good time Pumpkin Smash is back on November 7! Bring your Halloween jack-o-lanterns to this family-friendly event at Chelsea Waterside. We’ll have all the tools you need to smash away your stress (safely, of course). Not only will you get to crush your pumpkins, you’ll also be helping generate compost to help sustainability efforts in the Park! This event will follow Covid-19 safety guidelines; advanced registration is required. Register for free here: https://hudsonriverpark.org/vis/events/event/pumpkin-smash/

Autumn foliage is beginning to fill our esplanade and piers with color! Where have you seen fall leaves in the Park?

We love seeing how you capture the view at #HRPK’s Pier 26! Thanks to Instagram user tribecaphotographer for sharing this gorgeous shot. Snapped a great photo on our newest pier? Tag us on Instagram @HudsonRiverPark and #HRPK for a chance to be featured.

We’re welcoming the weekend with a peaceful glimpse of sunset through foliage, captured on #HRPK’s Pier 64.

The walkway at the edge of Pier 26 elevates as it extends west inviting you to take in unparalleled views of New York Harbor ( Statue of Liberty National Monument). Have you explored your Park’s newest pier?

Read along with us today, during Hudson RiverKids Story Hour, featuring 'Don't Feed the Coos' by Jonathan Stutzman. This program is supported by MacKids Books.

Today, as part of the annual Day in the Life of the Hudson & Harbor, our River Project team is paying close attention to water quality. You can learn about what kind of water is found in Hudson River Park’s Estuarine Sanctuary with this week’s STEM Activity. During this at-home egg-speriment, you can test density and buoyancy and all you need is an egg, glass of water and salt. https://hudsonriverpark.org//en/stem-activity-of-the-week/

All areas of HRPK are special to me. I particularly like the area around the crabapple trees, which we’ve weeded several times. When weeding in the Park, you hear the birds and the River. It’s very soothing and peaceable. The comradery of the gardeners keeps me coming back. Phyllis Waisman, Neighborhood Gardener Volunteer We’re so grateful to our volunteers who support Park staff in keeping #HRPK green, clean and beautiful. Learn more about volunteering in #HRPK at hudsonriverpark.org/volunteer

Join us for a special Live from the Field today as we celebrate A Day in the Life of the Hudson and Harbor on Hudson River Park’s Instagram Live! Every fall thousands of students and teachers take part in collecting data to create snapshots of the Hudson River Estuary at more than 90 sites, from NYC to Upstate New York. Data collected from these field sites is used to create a bigger picture of what is happening in the Hudson ecosystem. We use fish traps, water testing kits and other tools to investigate aquatic life and water quality conditions. Hudson River Park’s River Project partners with the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in a joint effort to monitor water quality parameters and the overall ecology within our Estuarine Sanctuary waters. We hope you'll join this virtual celebration!

This year, more than ever before, Hudson River Park’s four+ miles of open space have provided an essential source of wellbeing and strength a lifeline for New Yorkers lifting our spirits in the face of adversity. At tonight’s #HRPKUnGala, our community came together virtually to show tremendous support, raising more than $1 Million to help keep our vital green public space safe, clean, green and growing. To all who took part in tonight’s outstanding celebration, THANK YOU for helping your Park thrive. We’ll leave you with a highlight from tonight’s program, as we hear from essential Park workers whose efforts have helped make #HRPK such a valued resource for us all.

HAPPENING NOW: The #HRPKUnGala! Join us at HRPKUnGala.org for an at-home celebration of Hudson River Park. Get into the UnGala spirit like #HRPK Friends Board Member Martha Stewart and make your own Marthatini (for friends 21 and over), and check out the full video (and much more!) when you join the festivities. We’ll see you there!

Learn about microplastics and their effects on the environment w/ Dr. Deshpande!