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We have written about the new volleyball courts, food plaza, restrooms and grass lawns that debuted this summer at Pier 6, but hadn’t tried out the new changes in person…yet. This huge waterfront playground continues to impress and is fast becoming a major hub of play for both day and night.  Despite a recent loss in funding which has been refinanced with (ugh) new private housing, it seems that the developers of Piers 1 and 6 will continue the vision.  This weekend we decided it was time to check out the changes at Pier 6.

We set out on our bikes from Fort Greene. It’s a pretty easy bike path route to the end of Atlantic Avenue in Carroll Gardens. The bike path at Pier 6 actually takes you past Swing Village and around to the bike racks. Nice addition. We hitched our bike to the convenient but crowded bike racks.

Can you find your bike?

Our first stop on the 95 degree day was the Water Lab, of course. Can you say, a heaving mass of wet and sweaty bodies on one of our hottest days? But, it was totally fine actually- it never felt annoyingly crowded. It sure looks it gnarly busy though when I look at my photos.

One thing you will note at the Water Lab are the amount of hovering parents. You can see that in the photos below. If you haven’t been to Pier 6,  you don’t know why they are standing so close by..if you have visited it, then you know…..that it can be very dangerous at points. The boulders that descend into the water pool are slippery. I’ve seen two accidents there and lots of blood. The dam down the water runway can catch toes and fingers if not watched and the spinning waterwheel (see my blonde son playing with it in above photo) can whip around quickly enough to clock a kid in the jaw who is just the right height for such a jarring accident. Even if it were only for the running, splashing and jumping bodies- you need to keep a close eye at the Water Lab.

Sand Village was a different story. Deserted. (Pun intended)

Obviously, it’s not the “hot spot” (pun intended again!) when the summer day registers 95 degrees on the thermostat. However, Sand Village was finally open this weekend: the wasps that had been burrowing in there for a good portion of July seemed to have been virtually eradicated.

Slide Village wasn’t very popular either due to the hot weather- those long slides can be H-O-T! Look at those single sliders braving the searing ride down though!

One of the most welcome and necessary additions to Pier 6 was the restroom facility. Thankfully, we don’t have to use port-o-toilets anymore. The permanent restrooms made of salvaged Long Leaf Yellow Pine were nice and kept clean.

You can see how well the bathroom has been maintained. The photo below was taken at 12:30 in the afternoon and it was in great shape.My only complaint: couldn’t they have put a child’s size sink in too? After all, a good portion of the park users are kids and they did make all the playgrounds a big feature of the area.

This summer they created a new food plaza with a food court. How was it?

First, they have some great vendors available to choose from. You can enjoy a glass of wine or beer on the roof deck of the restored building with Bark, a Brooklyn-based hot dog restaurant in Park Slope that serves classic dog and veggie dogs, burgers and beverages.  They serve up until midnight.

We decided to try Bark out and take in the view from the roof deck.

The dogs were fabulous, the selections of drinks too minimal, and the seating just right.  However, they need to put more umbrellas at the picnic benches,  but the seating space was ample and not crowded.

Then we went downstairs to the food plaza for some ice cream.

Food plaza

I guess I’m so grateful to be finally able to buy food at Pier 6, that I just accepted what was there that day. However, looking back, couldn’t they make more shaded seating? Even better, how about a large tent to encompass the entire food plaza? There was a lot of barren space that could have been used for tables. We had to find a shady corner on some steps to drink milkshakes.  It was less a food plaza, and more of a food pit-stop, despite the excellent food vendors.

Milk Truck was our pit-stop, best known for its grilled cheese sandwiches and milkshakes. We purchased milk shakes: cold and deliciously rich.

Other treats were being served by Uncle Louie G’s Italian Ices with their selection of ices and ice creams, both sold from a mobile cart in the plaza. Missing on the day we were there was Brooklyn favorite Blue Marble Ice Cream. My husband was especially disappointed.

The other food vendor there was Portos, which offers fafalel, baked goods and “frozen” hot chocolate. Their prices were incredibly reasonable.

If you want to take a trip to Pier 1 for some other choices: head on down for Brooklyn Bridge Wine Bar, Calexico Carne Asada and Ditch Plains Drop-In. Blue Marble is there too.

Details: The concessionaires  operate on weekends and holidays from approximately 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. between Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day. Pier 6 is located at Atlantic Ave and Columbia St.

Three new regulation-sized sand volleyball courts are a nice addition for adults and a great place to watch a game or two. The courts have a nice location as they stack up along the pier and jut out into the water. There is even a viewing area for spectators.

For a moment I thought we might be in Malibu……

Nearby are grass lawns where visitors can check out the new cinema series “Movies With A View” at Brooklyn Bridge Park. The series runs every Thursday to September 1st.

There is a new designated fishing area lined with benches, pathways and lights. If you actually catch an edible fish you can clean it at the sparkling fish-cleaning stand. 

Had enough of Pier 6? Then jump on the free ferry to Governor’s Island for some shade, lots of grass and a good bike ride.

Bike riders get to load on the ferry first. Other island-goers wait in a line that is semi-shaded with umbrellas. Sometimes the line is very long so plan to get there with time to spare. The free Governors Island ferry service operates from Pier 6 on Saturdays, Sundays and holiday Mondays through September 25th. For our guide on Governor’s Island and ferry schedule, please see this post.

Here are some of the summer events going on in Brooklyn Bridge Park. Enjoy! Even on a crowded weekend, it was a blast.

Thursday, June 16 – Thursday, August 11, 2011 at 7pm
Waterfront Workouts – Sunset Pilates
Lou Cornacchia, founder of Cobble Hill’s Body in Balance Studio, teaches this fun Intermediate Pilates Mat Class on Pier 6. Through the class students will learn proper techniques and develop core muscle strength, spinal alignment and shoulder stabilization. Classes are free and open to ages 16 and older and Pilates experience is suggested. Students should also bring a thick mat and a Dynaband to the class. Details: Pier 6 promenade (on the promenade on the north side of Pier 6, next to the sand volleyball courts). In event of rain, class will be held the following day (Friday) at the same time.

Every Sunday from July 10th through August 28th at 7 pm
Waterfront Workouts – Zumba with the Dodge YMCA
Alma Bonilla of Dodge YMCA teaches weekly Zumba classes where you will get to dance to a fusion of Latin and International music. Details: Pier 1, Promenade - Southwest Corner (Main Street and Brooklyn Bridge Plaza). If it rains class will be held at the tobacco warehouse.

Biking to Brooklyn Bridge Park

Visit their biking page for directions, rental information, and more resources.

Walking Across the Brooklyn Bridge

View walking directions from the Brooklyn Bridge Stairs to Park Entrance at Pier 1.

Public Parking Facilities

Quik Park at One Brooklyn Bridge Park (360 Furman Street)
(718) 488-0099

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