Pier 25 Turf : The Welcome Stand-In for Shuttered Gyms and Sports Fields

The Pier 25 field became a busy place when outdoor options in the neighborhood for play and working out were few. Photo: Carl Glassman/Tribeca Trib

When gyms and sports fields closed during the pandemic, the field at Trbeca’s Pier 25 in Hudson River Park became a welcoming community space by the river for a host of ad hoc activity, from karate moves and crunches to kite flying and ball kicking. For 15-year-old Avani Khorana, from Tribeca, the field has meant a place to go at least once or twice a week with friends to practice soccer, something she was doing on other fields before they were shut down. “When the Pier 25 turf field opened,” she said, “I went out as soon as I could.” 

This one-minute video, shot from across West Street, in Independence Plaza, is just a small sampling of action the field has hosted over the past pandemic months.