Manhattan's Next Great Waterfront Park

When it comes to waterfront parkland in Manhattan, the west side has a long line of enjoyable access to the Hudson River, from Chelsea Piers to Riverside Park. By contrast, the east side offers such charming approaches to the East River as … F.D.R. Drive or the campus of the United Nations. You could call it an east coast-west coast feud, but that implies a relative balance of power that presently doesn't exist.

But if the past year is any indication, a sea change might be coming to the east side riverfront. Last March, Mayor Michael Bloomberg released a major plan to improve the city's waterfronts, particularly along the East River. In July the Municipal Art Society of New York organized a design workshop to consider plans for what's being called Waterside Pier, and in October a major funding hurdle was passed. Last month the society released a report on the prospects for Waterside Pier called "New York's Next Great Waterfront Park."