Riverside Park

 





Discover the Park |



    Riverside Park, located on the Upper West Side, is a great place to play with others or simply training by yourself. There are a few fields from 103st to 108th street with the biggest field being on 108th. Taking the one train to 110th, M4 bus to 110th or M5 bus to 108th will land you close to Riverside Park. The park is open 24/7 and is free to use for the public. You might find youth teams practicing here during the fall or spring season which is why I like to come here mainly during the summer. It also gets darker later in the summer and more people come to play making it more fun.

    Unlike Pier 40, Riverside doesn't have flood lights which make playing at night harder unless it is summer. During the fall and Winter I would recommend coming here earlier in the morning if you want to train so you could make use of the daylight. In terms of the turf quality it is not the best. It is rather tough on your feet if you play for hours. Pier 40's turf is brand new and much softer, which make turf burns less painful there than at Riverside. Also be careful of kicking the ball over as the highway is right next to the field, making it hard to get it back. 

    Riverside does have a beatiful view though. The fields are right next to the Hudson River and if you come on the right day it will leave you in awe of a stunning sunset. It spite of the mediocore turf or losing your ball to the highway, it is a great vibe to play here alone because of the river and sunset. 

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