New Dog Park Makes a Joyous Splash in the Financial District

Yesterday Mayor Michael Bloomberg, State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and others–including our President, Elizabeth Berger–gathered along the East River south of  the Seaport to formally celebrate the opening of the first section of the East River Waterfront Esplanade.

But informally, the neighborhood’s dog population has been holding a celebration of its own for the last 10 days, ever since the wraps came off the esplanade’s new dog park.

Exquisitely designed, it’s a place where dogs can chase each other to the point of exhaustion around the likeness of a giant squirrel, or splash about in a cooling fountain, or stick their noses straight into the air to savor delicious ocean breezes, or simply bark to their heart’s content for no reason at all except–hey!–they’re under the FDR and who cares?

It’s a place where dog can meet dog and neighbor can meet neighbor as the residential  population of the Financial District continues to grow and flourish. Almost instantly, it’s a huge neighborhood hit.