| |
|
|
|
Chelsea Piers Sports
and
Entertainment Complex
Map
|
click for
full-size
|
Rising out of the
ruins of four abandoned west-side piers
is the Chelsea Piers Sports and
Entertainment Complex, a $100 million
development offering a wide range of
athletic activities. Covering piers 59
through 62 and the connecting headhouse
alongside the West Side Highway between
18th and 23rd Streets, the Chelsea Piers
spared no expense in constructing an
impressive state-of-the-art sports
mega-center.
The Field House
The 70,000 square ft. Field
House is located in the headhouse between
Piers 61 and 62. It contains a
23,000-square ft. gymnastics training
area (the largest in the city), 2
basketball courts, 4 batting cages, a
rock climbing wall, and 2 artificial turf
fields that can accommodate indoor
soccer, field hockey, and lacrosse. The
gymnastics area offers organized programs
for children and adults. The Field House
offers organized leagues at varying
levels of play in soccer, lacrosse, field
hockey, and basketball. Call (212)
336-6500 for more information.
Film Studios
Also located in the headhouse is
Silver Screen Studios, where the TV
series "Law and Order" is
filmed. The Studio has expanded and
comprises 300,000 square ft. of
sound-stage and support space.
Skating
All forms of
skating are offered at the Chelsea Piers:
ice, roller, and in-line. Pier 61 is the
home of the Sky Rink, which previously
was located atop an office building on
West 33rd Street. This latest incarnation
includes two full-size ice skating rinks
and a viewing area with seating capacity
for 1,800 people. The Sky Rink offers
adult and youth hockey leagues, figure
skating, skating instruction, and open
skating time. Call (212) 336-6100 for
more details.
Pier 62 is the home of two
outdoor, regulation sized skating rinks
that can accommodate both in-line and
roller skating. Here, too, the Chelsea
Piers offers instruction and adult and
youth roller hockey leagues. Call (212)
336-6200 for more info.
The Golf Club
The Golf Club at
Chelsea Piers consists of a 200-yard
driving range occupying the full length
of Pier 59. Golfers hit from 52 hitting
stalls which are stacked four stories
high. The stalls are covered and heated,
so you can play in virtually any weather.
You can forget about any fantasy you
might have about putting a few golf balls
in the Hudson River, though, since the
range is surrounded by 15 story tall
netting.
The Golf Club bills itself
as the most technologically advanced
driving range and teaching facility in
the United States. The hi-tech video and
slow motion equipment in the four
teaching stalls and the automated ball
tee-up system certainly make this a
credible claim. Each time you hit a ball,
the rubber tee retracts into the ground
and then emerges with another ball
already teed up. You can regulate the tee
height to simulate anything from a chip
shot to a tee shot. Like everything else
at the Chelsea Piers, the Golf Club is
expensive. Range time is booked by the
hour, not the number of balls hit. Don't
worry though the tee system dishes up
balls as fast as you can hit them.
Final verdict: the Golf Club
is a must see for every golfer in
Manhattan. We suggest you check it out
the next time your regular game is rained
out or when you get a late night golf
craving (the Club is open until 11 p.m.).
Call (212) 336-6400 for more information.
The Sports Center
Completed in February, the
Sports Center offers a lengthy list of
facilities: Manhattan's largest
cardiovascular and strength training
facility, a 1/4 mile indoor running
track, aerobic studios, a 6-lane 25-yard
indoor pool, basketball and sand
volleyball courts, a boxing ring, and a
46- foot rock climbing wall. They also
offer a juice bar, a physiology lab for
fitness testing, massages, and a sports
medicine center run by NYU. All of this
is indoors, except for a sun deck
overlooking the Hudson River.
Call (212) 336-6000 for more
information.
Getting There
A major drawback of the Complex
is its location along the Hudson River.
The nearest subway stops are more than
half a mile away on 23rd Street. The best
way to get there via public
transportation is to transfer to the M23
cross town bus, which runs along 23rd
street and makes a stop at the main
entrance of the Piers. The Complex has
ample parking for about $20.
|
