If you’ve lived in New York long enough, you know the difference between a tourist Sunday and a resident Sunday. Tourists stand in lines at the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge. Residents start north and walk south, take the ferry instead of the cab, and time their day around when the playgrounds clear and the restrooms are still open.
This is a three-stop, two-borough Sunday for people who actually live here. Brooklyn Bridge Park to Domino Park to Gantry Plaza State Park — all on the East River, all reachable without a car, and all open free of charge from morning to nearly midnight. The walking is easy. The transit is direct. The bathrooms exist. Here’s how to do it like you’ve done it before.
Why this route works on a Sunday
The three parks line up north-to-south on the East River. Brooklyn Bridge Park sits in DUMBO and Brooklyn Heights, Domino Park sits a few stops north in Williamsburg, and Gantry Plaza State Park sits across the river in Long Island City. NYC Ferry’s East River route physically connects all three. So does a single subway transfer at Marcy Avenue or Bedford Avenue. You can do the whole route in a half-day or stretch it across the full day with food breaks in between.
Residents tend to flip the order — start in Long Island City around 9 AM when Gantry is empty, ferry south to Domino by lunch, finish at Brooklyn Bridge Park for sunset on Pier 1. That’s the version below.
Stop 1: Gantry Plaza State Park (Long Island City, Queens)
Address: 4-44 47th Road, Long Island City, NY 11101
Cross-streets: 47th Road at Center Boulevard, on the East River side
Best transit
The 7 train to Vernon Blvd–Jackson Ave is the closest stop. From the station, walk west on 50th Avenue toward the East River — about a 5-minute walk. The G train stops at 21st St/Jackson Avenue, which is a three-block walk west to the promenade. The B61 and Q103 buses stop next to the 7 train station at Vernon Boulevard/Jackson Avenue. NYC Ferry’s East River route stops at the Hunters Point South landing immediately adjacent to the park; the Park’s official guidance notes the ferry runs $4 per ride, north to 34th St/Midtown or south to Wall St/Pier 11.
Parking
The official Park parking lot entrance is on 2nd Street, 30 yards south of 54th Avenue, with a pathway about 250 feet to the ferry pier. From the LIE westbound, take exit 15 to Van Dam Street, then left on 49th Avenue to the end. From the LIE eastbound, exit at Borden Avenue and follow the route via Vernon Boulevard. Street parking on weekends in LIC is workable but not guaranteed; the lot off 2nd Street is the predictable option.
Restrooms
Restrooms are inside the park. The spray pad runs separate seasonal hours that residents track because they signal when the park transitions from quiet morning to family afternoon — Memorial Day weekend through early September, the spray pad runs 10 AM to roughly 5:30 PM.
Accessibility
The park is dawn-to-dusk and the paved pathways and four piers are level walking. Per the Park’s published rules, leashed dogs are allowed on paved pathways and plazas during park hours, 8 AM to 10 PM, and there are two dog runs — corner of 48th Avenue and Vernon Boulevard, and Center Boulevard between 46th and 47th Avenues. Dogs are not allowed on the grass, on the piers, or on the sports fields.
Hours residents wish they knew
Open daily, dawn to dusk. The trick most residents learn is that the very early morning — before 9 AM — is the only window where you can sit at the end of a pier alone with the Manhattan skyline. By 11 AM on a sunny weekend, every bench has a person on it.
When to avoid
Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day, weekend afternoons get crowded with families using the spray pad, basketball courts, and handball courts. If you want a quiet Sunday at Gantry, arrive by 9:30 AM or come back after 6 PM.
Three nearby places residents go after
- Hunters Point South Park — directly south of Gantry Plaza on the same waterfront, with a longer promenade and softer crowds.
- Vernon Boulevard between 46th and 51st Avenues — the LIC dining strip, walkable in five minutes from the park.
- Court Square — three blocks inland, where the 7, G, E, and M lines all intersect for the easiest exit out of the borough.
Stop 2: Domino Park (Williamsburg, Brooklyn)
Getting here from Gantry Plaza: take the NYC Ferry East River route southbound from Hunters Point South to South Williamsburg or North Williamsburg. Alternatively, walk to Vernon Blvd–Jackson Ave on the 7, transfer to the G at Court Square, ride to Metropolitan Avenue, transfer to the L at Lorimer Street, and ride one stop to Bedford Avenue. Walk west to River Street.
Address: 15 River Street, Brooklyn, NY 11249
Cross-streets: River Street between South 5th Street and Grand Street, on the East River
Best transit
J, M, or Z to Marcy Avenue. L to Bedford Avenue. Walk west on Grand Street or South 4th Street to River Street. Multiple buses serve the area: B32 and Q59 stop at Kent Avenue and South 1st Street; B62 stops at Bedford Avenue and South 4th Street; B24, B39, B44, B46, B54, and B59 stop at Washington Plaza. Citi Bike has docks at South 4th Street & Wythe Avenue, South 3rd Street & Bedford Avenue, Wythe Avenue & Metropolitan Avenue, Metropolitan Avenue & Bedford Avenue, and Broadway & Berry Street. NYC Ferry East River route stops at South Williamsburg and North Williamsburg.
Parking
Parking is available at 325 Kent Avenue. Entrances are on South 3rd or South 4th Streets between Kent Avenue and Wythe Avenue. Street parking on Sundays works but be alert — Williamsburg has alternate-side rules and metered blocks that residents check on the NYC DOT parking sign maps before leaving the car overnight.
Restrooms
Restrooms are on park grounds. They follow regular park hours of 6 AM to 11 PM.
Accessibility
The park is six acres along the East River with paved paths throughout. The Elevated Walkway, built from columns reclaimed from the old Domino Sugar Refinery, runs the length of the park and is accessible from grade-level entries at the north and south ends. The Fog Bridge, the playground, the bocce court, and the dog run are all in-park amenities.
Hours residents wish they knew
Open every day, 6 AM to 11 PM. The playground operates sunrise to sunset. Mid-morning Sunday — between 8 AM and 10 AM — is the window when the park is genuinely quiet and the views back at Manhattan are at their best, before the brunch crowds arrive from the Bedford Avenue side.
When to avoid
Saturdays and Sunday afternoons in summer when the volleyball court has a one-hour-with-others-waiting limit, the bocce court is occupied, and the lawn fills up. Weekend afternoons on holiday weekends can push the park well past comfort.
Park rules residents respect
No alcohol outside Tacocina, the in-park restaurant. No grilling or open flames anywhere. No climbing on the historical artifacts — those columns and tanks are real industrial relics from the refinery. Stay out of plant beds, pick no flowers, and bring no additional furniture (chairs, tables, tents). Bikes lock to bike racks only.
Three nearby places residents go after
- Williamsburg Bridge walkway — a short walk south, walkable into Manhattan or the Lower East Side.
- McCarren Park — about a 20-minute walk north on Bedford Avenue, with a larger lawn, track, dog run, and weekend farmers market.
- Marsha P. Johnson State Park (formerly East River State Park) — a few blocks north on Kent Avenue, also a state-managed waterfront park with skyline views.
Stop 3: Brooklyn Bridge Park (DUMBO and Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn)
Getting here from Domino Park: take the NYC Ferry East River route southbound from South Williamsburg to DUMBO/Fulton Ferry. Alternatively, the L at Bedford to a 14th Street transfer, then any train south, is slower than the ferry. Most residents take the ferry.
Address (Pier 1 entrance): 1 Water Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201 — corner of Old Fulton Street and Water Street, at Fulton Ferry Landing.
Address (southern entrance): 360 Furman Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201 — exit on the west side of the building at Furman Street and Bridge Park Drive.
Best transit
By bus, B25 stops at Fulton Ferry Landing, B63 runs the loop road on Pier 6, B61 stops at Atlantic Avenue and Hicks Street, and B67 stops at Jay Street and York Street. NYC Ferry’s East River route lands at Pier 1/Fulton Ferry directly inside the park; the South Brooklyn route lands at Pier 6. Citi Bike docks are common around park entrances.
Parking
Limited metered parking is in the lot on Furman Street near Pier 2. Paid parking is under Squibb Bridge with Laz Parking, and at Pier 6 on the south side of 360 Furman Street. The official guidance from the Park is direct: parking is very limited, and public transit, biking, or walking is recommended. On a Sunday afternoon, the Pier 6 lot fills first.
Restrooms
Restrooms are at Pier 1 Pavilion, Pier 2, the Pier 5 Boathouse, Pier 6 Fornino, the Squibb Park area, the Education Center at Main Street, and inside Empire Stores. (Pier 6 Quay Tower restroom is currently temporarily closed per the Park.) Restroom hours are March through October, 7 AM to 11 PM, and November through March, 7 AM to 10 PM.
Accessibility
All park entrances and pathways are accessible. All lawns have accessible entrances at grade. The play areas at Pier 1, Pier 2, and Pier 6 have accessible swings and ground-level play equipment. The Main Street playground has ramped equipment. Pier 2 fitness equipment includes ADA-specific pieces, and one of the Pier 2 basketball courts has a fully adjustable hoop. Restrooms are fully accessible. Service animals are welcome. The original ramp at Squibb Park has been re-graded for ADA access. NYC Ferry, New York Water Taxi, and the Governors Island Ferry all serve accessible landings at Pier 1 and Pier 6. For Access-A-Ride, the Park asks visitors to use 1 Water Street for Pier 1 and 360 Furman Street for the southern entrance.
Hours residents wish they knew
The park itself is open 6 AM to 1 AM every day. Specific zones run on their own schedules:
- Pier 5: 6 AM to 11 PM (Picnic Peninsula grills 6 AM to 10 PM)
- Pier 2: 8 AM to 9 PM October–April; 8 AM to 11 PM May–September
- Pier 6 Volleyball Courts: 6 AM to 11 PM
- Squibb Park & Bridge: 8 AM to 10 PM
- Environmental Education Center: Thursday and Friday 3 PM to 5 PM; Saturday and Sunday 1 PM to 5 PM
- Playgrounds: sunrise to sunset
When to avoid
Sunset on a clear summer Sunday at Pier 1 is the peak crowd window of the park’s entire calendar. If you want the skyline view without the crowd, arrive by 4 PM or wait until after 9 PM. The greenway by the Brooklyn Bridge itself becomes a slow procession of out-of-town walkers from late morning through mid-afternoon — residents tend to avoid that stretch and stay south of Empire Stores.
Three nearby places residents go after
- Brooklyn Heights Promenade — a short climb up from the park, the upper-level skyline view that doesn’t require the elevation gain back to the trains.
- Atlantic Avenue corridor — between Hicks and Henry, a flat walk south from Pier 6 with a long stretch of independent businesses.
- Cadman Plaza Park — north of the park near High Street station, the easy exit point for the train back into Manhattan.
A note on cars
Cars are the wrong tool for this Sunday. All three parks have very limited parking, two of them on river streets that sit on the inside of weekend traffic patterns. The ferry costs the same as a subway swipe and connects the route directly. Residents who do drive park once and stay all day; those who don’t drive use the J/M/Z, L, 7, A/C, F, or 2/3 plus the ferry for a single connection.
A note on hours
These are evergreen public spaces. Hours change seasonally and the parks publish alerts on their own pages. Brooklyn Bridge Park’s alerts page, Domino Park’s plan-your-visit page, and the Gantry Plaza State Park page on parks.ny.gov are the primary sources. For the route as written above, most of the day stays inside the broad open-hours window.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I do this whole route in one Sunday?
Yes. The full LIC-to-DUMBO route is reasonable in 6 to 8 hours including food. For a half-day, pick two stops.
Is there a single transit pass that covers all of it?
A standard MetroCard or OMNY tap covers subway and bus. NYC Ferry is a separate fare system at $4 per ride per the New York State Parks transit guidance. The subway-and-ferry combination is the most direct path between the three parks.
Are the restrooms open year-round?
Brooklyn Bridge Park’s restrooms run 7 AM to 11 PM March through October and 7 AM to 10 PM November through March. Gantry Plaza’s seasonal facilities (the spray pad) close in the off-season, but the regular park restrooms remain open. Domino Park’s restrooms follow park hours of 6 AM to 11 PM.
Which park is most accessible?
All three are accessible. Brooklyn Bridge Park has the most extensively documented ADA features — accessible playgrounds, ramped entries to all lawns, Squibb Park’s re-graded ramp, ADA-specific fitness equipment, and accessible ferry landings.
What if I’m doing this with kids?
All three parks have playgrounds, all three have water features in summer, and all three have lawn space. The Pier 6 playgrounds at Brooklyn Bridge Park are the largest. Domino Park’s playground is the smallest of the three but the most architecturally interesting. Gantry Plaza has the seasonal spray pad.
When is the route at its quietest?
Early Sunday morning, before 10 AM, in any season. Late evenings on weekdays. Avoid summer Sunday afternoons unless you specifically want the energy.
Bottom line
The East River doesn’t belong to anyone — it just sits there, the same on Tuesday as on Sunday — and the three parks above are the ones where the city has decided to give it back to the people who live here. You can do this route on a Sunday, or you can do it any day of the week. The map doesn’t change.
