East River Waterfront Esplanade
East River Waterfront Esplanade
4.5
Tours & experiences
Explore different ways to experience this place.
What is Travellers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
Top ways to experience East River Waterfront Esplanade and nearby attractions
The area
Address
Neighbourhood: Upper Manhattan (Uptown)
How to get there
- 96th St • 5 min walk
- 96th St • 9 min walk
Reach out directly
Best nearby
We rank these restaurants and attractions by balancing reviews from our members with how close they are to this location.
Restaurants
6,715 within 5 kms
Attractions
2,649 within 10 kms
Contribute
Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
We perform checks on reviews.
Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
Learn more about our review moderation.
4.5
17 reviews
Excellent
10
Very good
6
Average
1
Poor
0
Terrible
0
christopherbO9687MP
Acton, MA736 contributions
Dec 2020
This is a nice way to view the East River, particularly from the stretch from 116 Street South. Note that the walkway is crumbling into the East River at several points, so there are blockages and divergences you'll have to navigate. The main walkways over the FDR Drive are at 114th Street, 102th Street & 90th Street; these are your best access points. Also note none of this is plowed in the winter, so bring your boots.
Written 22 December 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lolly’s Look
New York City, NY14,992 contributions
Sept 2019
The East River Waterfront is a beautiful walkway along the East River in NYC. It’s a great spot for pedestrian traffic.
Written 9 September 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dale B
New York City, NY57 contributions
Nov 2016 • Friends
There is confusing information about this park,which is in fact on the Upper East Side, with its southern tip near Rockefeller University. As of 2917,$35 million has been budgeted for improvements, but the loveliest part is around the lilttle gem Carl Schurz Park (84 to 90 Streets), which includes the (hidden from view) Mayor's residence, Gracie Mansion and nice kiddie playgrounds. The promenade is delightful, offering a closeup look at some of the lovely buildings facing the East River, not heavily trafficked at most times. When you stroll , you are walking parallel to Roosevelt Island and, beyond it, Queens.
Written 10 March 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
robcurtross
New York City, NY13,532 contributions
Aug 2016 • Solo
All of the public information that I have been able to find indicates that this Esplanade is in the area between the Williamsburg Bridge and the Wall Street area.
I've walked along that esplanade with great pleasure on a couple hikes around Manhattan.
This sign, however, is under the highway along the river at East 96 street. The views focus of course on the river and Roosevelt Island, still a very great pleasure but somehow under the radar of the New York City Parks system at the moment.
I've walked along that esplanade with great pleasure on a couple hikes around Manhattan.
This sign, however, is under the highway along the river at East 96 street. The views focus of course on the river and Roosevelt Island, still a very great pleasure but somehow under the radar of the New York City Parks system at the moment.
Written 17 August 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
StephenCross
Dublin, Ireland31,427 contributions
Oct 2022 • Couples
The East River esplanades are not great. We didn’t feel it was very safe and would not recommend this area at nighttime. Probably avoid.
Written 22 October 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
SuperTed19
Madison, WI751 contributions
Sept 2021
This area is great for walking, running, hanging out, or just relaxing while the world goes slowly by.
Written 4 October 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
bbbob84
Staten Island, NY1,615 contributions
Oct 2019
The East River is often overlooked, but it is the home to the Brooklyn Bridge, Manhattan Bridge, Queensboro Bridge, Williamsburg Bridge, The Roosevelt Island Tram, numerous foot bridges and The East River Waterfront Esplanade. Even though it runs adjacent to the FDR Drive you can see and enjoy the East River and the many sights across the waterway. A great place to get in your steps and keep healthy while living in The Big City!
Written 7 October 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Johnny D
London, UK37 contributions
June 2019 • Friends
We had a good beer here looking out over the river and listening to their jazz band in the shade of a table parasol. Definitely a good place to go whilst waiting for the free ferry. The service was a bit chaotic in that we found it really hard to pay for our drinks, but we managed it in the end!
Written 15 July 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
B-radLV
Las Vegas, NV110 contributions
Mar 2019 • Friends
Very clean and safe, not crowded at all. Nice place to go for a walk on the Eastside. Close to everything.
Written 19 March 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
mvasudev
New York City, NY15 contributions
Nov 2018
East river waterfront - such a nice break from the city madness! I often go there for walks and/or a run. It stretches all the way upto 125 street.
Pro tip - just past 96th st there is walkway/flyover that you can take to walk over to Randall Island! Randall island hosts summer shows and some music concerts so keep an eye on it! ;)
Pro tip - just past 96th st there is walkway/flyover that you can take to walk over to Randall Island! Randall island hosts summer shows and some music concerts so keep an eye on it! ;)
Written 4 November 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
No questions have been asked about this experience
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing