Your NYC travel advisor
Your NYC travel advisor
Among the coolest things to do in New York is definitely to go and try the Swings at Pier 35 in NYC.
From Pier 35 the view of NYC is simply amazing. In fact, from here, you will see very important landmarks of the city. Among these the most iconic are the One World Trade Center, the Manhattan Bridge, the Brooklyn Bridge, and the East River.
Pier 35 is in fact located in Manhattan on the East River, the river that divides Manhattan from Brooklyn.
This Pier was built relatively recently: in 2019. The four giant swings at Pier 35 in NYC have been making the rounds on social media in recent years. Being free they turn out to be among the coolest things to do in NYC without spending a dime!
In this article in my NYC BLOG I will cover the following topics:
Pier 35 is located in Manhattan, New York. The area in which it is located is called the Lower East Side. It is therefore located in lower Manhattan near the East River.
To help you find Pier 35 with its giant swings, you can always use this Google Map Link or the map you see below.
If you take a look at the map above you will find that near Pier 35 are some of New York City’s most famous neighborhoods. Among them:
Little Italy is an area in Lower Manhattan, a short distance from China Town. Formerly an iconic place to enjoy real Italian food and drink. In recent years a great many of the restaurants in Little Italy in Manhattan have changed ownership and the new managers are no longer Italian. The restaurants retain the Italian sign and name, as well as their menu. Unfortunately, though, a great many of them no longer serve traditional Italian-American food. To find a real Little Italy in New York you have to go to the Bronx, to Artur Avenue.
Unlike Little Italy, China Town keeps its traditions 100 percent alive. Here you will find some of the best Chinese restaurants in Manhattan. Some of the people who live and work in this area speak only Chinese. In fact, many of the residents of China Town in Manhattan deal exclusively with Chinese people. As a result, living and working here, they do not even need to learn English. There are also 100% Chinese schools, places of worship and gathering places in this neighborhood. Definitely worth visiting on your trip to New York City because you will feel, in some places, as if you are stepping into China.
Within walking distance of Pier 35 is an area of Manhattan called Two Bridges. The reason this area has this name is because from here you can very well see the two most famous bridges in New York converge in Brooklyn. I am talking about the Manhattan Bridge and the Brooklyn Bridge. Two Bridges is practically a few steps south from Pier 35 and its beautiful swings. As you continue walking near the East River and after passing under the Manhattan Bridge, you will clearly find yourself in the middle of the Two Bridges.
This is one of the points from which you can get one of the most beautiful views of the Brooklyn Bridge. So get ready to take a picture like the one you see below.
it is with extreme happiness that I inform you that the huge swings at Pier 35 are 100% free.
This is a perfect activity to put on the agenda for anyone planning a trip to NYC.
In fact, visiting the giant swings at Pier 35 will take you out of the touristy mold of Midtown Manhattan. Forget the big crowds and the lines to get in anywhere-the Lower East Side and beautiful Pier 35 are perfect places to enjoy some silence.
However, these are not the only things you can do for free (or by spending really little) in NYC. For example, one of the activities I love to do, again overlooking Manhattan’s East River, is taking the Roosevelt Island Tramway. I wrote a whole article about it. If you visit NYC in April, this is a must-do activity: its cherry blossoms are simply stunning!
To learn more about everything you can do for free in NYC, click on the image below!
Pier 35 is seamlessly connected to Rockefeller Center in midtown Manhattan. In fact, the F subway line (color orange) takes you from the 47-50 Rockefeller Center stop to the East Broadway stop in less than 15 minutes. The 47-50 Rockefeller Center stop, as the name implies, is located on 6th Avenue just 2 steps from Rockefeller Center. In contrast, the East Broadway stop is on the Lower East Side, less than a 5-minute walk from Pier 35 and its giant swings.
Suppose you have just finished visiting Pier 35 in Manhattan and take the F Subway back to the Midtown area. Get off at the 47-50 Rockefeller Center stop. What can you do once you are in that area?
The Rockefeller Center Christmas tree in New York City needs no introduction. We all know it and we have all seen it on TV, in movies and all over social media. If you come to New York during the Christmas season, a stop at Rockefeller Center is a must. I have written several articles about it for you, which you will find linked below
Everything you need to know about the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree. Where it’s located, when it arrives in NYC, when the lighting ceremony is, historical facts, trivia, and more.
Find out all the key info about the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting ceremony. Date, time, tips on when to get there to see it, and where to stand to take the best photos and videos.
Among the coolest things to do for free in New York is the beautiful Saks Fifth Avenue Light and Sound show in Manhattan. Every Christmas season this show fills Fifth Avenue with merriment. Thousands of people every day, when darkness comes, wait for the constant repetition of the lights on Saks Fifth Avenue. Want to know more about this show? Then click on the image below and read my New York City Blog
You’ve surely seen Pier 35’s giant swings all over social media about New York City.
These swings are made of wood and there are 4 in total. Pier 35 was first opened to the public in 2019, so the swings are also relatively recent.
Let’s now find out together everything you need to know about these swings!
Swings are located right in the middle of Pier 35. You cannot miss them. There are four of them and they are really huge.
Yes! The giant swings are 100 percent free. No ticket is needed to get on them. They are manual, so you have to push yourself with your feet to swing up and down as you watch the beautiful view of the Manhattan Bridge and Brooklyn Bridge before your eyes!
Yes! The swings at Pier 35 in Manhattan, New York City, are open 24 hours a day.
No one else. If you have seen on social media giant swings in new york near a river, then they are the ones at Pier 35!
Imagine you took the subway from Rockefeller Center and arrived at Pier 35. You walk to the river and see these huge swings. You sit on one of them and start swinging. What do you see in front of you? Let’s find out together.
The first thing you will notice is undoubtedly a river. This is the East River and it divides Manhattan from Brooklyn. The East River is very well known and there are plenty of cruises that allow you to navigate it at any time of the day or night.
As you are swinging on the giant wooden swings at Pier 35 you will see before your eyes a very large bridge. Don’t make the mistake that so many tourists make: that bridge is not the Brooklyn Bridge! That is the Manhattan Bridge. This bridge connects Manhattan with D.U.M.B.O. in Brooklyn. Like the Brooklyn Bridge, the Manhattan Bridge is also walkable.
Walking across the Manhattan Bridge gives in my opinion so many insights for anyone who loves to take pictures. For example, at the beginning of the bridge on the Manhattan side there is a small hole in the protective grating and this gives one of the most beautiful views of the Brooklyn Bridge.
The photo you can take looking into the hole on Manhattan Bridge is like this one below:
In addition to the Manhattan Bridge you will also see a second bridge ahead. This is the Brooklyn Bridge. The Brooklyn Bridge connects Manhattan with Brooklyn. More exactly, the area that is connected to Brooklyn by the Brooklyn Bridge is called DUMBO. DUMBO is an acronym and stands for Down Under The Manhattan Bridge Overpass.
The Brooklyn Bridge is open at all hours of the day and night. it can be crossed by car, on foot, and by bicycle. My favorite thing about this bridge is that they recently separated the pedestrian crossing from the bicycle crossing. In the past, bicycles sped across the Brooklyn Bridge right next to pedestrians. Now, however, people walking on the bridge no longer have to fear being run over by a bike.
On the other side of the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges is an area of Brooklyn called DUMBO. DUMBO literally means Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass. Here you can find lots of things to do and eat. About DUMBO I have written several articles in my BLOG such as:
How do I get to DUMBO from Manhattan
Best Restaurants in DUMBO Brooklyn
If you have the time to cross either the Brooklyn Bridge or the Manhattan Bridge and visit DUMBO, you will not regret it!
In my opinion there are 3 times of the day when it is worth visiting Pier 35, both for logistical reasons and for the quality of the experience you will have. These are: Sunrise or Early Morning, Sunset and in Nottorna. I will now explain why!
I love visiting Pier 35 and swinging on its giant swings early in the morning. At this hour, with the city waking up, you will not find any tourists. If you set your alarm early enough, you can also see the sunrise rising from the Brooklyn (east) side. The sun will then slowly rise in the sky until it reaches over the East River. So if you want to visit Pier 35 and swing on its giant swings with no tourists around, go early in the morning!
One of the most romantic things to do in New York is swing on the giant swings at Pier 35 at sunset. Remember that doing so is completely free, which makes the experience even more interesting. If you visit Pier 35 at sunset prepare your camera or charge your phone sufficiently-the photos you take will be memorable. The city is colored orange and red, and the backdrop of the river with the two bridges makes it truly iconic.
If you liked this article, check out the rest of my blog! Click on the link below and you will find all my articles that I hope will help you so much in planning your next New Big Apple trip!
