People and Places APlayground on
theHudson
Pier 13 offers food, drink and fun on the waterfront WRITTEN BY MICHAEL LAMENDOLA
For acity nicknamed the“ Mile Square City,” Hoboken sure has plenty of playgrounds. There are four alone in Church Square Park, Madison Street Park has playground equipment and two swing sets, and there’ smore fun to be had at Legion Park, Maxwell Place Park, Jackson Street Park, and so on and so forth.
Those playgrounds are strictly for kids – parents usually sit on the sidelines, chatting it up with other grown-ups as their children have aball. If you’ rean adult however, there isaplayground of another sort that juts out into the Hudson River, where onany given day, you can grab abeer, some great grub from of anumber of renowned food trucks, watch amovie, catch the tunes of an up-and-coming band or get out on the water via jet ski, paddleboard orkayak.
Pier 13 is areclamation of the waterfront that was once known for its industrial prowess in the days of yore. And the brains behind this oasis off Sinatra Drive are two local hospitality veterans, Darren Conway and Rebecca Tarantino, who first got their feet wet inHoboken by getting The Chandelier Room( now Lulu’ s) off the ground inside the W Hotel alittle over half adecade ago.
Helping Hudson County
Once amonth, afundraiser for alocal charity is held. This year’ swill include support of Hoboken schools, Hudson County CASA and Liberty Humane Society, toname afew.
DYNAMIC DUO Local hospitality veterans Darren Conway( right) and Rebecca Tarantino( left) are the brains behind Pier 13.
Now ahaven for Hoboken denizens and those visiting the city from other parts of Jersey and beyond, Pier 13’ s grand lawn and picnic areas provide a backyard for the many apartment dwellers who aren’ t afforded one; its bar provides a happy hour meet-up for the commuters that return from New York City on the PATH orferry; and food trucks make it asought-after culi- nary destination for just about everyone with an appetite. It was about five years ago that Conway and Tarantino were at asake tasting with WHotel owners David and Michael Barry of Ironstate Development, which owns the rights tothe Shipyard development onHoboken’ swaterfront – counting five piers including one underutilized pier in good shape with amarina( Pier 13).
“ They mentioned the pier. They said they owned all of them. They said,‘ Why don’ t you come up with an idea?’” Conway says.“ We knew how to throw a party; we could create an atmosphere.”
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PORTRAIT: COURTESY OF KERRI SMITH; OPPOSITE PAGE: ANNE-MARIE CARUSO & RICHARD FORMICOLA
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MAY 2016( 201) GOLD COAST