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