Stuyvesant Cove Park

<p> <a href="reviews/venue_reviews/stuyvesant_cove_park/"><img src="http://www.qromag.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/stuyvesantcovepark.jpg" class="reflect" border="0" /></a> </p> ...
Stuyvesant Cove Park
A-OK Collective

Stuyvesant Cove Park

Apparently Solar One is no longer holding CitySol at Stuyvesant Cove Park

Stuyvesant Cove Park lies just off the East River, at the end of 23rd Street, in the shadow of FDR Drive.  The 23rd Street entrance is due east of Gramercy Theatre, and just south of the docking port of The Half Moon, one of the two Rocks Off Concert Cruise boats.  The actual stage is located on the north end, outside of the Solar 1 building, facing south.  Solar 1 is New York City’s first and only self-sustaining solar-powered building, built in 2003.  The Solar 1 organization also maintains Stuyvesant Cove Park, a former brownfield area between 18th & 23rd Street that opened in 2002.

The venue area of Stuyvesant Cove Park is actually asphalt, more an extension of the nearby street and gas station.  There are a number of environmentally conscious booths on the north side of Solar 1.  South of the stage floor is an odd semi-covering of almost jigsaw-like pieces of wood, which creates a tunnels-cum-forest, with the food and beer concession at the end.  Bathrooms are portapotties, located on the sidewalk, just next to the concession structure.  As of 2008, a larger version of the jigsaw-like creation serves as canopy above the stage, which is only a few feet off the ground.  It all creates a very unusual setting, wedged between an elevated highway and the sea.

Starting in 2007, Solar 1 began throwing the free CitySol concert series on a summer weekend.  The first year, the events were spread out along the East River, but in 2008, everything was focused on Stuyvesant Cove Park, and a few other free concerts have been staged there.  The acts are a strange bunch, from indie-rock to electronic to DJ’s to hip-hop, and have trended downward, year-to-year.  What’s perhaps more memorable is the unusual, green-friendly beer deal: one dollar off if you reuse your cup, two dollars off if you bring a non-disposable cup (note: if one brings a giant, 7-11-style ‘Big Gulp’ or such, the bartenders won’t fill it up all the way…).  Not a usual place to visit, but something worth seeking out for CitySol (maybe), or any concert held between the water and the road.

Capacity: 1,500

all ages, free

Address:

23rd Street and the East River, Manhattan

By Subway:

4 & 6 trains to 23rd Street – walk 6 blocks east to the East River

 

QRO Coverage:

-Care Bears On Fire, with A-OK Collective, June 26th, 2008 – Care Bears On Fire photos, A-OK Collective photos

-Les Savy Fav, with Land of Talk, The Besnard Lakes, O’Death, OCDJ, These Are Powers, The Budos Band, Frankpollis, July 14th, 2007 – Les Savy Fav photos, Land of Talk photos, The Besnard Lakes photos, O’Death photos, OCDJ photos, These Are Powers photos, The Budos Band photos, Frankpollis photos

Land of Talk


Live Video:

Care Bears On Fire – “Baby Animals”, New York, NY, 6/26/08
Care Bears On Fire – “Don’t Want To Be Like Everybody Else”, New York, NY, 6/26/08

Click below for the venue’s website

Stuyvesant Cove Park

Click below for the festival’s website

CitySol

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Venue Reviews

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