Ed A.
Yelp
Known to the locals as "Mosquito Park" (or simply "the park with the big buffalo statues"), Gordon Park is one of the 3 main parks in the Heights (along with Pershing Field and Washington Park). Considerably smaller than the other 2, Gordon Park does have a few things working in its favor:
- huge changes in elevation. Compared to the almost completely flat nature of both Pershing Field and Washington Park, the hills and slopes in Gordon Park allow kids to sled in the winter when it snows, or crossfit trainers to run up and down steps to your glutes' content.
- less trafficked. Pershing Field in the summer gets swamped with kids playing in the water, on the baseball fields, or riding bikes. In contrast, Gordon Park is relatively serene. You do get some traffic on the northern end as people play basketball/soccer, but the rest of the park is relatively quiet, which is good for a quiet stroll.
- great views West. In the summer, visit the park near sunset for really scenic sunset views. Because of the elevation, you can see pretty far towards the horizon.
Well, all this seems great. Why only 3 stars?
- dirty, dirty, dirty. No, I don't mean dirt. Broken glass, dog poop, empty beer cans...I could go on. Most of it isn't in the walking paths, but it's still pretty unsightly
- casual drug use. Thankfully I have yet to see any homeless junkies shooting up in this park. However, the unique odor that our high school aged friends seem to enjoy in the evenings is prevalent. Kind of annoying when all you want to do is go for a run.
- isolated at night. Once night hits, the park empties out faster than you can say "run yo pockets fool". Only enterprising individuals venture around at night (but if you see me running there, I promise I won't jump you).
Overall, Leonard Gordon park is a microcosm of the Heights - and in actuality, all of Jersey City. It's gritty. It's fun. It's sexy. It's a good place to spend your time, and if you can keep your wits about you, then you too may enjoy all that it has to offer.