Now that the extension to Pier C is completed, we can get up close and more personal to inbound and outbound ships.The new walk around the pier is not as generous as the one it replaced-it is very narrow and it does not extend all the way across the end of the pier. It will certainly not be large enough to accommodate the crowds that usually convene to see the Cunarders sail, and it will prove difficult to keep clear of snow in winter. (The old one was wide enough for a bobcat.) All this seems to me to be unnecessarily stingy, but at least it is available and open.
The authorities cited security and safety concerns from ships lines, to explain why the walkway doesn't extend all the way across the end of the pier.
In my opinion these issues could have been dealt with by a more sensitive and accommodating design process. Nevertheless, it is now cast in concrete and will be there for better or for worse, for a long time.
An easy 4 1/2 minute walk will get you from the Point Pleasant Park lower parking lot to the end of the pier.
