6. Barretto Point Park, the Bronx

Also on Hunts Point in the Bronx is the Barretto Point Park, an open space that features the floating barge pool on the East River and a view of North Brother Island. There’s a nice Roman style seating area, a sandy beach, paved roads for biking, playgrounds, benches by the waterfront, and more. The park is named after Francis J. Barretto, one of the wealthy merchants who lived in Hunts Point when it was filled with grand estates.

The land was acquired by the New York City Parks Department in 2001 from the Department of Environmental Protection. The park cost $7.2 million and was created through the addition of landfill onto a property that once contained an asphalt plant and other industrial properties. Like Fresh Kills Park, the land was capped as part of an environmental remediation process.