Living at the Docks: A Real West Side Story (Part 3)

By Brian J. Pape, AIA

Sometimes we meet ‘real’ New Yorkers, born and raised here. Some have stories of ancestors who moved here to start their families. This is one such story of those living near the docks along the West Side of Manhattan, as told by Eric, who prefers to be anonymous.

Today, this view of the Chelsea Piers from above the river looking east shows a part of the Hudson River Park, a waterfront park from 59th Street to Battery Park. Only ferries, tour boats or cruise ships dock here now. The first complete section of the park started construction in 1998 and opened in 2003 in Greenwich Village; half of the 4.5 mile park was complete by 2009. The Hudson River Park Trust was in an $8.5 million deficit for fiscal year 2014, but has recovered. Credit: Hudson River Park.

ADULT YEARS AFTER SCHOOL

In the previous segment, we heard about your school years until graduation. What was it like after that?
After high school, my plan was to sow my wild oats working construction in Florida and then go into the military, which I did. My sister got married during that time.

From the military, I went to Texas to try to join the fire department, but they wouldn’t take me because of my glasses. I came back home to my mother’s apartment in Chelsea when I was told she had cancer. I needed to clean and do everything, though she still cooked. She was very independent before, but after the cancer, it just took the wind out of her. Every day I’d go to work, then come home for whatever she needed, and to take her to the doctor or beauty salon. I did what any son would do.

After Texas, I had a lot of friends from my younger years who were still in Chelsea. They were more than just friends, many of them were top athletes who helped me develop my skills. Whether playing hockey, basketball, baseball, or other sports, our teams often beat older teams from other schools or neighborhoods. If they had had the means, they could have gone on to college sports or even professional, they were that good. They had my back, and I owe them a lot.

The West Side Highway was built to ease street level traffic from 59th Street to lower Manhattan. When the section shown here collapsed in 1973, it was abandoned and demolished years later. Credit: NYPL archive.

I resumed construction work at $5 an hour doing demolition on burned-out tenements. It was not healthy ─ especially with no mask ─ so I got out pretty fast and went to drywall work for 30 years for multiple companies. I learned a great deal and I even started my own business for a while with my buddy.

I also worked as maintenance and security at Hogs and Heifers Bar in the Meatpacking District. That was a great experience because I was always fascinated with motorcycles and fit right into that crowd. Celebrities came in all the time. The bar was known for female patrons taking off their bras and flinging them up on the walls. Each bra was a donation for breast cancer research. (In 1992 the city law was passed to allow women to go topless in public.)

After Hogs and Heifers, I fulfilled my boyhood dream of working on the water when I was hired for Circle Line Tours to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island from 2004 to 2008. When Circle Line lost their contract bid to Hornblower, I was out of work but I got disability benefits through the city.

The neighborhood changed with new larger condo construction, for better or worse. People got paid a lot of money to leave their brownstone apartments. Pricing for new apartments went sky high and the old neighbors moved out. It used to be any adult would watch out for any kids they saw, but now, it’s a ‘mind your own business’ attitude.

After the maritime industry faded, many ideas were proposed for the waterfront that I had explored since a child. Change is inevitable. Hudson River Park is a great asset for everyone. This joint state and city waterfront park runs 4.5 miles from 59th Street south to Battery Park. At 550 acres, it’s the second-largest park in Manhattan after the 843-acre Central Park. I love this park and I continue to explore it daily. Hudson Yards is another example of big change.

I continued living in my parent’s apartment after mom passed away, but now even my NYCHA complex is threatened with demolition. Today, I’m retired and still explore the park daily from my NYCHA apartment that I share with my wife of the past eight years.

Correction for Part 2 article: Lasalle Academy is a Christian Brothers institution. It not in the immediate Chelsea neighborhood but further downtown. It is part of the Catholic Church.

This concludes part 3 of a 3-part series.

Author’s Note: After more than half a decade of nearly daily walks with “Eric” along Hudson River Park, I found some remarkable truths about our friendship. Don’t judge a book by its cover and be open to conversations with people you meet. Despite many outward differences in upbringing, experience and education, we found so many similarities and agreements that we never seemed to lack for conversation. Though rough around the edges, Eric is compassionate, kind, and loyal to his friends and family. He has an insatiable appetite for learning and fixing things. He is constantly on YouTube or searching the internet for everything he is curious about. After many years of ‘patrolling’ the city on foot, he has turned to bike riding in retirement and has expanded his ‘territory.’ He continues to be a vital part of his neighborhood.