The Best Field You've Never Heard Of: Bush Terminal Park
Hugging the water on the west shoulder of Sunset Park, in an area that remains what Williamsburg was like 20 years ago (soon to be overrun), sits the greatest park in NYC you’ve never played on. Bush Terminal Park.
The Field: Bush Terminal Park is one of those rare places that has Perfect turf, clear field lines, tons of space, high fences, and an incredible view of both the city to the north and of the Manhattan Sound, which the field is situated right alongside.
Fresh Cut Turf!
A sanctuary of Footy
Bush Terminal Park is just waiting to become the next Bushwick Inlet Park, or even the next Pier 5.
I say that in large part because of what is around the field, which I will get into later in the post, but also because of the opportunity the field presents.
Bush Terminal Park, for all of it’s beauty and serenity, has remained largely un-chartered territory by leagues because of how far south it is. It’s parallel with the southern part of Prospect Park.
But that distance, which as any New Yorker will tell you grows smaller every year, has framed Bush Terminal Park as one of the ideal fields in the city.
A field in relative isolation, surrounded by good food, good bars, and good views, that you and a dozen of your friends can make your own, to retreat to every weekend or week night, curl your backs to the city, and just play.
There’s a Field of Dream’s quality to the place and believe me it won’t stay like that forever.
If the field itself wasn’t enough to convince you, let’s take a look at what’s going on nearby.
The Neighborhood:
Up first, we’ve got somewhere you’ve undoubtedly heard of.
Industry City - Sunset Park
Located a ten minute walk from the pitch, this massive indoor-outdoor facility has everything you could ever imagine inside.
More bars than you could realistically go to in a season of Footy (but we won’t stop you), artist pop-ups, dozens of incredible restaurants, game and leisure spaces at every turn, event spaces, comic book shops (shout out to St. Marks Comics), as well as tons more I’m running out of space to list.
It’s a place designed to foster community and you can feel that in and out at every new area you walk into.
My recommendations would be to set up a little cocktail crawl or a wine waddle, and see where you and your team like it best.
Keep an eye out for the Gun Hill Publick House, as they’re notoriously kind to people wearing NYC Footy jerseys.
Up Next, we’ve got a Footy Favorite: The Five Boroughs Brewing Co.
The Five Boroughs Brewing Co.
With more types of beer than you can shake a stick at, a great space that happens to be only 2 blocks from the field, some of the kindest staff and brewers on site, a bar room full of games and other activities, and a healthy balance of numerous, yet avoidable if unwanted TV’s, there’s not much more one could hope for when looking for an after game haunt.
Except a standing discount for NYC Footy players… which there also is.
If you and your friends are looking for the nearest, and possibly best place to drink after your games at Bush Terminal Park, look no further.
But, if you’re looking for something a little different, with a little more Sunset Park flavor, head to the last place on our list, Judy’s.
Judy’s - Sunset Park
If you’re looking for a wholesome joint that wants nothing more than you to feel welcome, have a drink, relax, and be apart of it’s community, Judy’s is it.
Judy’s (which has made this list for other fields) is the perfect balance of coffee shop meets bar, sliding from one to the other seamlessly around 5PM everyday (although everything is served all the time).
The outdoor space is comfortable, the drinks are affordable, the snacks are great, the pastries are from The Good Batch Bakery, and if nothing on menu is to your liking, the staff will literally help you find a place nearby to order or grab food from which you’re more than welcome to eat at the bar.
If that doesn’t illustrate what type of establishment this is, I’m not sure what will.
The Transportation:
Most people’s big complaint for this field is that it’s too far away. But I’m here to help you find your way here so you can discover the most underserved field in the city.
Trains: The D train stops at 45st and is only a 10 minute walk from the field.
Bikes: Biking remains (as is true of most of Brooklyn) the best way to get to this field. With easy bike lines along the waterfront and a Citi Bike station right at 43rd street and 2nd avenue (one block from the entrance to the park), this is by far the simplest way to get here.
Car: One of the very rare occasions that I’ll bring up driving here because the parking is actually incredibly sound in this area. Not to mention the field happens to be right off of the Belt Parkway, making it super convenient for any car commuting folk.
Bus: The B37 is your best bet, as it runs straight down 3rd avenue and drops you off 2 blocks from the field.
That’s all we’ve got for this field, we’re looking forward to seeing you out there soon!
-James Berry