Stanley M. Isaacs Park

Stanley M. Isaacs Park is a 1.23-acre park along the FDR Drive between East 95th and 97th Streets on the Upper East Side. Like the adjacent Stanley Isaacs Playground, the park is named for the reform City Council member who served for over two decades as an advocate for good government and civil liberties.

The park occupies a strip of land between the FDR Drive and the East River, providing waterfront access in a section of the Upper East Side where the highway creates a significant barrier between the residential neighborhood and the riverfront. Pedestrian bridges across the drive connect the neighborhood to the park.

The park features pathways, seating areas, and landscaped sections that form part of the broader East River Esplanade. Views from the park take in the Hell Gate waters, Randall's Island, and the industrial waterfront of Queens and the Bronx.

The park sits near the 96th Street boundary that has traditionally marked the division between the Upper East Side and East Harlem. This location makes the park a shared resource for residents of both neighborhoods, including families from the nearby public housing developments and the residential buildings of Yorkville.

Stanley M. Isaacs Park provides a green waterfront respite in a section of Manhattan where the East River esplanade is less developed than farther south. Its continued improvement is part of the ongoing effort to create a continuous, welcoming waterfront pathway along the full length of Manhattan's eastern shore.