Address: Mulberry Street &, Baxter St, New York, NY 10013
Website: Columbus Park Page
Hours Of Operation:
6 am to 10 pm, 7 days a week
There’s nothing quite like soccer in the Big Apple. That’s why we’ve partnered with multiple pickup leagues across New York City to bring you all more field options! These leagues host their matches year-round on dozens of unique pitches across NYC, and as part of this partnership, we are bringing Plei App games to their spaces in order to fill in on days that the leagues aren’t running.
That being said, these blogs will answer all the questions that you usually ask before you head out to play some ball, like…
Is it a 6v6, 7v7, 8v8 or 9v9 field? Artificial grass or natural? What are the exact measurements? Where should I park? What subway train do I take and where do I get off? Are there good food/drink options nearby? Are there any other cool things to do or see in the surrounding area?
Fear not: all these questions and more will be answered within each blog, so you can confidently suit up, head out and have fun playing some pickup footy, New York style. 🗽😎
Columbus Park, named after, you guessed it, Christopher Columbus, was established in 1897 and boasts a number of amenities to cater to the diverse cultures that reside in the surrounding neighborhood.
At this historic park, you’ll find a playground, basketball & volleyball courts, a soccer turf field, restrooms and a spacious plaza area with picnic tables, a monument & a recreation building.
The monument is actually a statue of Dr. Sun Yat-sen, the first President of the Provisional Government of China. He was given the nickname the “Father of the Nation” as a result. Around the statue and flagpole, there are some tables and chairs, where elderly locals play Chinese chess, Chinese poker and other traditional games.
Keep reading to learn more about the field at Columbus Park, and some important tips that you’ll want to keep in mind before you pull up. Click below to navigate to any particular section that you’re interested in! 👇
The athletic grass field at Columbus Park is best suited for 7v7 games. As this is a public park, pickup matches are most prominent here, but league play is also a common sight.
Prior to 2005, there actually was no soccer field at Columbus Park. The entire area was made of asphalt, and it wasn’t until February 2004 when former Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced plans for renovations to this space. Originally, the entirety of the asphalt area was to be converted to synthetic turf. However, community leaders protested, saying that a full turf area would not serve all the open space needs of the Chinatown community.
Eventually, an agreement would be reached for 60% of the area to be converted to synthetic turf and the other 40% to be asphalt for basketball and volleyball courts.
The Plei App has yet to have its first game at Columbus Park, but that will change soon enough!
For those coming by car, your only option will be parallel parking on any of the park’s bordering streets; Baxter Street, Worth Street, Mulberry Street or Bayard Street.
For the subway goers, the nearest station is the Canal Street station a couple blocks north of the park. Services J, Z, N or Q.
Here are the other nearby stations:
Canal St Line 6
Canal St Lines N, Q, R, W
Chambers St Lines J, Z
Here are the closest bus stops to Columbus Park:
There are multiple entrances to the athletic field at Columbus Park, and we’ve listed them here.
One gate opening is available on the Mulberry Street side of the field. You can find it directly across from Hotel Mulberry.
More entrances are available on both the north and south ends of the athletic space. The first of these can be found in the Dr. Sun Yat-sen Plaza, as shown in the photo above.
The first of two south entrances is just east of the public restrooms, in a sort of nature relaxation area. The other gate opening is on the other side of the restroom building.
Keep in mind that using these entrances will first take you onto the volleyball courts, so you may prefer to use the first two we mentioned that take you directly onto the field.
There’s plenty to do!
First of all, you can explore the rest of Columbus Park. Your first stop might be the Dr. Sun Yat-sen Plaza, where you’ll usually find a plethora of elderly locals and families relaxing and playing table games throughout the day.
In this same space, you can find a recreation center. On the second-floor balcony of this building, you may come across people practicing Tai Chi and other exercises.
Head to the south end of the park and you can find a set of basketball courts (one full and one half) and a playground.
Away from Columbus Park, it may interest you to check out another nearby famous park if you’re into historical sightseeing. Just a block southwest is Foley Square in NYC’s civic center, which contains a small triangular park known as Thomas Paine Park. Named after the famous author of “Common Sense”, this park offers historical monuments and a year-round farmer’s market.
Across the street from Foley Square is the New York County Supreme Court, and next to that is the Thurgood Marshall United States Courthouse. Both buildings make great for photos.
This park is near the heart of Chinatown, so expect to be surrounded by plenty of Asian restaurants, although there are other cuisines here as well. With so many options, you can’t really go wrong, but we’ve made it easy for you by giving our three picks; selected primarily based on proximity to Columbus Park but also uniqueness.
Tasty Dumpling (Directly across the road from the relaxation area of the park in between the playground and the volleyball courts. From here, just cross Mulberry Street.) - They have what their name implies, some real tasty dumplings. Look forward to soups & pancakes as well. If you’re on a budget and/or want to grab something real quick before heading home, this is the place for you.
Alimama Tea (Just a quick stroll east from the northeast corner of the park. Cross Mulberry Street and it’s the second business on your right.) - Treat yourself to something sweet after your pickup game; you deserve it. Stop by Alimama, a standout cafe serving a variety of mochi donuts, cream puffs & munchkins. As for beverages, you can pick from a diverse menu of hot & cold drinks, ranging from boba, milk & green teas to cold brews and lemonade.
Chipilo (Located across the street from Columbus Park. Just cross Mulberry Street from where the hard courts and athletic turf field meet.) - If you aren’t craving Asian food, fear not. You can grab yourself a sandwich at Chipilo, an Italian sandwich shop across the street from Columbus Park. They have a full menu of different sandwich builds, even offering vegetarian options. If that doesn’t satisfy you, they also sell salads (you can build your own!), coffee and breakfast items.
Formally known as Mulberry Bend Park, Five Points Park and Paradise Park, Columbus Park is a public park built in 1897.
Located in Chinatown, this park’s age makes it one of New York City’s oldest urban parks. Throughout its life, it has seen many changes and plenty of reconstruction. In 1923, a limestone recreation center was completed, now a comfort station. In the 1980s, the park saw the addition of new playground equipment as well as basketball courts.
Today, Columbus Park is a place of gathering for people of different cultures and ages, hosting a wide variety of events and assemblies.
Thanks for reading Pitchside by Plei, a blog series highlighting the best field spaces in your city! ⚽
If you want to get familiar with other unique soccer fields from the Lower East Side all the way up to Washington Heights and beyond, don’t hesitate to click the following links below! 👇
