Walk Brooklyn Pickleball From Its Pier 2 Roots to Gowanus

Start on the waterfront. Pier 2 Field at Brooklyn Bridge Park packs basketball, swings, a seasonal skating rink, and pickleball courts under three large covered sections, with the Manhattan skyline across the water. During the pandemic, this pier is where David Friedman played daily with a regular group, back when city courts were drawn in tape and chalk. That crew grew from a few dozen players into thousands. The pier is open from 8:30 AM to 10:00 PM, and binoculars at the far end look out over the harbor.

The next chapter sits in a Gowanus warehouse on 4th Street. Friedman, a former real estate lawyer, opened PKLYN in October 2024 as a permanent home for the game, with five courts under 23-foot ceilings and deep purple walls that keep the ball easy to spot. Classes, leagues, and open play cover every skill level, and drop-in play runs from 25 dollars for two hours. The lounge pours local beer and serves Alidoro sandwiches until 11:00 PM daily.

Together, the two stops show how a pickup habit turns into a neighborhood institution. Pier 2 keeps the open-air, show-up-and-play energy, with skyline views and no walls. PKLYN adds what a regular crew starts wishing for, like coaching, leagues, and a bar for the post-game debrief. Friedman describes the club as a third place, not home and not the office, and the pigeon mascot, picked to stand for adaptability and community, says the same thing in New York shorthand.