Know&Go Guide: Lower Manhattan, New York, USA
It wasn’t until my fifith trip to New York City that I discovered the bottom tip of Manhattan, where this fabled city began.
Lower Manhattan, as defined by the Downtown Alliance, encompasses everything south of the line created by Murray Street/City Hall/Brooklyn Bridge – including the World Trade Center, Financial District, The Battery and South Street Seaport – and is bound, pleasingly on all sides by three waterfronts: Hudson River, New York Harbor and East River.
Lower Manhattan is the birthplace of New York. It’s bursting with history in famous landmarks, storied buildings and many markers bearing witness to its time as a Dutch/English/Dutch (again)/English (again) colony then first national capital of the United States.
More people live in New York City than in forty of the fifty states.
That’s 8,804,190^ throughout its five boroughs (for more details see below).
Knowing this can make the city feel like the most impenetrable destination to get to know. However, if you have the time and capacity to make multiple visits, then choosing one neighbourhood to concentrate on will help you get to know it on a personal level. They all have their own personalities and have a sense of community, which is lost on the average tourist rushing here and there and trying to ‘see it all’ in a few days.
For instance, it took me four visits before I even set foot inside Central Park. It just seemed like it needed a dedicated visit to understand it and, to that end, I took a movie location walking tour and it opened up the park for me in a very satisfying way.
For those really wanting to get under the skin of this amazing and bamboozling city, I suggest exploring Lower Manhattan first – after all this is where it all began – as it has a village feel and is eminently walkable and discoverable in only a few days.
At night, when the office blocks empty, Lower Manhattan feels like a quiet neighbourhood, while the rest of the ‘city that never sleeps’ continues its relentless and noisy trudge through to dawn.
Once you’ve experienced it, you’ll never stay anywhere else in Manhattan. If you wander away from the Financial District, you’ll find curved, interesting and definitely non-grid-like streets filled with charming old low-rise buildings and an unhurried atmosphere.
^Census 2020
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Even though most people think that New York City just means Manhattan, the reality is that there are five boroughs, listed here in order of population:ˆ
1. Brooklyn – 2,736,074
2. Queens – 2,405,464
3. Manhattan – 1,694,251
4. The Bronx – 1,472,654
5. Staten Island – 495,747
That adds up to 8,804,190 people living on a combined area of 788 square km (304 square miles). These boroughs were created as counties by the English while creating the colony of New York. On their 1683 map they had different names: New York (Manhattan Island), Richmond (Staten Island), Kings (Brooklyn) and Queens… that’s four, with what is now Lower Manhattan as the actual City of New York. Manhattan Island was later divided, creating the fifth: The Bronx.
ˆ Census 2020
Experience
On a clear day, you can see forever… well 16km/10mi
This striking building stands like a middle finger salute to those terrorists who destroyed its predecessors, the Twin Towers, in 2001.
It measures 1776 feet (541 metres) from base to the tip of the spire, making it the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere. That number is in homage to the year America declared its independence from Britain… yet another salute. This building is all about defiance, including gravity and engineering.
The views from the top are spectacular… on a clear day. I was originally scheduled to go up on a cloudy day with 0 miles visibility — as seen on the screens at the entrance (see above) – so pick well, if you can, or they may allow you to change your booking, as they did for me. Thankfully the next day dawned beautifully clear and the views from the top were unparalleled and seriously worth the effort.
Fittingly, the artwork near the entrance (image bottom right) are ‘XO World’ and ‘XO Play,’ part of the XO WORLD Project promoting “equality, unity, peace and love.” Another, albeit more benign, salute!
Open daily 9am-9pm (with seasonal changes). Entry fee – standard to VIP inclusions – and Late Night Saver (after 8pm) available.
A world of wonder inside a beautiful cube
This shiny, new “cultural beacon” is a little architectural gem – designed by the architecture firm REX – and the last piece of the World Trade Center campus to open.
The monolithic cube – 49 x 49 metre (160 x 160 foot) – stands 36 metres (117 feet) tall and is covered in 5,000 panels of 12mm (0.5 in) thick veined Portuguese marble, through which light glows at night. (Bringing to mind the Beinecke Library at Yale University.) Each piece, laminated on both sides with thermal glass, was strategically ‘book matched’ to give a biaxially symmetric pattern – lozenge shape to you and me – which repeats on all four sides of the building.
The state-of-the-art building has three flexible performance spaces with automated walls and seating systems, enabling a wide-range of artistic programs. The Metropolis by Marcus Samuelsson restaurant/bar (image top right corner) is a busy work/social hub for locals.
Open Tue-Sun 11am-10pm.
Hop on board these red buses and explore more
While there are subway stations bringing you down the bottom of the island, once here it’s mostly foot power that will propel you around the district. While I loved getting my walk on, sometimes it can be nice to jump onboard an air-conditioned vehicle with a friendly driver who will drop you off somewhere nice.
Luckily, this free little red bus will pick you up and take you to 36 stops around the perimeter of Lower Manhattan. The route gives you the chance to hop to Brookfield Place, The Tin Building and the Staten Island Ferry to name but a few. No guarantees you won’t get stuck in traffic during peak hours, but at least you’re off your feet and moving… albeit slowly!
Daily service starts at 10 am and ends with a final run at 7.30pm.
Moving and impressive monuments to a terrible event
The Memorial covers 3.2 hectares (8 acres) and encompasses the footprints of the Twin Towers, destroyed on that day in 2001. The twin waterfall pools, called Reflecting Absence, are surrounded by bronze parapets – listing the names of the victims of the 9/11 attacks and the 1993 World Trade Center bombing – and more than 400 swamp white oak trees. Known colloquially as the Ground Zero fountain, it’s incredibly peaceful and serene.
The Museum is a subterranean exploration of artefacts and memories. It has a cathedral-like quality and visitors walk quietly through listening to their audio guides, as the enormity of the loss and devastation are brought to a human level. It’s a stark reminder and an emotional punch but also a place of hope, due to all those who came to the rescue!
The outdoor Memorial is free and open daily, 8am-8pm with Audio Guide available for rent or purchase on the App Store.
The 9/11 Museum is open Wed-Mon & select Tue, 9am-7pm. Entry fee. Free Admission Monday (5.30pm-7pm) tickets are available on the website each Monday beginning at 7am ET and are first come, first serve.
Fabulous new food hall at South Street Seaport
This vast edifice is a true survivor: built in 1907, it served out its days as The Fulton Fish Market and managed to make it through the tumultuous 20th century only to close in 2005. It sat idle for a decade until it underwent a massive eight year transformation to capture the zeitgeist of the 1920 & 30s, recalling its heyday.
The brainchild of renowned Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten, it’s a love letter to “the city that made him,” and today it sits neatly on the waterfront and lures you in with a dazzling array of food, flower and gift vendors inside the 5,000 m2 (54,000 ft2) Central Market.
The 12 varied dining establishments and four bars are scattered over two floors: from vegan to Mexican, brunch to sushi and everything in between.
Open Sun-Thu 8am-10pm, Fri & Sat 8am-10.30pm
Immersive digital arts experience
This attraction, near City Hall, turns a beautiful Beaux-Arts bank building – the city’s first skyscraper in that style (built 1909-1912) and saved from desecration in 1978 – into a cutting-edge walk inside the works and mind of an artist and/or culture.
Created by Culturespaces, “France’s leading private manager of museums and cultural heritage sites,“ this sister site to Atelier Des Lumières in Paris uses 130 video projectors, 54 speakers, 22 subwoofers – within 2800 sq m (30,000 sq feet) over two levels – and cutting-edge mapping technology to immerse you in paintings and historical situations.
With changing exhibitions and public events, this is a fantastic new addition to Lower Manhattan and an exciting re-use of a stunning old building.
Bookings essential.
Consume
Dine with a view of the Hudson River
This bistro – tucked away inside Le District – is a quiet oasis of calm inside what is the massive Brookfield Place complex in Battery Park City. With the plethora of dining choices this vast city holds, it’s nice to find a place where you can hear yourself think and your companion talk, while fine food is in the offing.
Being a French restaurant and lunch time, I chose the Croque Monsieur and the Crème Brûlée, the latter my litmus test for quality. Both were delicious. We sat in The Dining Room but, if you can, choose a seat to watch the water traffic on the Hudson River while dining. Next time, I’ll have Sunday brunch on The Patio and really take advantage of the views.
Open daily 11am-10pm.
Stylish taste of Paris in Lower Manhattan
This food district located on the ground (first) floor of Brookfield Place is testament to the love of French food and lifestyle enjoyed by New Yorkers. It’s always full, from morning to night, with locals walking around the market stations selecting crêpes, sharing charcuterie boards at the bar and perusing the patisserie's finest offerings.
Open daily 7.30am-10pm.
Stylish food court with NYC staples and chef-driven offerings
Located above Le District, with marble tables and views over the Hudson River to Jersey City, this is a pretty special foot court.
I always visit Mighty Quinn’s BBQ, but there are many and varied choices from 12 other stands: pizza to cupcakes, bagels to sushi and soups to sandwiches.
Open Mon-Sat 10am-8pm, Sun 12-6pm.
All day breakfast in an Irish pub
One of my favourite three-word expressions: all day breakfast *sigh*; and this one is a real treat. I discovered this place one quiet Sunday morning in 2016 and it remains a favourite, thanks to the great atmosphere and delicious Irish Breakfast (vegetarian version also available).
Residing on Water Street inside an historic five story townhouse, it was named for an Irish neighbourhood gang from the 1800s. It opened in 2013 and is still going strong… a rarity in NYC. Along the way it’s expanded and won many awards, including World’s Best Bar and World’s Best Cocktail Menu twice.
Open The Taproom 11am–2am, The Parlor 5pm–1am.
Addicted to the ‘dirty fries’
This chain is scattered all over Manhattan island and, if I see one, I’ll make a bee-line to it. Like my addiction to In-N-Out in California, I cannot come to New York City without visiting one of these culinary purveyors of the best burnt-ends outside of Georgia. I visited the one in Brookfield Place this time and got my serve of dirty fries – fried smothered with burnt ends, chile-lime sauce, red onion and scallions (spicy) – to go. While they’re not good for the waistline, they are a fabulous treat and they even reheat well, as I never finish the full serve in one go.
Open Mon-Sat 11 am-9 pm, Sun 11am-7pm.
Rest
One central location to discover it all
I first stayed here in 2015 when the design you see above was new. This time, I visited during a period of transition to a more sedate design and will have to return to see its new incarnation fully realised. Being a ‘residence inn’ means that you have all the comforts of home – including a well stocked kitchenette, where the only thing missing was an electric kettle for us tea drinkers – without the need to do any cleaning yourself, although there is a dishwasher to take care of your immediate needs. My room had a stylish walk-in shower, however, you can request rooms with baths.
Located near the corner of Maiden Lane and Broadway, the location couldn’t be more ideal. It’s a straight two block walk to the World Trade Center, zag to the the right and you’re at the Oculus Transportation Hub, another left gets you to Brookfield Place. Out the doors and left down Broadway leads you towards the tip of the island and all that it holds. Turn right and 7/8ths of the island awaits you either on foot or via Subway from the Fulton Street interchange one block away. In fact, I arrived at the hotel - from the Metro North train – and departed for JFK airport via the subway. Of all the places I’ve stayed in NYC, this was the most convenient hotel from which to arrive or depart.
I felt really safe and at home here and, if I were to take up residence in Manhattan, I would rent this King Suite – and live like a king(!) in more space than the average rental apartment – instead of diving into the morass that is the New York real estate market. I will be back.
This guide details all of the things The Packed Bag experienced. Please see Downtown Alliance for more.