Battery Park may be way down at the southern tip of Manhattan, but back in the 18th century, this area was the center of the City. This is where everything happened: Immigrants landed, presidents were inaugurated, historic monuments to architecture, trade and government were built -- and you can still see the well-preserved evidence of all that today.
SIGHTS:
Battery Park
Southern tip of Manhattan, Broadway between State and Whitehall Streets
If Manhattan had the suburban equivalent of a "Lookout Point," this would be it. Gaze out on the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Governors Island or into the eyes of your loved one. This is definitely a romantic spot and great picture-taking destination.
Castle Clinton
Battery Park, north end
Formerly, a fort, a theater (P.T. Barnum presented opera singer Jenny Lind here), an aquarium and an immigration depot, this circular outdoor structure is now the place where you purchase tickets to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.
Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island Immigration Museum
(212) 363-3200
www.nps.gov/stli and www.Ellisisland.org
Contrary to a popular misconception, Lady Liberty is not on Ellis Island. She stands 111-feet tall on Liberty Island, while Ellis is the home of a moving museum about the immigrants who came to the U.S. in the 19th and 20th centuries. The same ferry takes visitors to both islands, and although you have to pay for the boat ride, entrance to the museum and the statue is free.
Fraunces Tavern and Museum
54 Pearl Street at Broad Street
(212)-425-1778.
An 18th-century watering hole where Revolutionary War troops talked trash about the British, this history museum is mostly dedicated to George Washington. The white-haired general-turned-president used to have a drink here once in a while and said farewell to his troops here after the war in 1783.
Museum of American Financial History
28 Broadway at Beaver Street
(212) 908-4110.
A small institution tucked into the old Standard Oil Building, this museum offers background on the history and cultural impact of currency and cash flow. Past exhibitions have included the history of piggy banks, high-denomination bills and John D. Rockefeller.
Museum of Jewish Heritage: A Living Memorial to the Holocaust
18 First Place at Battery Place
(212) 509-6130
www.mjhnyc.org
Tastefully and movingly presented, the museum's exhibition revisits the horror of the Holocaust and the hope of a people. Hundreds of artifacts and thousands of photographs detail the history of tragedy and bring personal stories to the forefront.
National Museum of the American Indian
Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House, 1 Bowling Green between State and Whitehall Streets
(212) 514-3700.
The George Gustav Heye Center of the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of the American Indian is located inside the city's third Custom House (first at the Federal Hall and then 55 Wall Street), a massive and imposing 1907 structure which is elaborately adorned with architectural sculpture. The four biggies on the steps are Daniel Chester French's Asia, America, Europe and Africa, and the 12 along the cornice represent a dozen civilizations. Inside, the museum (whose main branch is in Washington, D.C.) offers free exhibitions about Native American history and a strong series of programs and workshops with Native American artists and historians.
Staten Island Ferry
Whitehall Terminal, South Street at Whitehall Street
(718) 727-2508.
Free to foot passengers, the 24-hour ferry makes for a romantic sunset ride to and from Staten Island. You'll pass the Statue of Liberty and Governors Island (which is not open to the public), and once you get to NYC's fifth borough, there's plenty to do. Take in a minor-league baseball game at the Staten Island Yankees' stadium, visit one of many historical museums, or go for a bike ride through the island's Greenbelt, a string of beautiful parks and nature reserves.
EATS:
American Park at the Battery
Battery Park, State Street at Water Street
(212) 809-5508
Feast your tastebuds on fresh seafood as you feast your eyes on great views of the harbor.
Bayard's
1 Hanover Square between Pearl and Stone Streets
(212) 514-9454
This Italianate 1851 mansion is the members-only India House during the day, but at night it's a quiet spot to get a delicious dinner, featuring vegetables straight from the executive chef's Long Island farm.
Delmonico's
56 Beaver Street at South William Street
(212) 509-1144
Good old-fashioned red meat is the specialty of the house at this wood-paneled bistro, which has been around since 1837.
The Grill Room
World Financial Center, 225 Liberty Street at West Street
(212) 945-9400
Great views of the Hudson, and of course New York Water Taxi, the Grill Room is the place for hearty home cooking. Meat and potatoes are the specialty of the house.
2 West
2 West street at Broadway
(917) 790-2525
For an elegant dining experience and a great wine list, 2 West offers it all. Any time of day you can enjoy delicious regional American Cuisine.
ABOUT:
The park itself is entirely built on landfill, but that does not decrease its rank as one of the most beautiful sightseeing spots in Manhattan. Gaze across New York Harbor and imagine the ships of wide-eyed immigrants sailing hopefully past the Statue of Liberty. If the moment moves you, hop a ferry to Lady Liberty or Ellis Island, the famous entry point for the ancestors of so many of New York's rich cultural communities. At the north end of the park, you can walk through Castle Clinton, a circular open-air structure that was built as a fort to defend the city against the British during the Napoleonic Wars (it was 100 yards off-shore when it was constructed). It later became a theater, an aquarium, an immigration depot, and today it's the visitor's center where you buy tickets to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. In the summer, it even serves as an arena for outdoor concerts.
At the exit from Pier A, you'll find the Museum of Jewish Heritage -- A Living Memorial to the Holocaust, and just north of the park, you can explore the Beaux-Arts Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House (now the National Museum of the American Indian) and the oldest existing park in the city, Bowling Green, where rebellious colonists toppled a statue of King George III in 1776. The gate that surrounds Bowling Green is the original one, erected in 1771.
When you're ready, start your journey up Broadway and watch as history unfolds beneath your feet. This is the direction the city grew in, and you can observe the expansion in the style of architecture of the buildings on this main drag, and in the size and layout of the streets that branch off of it.
