Just in:
Sharjah Chamber Breaks Ground on Final Expansion with New HQ Pact // CABSAT 2024 Ushers in 30 Years of Media Innovation // Experience Ultimate Shopping Freedom at 4.4 Shopee Spree: Don’t Worry, Shop Shopee! // Sharpening the Focus: Sharjah Health Department Refines Evaluation Criteria for “Healthy Schools Programme” // Emirati Aid Reaches Ukraine as Food Shortages Bite // Meta Earth Official Website Launch: The Pioneer Explorer in the Modular Public Blockchain Domain // Emirates Post Speeds Up Deliveries for GCC with Special Day // Andertoons by Mark Anderson for Thu, 28 Mar 2024 // US reiterates concern over Kejriwal arrest, Cong accounts // Following the Money Trail: US and UK Investigate $20 Billion in USDT Transfers Tied to Sanctioned Russian Exchange // Konica Minolta is named ASEAN 2023 Market Leader in Colour Light and Mid Digital Production Printers // Lisboeta Macau’s world first LINE FRIENDS PRESENTS CASA DE AMIGO and BROWN & FRIENDS CAFE & BISTRO has officially opened // First-Ever Fortune Innovation Forum Draws Top Global Leaders to Hong Kong, Promoting Agendas On Collective Cross-Sector Advancement // Infineon and HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering jointly develop ship electrification technology // Hope for Respite as UAE Endorses UN Plea for Gaza Truce // Ajman Celebrates Conclusion of Ramadan Activities with Grand Ceremony // No running of govt from jail, says Delhi Lt Governor // German Job Market Resilience Bodes Well for Economic Recovery // 2024 Lok Sabha Elections Will Be The Costliest One Till Now In The Whole World // U.S. Compliance Takes Center Stage at OKX Following Industry Jitters //
HomeArts & CultureMy Kind of Place: Lower Manhattan, New York City

My Kind of Place: Lower Manhattan, New York City

AR 170429949

Why Lower Manhattan?

The bottom tip of Manhattan island was where New York began – with Dutch fur trappers finding it a handy harbour and trading site. Today, the trading is done on the New York Stock Exchange and in the giant office towers that compete for skyline space.

ADVERTISEMENT

But among the gleaming glass are remnants of a past that goes back much further than it does elsewhere in the city. Eighteenth-century buildings survive among the modern melee, and that mix of old and new – combined with a gripping collection of niche museums – makes Lower Manhattan much more appealing than many New Yorkers give it credit for.

A comfortable bed

The independently owned Wall Street Inn (www.thewallstreetinn.com) has something of a time-warp charm factor. There’s a country hotel homeliness, but a recent renovation has prevented anything from looking tired. Queen rooms cost from US$232 (Dh852).

Much sassier is Gild Hall (www.thompsonhotels.com). Steepling bookshelves, draughts sets and bizarre leather rhinos in the lobby give way to high ceilings and leather-padded headboards that sprawl all the way across the back wall in the rooms. Doubles cost from $437 (Dh1,605).

Relative bargains can be had at the Club Quarters Wall Street (www.clubquarters.com), where business-orientated rooms brim with plug sockets, have microwaves and crockery and come equipped with fold-out beds for kids. Doubles cost from $186 (Dh683).

ADVERTISEMENT

Find your feet

For a solid grounding in Lower Manhattan’s back story, Context (www.contexttravel.com) runs an excellent History of Finance tour, led by a Wall Street veteran, who has seen how the area has changed over the decades. The tour delves into the surprisingly fascinating history of finance, starting with a visit to the gravestone of Alexander Hamilton – the man who effectively set up the American financial system and died fighting a duel with the vice president Aaron Burr.

Most interesting of all are the tales of how within two decades, crowded trading floors, awash in paper and shouting and stressed people, have given way to people calmly staring at computer screens.

There’s even more detail on how Wall Street works at the Museum of American Finance (www.moaf.org), while the grand old Custom House is now home to the National Museum of the American Indian (www.nmai.si.edu). Part of the Smithsonian Institution, the storytelling here is surprisingly poor, but the artefacts on display are superb. Incredibly intricate weapons, clothing and pottery have been collected from all over the Americas.

Finish off at The Skyscraper Museum (www.skyscraper.org), which tells the tale of the race to become the world’s tallest building, complete with lots of three-dimensional scale models.

Meet the locals

The western edges of Lower Manhattan aren’t thronging with workers and visitors quite as much. A series of thin, narrow parks can be found behind the skyscrapers. Resident joggers keep in shape there, and the views out to New Jersey are pretty impressive.

Book a table

Fraunces Tavern (www.frauncestavern.com) is steeped in history. George Washington bade farewell to his officers here at the end of the War of Independence, while key government departments were run from inside the tavern during New York’s brief tenure as national capital. The food tries its best to match up to the heritage, with the $26 (Dh95) jambalaya being a pretty good bet.

For modern-day celeb chefs rather than historic celeb guests, try Anthony Bourdain’s take on the French brasserie, Les Halles (www.leshalles.net). Beef tenderloin with Béarnaise sauce costs $36 (Dh132).

Shopper’s paradise

The tip of Manhattan is hardly New York’s prime shopping area, but the Century 21 discount department store at 22 Cortlandt Street is a very notable exception. Spread over six floors, it sells brands such as John Varvatos, Calvin Klein, Burberry and DKNY, slashing up to 65 per cent off the normal price. The Mysterious Bookshop at 58 Warren Street is properly old-fashioned, with shelves climbing the walls, all filled with thousands of crime novels.

What to avoid

If you want to throw yourself into the New York buzz, then Lower Manhattan isn’t the place to be at weekends. When the office workers aren’t there, it’s surprisingly sleepy. On the flip side, hotel rates are much cheaper at weekends – there are some bargains to be had.

Don’t miss

The 9/11 Memorial & Museum (www.911memorial.org) on the site of the former World Trade Center is hugely moving and very tastefully done. Two giant cascading pools take the place of the Twin Towers, while the museum goes through the events of September 11, 2001, in forensic detail. The use of video and audio eyewitness accounts, in particular, brings a lump to the throat.

Getting there

Etihad (www.etihad.ae) and Emirates (www.emirates.com) offer direct flights to New York’s JFK from about Dh4,300 return, including taxes.

Source link

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT
Just in:
CABSAT 2024 Ushers in 30 Years of Media Innovation // French Leaders Gather for Interfaith Iftar Dinner // Global Audience to Witness Thrill of Dubai World Cup // Samsung Partners National Heritage Board to Bring a Slice of Singapore’s Cultural Heritage to Samsung The Frame TV // Meta Earth Official Website Launch: The Pioneer Explorer in the Modular Public Blockchain Domain // Konica Minolta is named ASEAN 2023 Market Leader in Colour Light and Mid Digital Production Printers // Infineon and HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering jointly develop ship electrification technology // US reiterates concern over Kejriwal arrest, Cong accounts // Following the Money Trail: US and UK Investigate $20 Billion in USDT Transfers Tied to Sanctioned Russian Exchange // Universal Language for Healthcare: General Authority Embraces Global Coding System // New Nylon Constant Torque Hinge From Southco Provides Position Control In A Compact Package // German Job Market Resilience Bodes Well for Economic Recovery // TUMI Hosts Global Launch Event in Singapore to Unveil Women’s Asra Collection and Announce Global Ambassador, Mun Ka Young // Experience Ultimate Shopping Freedom at 4.4 Shopee Spree: Don’t Worry, Shop Shopee! // Ingdan Announces 2023 Annual Results // AIA Hong Kong Wins More Than 20 Accolades at MPF Ratings MPF Awards, BENCHMARK MPF of The Year Awards and Bloomberg Businessweek Top Fund Awards // 2024 Lok Sabha Elections Will Be The Costliest One Till Now In The Whole World // Andertoons by Mark Anderson for Thu, 28 Mar 2024 // Sharjah Chamber Breaks Ground on Final Expansion with New HQ Pact // Sunshine’s Debut Features Leave Tech World Scratching Its Head //