Lower Manhattan - what's a "must see" (New York: appointed, city hall)

[canucklehead]

During my previous visit to NY I was primarily 34th Street and up.

This time, I plan on being all south of Canal Street so I would appreciate some help.

I'm coming to town for a Yankees game at the end of July and have 1 free day to explore, so I'm going to do a couple things I've always wanted to do. First is to walk the Brooklyn Bridge, second is to visit the WTC site.

What I'm looking for is something cool to see in Lower Manhattan.
Not necessarily touristy, but something different.
Someplace a New Yorker would go for lunch or a coffee.
Someplace off the beaten path that a tourist might not be interested in, but a geek like me would
Someplace that might interest the eye of a photographer (architecture, history, pop culture, etc).

Walking Brooklyn Bridge will be my touristy thing to do.
Visting the WTC site and the streets around it is not a touristy thing for me to do, it's a spiritual journey for me. It's something I've felt called to do, even though everyone says "you'll be disappointed, it's just a construction site now". I'm not a morbid person, I'm not an ambulance chaser. But I feel called to walk the streets around the site, remember, and pay my respects.

Beyond that, I'm open to suggestions.

Is there a cool building that you think my camera would appreciate
Is there a cool alley or street that most people wouldn't notice?

Any suggestions would be appreciated. Gimme a local taste of the city. Gimme a picture that no one else will have.

Thanks everyone!

[Irish Eyes]

It is touristy but go by the Stock Exchange. Your camera will definitely love the HUGE flag that drapes the building. That corner is really cool too. Federal Hall is great and there are always very heavily armed ESU cops there. I've always thought a picture of them would be a great 'welcome to NY' postcard. Go to Battery Park because there is a sculpture there that used to be outside the Trade Center. It survived with damage and there is an eternal flame. I feel it's more moving than the site itself. There is a police museum on Water Street about halfway between the Seaport and Battery Park that has an excellent 9/11 exhibit. Other cool stuff in there, too. It's in it's own little building designed to look like an old precinct. There are also old police cars parked outside. Could be something to photograph.

The building at 55 Water Street has an outdoor garden. Take the escalator up and you won't believe your eyes. You'll be outside, a few stories up with a really interesting view of the East River, seaport and bridges. Lots of water traffic going by and you're also right at the heliport there so you're also above them while they're hovering/landing. I can't believe how much helicopter traffic there is.

I can probably come up with more, but I have to head over there myself now for work!

[canucklehead]

Very cool tips Irish Eyes. I was thinking of walking down Wall Street and wasn't sure which cross street to take, Pearl or Water. Sounds like Water is the place to go. Thanks!

My camera loves you! *LOL* The police museum sounds like a great photo op, and I'll see if I can get a picture of the Federal Bulding with a cop in front of it for you (without getting shot or arrested!!!)

And the garden/heliport is now on my list! That sounds cool.

[holden125]

I agree with all of Irish Eyes's tips.

To clarify: Federal Hall at Wall and Nassau is not the same as the Federal Building, which is an ugly modern office building near Foley Square. Federal Hall is an old Greek-temple looking building where George Washington took the oath as first president. It was City Hall once upon a time.

I would add:

-The area in Chinatown near Doyers and Pell (narrow little streets, real old NY)
-Foley Square-beautiful courthouses, including the Law and Order one (Manhattan Supreme Court, 60 Centre St). The twisty green benches by the Federal building on the west side are also cool.
-City Hall Park (Great fountain)/St. Andrews Plaza/Municipal Building (Chambers and Centre)/Tweed Courthouse (Chambers behind City Hall)
-Woolworth Bldg
-St. Pauls Chapel (B'way/Vesey) and Trinity Church (B'way/Wall) (great graveyards)
-US Custom House by Bowling Green/Battery Park. The other buildings on the west side of Broadway are very nice too. One at 25 Broadway was the Cunard Line HQ. It's worth stepping in to the post office there and seeing the lobby. 1 Broadway has mosiacs of European port cities on it.
-S. William St. has some old Dutch style buildings, a piece of Amsterdam in New Amsterdam
-Nassau St has a pedestrian mall of sorts
-Vietnam memorial in garden behind 125 Broad-also good river views
-South St. Seaport (touristy but good views of the Brooklyn Bridge and East River waterfalls art installation)
-Battery Park City (a little sterile but the South Cove and the Irish Famine memorial at Vesey St. are worth checking out)

[john_starks]

lower manhattan is the best part imo. so different from the rest of the city..

washington square park is obviously a must. gotta take a picture of the arch. also, check out west broadway around spring street, unique architecture, cobble stone streets, has a lot of character. union square park is just north. there's always something going on there whether its a protest or a band perfoming. also you have that cool virgin megastore. there's an interesting playouse just west of the park and of course, there's irving plaza. not the freakin fillmore . walk southeast of the park and check out st. marks. if you look hard enough, you'll see some of the original punk rockers from back in the day.

for food, although popular, check out johns for pizza. corner bistro for burgers or elephant & castle for pub fare..they have great coffee btw.. if you want a good cup of capuccino to go check out six & twelve on 6th ave.

for intersting nightlife check out the meat market in the meatpacking district..around hudson and 12/13th at night. the roofdeck at hotel gansvoort is a must see. touristy, but you get a great view of the west village, chelsea, hudson river. i think you can even see jersey city. the view is just as good the daytime too when its not crowded. its free to get in but i'm not gonna lie, drinks are around $15-$25.

[Irish Eyes]

Haha. Those cops would be a little less intimidating if they didn’t actually have their fingers on the trigger of their assault rifles. Wait until you see them! And I don’t know what it is about the heliport – but I could watch them take off and land for hours. What time of year will you be visiting?

Photography is my favorite part of a lot of vacations and I love "old". You probably want to wander around Pearl Street, too. A lot of old, low buildings that are residential over storefronts. Not that common in the area. The block next to Pearl Street is Stone Street and the bars and restaurants go through to both streets. Stone is a cobblestone street that's closed to traffic and you instantly feel like you're in Europe. (In fact The Financier is on that block and they have excellent gelato) The whole street is packed with people for lunch and for drinks after work. I can think of two inexpensive places where real people eat. One place is Zeytuna around Maiden Lane and William Street. They have EVERYTHING and nice outdoor tables to eat at. VERY reasonably priced. Get there a little before noon and watch it fill up, or go after two. It will be harder to get a seat between 12 &2. The other place is an indoor dive type bar called the White Horse Tavern. Old bar, lots of wood, great building, old lady with a hairnet churning out great food. And they have McSorley's on tap. That's on Bridge Street which is just an extension of Pearl Street but closer to Broadway. At that end there is also a museum at Bowling Green. I've never been inside (i think it's free) but the building itself takes up the whole block and is something to see. For cheap breakfast you can’t beat the coffee carts. Get a buttered roll and coffee for $1.50 and eat it in Battery Park.

Another thing you could look into is Red Hook, Brooklyn. An Ikea just opened there and they have a free ferry that runs from Pier 11 (Wall Street) to their dock at the store. Don't worry - I'm not recommending you shop at Ikea on your vacation!! It's just in a neighborhood that is definitely off the beaten path and might interest you. I haven't been to Red Hook in several years but the waterfront there used to be great. Kind of desolate and forgotten. I know Ikea has jazzed up the area but if you go a little further into the neighborhood you can still find some interest. I think a few blocks in either direction might still give you access to some great, undeveloped waterfront. At worst it's a nice, free ferry ride (about 15 min each way) that gives you a great view of Manhattan. Ikea also has a café with outdoor seating so you can grab a bite. I would also imagine they have impeccable bathroom facilities - always a concern for me when I’m out all day! lol NY Water Taxi operates the ferry and you don’t have to show any kind of proof that you are actually going to or have been at the store. Here’s a short article about the neighborhood…

http://tinyurl.com/5qjubn

[Irish Eyes]

Now I see the other great responses and I'm in love with downtown! I like it much better down here and I hated working in Midtown. The Customs Bldg is the one I was thinking of in Bowling Green. St. Paul's should definitely be on your list of WTC related stops. Also check out Trinity Church - great architecture. If the cemetary is open check out some of the headstones.

I've heard that you can't get into the Woolworth bldg at all anymore because of security. That post office isn't there anymore but it was unbelievable. I don't know what's there now. I know even on the outside of the bldg you can see reminders of the Cunard days. Over the doorways carved in the stone there's passenger directions. (My mother landed in NY Harbor when she came to this country so it always makes me think of her) And really don't underestimate the South St. Seaport. It's touristy for a reason. My coworkers and I were all born and raised here and we still stroll around over there all the time. Inside is just a mall but the area surrounding it is all old, cobblestone streets and the pier is wonderful. You'll be almost directly under the bridge there.

[canucklehead]

Wow, you guys are great!!! I wish I had a couple more days in the area.

I'll be in town on August 1 and 2 (the 2nd is the Yankees game, so that day's pretty much burned).

Yeah St. Paul's and Trinity Church were definitely on my list......now what else....Foley Square, South St Seaport, Customs Building, South William St, John's for a real sice of New York pizza , ......... I might have to run........

The Red Hook ferry might work. I was planning on taking the water taxi back up to midtown once my walking tour was over anyways, so I might just cruise to Ikea (never thought I'd say that about my trip to NY) and walk a few blocks and then head back even just for good pictures of Manhattan from the water.

[UpstaterInBklyn]

If you're planning to go to Red Hook, you find some unique photography opportunities there. Definitely not touristy stuff!

Red Hook has a classic industrial waterfront with old decaying industrial infrastructure plus and a few nicely restored warehouse-turned-loft buildings. There are also a lot unique buildings and residences in the neighborhood.

Skip Ikea, its mob scene right now. Instead, go to the Fairway Supermarket. The water taxi drops you off right at their outdoor patio cafe (yes, a waterfront cafe at a supermarket). Adjacent to Fairway, which is housed in a restored old warehouse, there is another warehouse with glass artisan galleries inside. There is also a small waterfront museum housed in a floating old wooden barge. I've never gone in, but it looks cool from the outside.

[Fred314X]

Just wander around below Fulton Street. All those short, twisty little streets--this was New York City in the 17th and 18th centuries! (South Street Seaport is a glaring tourist trap; you won't be among New Yorkers there).