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We are getting family from JFK airport Saturnday morning and would like to do some sightseeing. Things we are interested in seeing/doing: walk across Brooklyn Bridge, Empire State, see Statue of Liberty..even from a distance is fine.., Trade Center memorial. We will be driving and need to know where we could park to see some, if not all, of the above.
I think I'm one of many New Yorkers who doesn't consider the WTC site a tourist attraction. Thousands of people died there and it's just a very, very sad place. And there's nothing to see.
I understand that. We look at as paying our respects. I didnt mean to offend anyone. The 9-11 attacks didnt just happen to New Yorkers, it happened to The United States and Americans.
I am from New Orleans and lived through the catastrophe of Hurricane Katrina where thousands of people lost their lives. I do not take offense to people coming to see what happened there. Also, I think of it as happening to our country, not New Orleanians.
I guess you do not want to help me show my 11 and 13 year old sons the other sites I mentioned?
I understand that. We look at as paying our respects. I didnt mean to offend anyone. The 9-11 attacks didnt just happen to New Yorkers, it happened to The United States and Americans.
I am from New Orleans and lived through the catastrophe of Hurricane Katrina where thousands of people lost their lives. I do not take offense to people coming to see what happened there. Also, I think of it as happening to our country, not New Orleanians.
I guess you do not want to help me show my 11 and 13 year old sons the other sites I mentioned?
I am not sure that I agree that these happened to the US as a whole rather than the cities where they occurred, but it's great that you felt affected as an American by what happened. I was devastated by Katrina because I love New Orleans personally, and also because it's a tragic American and human story, but unfortunately much of the country has taken a pass on helping get the city back on its feet. Personally I had a hard time with people all around the country who have never had a nice thing to say about New York all of a sudden finding common cause, and then using attacks on us to push an agenda that was not all that popular around here. For you, I don't think it's out of disrespect that you'd want to see the WTC site, but there is frustration for some of us because it can be a circus down there. For a long time people were selling photo albums and souvenirs of that day, and there were many people crowding on the fence and snapping pictures.
Anyway, that is not the question here. The Brooklyn Bridge, WTC, and the Statue of Liberty are all close to each other. Parking is quite tough in any of those areas. On a Sunday there is some street parking within a few blocks of the WTC, but otherwise you're looking at expensive garages. If possible I'd recommend not driving in NYC. Traffic is rough and there really is no cheap place to park near those attractions.
If you do drive, there is a garage on the Brooklyn side at Henry St. near Orange St. This does fill up on the weekdays, though it should be OK on a Saturday. Here are some others, all commercial and pricy:
From the Henry St garage you could walk across Cadman Plaza, and head left (north) on Cadman Plaza East to the bridge walkway. The entrances are Cadman Plaza East near Prospect St (under the bridge) and on Adams St. near Tillary.
The bridge is better walking from Brooklyn to Manhattan. From the Manhattan end of the bridge, near City Hall, it's only two or three blocks to the WTC at Church and Vesey. From there it's only a 5 minute walk to Battery Park at the lower tip of Manhattan, where the ferry to the Statue of Liberty leaves from. The modern statue of Atlas from the WTC plaza is now in this park, in bruised form. You can see the statue from the park as well.
If you do it this way, I highly recommend exploring the area near the garage in Brooklyn a bit. It is Brooklyn Heights, one of NY's great neighborhoods that many visitors don't see. The blocks south and west of the garage have beautiful brick townhouses and old churches, and above the BQE (278) behind Columbia Heights is the promenade, a walkway with great NYC views. Looking over the water to the left you can see the Statue from there too. I'd also recommend walking down Columbia Heights, down the hill to the end at Old Fulton St. Here are some great views of the city and bridge, and Grimaldi's pizza is very good. On weekends it's a long line, on Monday nights you walk right in. If you go down Water St from there, you could see a bit of the old warehouse area, increasingly tony, called DUMBO. There is a great chocolate shop called Jacques Torres, and taking a left onto Main St. will take you a park on the waterfront with more great views of the city. This might be my favorite place to see lower Manhattan from.
The ESB is farther away from all this, it's up by 34th St and 5th Avenue. Again, there are commercial garages around there, too many to mention, but they are all expensive and traffic is horrendous, particularly on a weekday. It really is more easily reached on the subway, or at least by taxi. I don't know where you're staying, but you could probably spend less getting taxis then paying for a car rental and parking everywhere. You will not find anything easily on the street in any of those areas.
If you go up there, it's not very far to the New York Public Library at 42nd and 5th, a beautiful building, and Bryant Park just behind it is a little slice of Paris in Manhattan. And that's only a block to Times Square. There are a lot of great things to see in the city, enjoy your trip!
Holden, I wanted to rate your post positively for your good suggestions, but look at the message I got from city data: "You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to holden125 again."
I didn't even realize I had ever rated your posts before!
Holden, I wanted to rate your post positively for your good suggestions, but look at the message I got from city data: "You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to holden125 again."
I didn't even realize I had ever rated your posts before!
Thanks. I have actually had that experience with giving you positive ratings a couple of weeks ago! Queens bringing the good advice...
Holden,
Thank you so much for your kind response. I do understand the irritation you must feel towards tourists who do not respect the wtc site/memorial and you guys who went through it.
I've never felt any animosity towards New Yorkers nor have I known anyone who did, but maybe that is because I was living in Louisiana where I felt the whole country looked down on us and thinks of us as swamp people. lol I now live in Connectict and love it.
We are going to take your advice and try to park near the Brooklyn Bridge and walk over. That sounds great! My boys will love that. We will be there on Saturday, so, maybe we will get lucky in the parking area
A cool place to check out would be Southstreet Seaport which is right near the Brooklyn Bridge albeit quite a walk through Chinatown when the bridge finally ends. There's a mini mall there, shops, ships to look at, and quite a few of lower Manhattan and the Brooklyn bridge.
I wonder if you'll regret renting a car. Parking is a fortune. If you visit and public transportation, especially to popular tourist areas (including Brooklyn Heights), is extensive and convenient. If I were visiting New York, I would not bring a car unless maybe, maybe, I had two or more children under the age of 6. Even if money is no object, it may be more time consuming to wait for your car to come back down than to get halfway to your next destination by subway. If your time is limited, you don't want to waste it waiting for a car.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BreatheRhetoric
A cool place to check out would be Southstreet Seaport which is right near the Brooklyn Bridge albeit quite a walk through Chinatown when the bridge finally ends. There's a mini mall there, shops, ships to look at, and quite a few of lower Manhattan and the Brooklyn bridge.
Your post confuses me, BreatheRhetoric, because if you come off the Brooklyn Bridge, Chinatown is to the right and the Seaport is to the left.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Henna
Holden, I wanted to rate your post positively for your good suggestions, but look at the message I got from city data: "You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to holden125 again."
I didn't even realize I had ever rated your posts before!
I think that's a default acknowledgment. I've gotten that with the quick link for a positive rep, even for folks I knew I'd never rated before.
Holden did contribute an excellent post, though, didn't he?
Your post confuses me, BreatheRhetoric, because if you come off the Brooklyn Bridge, Chinatown is to the right and the Seaport is to the left.
Holden did contribute an excellent post, though, didn't he?
I always thought of Chinatown as being a bit of a walk after coming off the Brooklyn Bridge as well, since it puts you at City Hall. Perhaps not that much of a walk from the bridge to Chinatown in general terms, but if you have just walked over the bridge itself and have a few kids with you, then those extra several blocks up to Canal St. might seem very long.
And, I always thought Holden was female!!
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