Battery Park, The Gates to NEW YORK CITY
Written: Nov 14 '02 (Updated Jun 06 '03)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Much to see and it's all within a twenty minute walk or a ferry ride.
Cons: Very crowded in the summer and some weekends.
The Bottom Line: Battery Park has you so close to history and the living world of today.
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| popsrocks's Full Review: Battery Park |
Being a Long Island resident Battery Park is an easy destination for me.
GETTING THERE
By car, which I don't recommend during the week, get onto the FDR Drive, West Street, or Broadway and just travel as far south as you can go. You will find public parking garages at a hefty price of twenty four to fifty dollars a day. There is a parking area for RVs but do call before taking a big vehicle like that downtown.
I recommend the subway. I take it all the time. Most of the cars are clean and I feel very safe. From Penn Station you can get the #1 9 Downtown to the park or the R and N line to the Bowling Green Station. When you come up just walk a few feet and you are there.
A LITTLE HISTORY
Battery Park received it's name from the battery of cannon that used to line the shore. In the 1800s a structure was built to support the men and munitions needed to protect New York Harbour during the War of 1812. It was actually built south of the island on rocks. One had to travel over a causeway to get to it. During the years of that war not a shot was fired.
Over the years the southern part of Manhattan was filled in including and beyond the cannon housing. Most of the area you walk on in the park was once under water.
Soon after the war the structure was named after a popular mayor of New York City. His name was DeWitt Clinton. Castle Clinton was soon given to the city and turned into an entertainment area. They had shows there. They also renamed it the Castle Garden. A roof was soon put over the top and then it was used as an Opera house.
Back in those days the city didn't go much beyond lower Manhattan. In fact many years earlier there was a wall built that protected the inhabitants of very lower Manhattan from the "Savages" beyond. This street, that is now on the foundations of that wall, is called Wall Street.
In 1854 the building was then used to process immigrants that came into NY harbour from other countries. Millions came through that building until 1890 when it was closed and Ellis Island took over it's duties. It then was made into the New York Aquarium. This was a very popular site until it closed at the start of WWII.
CASTLE CLINTON
The structure is now part of the National Parks System. It was renamed Castle Clinton and is now open to the public. At times tours are given by guides in early 1800s period costumes. You can also take a self guided tour that is twenty minutes long. Be sure to check out the small museum. There you will see artifacts of by gone days and three dioramas. Also, if you have a Passport to the National Parks have it canceled there. Be sure to bring the Passport as there are a few places within walking distance that you can also visit and get your passport stamped. More on that later. Oh yes, all of Castle Clinton is FREE.
THE STATUE OF LIBERTY
Right at Castle Clinton you will find the place to purchase tickets for a ferry ride to see the Statue of Liberty. From the shores of Battery Park you see the Lady with her arm raised upward with a torch in hand lighting the way for all to come. I always try to remember the words this beautiful statue stands for.
Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me. I lift my lamp beside the golden door.
I am proud of these words and believe our nation is strong and diverse because of them. We must always heed these words and try to promote freedom of peoples throughout the world. This not always an easy task and we must watch our borders but at the same time we must offer ourselves and our way of life.
ELLIS ISLAND
You can also get tickets for Ellis Island at Castle Clinton. The same boat that goes to the Statue of Liberty goes to Ellis Island. My grand parents came the United States through Ellis Island in the early 1900s. Their names were Immaculatta and Pasquale Borrillo. About ten years ago I had those names engraved in the wall that borders Ellis Island. A few years later I took my mom there to see her parents names on the wall of memory. It was a moving experience I will never forget. Though they are long gone I still thank my grandparents for their sacrifices that allow me and my family to be Americans.
WORLD TRADE CENTER SPHERE
My wife and I visited the World Trade Center many many times. We would go there in the mornings to the TKTS booth inside the south tower. We would purchase discounted Broadway Play tickets for that night. We would then go up to the restaurant on the top floor and have lunch. The views were spectacular. Afterward we would go down to the promenade area between the two towers. Many times there were free shows during the summer here. Also here was a sculpture. It was done by a German artist. It was of a globe in a brightly polished metal. It depicted the earth and was built to signify unity and peace in the world.
September 11, 2001, saw that sculpture disappear beneath the rubble of the two towers. Months later as recovery and cleanup was proceeding they found the sculpture!!. It was bent, scratch, lost it's luster, and was dirty. But! It held it's basic shape.
After much discussion it was felt that a temporary memorial to those victims of September 11th should be arranged. Battery Park became the site and the Globe became the focal point. If you look just north of Castle Clinton you will see it along with the Eternal Flame. It is bent up but standing! It is a place all Americans and freedom loving peoples need to go to until a fitting memorial is constructed on the footprints of the towers.
WALK THE PARK
The park itself is not all that large and is easily navigated in just minutes. You will see flower gardens in the spring and summer. There are many benches to sit down on. Get a seat along the water and watch the ship and boats come and go. It can be very relaxing. In the area you may see one or two unsavory characters but they are not a problem. You will also see uniformed police and Rangers in the park.
Be sure to check out the line for the ferry rides to the Statue and Ellis Island. You will see street entertainers and some of them are really good. Be sure to have a few dollars in your pocket to give to them. There are vendors in the park selling touristy souvenir items and food. There is nothing special with the foods but they are convenient. OK, I lied. To me there is nothing better in the world than to have a hot dog with onions from a hot dog cart on a NYC street. Oh yes, there are restrooms in the park too.
NEAR AND AROUND THE PARK
There is so much nearby. If you have the day start real early and plan to leave late. In very short walking distance is Federal Hall National Memorial with it's huge statue of George Washington. This is the site but not the original building where he was inaugurated. The current building is beautiful and commanding. It was the Customs House for years and then held millions of dollars worth of gold and silver as a sub Treasury building. Be sure to get your passport stamped here. Right across the street is the New York Stock Exchange. All this area is under tight security now.
On the way to it you will see the big Bull. It's another picture opportunity. You will see many people doing so. There is so much that is close by but, you may be just around a corner from something and not know it. There are excellent free maps of lower Manhattan at the National Historic Sites I mentioned.
Up from Federal Hall is St Paul's Chapel. Just up a couple of blocks is Ground Zero. There is now a very high and solid look through fence on the east side of the area. Names of all the lost are on plaques mounted on the fencing.
Just across the street from ground zero on the east side is a tall dark building. This is the Millenium Hotel. I recommend staying there a couple of days while doing all your down town discoveries. It directly overlooks ground zero. My wife and I have stayed there many times.
Right around the corner is Trinity Church go inside and take a self guided tour. Read the old tombstones outside. look for Alexander Hamilton and Robert Fulton among others.
The South Street Seaport is just a twenty minute walk through the financial districts narrow streets. The tall skyscrapers of today were built on the streets of yesteryear and it's like walking in a cavern. It is very cool.
Just a five minute walk from Battery Park is the Museum of Jewish Heritage. It's less than ten years old. Try your best to visit this moving exhibit. It is among the parks of Battery Park City. This is a very nice, very quiet, very clean part of New York. If you have time take a stroll through this area.
When you walk the streets outside the park you will find all different kinds of places to eat, from Burger Kings to upscale restaurants that cater to business people. I like a place called Fraunces Tavern It's fine for kids for breakfast and lunch but not at night for dinner. It is a bit pricey but it holds history too. It is the oldest continuously operated restaurant in New York. George Washington gave his farewell address from here. It's just two blocks from Battery Park.
Well that's about it. Do have your map, a bottle of water, some singles in your pocket and a credit card in your wallet. There is so much I didn't even get to mention.
City Hall
The lobby of the Woolworth building
Chinatown
Little Italy
The Tenement Museum (I loved this tour)
Fulton Fish market
and so much more that is within a twenty minute walk from Battery Park
Enjoy
other reviews and details of NEW YORK by Popsrocks
New York City It's a wonderful town!
The Statue of Liberty
Ellis Island
Castle Clinton
Greenwich Village It's Hip and Happening
The EMPIRE STATE BUILDING
TKTS half price tickets to Broadway
Aida, the Broadway Play Great show at half price
Central Park
Stardust DinerGood eats and lots of fun!! Aspiring actors sing and entertain while serving you.
Sylvia's, a southern soul restaurant in Harlem
New York State
Millenium Hilton., directly across from ground zero. They have reopened!
Something is Missing A Tribute to the good people and the twin towers that were lost on 9/11
http://www.epinions.com/content_3161628804
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Families
Best Time to Travel Here: Anytime
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