NEW YORK NEIGHBORHOODS: LOWER MANHATTAN

We tell you a secret: from all the neighborhoods of New York, Lower manhattan It was the one that least caught our attention. For us it was synonymous with Wall Street, which was synonymous with financial district, which was synonymous with boredom. Fools of us! Lower Manhattan in the end has delighted and surprised us equally. Reserve a day (or at least half) to explore this area.

Now, let's tell you everything to do in lower Manhattan:

Ground Zero and World Trade Center

Here, where the Twin Towers once stood imposing, today is the 11S Memorial Museum (also included in the City Pass) where you can relive that terrible morning of September 11, 2001. Needless to say much more, we all know the story (conspiracy theories and truths apart).

Admission is $ 26. You can buy it here and avoid management fees. Tip: if you want to save a little money, Tuesdays are free from 5pm until closing (although of course you will be accompanied by many more tourists).

Going through their guts, even reaching the foundations of the old towers, you will notice how you get goosebumps, just like in the memorial pools that have been created in the same place that occupied the towers, where by the way, if you look Well, you can see the ghost of their silhouettes, as if wanting to believe that if you raise your head you can still find them. You can also read the names of the 2992 victims. Of all the sites in New York this is, without a doubt, the most shocking.

Upload to the One World Observatory

If you like heights you must go up to the One World Observatory, the tallest building in the city and across the country. We did not climb: we already did it in the Empire Building and in the Top of the Rock and we were satisfied! The price of the entry on the official website of $ 35 (plus management fees) but you can get it here for € 34 all inclusive (and without queues).

The Oculus, the most controversial station in New York

Here is also the Oculus, a subway station (and shopping center) quite controversial, actually as (almost) all the works of its author: Calatrava. Our opinion? We found it very beautiful, the contrast of its "steel skeleton" with the blue sky of the city that never sleeps is beautiful. Although in reality the controversy is not so much in how pretty / ugly the structure is, but in its price: it is estimated that it cost about $ 3.7 billion and that is a lot of money. A lot.

Wall street

We imagined it gray and pija (and a little it is) but it also has a colorful side, that of the parks, the food carts and its most beautiful corners: Stone street, the Stock Exchange Building, the Federal Hall where President George Washington was proclaimed, the Trinity church (with its old cemetery) and much more!

Curiosity: Do you know why it is called Wall Street? Why in 1652 the Dutch, that if you have read our suuuuper post with the history of New York you will know that they were the first inhabitants of the city, they built a wall right on this street. For what? Well, to defend against the attacks of those who were truly the first inhabitants of the city (when it was not even a city): indigenous tribes.

For some time, the famous statue of the "Challenging Girl" was placed in front of the building of the Stock Exchange. It is there, facing the Stock Exchange Building, as if wanting to claim the value of women within large companies. It is very cool and when you pass by ... take a selfie with her!

Take something on Stone Street

It was one of the big surprises of our visit to Lower Manhattan. It is a stone street where Wall Street workers gather to have a beer after work. It has a lot of atmosphere and is very picturesque.

Eye: There are two Stone Street (quite close to each other). We, of course, went first to the wrong one and we got a disgust ... luckily we keep looking and voila, tell us: it's worth it or not?

Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island

Ok, they don't really belong to Lower Manhattan, but the Ferry to reach the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island It leaves from here, so we take advantage of this little trap. The question is to go or not to go? We, having the city pass, did not doubt it for a second and we went to meet the most famous lady in the United States (if Beyoncé allows it) and the island of Ellis Island, gateway of millions of immigrants in the first years of the century past. Soon we will tell you how it was ... but we anticipate that, for us, they are 2 safety pins.

If you don't have a tourist card, there are ferry tours like this one that, for about € 20, take you to know the Statue of Liberty and the Ellis Island Museum.

Ferry to Staten Island

If you do not have the city pass and do not want to spend more money but you are dying to see the Statue of Liberty more closely… there is good news: you will only have to get on the ferry that goes to Staten Island (it is free!). The statue is seen in the distance, but with attention and a good zoom you will find it next to you. In addition, the panorama of Manhattan Island from the Hudson River is a pa-sa-da. And free even more XD. The ferry leaves every 30 minutes between 7:00 and 23:00, from Whitehall Terminal.

Bowling green

You have to come here to meet a couple of picturesque New York characters: the first one is the famous “Charging bull”, A sculpture of a bull with two very large bright testicles. It is not that they have lights, it is that everyone who comes touches, without shame, the eggs, so they have remained bright. And that? It is said to bring luck and money!

Recently a statue of a bronze girl It was set, with a sure and challenging air, just in front of the Wall Street Bull. It was installed on March 7, a day before the women's party and represents the strength and value that each of us has. There is no pissed off bull that can scare us. And less, one with the gleaming eggs.

We wanted to take a picture but it was full of people, but full, full, full, so if you want to take a selfie with “the girl without fear” arm yourself with patience (or better yet, come here early or late!).

National Museum of the American Indians

We do not enter due to lack of time, but wonders have been told about this museum that concentrates artistic works of the American Indian tribes. It's free! More information at //nmai.si.edu/visit/newyork/

Wikimedia.org photo

Cross the Brooklyn Bridge

How can we forget one of the most spectacular places in New York? Okay, the Brooklyn Bridge will "be", but it starts (or ends) in Lower Manhattan! In addition, just at that point are the cheapest souvenir stalls we found in New York!

As you can see, Lower Manhattan is an area that you cannot miss on your trip through New York, and where some of the most important attractions of the city are concentrated. Enjoy it!

Video: Lower Manhattan, New York complete tour (April 2024).