Use landmarks to visually orient yourself. Skyscrapers like the Empire State Building are excellent for this.
When you need a bathroom, among the best places to look for decent, accessible facilities are department stores, libraries, large houses of worship that are open, and hotels. If you’re visiting a museum or touristy site and it has a bathroom, you might want to use it while you’re there. Other places to find restrooms, although they may not be as pleasant, are parks, certain major subway stations, and portable johns in various locations.
Look out for broken pavement, construction hazards, dog or horse messes, and other conditions on sidewalks and roads that could cause accidents or unfortunate situations.
If the street musicians you pass are at least pretty good, give them some coins (or more, if you’re feeling generous).
It may seem that every other New Yorker is preoccupied by a cell phone or handheld device, but you don’t want to do that. To experience Manhattan, you need to see, hear, and smell things.
Have a good time, a meaningful time, a memorable time walking Manhattan!
Manhattan’s outdoor sculptures—such as Noguchi’s The Cube—can amuse and inspire.
1 BOWLING GREEN AND THE BATTERY: FERRIES, FINANCE, FUN
BOUNDARIES: Battery Park, Bowling Green, Coenties Slip, ferry terminals
DISTANCE: 2 miles
SUBWAY: 4 or 5 to Bowling Green, 1 to South Ferry, or R to Whitehall St.
The southernmost section of Manhattan is one of the borough’s most exciting districts. Weekdays (and often weekends, too) find so many people walking around here, going to and from work, checking out tourist sights, attending cultural events. Densely packed streets hold a mix of skyscrapers and older, shorter buildings in this area, which is surrounded by water and has multiple ferry terminals. Many New Yorkers forget how important the docks and waterfront have been to the Big Apple over the years—and still are. You’re likely to see the Staten Island, Liberty Island, or Governors Island ferry boats sail by, and perhaps historical-replica ships operating pleasure cruises. This part of Manhattan presents a jumble of history and culture, commerce and green space. It’s an appropriate locale to start exploring Manhattan—even if you think you’ve seen it all.
The Bowling Green station of the 4 and 5 trains has one entrance that’s a sloped, glass-paneled modern construction and another that’s an old-fashioned brick structure resembling a quaint house. If you got off at Whitehall Street or South Ferry, walk north on Whitehall to the small park called Bowling Green. This space was used as a cattle market and a parade ground before it became a park in the 1730s—and yes, they had lawn bowling here long ago. Bowling Green is Manhattan’s oldest park, and anti-British protests took place here during colonial times.A grand building stands along the south end of the park: the former US Custom House, now home to the National Museum of the American Indian, the George Gustav Heye Center. Its interior is sumptuous, with bold staircases and fixtures. Architect Cass Gilbert designed the Beaux Arts building, Daniel Chester French created the outdoor sculptures, and in the rotunda inside are murals by Reginald Marsh. The National Archives at New York City are located on the third floor.To your right, when your back is to the Custom House, is 2 Broadway, a glass high-rise (designed by the firm headed by Emery Roth) with a modernist mural at the entrance. To your left is “Number One” on Broadway, the impressive United States Lines–Panama Pacific Lines Building, with stately crests above entrance level. A memorial plaque on its corner refers to the Revolutionary War. Just past it, going up Broadway, see the stately Bowling Green Offices, built in 1895–98 in a style its architects, William and George Audsley, described as “Hellenic Renaissance.” To the right of the offices is the Cunard Line Building at 25 Broadway, across from the iconic bronze Charging Bull statue by Arturo Di Modica. The bull may be a familiar part of the tableau here, but it caused a stir in 1989, when Di Modica surreptitiously installed it a bit farther uptown, in front of the New York Stock Exchange. At the time it seemed like a huge joke, but the statue has become so popular that tourists and partiers flock to it and jockey for the best camera angle. But don’t overlook a much older piece a few yards south of the bull: the tall Evacuation Day flagpole, with its moderately worn plaque. November 25, 1783, is the day the British left New York City after the Revolutionary War.
Head back toward the Custom House and cross Broadway into Battery Park. Many people wander into Battery Park only to get to the Statue of Liberty ferry. But there are many interesting and touching things to view here, including the battered golden sphere that was rescued from the World Trade Center plaza. The Battery Urban Farm, open spring through fall, showcases plants and vegetables growing right in the park. A swooping eagle statue heads the solemn East Coast Memorial, honoring World War II military men. The Immigrants statue is a dramatic depiction of newcomers to America. The Norwegian Veterans Monument, the American Merchant Marines Memorial (particularly haunting because of the “drowning” figure), the Eternal Flame, the Korean War Memorial, and others provide mini–history lessons with emotional punch.
Walk to the round sandstone fort, Castle Clinton, and go inside. This building has served many functions over the generations—military protection, an entertainment venue, the processing center (then dubbed Castle Garden) for immigrants entering the country by boat, the city’s aquarium—and now it’s where you depart for the Statue of Liberty or Ellis Island. It also has a nifty museum.Even if you don’t get over to the Statue of Liberty, take some time to gaze at her. She has meant a great deal to so many people for several generations. She is a symbol and major monument of not only New York City but also the United States.
Facing the water and Lady Liberty, walk to your left and you’ll come upon the Whitehall Terminal, Manhattan’s home for the Staten Island Ferry. Now may be the time for you to take a ferry over to the least populated of the five boroughs of New York City. The ride is fun, and both the Manhattan and Staten Island terminals have things to see and do (as well as copious bathroom stalls). Fine photo ops await your ride.
To the north of the Whitehall Terminal, the New Amsterdam Pavilion has artistic-looking metal benches, pretty plantings, and a few intriguing pieces that reflect on the early European history of this city. There is a miniature map of the colonial settlement that you can touch, a few plaques, and stones engraved with historic messages (although those are worn and a bit hard to read). Walk to your right and you’ll see the Battery Maritime Building. It’s of a much older and more elegant style than the modern Staten Island Ferry building. From late spring through early autumn, you can catch a ferry to Governors Island here.
Cross over to South Street, but be careful of the traffic racing to and from the highway. You will get a nice view of the river from here. Walk away from the Battery on South Street for about two blocks until you get to a sunken plaza with a large glass structure you can walk through, as well as a flower bed, plaques, and a sitting area. This is the New York City Vietnam Veterans Memorial Plaza. I find this one of the most stirring sites in all of Manhattan. Get up close to the pale-green glass, and you will see segments of letters sent to and from people who served in the military during the Vietnam War. Some have mundane messages; others reflect the horror they have seen and the fears they harbor. “Don’t ask questions; when I come home if I feel like talking about it I will, but otherwise don’t ask,” reads one fragment. “Mom, I’d give just about anything for a hot bath, some clean clothes, and a cold drink… . Love, Ray,” reads another.
Cross at Water Street to little Coenties Slip Park. This pedestrian walkway showcases an odd metal sculpture and a floor design worth a few minutes of contemplation. If you walk to the northern end of this small space, look to your left at a black-glass high-rise and you will see two or even three other buildings reflected on the glass.
Back at Water Street, go to your right for a few blocks