Battery Park City (http://www.batteryparkcity.org/) is a waterfront area at the southernmost tip of the island of Manhattan and one of the most convenient starting points for discovering Manhattan either on food, or by public transportation. The region is called The Battery because of its common usage throughout history as an artillery location for the batteries that would protect or at least attempt to protect the island from foreign invasion. It is also the former Greek quarter. Coming from Brooklin, the most convenient stop is South Ferry, with the M4 train. The Battery Park City Ferry Terminal is at the foot of Vesey Street opposite the New York Mercantile Exchange and provides ferry transportation to various points in New Jersey.
It is bounded on the east by West Street, which separates the area from the Financial District of downtown Manhattan. To the west, north and south, the area is surrounded by the tidal estuary of the Hudson River.If you face Hudson, you'll easily spot Liberty Island, Ellis Island, and Governors Island, which makes it very easy for the tourists to zoom in on Lady Liberty.
The area swarms with peddlers, street vendors, caricaturists, human statues, and tourists. There is also an impressive metallic sculpture which used to be located in the area between the World Trade Center towers and which was relocated in Battery Park, as a memorial to the victims of 9/11.
Heading North to further explore Manhattan, you'll bump into the Charging Bull, an over sized, aggressive-looking animal, a sculpture offered to the City of New York by artist Arturo di Modica. Should you be willing to take a picture with the statue, like most tourists (including me) are, it's not going to be easy, as there is always a line. Most tourists probably don't know what it symbolizes - optimism in the financial market, and truth is how could they?
Photo credits: Photo 2 - marcusnl (via Flickr).
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