New York’s big ticket sights are great, but the Big Apple’s lesser known wonders in lower Manhattan are just as fabulous, darling
Manhattan’s new High Line
First stop is the pick of the bunch – Manhattan’s new High Line, a public park built on a 2.3km-long elevated structure running from the Meatpacking District to 20th Street.
From 1934 to 1980, the High Line was a freight rail line which carried meat to New York‘s Meatpacking District, agricultural goods to the factories and warehouses of the industrial West Side, and mail to
the Post Office.
As an attraction it only opened to the public in 2009 but it’s already a hugely popular lower west side green space.
You can stroll the length of Manhattan’s High Line (there are two more phases to open in coming years which will take the park all the way to 34th St) surrounded by landscaped gardens boasting flowers, shrubs and trees, many indigenous to NYC.
Manhattan’s Chelsea Market
The end of the High Line is close to Manhattan’s Chelsea Market, which boasts a tantalising array of delicious food and drink shops. Built in the 1890s, the building was originally home to New York’s National Biscuit Company where Oreos – those most American of cookies – were invented and baked.
Chelsea Market’s ovens haven’t completely gone cold, however, and if you love cupcakes, you’ll be spoilt for choice by the many bakeries.
The TV programme Iron Chef America is filmed on site at Chelsea Market and fans of the show can eat at nearby restaurants owned by the Iron Chefs themselves: Masaharu Morimoto and Mario Batali.
Village people
Students rub shoulders with hipsters, film stars and the down-and-out in Manhattan’s legendary Greenwich Village. Hang out in Washington Square Gardens or see some jazz at the Village Vanguard. Parts of the West Village are positively silent – small back streets scattered with designer shops and quaint bistros.
Sarah Jessica Parker is a local here and you can imagine her tottering down Bank Street past a row of New York Brownstones in a pair of skyscrapers.
TriBeCa
Home to the famous film festival, TriBeCa (the Triangle Below Canal Street) is packed full of artists and hip young people, although these days the area is also filling up with suits thanks to the encroaching nearby financial district.
Head to Battery Park City Esplanade, a landscaped walkway and cycleway that runs along the river to Battery Park and grab a cocktail as you look out at Lady Liberty across the water. It’s the perfect lower Manhattan end to the day.
Sunday brunch in New York
Brunch on a Sunday is almost a religion in New York City. But don’t expect a greasy fry-up washed down with watery coffee. Brunch in the Big Apple is always about a set price menu that includes unlimited alcohol. Of course there’s food too, but most people make their brunch choice on the basis of the cocktail that goes with it.
That’s a brunch we could get used to!
The best New York City brunches
Kittichai – Asian fusion in Soho
Barbounia – Mediterranean cuisine in Grammercy.
Nero – Cool Italian in the Meatpacking District
Agua Dulce – Pan-Latin in Hell’s Kitchen
Essential information on visiting New York
WHEN TO GO: Anytime. New York’s a year-round town, although August can be sweltering.
GETTING THERE: British Airways, Virgin, Air Canada and many others fly direct from London to JFK, Newark or La Guardia airports.
GETTING AROUND: Taxis are cheap, the subway and buses are even cheaper.
VISAS: Australians and New Zealanders do not need a visa but must fill in a visa waiver form ahead of travel. South Africans need a visa.
CURRENCY: $USD. 1 GBP = 1.59 USD.
LANGUAGE: English.
GOING OUT: A beer costs $4.
ACCOMMODATION: A night in a hostel costs £17, a night in a three star hotel costs £63.
GET MORE INFO AT: nycgo.com
