Virtual Tour of Battery Park City South, for Brian Brendell, who is considering moving there:


Brian, I hope this helps. Everyone else, I hope this opens your eyes to a wonderful neighborhood in Manhattan that is just now being discovered. Got some cash? I'd invest in real estate there. I really would. But I don't, so I'm renting... just a few blocks away.

SOME HISTORY:

New York City was founded upon the shipping industry, which remained a strong presence here until the mid 1960s. At that time, the idea of moving goods by boat was being replaced by the idea of moving goods by containers... containers that could travel all together on a mega-barge, or individually on the back of a truck.

The old method of shipping worked like this:

A boat would be loaded with goods somewhere in the world. It would come to New York Harbor, and very often, dock along Manhattan's ample waterfront. Therefore, almost all of Manhattan's waterfront was taken up by shipping industry as the goods were loaded onto small trucks or trains on their way to markets in and around Manhattan.

Shipping industry is not a pretty site. Long docks, jutting out into the East River and Hudson, with large cranes to move goods, or lifts to move rail cars on and off the boats dominated the coastline, often smelling of the waste of meats, fish, and other icky things.

So people lived in the center of the island, away from these industrial areas: 5th avenue, Park Avenue, Times Square, are all well insulated from the docks.

The subways were built to avoid the waterfront, at people didn't live there.

And then the shipping industry "containerized." And everything changed. In order to stock and pile all of those modern containers, you need a great deal of land. Land was readily available at places like Port Elizabeth in New Jersey, just south of Manhattan, but not on Manhattan, as the shipping industry was wedged between the water and the rest of the city. There was nowhere for the shippers on the Manhattan side of the hudson to put all of those containers and effectively load them onto trucks.

This is how Manhattan lost almost all of its shipping industry. And since then, for the past 3 decades, most of the coastline of Manhattan lay fallow, rotting away as ex-industrial wasteland.

But slowly and surely, we have begin to look back to our waterfront as a place to live. Where city meets the water their are incredible views. The juxtaposition itself is incredible. And the earliest project to bring the city back to its waterfront was Battery Park City.

During the early 1960's, the World Trade Center was being planned. It was going to have a lot of basements, which meant a large displacement of land. What should they do with all that soil, dirt, sand, and rock? They decided to kick it over the edge of the Island, into the Hudson, and create a large landfill. And on that landfill they would build a "city" to house the workers who worked in their new World Trade Center.

By 1969, the landfill was about complete, and the World Trade Center was rising. A master plan was created for Battery Park City that was silly and super-futuristic in a 1960's way. Lots of large concrete cubes, etc. No developer realistically wanted to build it.

A decade later, Battery Park City was still an empty, flat, sand bar on the other side of West Street from the World Trade Center. A new master plan was created, allowing developers to build what they wanted, within the confines of certain design and land use restrictions. It called for an esplanade, or walkway, to be built along the entire water-edge of BPC, lined with trees and benches. It also called for 30% of the landfill to remain as public space, including parks, gardens, and fields. And as each developer put up their building, they contributed towards the master plan. Buy the late 1980's much of the southern half of BPC was developed.

The northern half, which is north of the World Financial Center, is still being built, and has a few more lots left to be completed. Contruction is constantly underway.

For residents of BPC, the place is a haven. And it has been a well kept secret, hiding in the shadow of the World Trade Center. But after the buildings collapsed, BPC made headlines on a constant basis, and the tourists who used to go to the observation deck at the WTC, (The 2nd largest tourist attraction in New York at the time), now wander around the site, and find themselves delighted when they come to the waters' edge, in BPC.

The following is a pictorial tour designed primarily for my friend Brian Brendell who recently landed a job at a construction firm on Madison and 42nd St. He wanted to know more about Battery Park City, and I tripped over my tounge on the phone trying to adequately describe it. So on March 9th, 2003, I went down there with my camera, and took almost 100 pictures, primarial on the southern half of Battery Park City. I also created some maps and filled it in a bit with graphics, to illustrate exactly where I'm talking about.



Here we go:

WHERE IS BATTERY PARK CITY?:




Here is a map of the lower half of Manhattan. The Husdon River separates Manhattan from New Jersey on the left, and the East River separates Manhattan from Long Island (Broklyn/Queens) on the right. The star in the lower left corner of the island is on Battery Park City.



The next sequence of maps zooms in closer:



This map shows much of "Downtown," the financial district, and Battery Park City:


This map shows the entirety of Battery Park City. Note that it is bounded by the Hudson on the west (left) and West Street on the east (right). It starts at Battery Park at the south (bottom) and goes up to Chambers St. at the north (top):


This map is a close-up of the southern half of Battery Park City.


This map, on the other hand, shows the northern half of Battery Park City. Battery Park City has two major residential sections, and is split in half by the World Financial Center, which is on the other side of West Street from the World Trade Center Site. The Wolrd Financial Center are about 4 tall office towers that were built, from an architechtural standpoint, to temper the sheer out-of-proportion height of the World Trade Center, when one looks at the Downtown skyline. There are now some of the tallest buildings left, approaching 60 floors, with geometric shapes on top. One has a pyramid, one a box, one a dome, etc. 1980's consruction.

I din't go to the Northern half of Battery Park City to take pictures. I don't like it as much as the southern half. It isn't finished yet, so it lacks the stores along a "Main Street" that the south currently has, that adds so much to the life of the area. It also has much worse subway access as the diagram illustrates. It does have some nice features. The irish potato famine monument is literally a bunch of gardens transplanted from Ireland and put onto this amazing sloped concrete structure overlooking the water. Very cool. It also has the only movie theatre in Manhattan below Canal St. And it has more open spaces, like a lawn, playgrounds, and sculptures. I'll take pictures of it a little later in the year. Probably on my bike.


THE SUBWAY AND BATTERY PARK CITY/HOW TO GET THERE:





This is the view looking up Rector Street from Greenwich St, which is my corner of the world. The 1/9 7th avenue local trains stop at Greenwich and Rector. One small block away, the N and R Broadway local trains stop at Trinity Place and Rector. And another small block up the hill, is the 4 and 5 Lexington Avenue Express trains which stop at Broadway and Rector (the station is called "Wall St. as Rector becomes Wall on the other side of Broadway.)


As you can see, this is a cluster of subway service that can be found at few enough places in the city to count on my hand. Times Square and Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn are the only two others I can think of. The reason people don't realize how close the subway stations are to each other is two fold:
1) They don't connect underground. No transfers. So instead of being a big station, its a lot of little ones.
2) They don't show up geograpcially proporionally on the MTA NYC Subway map. The lines are so close together, that if they actually printed them that way, everything would get crunched and it would be too hard to read.


So, how far is this convenient subway nexus from Battery Park City? Take a look. This is the view looking towards Battery Park city from my corner:

Not far at all. Short blocks. Cross Washington St (no street sign), and come to West Street.


It looks like you can't cross West Street, which is the downtown version of the West Side Highway. But you can. Looking slightly to the right at the corner of Rector and West St, reveals a pedestrian walkway. There are other ways of getting to BPC without using an elevated walkway. You can cross West Street at street level one block away at Albany Street. But this is the most direct from the Subways.


Here are a few views of using the walkway:



In the picture on the right, there is a very tall building in the background that can be seen in a lot of the pictures. That building was still being constructed, and just reached its full height, about 90 stories. It makes all of Downtown Manhattan look puney. And where is it? JERSEY CITY! It's across the hudson. It's fairly handsome. But without the WTC, it's the tallest building downtown... in Jersey. Boooo.





When you get to the BPC side of the walkway, you can use the stairs, or a long ramp. On the Financial District side of the walkway, there was no room to build a big ramp, so they put in an elevator. It's been out of service for as long as I've lived down here (3 months or so now.)



When you get to Battery Park City, the whole world seems to change. The pace is slower. The trees are prettier. The sun gets through more. Much less traffic. It's a whole different ballgame. Here are the first views from the BPC side of the walkway, which plunks you down at "Rector Place," the Battery Park City version of Rector Street:



Rector Street is a thin, dark office tower (and my building) lined ripped-up street with construction occuring daily. (This will end eventually. They are repairing the damage done by all the heavy hauling of the pieces of the late World Trade Center through my neighborhood.)
Rector Place is a wide boulevarde with essentially no traffic. The median is a gracious park. It is lined by luxury residences on both sides.

Looking up from my intersection at Greenwich and Rector on the left.
Looking down Rector Place from the BPC side of the pedestrian walkway on the right.


A few more views of the park on the middle of rector place:

And here,a look back at "Downtown" which for everyone else on the island is "South," but from Battery Park City, it's "East."



And so, I find myself standing at the center of the southern half of BPC. The corner of Rector Place and South End Avenue:



Here is a map of where I'm standing (at the "X"):



And some views from this location:







There are two bus lines currently serving BPC:



And, there is a free, yes FREE shuttle bus that runs the length of Battery Park city, terminating at Chambers St. on the north end, and Bowling Green on the south end, where you can easily transfer to the 4 and 5 trains, if you don't want to walk up Rector St. in the rain. On weekends, the free bus keeps going, looping around on Water St., all the way to the South Street Seaport. Did I mention it's free?

It is run by the Battery Park City Authority. They own the land. BPC is a landlease from New York City. Aside from Roosevelt Island, which works the same way, it is unique.


MAIN STREET BATTERY PARK CITY: SOUTH END AVENUE





Brian asked me last week, "What kinds of stores are on Battery Park City? Do I have to take the subway to get pizza or go grocery shopping?"
The answer: No. As long as you like your few choices on Battery Park City, you're fine. It has just about one of most of the necessecities. Here are the most important ones, which I took photos of:













Most of these stores are under an arcade:
And there are others. A bunch of dry cleaners. A video store. A bank. But if you want Duane Reade, or more Banks, and the Post Office, they're over on Broadway by the Wall St. subway station. So you can theoretically do your errands on your way home, or your way out.


The nightlife is pretty much non-existant, just like the rest of downtown manhattan. Though, near me there are two 24 hour delis, and a little ways up towards the World Trade Center Site, there is a 24 hour pizza/philly steak place. But for most late night activities, you have to go to other neighborhoods, using one of the three train lines that stop at Rector St. They run with some frequency until about 12:30, after which, they run every 20 minutes. I do it all the time. It's worth the wait. And if you have a cushy job on Madison avenue, you can sport for a Cab!





PARKING:


Yes, there is parking on the street and there are garages:


In fact, when I went to look at apartments on BPC, I spoke with one owner who said that streets are so safe in the neighborhood, that you can park your car on the street, with a cell phone visibly and obviously in the front seat, with the doors unlocked, all night long, and not have a problem. Apparently, the Battery Park City private cops are very effective. And its an easy perimeter to monitor, as it is bounded on three sides by Water, and the fouerth by a large open boulevarde (west street.)


There is also parking for bikes, just in case you were interested:



MOVING TOWARD THE WATERFRONT ALONG ALBANY STREET:


Here are a few views of Albany St. between South End Av. and the Hudson:

Oh, and if you want to live down here, get used to seeing people stopping on the sidewalks to let each others dogs lick each other. It's constant.




At the water end of the streets on Battery Park City, they have put up some sculpture-like installations. They are permanent. Tourists love 'em. I know some people who hate 'em.





THE ESPLANADE... A FANCY WAY OF SAYING WALKWAY ALONG THE HUDSON:



Here I am, standing at the end of albany street. It is a beautful looking day. It's 46 degrees, which means nice in the sun, and cold in the shade. But for the next 7 months or so, the weather will be incredible for this setting.


In the winter, BPC is good for its location. A small community, safe, on Manhattan, close to everything. In the spring, summer, and fall, it's much, much more. It is the south end of the greatest bike, rolleblade, jogging path in the world, which now extends all the way to the George Washington Bridge, uninterupted. Within the next year, they will be opening Hudson River Park, which begins at the north end of Battery Park City, and goes all the way to Riverside Park, including Mini-golf, playgrounds, sand boxes, grassy areas with plantings, benches, lamp posts, comfort stations and bathrooms, concessions, look out points, etc, all along the west side of Manhattan where shipping once dominated, but no longer exists. I will be making a website dedicated to that strip of land in the coming weeks.


So here we are at the waterfront. Some views:



Click here to enlarge Panorama 1



Click here to enlarge Panorama 2






In the picture above, you can see the little yellow boat to the left of the frame. That's the New York City Water Taxi. For a $3 fare, it will take you all along the west shore of Manhattan, and to Brooklyn under the Brooklyn Bridge. It stops at the World Financial Center on Battery Park City. I'm going to take it, and take pictures, and it's going to be awesome.



This map shows the Esplanade in relation to the rest of BPC. Because BPC is long and narrow, you can't live on it and not be near the water. Wether or not your apartment has a veiw... that's another story. But who cares if you can walk outside and be a part of it?



The espelenade. Looking south. On a warm day, it's a clean-air throroughfare of bikes, roller blades, joggers, dog walkers, young lovers, and picture takers.





Between the north cove and the south cove, the walkway has a median, to separate bikers from the bike wary a little bit.








ESPLANADE AT RECTOR PLACE:


Walking back south along the esplanade brings me to Rector Place again, at the water's edge. Here's a map:










The security presence is always felt in BPC. Even along the waterfront:



Did I mention bikes?



Moving a little farther south to the corner of West Thames and the Waterfront:



More sculpture installations:






The statue of libery can be seen from the entire esplanade:

You wouldn't believe the sunsets. If I can photograph them I will. But it won't be the same. Get the hell out there.



Just a guy. Eating an orange. On a chess table. On the water. In NYC.





AT SOUTH COVE:





This is south cove, looking south from the north side. BPC has two "coves" where the monotony of the straight line with the water is interrupted, and water is allowed to penetrate furthur into the interior. The north cove houses yachts, and has Water Taxi and Liberty Park ferry stops. The south cove is more for looking. It has an observation platform and woodsy tree plantings, along with blue lights that are like magic at night. Something I probably cannot photograph.






Across the way is the museum of Jewish Heritage, which is currently building an annex. The very southern tip of Battery Park City will be saved for another time. There are few to no residences that far south. There is a hotel and a musem, and a restaurant, and a large open space. Instead of going down there, I stand at the southern tip of South End Avenue, and take pictures on all 4 directions:




















There are two more restaurants at this location. A japanese, and a chinese:



There is another shopping arcade here as South End Avenue begins back to Rector Place.



Here are entrances to the two apartment buildings at the very southern end of South End Avenue:



CONCLUSION:


So there you have it. A tour of the southern side of Battery Park City. I hope this has ispired you to go there in person, as I could take a thousand photos (I really can, I have a 256MB memory card for my camera) but it wouldn't do any better. And if you go there on a nice day, I might go by on my bike. I'll be sure to ring my bell.


There will be a lot more to come about Battery Park City as I begin to bike when the weather improves just a little bit more.


And I will be covering other neighborhoods in the city that I feel have a distinctive and special charm in one way or another. Stay tuned.


EPILOGUE:


Brian, you asked me how easy it is to get from your work to your potential residence on Battery Park City. Well, if you find a place on the Southern Half of BPC, then this is your commute:



You take the 4 or 5 express train 4 stops in either direction. Because you're working in Midtown and living Downtown, you're doing a reverse commute. Most people go downtown in the morning and uptown in the evening. You'll be doing the opposite. What does that mean for you? Lots of trains and lots of seats.


The subway ride, once you get on the train, is about 12 minutes. They stop at Wall St., where you get on, Fulton St, Brooklyn Bridge, Union Square (14th St.) and Grand Central, where you get off.


You would use the pedestrian walkway over West Street, and like many other BPC residents, walk up little Rector Street to the Wall St. station on Broadway. This walk is the price you would have to pay for living so close to the water. Poor you.


If it were to rain, you could take the free shuttle bus from South End Avenue to the 4 and 5 train station at Bowling Green. This is one more stop down the line. And you stay much drier.