Battery Park, New York

Battery Park (New York, USA): detailed description, address and photo. Opportunities for sports and recreation, infrastructure, cafes and restaurants in the park. Reviews of tourists.

Tourists wandering through the stone jungle of Manhattan sooner or later find themselves among flowers and trees on the very shore of New York Bay. Connoisseurs of urban legends will explain to them that it was from here that the construction of the great metropolis began. And today, Battery Park is filled with monuments, mothers walking with baby carriages, fishermen, and at lunchtime – clerks from nearby offices. A well-groomed island of greenery near the bustling business center gives everyone at least a little rest and relatively fresh air.

A bit of history

On a plinth of black granite under the flagstaff in Battery Park is engraved an Indian in feathers and a respectable Dutchman in a doublet, giving him the payment for the island of Manhattan. A very fair deal cost the Europeans as much as 60 guilders. At this place, they installed an artillery battery that covered the new city of New Amsterdam from enemy ships. Since then, the area has received its warlike name – Battery. But this did not help, very soon the British got the island, already for free. The city was renamed New York, and the Indians were simply exterminated. See itypetravel for geostatistics of Iowa.

What to watch

It so happened that memorials of US military glory were concentrated in Battery Park. This is a monument to veterans of the Korean War, a bronze plate dedicated to Admiral Dewey, who sank the Spanish fleet off Manila in 1898, a monument to J. Erickson, the author of the project of the world’s first battleship “Monitor”, a memorial to the sailors of the Netherlands who died during the Second World War accompanied by northern convoys in the USSR.

Another monument recalls the tragedy of September 11, 2001. A huge golden ball, symbolizing the Earth, stood near the twin towers and was deformed by an explosion. The author, sculptor Fritz Koenig, did not restore his creation, agreed to move it to the main alley of Battery Park, where even now it serves as a reminder of the threat of terrorism.

Thousands of tons of concrete debris from the explosion flooded along the coastline, expanding the park’s area by several hectares. Now Clinton Castle, a fort built in 1812 on an island off the coast to protect New York from the mythical Napoleonic invasion, is on dry land. Until the main immigrant reception terminal was moved to Alice Island, it served as a filtration center for all those arriving in America for permanent residence. At least 8 million people passed through the fort. Today, the fort houses a museum that tells about this epic period in US history.

Ferries to Staten Island, Liberty Island, Ellis Island, and Governors Island leave from the Battery Park piers.

The most unusual attraction of the park is a working farm where about 80 types of vegetables and fruits are grown. They are looked after by students from nearby schools, at the same time getting acquainted with the realities of work and life in the American hinterland. Peaceful vegetable gardens against the backdrop of glass skyscrapers look absolutely stunning.

Practical Information

Address: New York, Manhattan.

How to get there: by metro to st. Bowling Green or South Ferry, entrance to the park is free.

Harlem

Harlem (USA) – description, history, location. Exact address, phone number, website. Reviews of tourists, photos and videos.

Harlem is one of the most famous areas of New York, whose history dates back to the 17th century, when Dutch farmers founded their settlement here. In the 19th century, having no more resources for subsistence, farmers left Harlem, and in 1880 a subway was built here and the area gradually began to develop, growing in blocks wide and high-rise buildings going up.

Most of the area’s population was made up of black citizens who, due to low real estate prices, moved here from other parts of New York. The same reason attracted emigrants from South America here.

Many believe that Harlem is a poor and dangerous area, as it used to be, in the mid-80s, but recently the city authorities have managed to reduce crime throughout the city, including its most hectic parts. In addition, old buildings are being restored and updated in Harlem, new hotels and restaurants are appearing, and fashion designers are opening stores, giving the area a fresh and transformed look.

125th Street or King Street is one of the most famous streets in Harlem, named after the great fighter for the rights and freedoms of African Americans, Martin Luther King. On this street are the most interesting and symbolic places in Harlem, one of which can safely be called the Harlem Studio Museum – its cultural heart. It constantly hosts exhibitions of talented black artists and photographers, and other cultural events. Not far from the museum is the legendary Cotton Club, opened in 1923 by gangster Owney Madden. The walls of this place still remember the sounds of jazz played by the great Duke Ellington. Today, anyone, regardless of skin color, can come here to listen to magical jazz performances.

125th Street or King Street is one of the most famous streets in Harlem, named after the great fighter for the rights and freedoms of African Americans, Martin Luther King.

Also in Harlem, you can visit the National Jazz Museum to learn more about the history and development of this amazing musical direction. And, of course, one cannot ignore the Apollo Theater in Harlem, where Ella Fitzgerald sang and Stevie Wonder began his dizzying path to success.

Today, Harlem is an amazing and interesting place, securing the title of the center of African American culture: a huge number of talented actors, jazzmen and hip-hop performers gather here.

The architecture of Harlem is mesmerizing: all these beautiful churches and cathedrals, among which stands the magnificent Cathedral of St. John the Divine (Cathedral of St. John the Divine), as well as colleges and universities, including Columbia University – one of the most prestigious in the United States.

Battery Park, New York