Located at the southern tip of Manhattan is arguably the centre of the financial world: Wall Street. Battery Park City, on the western tip of lower Manhattan, was originally built to be a convenient walk for the stockbrokers and bankers working in the area. It is known for its incredible views of the Hudson and East Rivers, as well as the Statue of Liberty. It has grown exponentially in recent years, and at 92 acres, has become a city unto itself. This area is now a wonderful family community with its own schools, shopping, restaurants and parks.

Battery Park City is literally next door to the World Trade Center site and one of the neighbourhoods hardest hit by the attacks of September 11, 2001. But the area has rebounded miraculously, and there is more community development going on there than ever before.

Accommodation

Most of the living accommodations in Battery Park are housed in high-rise buildings, and the majority of apartments are one or two bedrooms (although you can certainly find both studios and larger apartments as well).

Shopping & Amenities

Like most places in Manhattan, if you live in Battery Park City everything is at your fingertips. It is home to a softball field, an enormous movie theatre, clothes shopping and a selection of restaurants featuring every type of food. But it is also a fairly quiet area by city standards – this is not a neighbourhood in which you’ll have drunken club-goers howling outside your window at 05:00. Nearby is South Street Seaport (on the east side), which is home to a shopping mall and several waterfront bars that are packed with the after-work crowd every evening.

Entertainment & Leisure

It is already home to the Museum of Jewish Heritage and the Skyscraper Museum, and plans are under way to establish the Women’s Museum and the World Hunger Center, as well as a branch of the New York Public Library. This is not the place to move if you are looking for a 24 hour party. While there are many restaurants and bars, it is mainly an after-work scene. Late at night it is a pretty desolate area. Also, by Manhattan standards, it is a bit out of the way from more populated areas, such as Greenwich Village or Midtown, which are more centrally located.

Education

There are several schools that serve Battery Park, including Public School 89 (the first to be built into the base of a residential building) and Stuyvesant High School (www.stuy.edu), which is regarded as one of the best high schools in the state.

Health

Battery Park City is within walking distance from New York Downtown Hospital (212 312 5000), which is the only hospital in lower Manhattan. It is located on 170 William Street. You can find out more information about the facility, as well as a list of neighbourhood doctors, at www.downtownhospital.com. In addition, a walk-in medical clinic, the Downtown Family Care Center, is located at 150 Essex Street (212 801 1730).

Traffic & Public Transport

Only the truly brave (or those who love being snarled up in traffic congestion) would drive around in this area on a daily basis. Fortunately, Battery Park City is easily accessible from the A, C, J, M, Z, 2, 3, 4 and 5 subways.

Safety & Annoyances

It’s proximity to the World Trade Center site means it may be affected by new developments there. The area is always overrun with tourists, especially at weekends and over national holidays.