Business Travel to NYC: Around the Corner from Wall Street and the Financial District

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Voted the Best French Brasserie, by readers of Time Out New York, Brasserie Les Halles opened Les Halles Downtown in the Financial District on Tuesday, December 18, 2001. Owner Philippe Lajaunie is committed to the neighborhood, "New York is the most dynamic place in the world," he says. "Lower Manhattan will come back & we want to be a part of it. We are providing everything from the great steaks & potatoes that made us famous, to the best seafood from the small markets in Chinatown, French specialties that you may not see anywhere else, & fantastic hamburgers." Lajaunie describes the latest Les Halles brasserie as a downtown steakhouse that also serves classic French brasserie dishes like Onion Soup, Grilled Sea Food, Confit de Canard, & Choucroute Garnie, (familiar to fans of Brasserie Les Halles on Park Avenue). There are also less familiar French dishes, such as Tartiflette, a combination of thinly sliced potatoes layered with bacon & baked with Reblochon cheese.

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As you traverse Manhattan's concrete canyons, it's sometimes easy to forget that you're actually on an island. But here, at Manhattan's southernmost tip, you get the very real sense that just out past Liberty, Ellis, and Staten islands is the vast Atlantic Ocean.

The 21-acre park is named for the cannons built to defend residents after the American Revolution. Castle Clinton National Monument (the place to purchase tickets for the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island ferry) was built as a fort before the War of 1812, though it was never used as such.

Battery Park is a park of monuments and memorials, many paying tribute to tragedy and death. Here you will find the East Coast Memorial, dedicated to 4,601 servicemen who died in Atlantic coastal waters during World War II; the New York Korean War Veterans Memorial; the American Merchant Mariner's Memorial, dedicated to Merchant Mariners lost at sea; the Salvation Army Memorial; the Hope Garden, dedicated to those who live with HIV or have died from AIDS; the Irish Hunger Memorial, a tribute to those who died during the potato famine in Ireland; and the 22-ton bronze sphere by Fritz Koenig that was recovered from the rubble of the World Trade...

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This is undoubtedly New York City's best free ride. The 25-minute one-way trip across New York Harbor should give you ample opportunity to see such nearby sites as the Statue of Liberty, Brooklyn Bridge and lower Manhattan's skyscrapers. The fare for the ferry, which runs every 20 to 30 minutes, actually went down from 50 cents a few years ago. During rush hour, it is filled with Staten Island residents going to or from work in Manhattan. Cars and motorcycles are no longer allowed on the ferry.

Our Local Expert Says:

It's been estimated that close to 40 percent of all current U.S. citizens can trace at least some part of their ancestry to Ellis Island. Today, visitors to the Ellis Island Immigration Museum can trace their ancestors through millions of immigrant arrival records made available to the public in 2001.

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Not far from Liberty Island and the Statue of Liberty stands Ellis Island, former gateway to the United States. Between 1892 and 1954, over 12 million Immigrants were processed in the "Main Building" at Ellis Island. In 1990, the long disused buildings were restored and the Immigration Museum was born.

The Museum offers a variety of exhibits and programs about the history of Ellis Island and the immigration process. Today, the Main Building is a three floor museum, containing a variety of self-guided permanent exhibits.

The museum includes a research library that contains materials related to the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and immigration history. Visitors can use the museum's resources to track their own ancestors. The Oral History Collection includes over 1,000 taped and transcribed interviews of Ellis Island immigrants and staff. Both the Library and Oral History Collection are open to the public during regular operating hours of the museum.

Our Local Expert Says:

One of the standout dining and drinking options in the area around the Brooklyn Bridge, the Bridge Cafe is a good choice for both families and groups of friends.

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The simple wood-framed building housing the Bridge Café (once home to a brothel) was erected in 1794, long before the nearby Brooklyn Bridge. Today, the Bridge Café bills itself as "the oldest drinking establishment in New York"--it also offers a well-regarded menu of favorites like lobster rolls and soft-shell crabs (in-season), in-bone rib eye steaks, crab cakes and its famous buffalo steak, served with lingonberry sauce and house-made potato gnocchi.

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Billed as "New York's first New Zealand restaurant and bar," Nelson Blue is co-owner Pauli Morgan (a former bartender at the popular Soho pub Puck Fair)'s homage to Nelson, New Zealand. Decked out in Maori-inspired decor, this bustling gastropub offers eight rotating beers on tap, a selection of wines from the Southern Hemisphere, and a menu that boasts New Zealand-style crab cakes with panko crust and citrus salsa, lollipop lamb chops and green-lipped mussels.

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Prices here on designer goods are 40% to 70% off what you would pay at a department store or designer boutique. Don't think that $250 Armani blazer is a bargain? Look again at the tag -- the retail price is upward of $800. This is the place to find things like super cheap Calvin Klein tees, last season's Lucky jeans, this season's Dolce & Gabbana sunglasses, or the perfect Missoni sweater. Kids' clothes, linens, luggage, and housewares are also part of the extensive stock (head to the basement for the latter). The only drawback is the throngs of people who flock here every day, making the most strategic shopping time to shop with sanity weekday mornings, before the lunch rush.

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Long hailed as one of the best falafel joints in town, Alfanoose has expanded into a 48-seat Middle Eastern restaurant.

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Alfanoose is touted as the best falafel joint in all of New York. Owner Mouhamad Shami's commitment to making the healthiest and most authentic Lebanese food goes a long way in maintaining the high standards. This eatery was resurrected after 9/11 solely because of the loyal patronage it enjoyed. Sometimes there are serpentine queues outside as people wait for their shawarmas and falafels. Homemade hummus, kafta bil-saniyeh and vegetarian moussaka are voted to be the best of the best. So the next time you have the urge to eat Lebanese in New York, you know where to head.

Our Local Expert Says:

South Street Seaport (11 Fulton Street, to be exact) is home to the acclaimed Bodies: The Exhibition, an up-close-and-personal tour through the intricate and seemingly miraculous workings of the human body.

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This historic trading port, which dates back to the 1600s, is located on the edge of the Financial District, where Fulton Street meets the East River. It was restored and revitalized for tourist use in the late 1960s, and now boasts more than 120 shops, restaurants, and bars, as well as the South Street Seaport Museum, the Pier 17 Pavilion, and the New York City Police Museum. Visitors to the Seaport will also find some of the oldest architecture in downtown Manhattan, including renovated original mercantile buildings from the early 19th century, renovated sailing ships, and the former Fulton Fish Market.

With its cobblestone streets and broad piers, South Street Seaport offers a welcome escape from the congested, skyscraper-lined streets of downtown. There are usually free outdoor performances going on - check out a number of prominent and up-and-coming acts at the outdoor stage set up in the summertime - and the cool breezes, fun people-watching, and beautiful views of the Brooklyn Bridge can all be enjoyed for free.

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Located off the beaten path in the Financial District (in The Setai condominium development), SHO Shaun Hergatt boasts cutting edge ingredients, painstaking presentation, and a sleek modern ambiance. Hergatt, a talented Australian chef, worked for years in Ritz-Carlton hotels, and his new restaurant carries on the commitment to luxurious excess: a signature appetizer is the "Golden Egg," a slow-poached egg served with caviar and gold leaf. Other over-the-top offerings include "mille-feuille" of foie gras, buttery roasted Maine lobster and "three-day" short ribs.

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Don't mistake this for a library. This bar is refined and high end. The room's warm amber lighting and leather chairs are ideal to sink into or cuddle with someone special. The staff are friendly and have to climb ladders to fetch the brandy bottles that line the bar's vertical shelves. The menu lists the best brandys and scotch available in the world. There are exquisite Cognacs, rustic Calvados and more than a hundred cocktails. The Hors D'Ouevres are as special, and include the Maine Scallop Ceviche, foie gras and cavier. If you're feeling particularly decadent, ask for the 1914 brandy.