Battery Park, Manhattan

During my visit to New York, my husband and I had a dinner date with friends in another of our favorite restaurants that was located in Battery Park in lower Manhattan. We often spent time in this southern shoreline park when we lived in New York, and I've blogged about it in the past, click here and here if you would to read those posts.

This area has been known as "The Battery" since the 17th century when the area was the Dutch settlement of New Amsterdam. At the time an artillery battery was locate there to protect the seaward approach to the town.   The park was created by landfill beginning in 1855, as a landscaped open space in a heavily developed downtown. Skyscrapers now rim the original land surrounding the park.

(All photos in this post will enlarge for easier viewing if clicked on)

Much of the park consists of an esplanade along the shoreline with views in the distance of the Statue of Liberty. This bench area and garden was called "The Garden of Remembrance." Planted with native grasses and perennial flowers it is dedicated to "those who lost their lives on September eleventh, to the survivors, and to those who come seeking renewed optimism and hope."

 We noticed that The Sphere was in a new location from when we saw it last. It is a large metallic sculpture by Fritz Koenig, as a monument to world peace. It once stood in the middle of the plaza that was between the original World Trade Towers and was salvaged after the disaster.  It is a temporary installation and may be moved to Liberty Park in the future.  We remember when it was surrounded by a fountain and flower boxes when it was in the World Trade Center Plaza and it still gives us chills to look upon it and think back to that fateful day.

Toward the northwestern end of the park stands Castle Clinton, the last remnant of the defensive fort that was built in 1811.  It was named in honor of New York City Mayor DeWitt Clinton in 1915.  It is perhaps best remembered as America's first immigration station, prior to Ellis Island, where more than 8 million people arrived in the US from 1855 to 1890, when it was called Castle Garden. Afterward it was re-purposed with many other functions, including being one of the first aquariums in the United States. Today is is administered by the National Park Service as a National Monument, and is a departure point for visitors to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.

Nearby is a stirring sculpture entitled "The Immigrants."  The inscription on the base of the sculpture reads: "Dedicated to the people of all nations who entered America through Castle Garden in Memory of Samuel Rudin 1896-1975 whose parents arrived in America in 1883."  According to the NYC Parks web site the sculpture's "figures expressive poses emphasize the struggle and toil inherent in the experience of the immigrant or dislocated person."  It's a very dramatic and poignant sculpture to see.

A happy new development we saw in Battery Park was a beautiful and very unique carousel called the Sea Glass Carousel.  

Built with a musical underwater theme the rider sits on an iridescent fish that glides through and aquatic adventure. You can watch a video of it on this New York Times web site. It was quite enchanting!

If you look closely at the bottom of the photo above you can see the East Coast Memorial eagle.This memorial commemorates those soldiers, sailors, marines, coast guardsmen, merchant marines and airmen who met their deaths in the service of the United States in the western waters of the Atlantic Ocean during World War II.

A total of 4,067 lives were lost, and their names, rank and home state are inscribed on nearby eight 19 foot high granite walls.

The New York Korean War Veterans Memorial was of interest to me as my father was a vet of both WWII and Korea.  The memorial, dedicated in 1991, was designed by Welsh born artist Mac Adams and it is notable as one of the first Korean War memorials erected in the United States

This sight of the juxtaposition of old and new in New York City made me smile.  The red brick building in front of the towering black skyscraper which is located at 7 State Street, between Pearl and Water Street is the James Watson House, built in 1793 and extended in 1806. James Watson was the first Speaker of the New York State Assembly and a Federalist member of the New York and United State Senates.  He later became a prosperous importer-exporter. The house was also the residence of Elizabeth Ann Seton, the first America Catholic Saint. The home is currently occupied by the rectory of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Church and is part of the Seton Shine.

We had time before meeting our friends for dinner so we walked across to see the buildings close up...

...and we went inside the church.  The story behind this church is very interesting. It began through the inspiration of Charlotte Grace O'Brien, who was the daughter of the famous Irish patriot and rebel William Smith O'Brien.  Charlotte's concern for young female Irish  immigrants who were being victimized in America in 1881 led to her establishing of an Irish immigrant mission and then a church serving the people of lower Manhattan.  You can read more of this history on the church web site and the Irish Mission at Watson House on this link.

As we walked back towards the restaurant in Battery Park we saw the "Cool Globes" art exhibit designed to raise awareness about global warming and spark practical solutions.  It will be on display until September, 2016. Unfortunately, we did not have time to examine the twelves globes too closely but I though they made an interesting foreground for the new World Trade Center building.

We finally arrived at Giginos Trattoria at Wagner Park, located at 20 Battery Place.  In summer the restaurant places a large tent outside in the back, so that diners can enjoy dining al fresco and.....

...appreciate this view of the Statue of Liberty!

Since we were dining with friends, I did not take any photographs of our dinner, but if you look at Giginos menu you can see that they have wonderfully authentic Italian food. Everything was delicious!

After dinner we took a stroll along the esplanade as the sun set.

 We saw this pretty view of Jersey City, New Jersey across the river....

...and had a last look at the World Trade Center in the distance.  

We had a wonderful time in New York, and we saw and did many more things on our trip, but I'm going to save them for a future post and return to what I have been doing in Colorado this summer on my next post. When people ask me if I miss New York, I have to admit it will always hold a special place in my heart.  I am happy I lived in the city so many years and experienced much of its attractions, but I am happy to be spending this time of my life in the west and living a different lifestyle, and especially living close to our children and grandchildren. It has been a wonderful summer so far....hope you are also enjoying everything good about this season!

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