The first picture is one of my favorite stores to shop in downtown, the Century 21 Department Store! It is located at 22 Cortlandt Street, between Church and Broadway. It is directly across the street from Ground Zero and was one of the businesses that struggled to return post 9/11. It has been rated by Zagat survey for two years in a row as " The # 1 discount store in New York!" Local workers and tourists from all around the world shop in it to find top quality designer fashions at discount prices. It has apparel, footwear, handbags, home and fashion accessories, and more.
It's always crowded, and one of their mottos is "fashion worth fighting for" which gives you an idea of the atmosphere sometimes, but there are real bargains to be had if you have patience.
Next, are a few large modern sculptures that are in lower Manhattan. Shown below. in two views, is a sculpture located in front of a 1967 black glass modern style skyscraper at 140 Broadway. The red, off-kilter cube with a hole through it is called Isamu Noguchi's Cube. It looks so precariously balanced and is a favorite place for a photo shoot.
Next is the 70-foot high "Joie de Vivre" by Mark Di Suvero in front of the Broadway side of Liberty Plaza Park, directly across the street from Noguchi's sculpture.
The New York City Hall building is located at the center of City Hall Park in the Civic Center section of Lower Manhattan between Broadway, Park Row, and Chambers Street. A National Historic Landmark, it opened in 1812 and is the oldest city hall in the United States that still houses its original governmental functions, such as the office of the Mayor of New York City and the chambers of the New York City Council.The building's Governor's Room hosted President-elect Abraham Lincoln in 1861, and his coffin was placed on the staircase landing across the rotunda when he lay in state in 1865 after his assassination. Ulysses S. Grant also was laid in state beneath the rotunda dome.
The Governor's Room, which is used for official receptions, also houses one of the most important collections of 19th-century American portraiture and notable artifacts such as George Washington's desk.
The next few pictures are of the famous Woolworth Building, which is opposite City Hall on Broadway, between Park Place and Barclay Street, and is also a National Historic Landmark. It is one of the oldest skyscrapers in New York City. At fifty-seven stories tall, and more than ninety years after its construction, it is still one of the fifty tallest buildings in the United States, as well as one of the twenty tallest buildings in New York City. There are some gorgeous pictures of the very ornate lobby of the Woolworth Building on this website.
It is wonderful to walk around lower Manhattan and just look at all the different architecture. So many of the buildings are from an era when great detail and opulent ornamentation was idealized. Just look at the examples of the beautiful buildings in the pictures below.
There is much to see, a lot to do, touching things to reflect upon, and American history galore to learn about in lower Manhattan. I've just shown a small portion. Hopefully, sometime in some future blogs, I'll be able to show more!
Just one thing........if you do come for a visit, please try not to honk your car horn!
It can be expensive ......... just like everything else is in New York City!
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