Nest Seekers International

Wall Street / Battery Park / Seaport

Although the name Wall Street is synonymous with business, power, wealth, and of course, the New York Stock Exchange, the area around it on the southern tip of Manhattan has plenty of residential options also - many replete with magnificent views of the downtown skyline towering over the water’s edge and of the Statue of Liberty beyond. Indeed, the tip of Manhattan was where the island's first European settlers lived: the name "Wall Street" derives from a wall that Dutch settlers built to keep out their British neighbors.

By the 18th century, the area was home to the world's busiest seaport, and similarly today, characterized by its frenzied pace and frantic deals, Wall Street remains an undisputed financial capitol. Yet while buzzing with businesspeople during the day, it does have an increasingly neighborhood feel ‘after hours’, particularly in Battery Park City, an upscale housing development carefully planned with an abundance of trees and waterfront sidewalks. Named after a battery of guns kept by the British to protect the harbor, BPC, and nearby Battery Park, are just brisk strolls from the financial center, through a seemingly timeless area of New York's oldest and most historic buildings and monuments. The centuries-old Trinity Church, for example, lends the whole district a calming air, while just blocks away, hordes of respectful tourists congregate daily at "Ground Zero", the site of the World Trade Center and the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

On the other side of Manhattan, just east of Wall Street, lies South Street Seaport, with smart shops, fine restaurants and some of the freshest (locally caught) fish in town. You can also catch fabulous sunrises and stunning views of the Brooklyn Bridge from the seaport marina...or a water taxi, to or from any one of a number of Downtown Manhattan destinations.