Living in Battery Park City

The opinions are unanimous: Battery Park City, in the heart of Manhattan, has been considered for some years as one of the best places to live in New York. It is true that with a luxury real estate park, lush vegetation, but also a sweet and family neighborhood life and trendy restaurants on every street corner, Battery Park City attracts a little more residents every day.

Guided tour of a New York neighborhood that is on the rise.

A quick minute of geography

For those who find it difficult to locate, Battery Park City is a neighborhood in Manhattan located between the Hudson River and West Street, otherwise known as the West Side Highway. The district stretches from Chambers Street in the north to Battery Place and Little West Street in the south.

The little story

In the late 1950s, the once thriving Battery Park City harbor area of ​​downtown Manhattan fell victim to the container transport takeoff, which pushed ships to New Jersey, leaving Manhattan ports in ruins. After abandoning the area, which was completely deserted and then turned into a landfill, several private companies have proposed reconstruction projects. However, after the September 11 attack, Battery Park City became vacant as the neighborhood became an official crime scene. Since then, the neighborhood has risen from the ashes to become a posh place where life is very good.

Life is sweet and beautiful in Battery Park City

Those who like to walk already know that there are no metro stations in the Battery Park City area. Train access is in the Financial District, which means it is always a good idea to have a pair of sneakers in your bag, in case you have to walk a quarter of a mile to the nearest metro.

Despite this, living in this neighborhood is extremely pleasant, for adults, families and their children. Green spaces – A third of Battery Park City is indeed considered “park” -, the tranquility of the streets, the panoramic views of the Hudson, the proximity of the water on 3 sides and the uniformity of the urban landscape is soothing, just steps from other noisier neighborhoods and the vitality of Manhattan.

More generally, the population of southern Manhattan has doubled in 10 years, and restaurants, shops, outdoor facilities for sports along the water have followed suit. Although the atmosphere in Battery Park City is laid back and sporty enough, the food scene in the neighborhood is fairly formal and upscale. Most upscale restaurants are located around Brookfield Place and among them, we must mention the Michelin-starred French cuisine of L’Appart. There are also more casual cards, like that of Tartinery Hudson Eats.

During your walks, you can enjoy Rockefeller Park, Super Duper Tennis, Farmer’s market at Bowling Green Station and the Staten Island Ferry area. You will surely come across the supermodel Tyra Banks who owns an apartment in the splendid Riverhouse residential complex, as well as Leonardo DiCaprio.

The battery park City property market

Battery Park City is slightly more affordable than Tribeca with a median sale price for a three-bedroom apartment of $ 3,125,000. The median rent for a three bedroom is $ 11,000 and for a two bedroom, $ 6,950.

Built fairly quickly – and still expanding- the housing stock is fairly uniform but the apartments are magnificent. In the north, there are mainly large and beautiful brick buildings. The southern section contains complexes such as the waterfront residential building, the Gateway Plaza, which was completed in 1983. Le Solaire, a LEED certified building, and the first “green” residential complex in the country, opened one of its main luxury buildings in 2002 is 225 Rector Place, which was refurbished in 2012. It offers its residents high-end services and lovely views of the Hudson River and the Statue of Freedom.