theamusikteater.com

Downtown Manhattan began to decline as an office center in the 1920s and 1930s. The WTC was built to reverse that trend but it was unsuccessful. Downtown tends to be younger (in both its residents’ and the typical passerby’s age) and more "hip" than the rest of the city. The restaurant and bar scene is active, varied and less formal than in Midtown or Uptown (see below). Lower Manhattan is the nation’s first capital, the center of world finance, and a gateway to millions of immigrants. It is also a great place for a New York City date. It should come as no surprise, therefore, that Lower Manhattan is also home to countless memorials and landmarks commemorating aspects of its rich history. Lower Manhattan is 30 minutes away via the Staten Island Ferry (free) and several express buses, and the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge connects the island with Brooklyn. To get around on the island, there are both bus and limited subway systems.