South Street Seaport

The South Street Seaport historic district in lower Manhattan is NYC's offering as a real tourist area, resembling other marketplaces such as the Harborplace of Baltimore, Faneuil Hall Marketplace in Boston, Market East in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 6th Street Marketplace in Richmond, Virginia, Portside Festival Marketplace in Toledo, Ohio, and Bayside Marketplace in Miami, Florida. The cloned look of the aforementioned is not a coincidence. They were all done by the Rouse Company, a pioneer in the development of shopping malls and marketplaces since 1956. Although substantial efforts have been made to restore South Street to its original condition and feeling of its past, Pier 17, adjoining Fulton Street and the Fulton Market Building really define the area as a tourist oriented shopping district. Pier 17 itself was converted into a 3-story enclosed mall with shops and a food court. However, for those willing to eschew the commercial, it is easy to find much to enjoy in this area. To start with, the vistas alone are reason enough to visit, as one can see in the photo, taken from one of the wrap around outdoor decks at Pier 17. Also, the maritime past really can be felt just strolling through the area. The area has streets of restored buildings, most notably Schermerhorn Row and numerous galleries and moored ships. At Pier 16 seen in the photo, one can find a number of ships, some permanently moored and available for boarding: the Peking (1911), Wavertree (1885), and Ambrose (1908) - the Peking and Wavertree are two of the largest masted ships in existence. The training vessels the Pioneer (1885), Lettie G. Howard (1893) and W.O. Decker (1930) offer sail training, public sails and charter opportunities. The South Street Seaport Museum (207 front Street) was established in 1967. Start on Front Street: 207 (Visitors' Center), 209 (Museum Charts and Book Store), 211 (Print Shop) and 213-215 (the Seaport Gallery) ...