Whether you’re making the most of a weekend getaway or looking to mix up your lunch break, Lower Manhattan has all the shopping, dining and entertainment you could want. From City Hall to the Battery, savor unique flavors, discover awe-inspiring museums, catch a show and so much more.
When one square mile contains infinite possibility, you never know what’s next. So get going, and see what’s happening in downtown New York.
Managing the Downtown-Lower Manhattan Business Improvement District (BID), the Downtown Alliance is your first and best business resource. Whether you’re dreaming of a grand opening or big-time growth, we’re here to help in more ways than one.
As 2024 winds down, we’re inviting New Yorkers to take stock of their wishes for the new year and help us create something magical in Lower Manhattan.
From November 21 to January 9, locals and visitors alike can engage with our “Star Light Star Bright” installation by attaching “wish ribbons” to the brightly lit star structure on the plaza at 140 Broadway. Pre-printed ribbons with wishes for things like “health and happiness” and “a peaceful holiday season” can be picked up from any of our neighborhood “wish partners” and brought back to the plaza to be attached to the artwork. If you’d like to write a wish of your own, attend one of our lunchtime events where we’ll be handing out blank ribbons, along with free refreshments from local businesses.
The first event is this Thursday, November 21, and features live music by the New York Collective featuring Svetlana Shmulyian and refreshments from La Parisienne.
Learn more about the installation, and find our events schedule and map of our wish partners at the link in bio.
Just in time for the weekend, we present to you: The Downtown Bar Matrix 🍹🌀
From local haunts to post-work watering holes to cocktail lounges that rank among the best in the world, Lower Manhattan is the privileged home to dozens of bars. We split the downtown drinking scene into four quadrants —each a mini guide for helping you choose where to go for your next round.
If you’re looking for libations outside of the norm, move left to right on the Classic Fare (read: beer, wine and tried-and-true cocktails) / Mixology axis. And if you start at the top of the Swanky / Casual line, you’ll find yourself sipping spirits 60+ floors above the city, until you work your way down to frill-free favorites situated at sea level.
Wherever you end up, have fun, drink responsibly and tip your bartender! Cheers 🍻
The easiest way to freshen up your social feeds? Grabbing a friend and heading to NYC`s most photogenic neighborhood 📸
We took to the streets, shops and scenic spots of Lower Manhattan to snap some shots - including a legendary museum (@postermuseum) a pier with a waterfront view to die for (@theseaportnyc), a chic cocktail bar perched 64 stories above street level (@manhatta_nyc) and more.
At the link in our bio, you`ll find our full list of downtown`s most "Instagrammable" locations. Head there for some inspo, and make sure you tag us in all your posts!
Barclay Rex, the family-owned cigar and tobacco shop at 126 Pearl St., has seen over a century of New York City history.
Through the stock market crash, two world wars, September 11th and the COVID-19 pandemic, Barclay Rex has persevered. To understand how this downtown legacy business has kept the doors open and the pipes full, we talked to owner Vanessa Nastri - the great-granddaughter of Italian-born pipemaker Vincent Nastri.
Learn more about the shop`s origins, its current offerings and its unexpected namesake at the link in our bio 🔗
Join us on Thursday, November 21 for a timely conversation with the women who are changing the landscape of Wall Street.
Presented by the Downtown Alliance and Siebert Financial, this free panel discussion centers around historian Paulina Bren’s new book, “She-Wolves: The Untold History of Women on Wall Street,” which chronicles the challenging path of women in the world of finance.
Bren will discuss her groundbreaking book alongside three pioneering leaders featured in its pages: Joylene Caruso-FitzGerald, Lilian Lambert and Doreen Mogavero. The panel will be moderated by Raakhee Miller, chief product officer at Siebert Financial. Learn more and RSVP at the link in our bio.
It’s finally Election Day. If you didn’t cast an early vote, this is your friendly reminder to get yourself to the polls! 🗳️
Don’t know your polling place? Need more information about this year’s ballot? Don’t fret – head to the link in our bio for our handy election guide.
And after you perform this important civic duty, you deserve a treat. Our friends at @funnyfacebakery are slinging election-themed cookies all day. Here’s to democracy in action!
After a week of fierce competition, the Downtown Alliance had trouble recovering after the fifth match-up in our World Series Showdown, giving the Downtown Los Angeles Alliance room to clinch the win in the seventh game ⚾️🧢🏆
DTLA’s stunning sunsets, impressive cultural centers and cinematic clout helped propel them to victory. But at the end of the day, their best pizza chef was born and raised in New York City😉
Ultimately, this friendly competition saw our two great BIDs rally fans, communities and local businesses to shed light on the cities we know and love. And in the spirit of sportsmanship, the Downtown Alliance sent their Social Media Director out to one of the most famous spots in Lower Manhattan donning a Dodgers hat – a humbling experience, but one their West Coast counterparts rightly earned.
This morning, thought leaders across diverse industries gathered at the Perelman Performing Arts Center for The Power of Creativity – a panel discussion about Lower Manhattan’s evolution and how creative innovation is fueling the neighborhood’s future.
Presented by the Downtown Alliance and @pac_nyc as part of their inaugural Icons of Culture Festival, the event brought together local power players Tom Colicchio, Owner of Crafted Hospitality Group; Laura Lendrum, CEO of Printemps America; Alejandro Perez, Chief Administrative Officer at BNY; Bill Rauch, Artistic Director of PAC NYC; and David Rockwell, Founder and President of the Rockwell Group.
The Icons of Culture Festival presented by BNY is ongoing at PAC NYC through November 2. Learn more at the link in our bio.
We bought a (super scientific, very accurate) EMF reader online and tested it out on some notoriously haunted spots in the neighborhood, including Trinity Church, Fraunces Tavern and our co-worker Ben’s office.
What we discovered was spine-chilling (not really). Happy Halloween!
On November 21, join the Downtown Alliance and Siebert Financial for an extraordinary evening with the women who changed Wall Street’s landscape.
Award-winning historian and author Paulina Bren will discuss her groundbreaking book “She-Wolves: The Untold History of Women on Wall Street” alongside three pioneering leaders featured in its pages: Jolyne Caruso-FitzGerald, founder of Eriu Advisors and the former CEO of the Alberleen Group; Lillian Lambert, the founder and CEO of Centennial One and the first African-American woman to earn an MBA from Harvard Business School; and Doreen Mogavero, co-founder of Mogavero Lee and the first woman to own and operate a NYSE member firm.
Siebert Financial chief product officer Raakhee Miller will moderate this powerful conversation about breaking barriers in finance.
The event is free, and requires an RSVP. The discussion will be followed by a reception and light refreshments. You’ll also have the opportunity to purchase a copy of Bren’s book, courtesy of @mcnallyjackson. Link in bio for more.
Our mission at the Alliance for Downtown New York is to provide service, advocacy, research and information to enhance the quality of life in Lower Manhattan and advance the vibrant neighborhood as a global model of a 21st century Central Business District. By supporting economic development, public safety, sanitation, transportation and more, we strive to make Lower Manhattan an exciting, clean and safe place to live, work and play.