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Explore life downtown
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.
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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.
You’re guaranteed a warm welcome when walking into @thecorkerynyc, Joanna Preuninger’s wine shop on Bridge Street.
With its tall, dark wood shelves generously stocked with bottles, rich chocolate walls and seasonal decorations, the store is inviting in itself. But quickly it becomes clear that the staff – enthusiastic, knowledgeable and clearly passionate about wine – is what has kept people coming back for the near-decade the Corkery has been open in Lower Manhattan.
We talked to Preuninger, the woman at the helm of it all, about her background in wine, her experience owning a small business, and what it’s been like building a community of friends and neighbors downtown. Head to the link in our bio to read the full story, along with other profiles of women-owned businesses in Lower Manhattan.

It may be 5 o’clock somewhere, but on #NationalCocktailDay, it’s 5 o’clock everywhere.
To celebrate this (decidedly made-up but still fun) holiday, we checked out three of the neighborhood’s most impressive, inventive cocktail bars to see what was on the menu.
Our first stop was the crown jewel of 70 Pine Street, @overstory. The @kenthospitalitygroup spot was ranked the 15th best bar in the world by @theworlds50best, and between the delicious drinks, breathtaking views and lovely service, it’s clear why. Everything here is impressive, from the Art Deco building itself, all the way down to the hand-harvested Fort Tilden salt that garnishes their take on an Old Fashioned.
Next, we headed to a new(er) kid on the block, @thebedfordstonestreet. Here, spirits like rum, mezcal, clairin and cachaça take center stage to support the bar’s retro, nautical vibe. According to @eater_ny, the mole (which features in one of our chosen cocktails), is “made by an employee’s mother, with rum from Mexico, and atole made in-house from corn from the southern state of Chiapas.”
We ended the night with an N/A nightcap at the Bar Room in the @thebeekmanny, which was busy and bustling on a Friday evening. Going spirit-free was the right choice for the big finale, since the Beekman’s mocktail offerings leave nothing to be desired, except a second round.
At the link in our bio, read more Lower Manhattan’s cocktail bar scene and our suggestions of where to go for your next night out. Drink responsibly!

We like to say that Lower Manhattan holds the world in one square mile, but that’s especially true when it comes to Ireland. In just a handful of blocks, the neighborhood boasts over a dozen Irish pubs, hosts the largest annual St. Patrick’s Day party in NYC on Stone Street, and is home to at least two important pieces of Irish cultural history: the Irish Hunger Memorial, and the James Watson House at 7 State Street.
If you’re celebrating St. Paddy’s with a pint, finding a good Irish watering hole downtown is no chore. You have one of the city’s last standing Blarney Stone pubs on Trinity Street, a family-owned, low-frills relic whose affordable fare and drinks make it, as food critic Robert Sistema once wrote, “a museum of the way working class New Yorkers ate in pubs 50 years ago.”
A few blocks away, O’Hara’s Pub slings traditional Irish bar food in an environment honoring first responders, a reminder of its status as a haven for firefighters and other essential personnel after September 11. For a more modern vibe, there’s the Dead Rabbit on Water Street, where you can find delectable Irish coffees, or Stone Street, where the St. Patrick’s festivities last for days.
If Irish history is your focus, take a stroll westward to the Irish Hunger Memorial, a peaceful, grassy hill in Rockefeller Park. The memorial’s reconstructed stone cottage was made with materials brought in from the old country, and stands as a tribute to the one million lost to famine in Ireland.
Nearby, the James Watson House at 7 State Street serves as a kind of companion piece to the Hunger Memorial. In the decades following the famine, an influx of Irish immigrants arrived in New York, many of which were women under the age of 40. The Mission of Our Lady of the Rosary for the Protection of Irish Immigrant Girls at 7 State Street provided a safe haven for over 70,000 girls who came to America alone. The Mission helped these young Irish women find permanent homes and jobs, and provided spiritual support.
From pubs to parties to pieces of rich history, Lower Manhattan truly is an Irish neighborhood. We hope you enjoy your St. Patrick’s Day downtown, however you’re celebrating.

Happy Pi Day! We secured a fresh-baked slice of blueberry from our friends at @fultonstallmarket in celebration 🫐
Shout out to Archimedes of Syracuse of ancient Greece for being the first mathematician to calculate pi. Little did he know that thousands of years later we’d use his groundbreaking discovery to indulge in sweet, sweet circular treats 🥧

Happy opening day to the newest location of @essabagel, now proudly operating downtown at 115 Broadway!
The famed NYC chain was slinging perfectly soft and doughy bagels this morning, alongside standard coffee and beverage options. Our staff enjoyed the plain, sesame and everything offerings with scallion schmear — but to each their own! Head to the link in our bio for more about this exciting new arrival 🥯

At the start of January, the culinary magazine @food52 predicted that the paper plane, a modern classic invented in 2008 by bartender Sam Ross (and named after the popular song by M.I.A.) would be the cocktail of the year.
Though the paper plane isn’t exactly new, it’s about time for another trendy beverage to hit the bar scene. After all, we’re all kind of tired of ordering espresso martinis – and bartenders are tired of making them. So we headed out into Lower Manhattan in pursuit of one.
Learn more about the cocktail, its history and our quest to find one in the neighborhood at the link in our bio. Cheers! ✈️

On this #InternationalWomensDay, we present to you: The Women-Owned Downtown Matrix!
From legacy establishments to plucky start-ups, fine dining eateries to beloved watering holes, specialized services to general stores – women are at the helm of businesses large and small in Lower Manhattan.
Starting on the left side of the matrix will introduce you to places you can visit for specific or special occasions – bridal shops, fine jewelers, upscale dining and bespoke experiences. Starting on the right, you’ll find establishments that fit into an everyday routine – coffee shops, neighborhood bars, retail stores and more.
The top and bottom ends of the Goods/Services axis speak for themselves, but wander towards the middle and you’ll find places like The Little Shop – a bar that’s nestled behind a bodega-type store – and Barclay Rex, a cigar shop that also has a member’s only smoking lounge.
All of the businesses featured on the matrix are either fully or partly owned by women, and this is by no means an exhaustive list. Lower Manhattan is the proud home of many women-owned enterprises without brick and mortar storefronts, such as financial and legal practices, e-commerce businesses, design and architecture firms, and more.
We hope you frequent one of these amazing downtown spots today, or bookmark this post for your future shopping needs. Happy Women’s History Month!

In January of last year, the Downtown Alliance put out a call for filmmakers to apply for a $50,000 grant to make a movie in Lower Manhattan during the summer of 2024.
This initiative, dubbed “Filmmaker in Chief,” was created both to empower artists and to further establish downtown NYC as a prime destination for film production.
We received over 400 applications from filmmakers all over the world. After reviewing each pitch, a panel of judges selected the Neymarc Brothers – a filmmaking pair known for their visual effects work – as the winners.
Production on their winning idea, a short film called DREAMSCAPE, began just a few months later. The Neymarcs, their cast and crew spent weeks downtown, taking advantage of the neighborhood’s inherently cinematic streetscapes, rooftops and interiors: including local theaters and office spaces transformed into film sets.
Last night, just over a year after applications closed, we hosted a private screening of DREAMSCAPE, along with Filmmaker in Chief runner-up Raphael Vangelis’ short film, 0% LEMON. To see this ambitious initiative culminating on the big screen was a privilege to witness, and we applaud the filmmakers and their teams for their hard work and creative visions.
It was a celebration of independent filmmaking, artistic expression, and ultimately, of Lower Manhattan and all its potential. Thank you to everyone who came out to spend the night at the movies with us!


Who is the downtown alliance
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.
About the Alliance