‘I Do’ Downtown
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This Year, Your Thanksgiving Table Is at One of These 14 Restaurants
Continue ReadingBah, Humbug: ‘A Christmas Carol’ at PAC NYC
Don’t be a Scrooge — get your tickets today!
Big Changes to the NYC Ferry Coming in December
Starting on December 8, you’ll see some changes to the ferry schedule, including new stops and routes.
Where to Volunteer, Donate and Give Back This Holiday Season
If you’re feeling moved to make life a little better for your fellow New Yorkers, there are plenty of opportunities downtown.
Words on Warren Is a Literary Wonderland for Children
Do Business
The World in One Square Mile
There’s so much to see and do in Lower Manhattan
Spending a few days downtown? Check out these sample itineraries to make sure you don’t miss everything the neighborhood has to offer.
Your plans for the week are right here
Take a peek at our community calendar to learn about ongoing events in the neighborhood.
A one-stop-shop for your downtown business
Looking for research, statistics, market data or incentives? Find it all here.
A clean, safe and dynamic neighborhood
Serving an area from roughly City Hall to the Battery, from the East River to West Street, the Downtown Alliance manages the Downtown-Lower Manhattan Business Improvement District (BID).
Explore Life Downtown
It’s just not New York City without Lower Manhattan. It’s magnetic. It’s electric. It’s everything and a little bit more. Whether you’re making the most of a weekend getaway or looking for ways to mix up your lunch break, downtown has all the shopping, dining and entertainment you could ask for.
Come visit downtown
Get Inspired
About one in nine residents in the Lower Manhattan area are food insecure, according to the New York City Council. Food assistance requests in the city are at record highs, and the poverty rate in Manhattan is 17.2% as of recent estimates – meaning many of our neighbors are worried about how they’ll afford to feed their families, buy winter clothing or get holiday gifts for their children.
But the special thing about New Yorkers is that we look out for each other, especially in times of need and uncertainty. With so many people sharing the same city, we have no other choice but to work together. If you’re feeling moved to make life a little easier for our more vulnerable citizens, please consider volunteering, donating or giving back in some way this holiday season.
At the link in our bio, we’ve rounded up several organizations in Lower Manhattan looking for help, as well as city-wide initiatives and other charitable opportunities.
It’s been a minute since we’ve bragged about all of the new and exciting businesses making Lower Manhattan their home… so here we go!
In the last few months, the neighborhood has welcomed indoor soccer facility @socceroof, a sprawling new location of the beloved @barcade, @tacosdelbarrionyc — a taco shop run by “kid wonder” Aiden Sterlin, @kinshipcoffee, a gorgeous coffee spot with Brooklyn Bridge views, and a downtown destination for the bagel sensation @leonsbagelsnyc 🥯🌮☕️⚽️🕹️
Did you know? You can visit @theseaportnyc’s famous and festive Pumpkin Arch until November 17 📸🎃
Happy Halloween from your friendly neighborhood ghost hunters 👻
It’s the most wonderful time of the year…. Halloweekend in New York 🎃👻🍭🥂
This year, the neighborhood has cooked up some super spooky events, activities, parties, activations and more. Swipe through to see what’s happening downtown this weekend, and head to the link in our bio for more info 🔗
On a rainy late October day in 1886, New Yorkers gathered in anticipation for the unveiling of the nation’s “New Colossus.” Thousands crowded on both land and sea to get a look at “Liberty Enlightening the World” — better known as the Statue of Liberty 🗽
Proposed in 1865 by French politician and abolitionist Édouard de Laboulaye, Lady Liberty was a gift from France to the United States as a symbol of friendship between the two countries and a commemoration of American independence. But war in Europe and a series of fundraising woes in the United States delayed the monument’s arrival by two decades, until a final push by newspaper publisher Joseph Pulitzer raised the needed capital to complete the statue’s pedestal. At last, on October 28, the Statue of Liberty was ready for its dedication and big reveal.
At the link in our bio, historian Theresa DeCicco-Dizon chronicles the fascinating history of the fateful day that cemented Lady Liberty as a beacon of liberty and freedom, inextricably linked to downtown Manhattan and New York City at large.
November is Native American Heritage Month, and on November 6, we’re kicking things off with a special event. Join the Downtown Alliance, “Bare Feet with Mickela Mallozzi” and the South Street Seaport Museum for an evening of dance, film and storytelling that honors Indigenous voices and traditions from around the world.
Host and executive producer Mickela Mallozzi and series editor Jonathan Rogers will present four hand-picked segments from the acclaimed PBS travel series “Bare Feet.” Between each segment, Mallozzi and Rogers will share candid behind-the-scenes stories and reflect on the process and responsibility of bringing global Indigenous traditions to the screen.
After the screenings, step outside onto Water Street to join Louis Mofsie and the Thunderbird American Indian Dancers for a performance and participatory Friendship Circle Dance — an inspiring celebration of community and connection. The evening will conclude back in the gallery with a reception and the chance to continue the conversation.
The event is free with an RSVP — head to the link in our bio to learn more and reserve your spot!
There is truly nothing like wedding planning. The excitement of a new chapter, the creative freedom of defining yourselves as a couple and the outpouring of emotions from friends and family… all followed quickly, however, by the harrowing financial panic and decision fatigue that come with hammering out all the details of your big day.
The good news is, Lower Manhattan boasts a wealth of talented businesses and individuals dedicated to wedding excellence. These downtown wedding vendors are ready to help you make your vision a reality, from dresses and florals to cakes and invitations.
Click the link in our bio to see our full list of downtown wedding vendors, as part of our “I Do” Downtown series.
Weddings are a series of choices, and the most important choice you’ll make is…well, it’s probably the person you choose to marry. But the second-most important? It’s the venue, baby.
Do you want to tie the knot in a gorgeous hotel ballroom? Treat your guests to a feast at one of your favorite restaurants? Opt for something totally out-of-the-box?
In Lower Manhattan, we have a slew of venues ready to host the wedding of your dreams, offering everything from gorgeous views to stellar photo ops to top-of-the-line catering and decor sure to wow your friends and loved ones. Taylor Post, owner and planner at @tayloredevents.co and brand ambassador at @zola, walks us through three stellar venue options for any kind of couple: something classic, something chic, and something totally unexpected.
Looking for more venue options? Click the link in our bio to see everything Lower Manhattan has to offer for your big day, as part of our “I Do” Downtown series.
Sure, having a civil ceremony at City Hall is the effortless, totally chic way to get married in New York. That doesn’t mean there’s no planning involved (we’re not Vegas, after all).
At the link in our bio, we’ve written up a complete guide on how to have your dream city hall wedding, from the nitty gritty (how and when to get a marriage license, what you need to bring with you on the day, what to expect from your appointment at the clerk’s office), to the celebratory (where to take your photos; where you, your newly betrothed and your witnesses, friends and family should eat and drink after the vows are exchanged ❤️
“We love New York City, so we couldn’t imagine getting married without having the city be a part of our story.”
There’s something classically romantic about a City Hall wedding.
Eloping in the heart of Lower Manhattan, among countless others who decided to make their love legally binding in a stately 19th-century civic building, is a lovely, low-maintenance way to officially tie the knot. And as much as *we* adore a courthouse ceremony, we still wanted to find out why – out of all the ways to go about getting married in NYC – a City Hall wedding appealed to New Yorkers in 2025.
Unsurprisingly, the rush of love, the easy romance of the process, and a shared passion for the city that brought them together were how almost every couple responded.
Interested in having your own City Hall wedding? We wrote up a step-by-step guide to getting hitched at the City Clerk’s office. Read it at the link in our bio 🔗
In our humble opinion, Lower Manhattan is the most romantic neighborhood in New York City.
With miles of waterfront, streets with old New York charm, sky-high restaurants with glittering views and plenty of luxury shopping destinations, it’s the ideal neighborhood for prepping for and popping the big question.
Our “I Do” Downtown series continues with a mega-list of our favorite neighborhood spots for every step of the engagement journey, from ring shopping to the proposal itself to the post-proposal celebration. You can thank us with an invite to the wedding!
Tap the link in our bio to read 🔗
About the Alliance
Maintaining Quality of Life
Our People
At the Downtown Alliance, our staff is committed to your success.
Downtown Connection
Our free bus service makes 36 stops around the perimeter of Lower Manhattan.
Dine Around Downtown
Sample signature menu dishes at a feast of Lower Manhattan restaurants for $5 to $10 all at one community food festival.
LM Live
Our live programming initiative brings the Lower Manhattan community together around events that highlight the neighborhood’s talent, innovation, history and culture.
We are the Alliance for Downtown New York. We manage the Lower Manhattan Business Improvement District (BID) and provide service, advocacy, research and information to advance Lower Manhattan as a global model of a 21st century Central Business District for businesses, residents and visitors. Our district comprises Lower Manhattan south of the north side of Murray Street, roughly from City Hall at the north to the Battery at the south, and from the East River to West Street.