According to the Lower Manhattan business improvement district, the amount of tourism and leisure has increased dramatically, with the area seeing a continuing increase in the number of visitors each year. It is projected that TriBeCa, the Financial District and other areas south of Canal Street are the second-most visited landmarks in New York City, behind only Times Square.
It’s an exciting time for Lower Manhattan, which has had to endure a long recovery process after the 9/11 attacks. The September 11th memorial that opened last year has already been visited by thousands, and many have come to see the nearly completed One World Trade center building, which will be the tallest in Manhattan after it’s completion. The completion of the project will also bring a large amount of additional commerce into the area. This, combined with a stabilizing financial market, means that the Financial District is seeing a steady increase in the amount of both workers and visitors.
Aside from the new One World Trade Center and September 11th memorial, many tourists come to visit Zuccotti Park, where the Occupy Wall Street protests took place, as well as the New York Stock Exchange and Financial District. With these additional visitors, local eateries and entertainment venues have also seen increased business, keeping the area busy into the evening hours.
With increased tourism, not everyone is happy, however – many residents of the area who were drawn to it for the quiet streets and low traffic in the non-working hours now say that the streets and subways have begun to crowd and created noise into the evening hours. But, for better or worse, Lower Manhattan has resurged, and doesn’t plan to slow down any time soon.
