And, finally, what you’ve all been waiting for…the poll winner! New York City is the place you all wanted free travel tips about the most! There are so many wonderful free things to do in New York City (things I will fill you in on in the next week or so as I travel with my family to do many of them), and honestly I recommend just walking around the city. There is so much to see and your two feet can take you there! But one of my favorite places to get away from the crowds a little and enjoy some beautiful scenery in Battery Park.

For a history major, I automatically love Battery Park because of that. This is the location where thousands of immigrants were let into the city starting as early as 1855. That’s even before Ellis Island! From the park today you can see Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty, and at the edge of the waterline you can walk to see a statue in honor of some of those immigrants who made our country what it is today.

We spent the afternoon at the park on a Girl Scout trip a couple of years ago. Got ice cream. Did some people watching. Took lots of pictures. One of my favorite sights in the park was “The Sphere,” a sculpture by Fritz Koenig. This sculpture once stood between the Twin Towers in NYC, until September 11, 2001 when the buildings were destroyed in a terrorist attack. This sculpture, somewhat miraculously, survived with minor damage. Today it stands in the park, marked by a flame. It has become a bit of a tourist attraction, but it’s still an important site to see and the park itself is not too crowded.

Tips:

• You can catch the ferry to the Statue of Liberty from the park!
• Don’t feed the birds…
• Enjoy some top notch people watching from a shady bench

Where: Manhattan Waterfront, NYC, US

When: We were there in the afternoon and it was a nice time of day to visit! Crowds probably thin out a bit later in the day.

Cost: Free!

What’s your favorite thing to do in the park?

Safe travels!!