Battery Park

Battery Park is a large city park on the southside of Manhatten. If you are walking through Battery Park, you loose the feeling of being in the Big Apple, but don't look up, if you do, you will definitly see the skyscrapers and the feeling of not being in the Big Apple will be lost.

Battery Park has it's origin during the period when the Dutch still controlled New-Amsterdam. The put a large battery of canons on the southern point of Manhatten, to defend the harbor from attacks from the ocean.

If you are most southern point of Battery Park, you have a clear view on Ellis Island and Libert Island with the Statue of Liberty.
Within Battery Park you can also find several monuments, one of them is the old fort (Castle Clinton) that was build by the United States of America, just before the war of 1812 started. Castle Clinton was later used to house the immigrants that arrived in New York. Due to the large number of immigrants, this was later changed into Ellis Island.

Nowaday's you can walk in a relaxed atmosphere through Battery Park. On your walk through the park, you will see lots of business enjoying their lunch or just trying to escape from the bussy and hectic work environment.
On the southside of the park, you can also find the very new building of the Staten Island Ferry Terminal, from where the free ferry to Staten Island leaves.