South Street Seaport

It was my first visit to South Street Seaport and I was pleasantly surprised at what I found in the area.  It is full of shops and restaurants, with some tourist attractions and museums.  As it is located by the water  you can walk along the river and catch some great views of the Brooklyn Bridge.

We started out at Pier 17 which is home to a small mall with a food court, as well as a selection of restaurants and pubs.  On the pier there is an array of stalls and vendors and you can often catch street performers and entertainers.  The mall has a few familiar stores such as 'Express', 'Bath & Body Works' and 'Victoria Secret', but is mostly independent shops selling souvenirs and gifts.  There are some interesting stores in there though, so it is worth checking out.

We then headed inland to the Seaport Marketplace where you can find more shops and restaurants as well as the 'Bodies' exhibit.  If you explore the area further you will find cobblestone streets full of great places to eat and unique shops.  It's a lovely place to sit outside and eat, there are views to enjoy rather than sitting by the side of a busy road.  

At the weekends the 'Fulton Stall Market' runs along South Street between Fulton and Beekman Street. It is a great food market and you can often get free samples or try most of the food for sale.  They sometimes have live music and exhibits in addition to the food stalls.  Check out the website for more information http://www.southstreetseaport.com/Fulton-Street-Market.

Some people think this area is too touristy, but I think it's great fun and well worth a visit.  New York can take itself a bit too seriously sometimes and I don't think there is anything wrong with being a tourist now and again. 

For more information visit http://www.southstreetseaport.com.