Every time I visited NYC, mostly Manhattan, I worried about my relatively tight schedules.  If I came with tour groups, I kept checking the time left to go back to bus; if I drove, I worried about my parking spot (if I could get one); if I used public transportation when I stayed in hotels in Queens or NJ (for non-business trips, I am not willing to use the high-end hotel on the island) I barely had enough time to visit places outside of the major landmarks like Statue of Liberty, the Rockefeller Center, Empire State Building, and the old WTC etc.  I used to worry so much about traffic, or sometimes worried a bit about safety if it is at night.  Because of these earlier typical tourist schedules, I barely had enough time to see some quiet places where local people may opt to go.

South St is along the water front on the south tip of the island. There are various water-theme tours, such as the ferries to the Statue of liberty.   The area has some dining choices; it has a nice view to the East River just for you to sit and relax on the deck.  In later afternoon, when golden sun hit Brooklyn, the view is spectacular. This is not a crowded area at all, there is a bike trail along the water front, there are relatively few people walking along the area during my few visits.   Some kids were showing their bike skills by jumping around big blocks of obstacle.   A few Asian folks were fishing; they came by bike, so relaxed; they must have lived nearby.   In the evening, some moms and dads walk along slowly with small children, their smile shows no hint of any public safety concern.   Interestingly there is an acrobatics training class in the evening for a handful of students.  They don’t seem to be bothered when being watched by bystanders.

There are similar quiet spots not far away from here.  I enjoyed the City Hall Park, the Madison Square Park, and the Bryant Park.   These areas are great for seeing the green, and for sitting down on benches with friend, being surrounded by a lot of happy birds living in the park.  It is fantastic to be able to find such a quiet park within such a busy city center.   Compared to the quiet sitting parks, the South St area provides you with walking, biking, a water view and the choices to ride a ferry, a different flavor of relaxation.      

My old view of the center of NYC is crowd with heavy traffic and a lack of safety at night.   With the recent trip, this old image is gone.  It is quite pleasant to see the quiet and relaxing side of NYC this time.