New York vacations: The best bite in Battery Park City

The shrimp burger, a treat at The North End Grill across the 9/11 Memorial.

By Erik Torkells

The National September 11 Memorial, which opened last fall, is justifiably on many visitors’ list of must-see New York attractions. What most don’t plan for, however, is what they’re going to do when they exit the complex. As construction continues in the World Trade Center area, the entrance and exit will move — and right now, the exit is at the southwest corner, on busy, unpleasant West Street.

Every cloud has a sliver lining, and this one is across the street. Battery Park City, partially built on landfill from the construction of the original World Trade Center, has never been asappealing as it is now.

The most notable new development is North End Grill, from restaurateur Danny Meyer (of Gramercy Tavern, Union Square Café, and many others) and chef Floyd Cardoz (of Tabla). It’s a slick, impeccably run place serving very good food, and it’s especially relaxing at lunch, when light floods through the windows and the shrimp burger is on the menu. Lovers of irony, meanwhile, will appreciate the views of the Irish Hunger Memorial across the street. (It’s absolutely worth a visit.) Around the corner is Blue Smoke, an outpost of Meyer’s barbecue mini-chain, and around another corner is a Shake Shack, the insanely popular burger joint. This location might have the shortest lines of all of them. There’s also a François Payard Bakery, with delectable pastries, and Harry’s Italian, which had the best pizza in the area. If it’s evening, pop up to the Loopy Doopy, the rooftop bar in the new Conrad New York hotel.

Most of your other time in Battery Park City should be spent along the Hudson River; the area has gorgeous views of the Statue of Liberty and New Jersey, and if you’re lucky, a massive cruise ship will drift by. Those traveling with kids should look for Teardrop Park, where there’s a surprisingly tall slide hidden amid the condominiums. And nearby Poets House — admission is free — is a lovely spot to browse the stacks of poetry books, grab a fortune cookie with a poem inside or a free pencil, or simply use the restroom. That’s not faint praise: We all know how hard it can be find to find clean, publicly available facilities in New York City!

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Formerly the editor of Budget Travel magazine, Erik Torkells has written for many other publications, including Travel + Leisure, the New York Times and T Magazine. He has appeared on MSNBC and “Good Morning America” on Orbitz’s behalf.

Tagged: New York