South Street Seaport, Historic shopping district at East River waterfront in Manhattan, United States.
South Street Seaport is a historic harbor district on the East River in lower Manhattan with restored 19th-century buildings and shops along the waterfront. The cobblestone streets wind between old warehouses toward the piers, where restaurants, boutiques and galleries now occupy former trading offices.
The Dutch West India Company built the first pier here in 1625, which later grew into the East Coast's busiest harbor for sailing ships. By the 1960s the buildings had fallen into decay until citizen groups began restoration work in the 1980s and revived the district as a cultural zone.
The name recalls when this part of Manhattan was the southernmost landing point for merchant vessels. Today visitors walk along the East River promenade and browse the shops, while fishermen occasionally still mend their nets on the historic docks.
The district sits about a ten-minute walk from Wall Street and connects to several subway lines at Fulton Street station. Weekends draw larger crowds than weekdays, so visiting in the early morning offers a quieter stroll through the shops and along the docks.
The rooftop of Pier 17 includes an observation deck that turns into a concert venue in the evenings with views of the Brooklyn Bridge. On clear days locals sit on the wooden benches and watch ships pass under the bridge into the harbor.
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