The New York real estate market is a constant evolving machine of progress, redevelopment and contradiction. Lower Manhattan is one of the oldest neighborhoods in the City we call home and yet modern buildings such as 50 West are being built and embraced, as much as the conservation of 100+ year old buildings throughout downtown. One example is the Battery Maritime Building, which was built in 1909. It is getting re-invented as a harborside hotel and will no doubt become a jewel in the Lower Manhattan crown. 

With commercial development heating up, the continued progression of the neighborhood from a strictly 9 – 5 neighborhood is pretty much all sewn up. The amenities now include more than a dozen new hotels that were completed in the last 12 months with many more to come. Restaurants are open on weekends, offering up brunch, lunch, dinner and happy hours galore. Barber shops, beauty destinations, dry cleaners, postal options and museums are full and offering an array of offerings for both residents and visitors. The schools are full of students and the folks that work downtown are discovering the neighborhoods for themselves. Businesses are experiencing foot traffic like never before. 

So, how does someone find out if Lower Manhattan and its many pockets of neighborhoods, such as the Financial District, Battery Park, Tribeca, Chinatown, etc are the right place to rent or buy? Research of course, articles about the quality of life, plans for the future development and an understanding of the neighborhoods past. That is where FiDi Families can offer a platform to the folks who are living and breathing real estate in NYC. As we roll out our new real estate section this summer, be on the look out for editorial and listings from some of the best brokerage firms, agents, residents and parents, who are selling the Big Apple. The FiDi Real Estate section will be a platform for them to showcase their knowledge and the properties that are perfect for the right person and/or family. 

As we celebrate Lower Manhattan and the rise of the “Diaper District” as coined by Vivian S. Toy in the NY Times, we also say thank you to our growing newsletter subscribers, our amazing followers on Instagram and Twitter and grateful for the push by so many to launch this section of the website. This is for you!