Downtown Alliance Ushers in Holiday Cheer to Lower Manhattan

11/19/2012
Downtown Alliance Ushers in Holiday Cheer to Lower Manhattan

Excited for holiday lights and family gatherings? Ready to find great gifts for all your loved ones? Then get ready as the Alliance for Downtown New York kicks off the 2012 holiday season! This year marks the fifth year of the Downtown Alliance’s Holiday Shopping Campaign, which is promoted through print and digital advertising and the release of the new 2012 Lower Manhattan Shopping & Dining Guide.

Though many Lower Manhattan establishments were disrupted by superstorm Sandy, the vast majority of Lower Manhattan’s retailers and restaurants are open for business. The Downtown Alliance asks that you support the local retail community by patronizing Lower Manhattan businesses as part of your holiday shopping, dining and entertaining!

“With more than 1,100 shops and restaurants below Chambers Street, Lower Manhattan offers everything from deals to luxuries,” said Elizabeth H. Berger, President of the Downtown Alliance. “Now more than ever, it’s time to patronize Lower Manhattan’s local retailers. Whether you’re working, living, or visiting here, our fantastic shops and restaurant offer something special for everyone in Lower Manhattan this holiday season.”

Other important 2012 holiday information and happenings include:

  • Lower Manhattan Shooting Stars. Look to the skies to see over 200 shooting stars in Lower Manhattan. This coming weekend, the Downtown Alliance is installing holiday lights – for the 17th year – to brighten up the neighborhood for the holidays. The Business Improvement District is stringing up shooting stars and star clusters throughout the district until the first week in January.
  • Downtown Connection Bus Service. Downtown Connection buses offer free shuttle service around Lower Manhattan seven days a week, so shoppers weary from carrying bags can find a handy respite. Routes can be found at www.downtownny.com/downtownconnection.
  • Lower Manhattan Holiday Events. There are a wide variety of holiday events happening across the district, including the tree lighting at the New York Stock Exchange, the holiday lights at the World Financial Center, and holiday card making at the Skyscraper museum. Check the Downtown Alliance’s holiday page for more details and offerings: www.downtownny.com/holiday.
  • Small Business Saturday. Support “Small Business Saturday “on November 24, where American Express cardholders can get $25 off their next credit card statement by shopping at local small businesses. For more information, go to www.smallbusinesssaturday.com.

2013 Shopping and Dining Guide
For the second straight year, the Downtown Alliance has combined two separate publications – a Shopping guide and a Dining guide, – into a convenient, easy to use guide, which features Lower Manhattan’s restaurants, attractions, bars, retailers, and local organizations.

With more than 40,000 copies produced, order a free hard-copy of the Shopping and Dining guide by emailing [email protected] or visiting https://downtownny.com/getting-around/maps-and-guides.  Don’t forget to check your mailbox, as the Downtown Alliance has already distributed many copies of the Shopping and Dining Guide to residents and visitors across Lower Manhattan.

Additionally, the Downtown Alliance's holiday Web page, www.downtownny.com/holiday, provides information and links to these and many additional retailers, bars and restaurants, as well as a wide variety of holiday-related events, activities and venues throughout Lower Manhattan, including the upcoming annual New York Stock Exchange Tree Lighting ceremony. 

You can also find all of this information in the palm of your hand with the “Downtown NYC” free mobile app, which is compatible with Apple mobile platforms. More information on the app can be found here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/downtown-nyc/id458449015?mt=8

2013 MulchFest at Bowling Green Park
Once the holiday season is over, the Downtown Alliance will host its annual MulchFest and Electronic Waste Recycling Event at Bowling Green Park on Saturday, January 12, rain or shine. Mulching will run from 10 AM to 2 PM, and e-waste collection from 10 AM to 4 PM.

Residents can drop off their holiday greenery that will be turned into environmentally friendly mulch, and will be able to take home the mulch for flower pot and gardens. Free Downtown Connection shuttle buses will make special MulchFest stops to transport people and their trees to the event. More information can be found at www.downtownny.com/greenaround.

As part of its tenth annual ‘After the Holiday Series,’ the Lower East Side Ecology Center will collect working and non-working electronics such as computers, printers, keyboards, monitors, scanners, cables, mice, televisions, DVD players, videocassette recorders, audio/visual equipment, phones, and cell phones. For more details or for questions about items that can be accepted, go to www.lesecologycenter.org or call (212) 477-4022.

The 2013 MulchFest co-sponsors include Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP, Con Edison, the New York City Departments of Sanitation and Parks & Recreation, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, New York City Council Member Margaret Chin, Community Board 1, the FiDi Association, Lower East Side Ecology Center, Tekserve, and Whole Foods.