Tribeca

By Jonathan Scheff | Special to amNewYork

April 26, 2007

Tribeca's transformation from the butter and eggs district to sought-after downtown destination has been going on for decades, but a recent boom in development has some worried that what drew them to the neighborhood are at risk.

The influx of residents is overburdening fine public schools, creating more congestion on streets and sidewalks and diluting the area's Old World character.

Still, TriBeCa charms those who visit and choose to move there. It's close to the open spaces along the Hudson River and has fine restaurants and high-end shops, set amid cobblestone streets and beautifully designed 19th-century warehouse buildings.

The neighborhood has bounded back since the terrorist attacks on the nearby World Trade Center nearly six years ago. Real estate prices are sky high and hotels and buildings are sprouting up like mad.

Among the economic forces that have influenced the neighborhood are investments by actor Robert De Niro, who began the Tribeca Film Festival (which opened Wednesday), invested in real estate and restaurants, and is erecting the Greenwich Hotel.

The redevelopment of Ground Zero also is contributing to resurgence of the area, with a new transportation hub, residential and commercial construction and cultural institutions planned on TriBeCa's southern border.

"When I came to TriBeCa five years ago, I was staying at the TriBeCa Grand, and I remember waking up in the morning and feeling like I was in Paris," said Nancy Schaefer, managing director of the festival.

A smattering of artists and 'pioneer' residents remain from the days when TriBeCa was an untamed neighborhood with few amenities, but they are being squeezed out by newcomers with big bucks to spend on renovating lofts and plopping large apartments on top of residential buildings. . "It's not all people sipping Chardonnay on their terraces," said Sherri Kronfeld, marketing manager of The Flea Theater on White Street.

Find it
TriBeCa runs from Canal Street to Vesey Street, between Broadway and the Hudson River. Bordering neighborhoods inlcude SoHo and West Village to the north and Battery Park City and the Financial District to the south.

To eat
If you do nothing else in TriBeCa, eat. As famous for its restaurants as it is for its idyllic streetscapes, the neighborhood houses some of New York's finest eateries, from the grand and upscale to the old-fashioned corner diner.

Nobu
105 Hudson St.
212-219-0500
No one can discuss the TriBeCa dining scene without mentioning Nobu, the celebrated Japanese restaurant.

Province
305 Church St.
212-925-1205
Inexpensive and delicious, this Chinese canteen is best known in the area for its sandwiches such as the variety with short ribs and kimchi.