I an often asked about walking around the Financial District. This is what I recommend.
Begin at City Hall. Subway Stop:City Hall #4 or #5 train
1) The David Dinkins Municipal Building.:
A few years ago, I was standing in the Brooklyn Bridge Park listening to a tourist guide speaking to a group in Spanish. He directed their attention to the "Palace" across the river and explained it was the Municipal Building. Construction on the forty story office building began in 1907 and it opened in 1914. If you follow the signs in the subway to City Hall, you should come up right underneath the building. the arcade with Guastavino Vaulted ceiling roofs.
Manhattan Borough President's Office.- on the 19th Floor of the Municipal Building, the Manhattan Borough President's Office almost always has an art exhibit on display in the hallways. I've seen some pretty interesting exhibits there, my favorite, a display of handmade quilts. But the views available for free, no charge to visit the gallery, are magnificent. Make sure to use the restrooms both men's and ladies' rooms have views overlooking the Brooklyn Bridge. In the ladies' room you need to enter the last stall to be ensured of this view. (I have no idea about the men's room).
2) City Hall Park- across the street a small oasis of green amid the canyons of stone and steel.
Information for History Buffs from http://www.nyfreedom.com/
The park, was the scene of the first bloodshed of the movement for American liberty, it was where Washington first had the Declaration of Independence read to his troops and it was also the site of one of the most notorious British prisons that claimed the lives of thousands of American soldiers.
Much more history on the website
3) City Hall- You can try to reserve a morning tour if that's the kind of thing you find interesting.
4)Tweed Court House
52 Chamber's Street
Just across from City Hall is the Tweed Courthouse. Today it is the home of the Department of Education. I have been inside the building for job-related meetings and interviews and it drips opulence. I am not sure if there are public tours but it has an interesting history.
"Boss" Tweed—was an American politician most notable for being the "boss" of Tammany Hall, the Democratic Party political machine that played a major role in the politics of 19th century New York City and State.
Here's how an opinion piece describes the construction of the Tweed Court House
From the New York Times: Originally budgeted at about $300,000, it ended up costing taxpayers more than $13 million -- almost twice what it cost the United States to purchase Alaska at about the same time. Construction took 13 years and served as a master class in political graft. Favored contractors were hired, in exchange for kickbacks, to do incompetent work and then hired again to make ''repairs.'' The result was bills that were, in the words of Robert Roosevelt, a reformist member of the famous New York family, ''not merely monstrous, . . . [but] manifestly fabulous.'' Andrew Garvey, who became known as ''the prince of plasterers,'' charged nearly $2.9 million for a plastering job that should have cost $20,000. Each window cost about $8,000. More than $41,000 was spent on brooms. Some $350,000 was spent on carpeting.
Exit City Hall Park on the South End. 5) Walk past the Woolworth Building, for 17 years it was the tallest building in the world. Today you can only enter the building with a paid tour. Continue South on Broadway to St. Paul's Chapel.
6)St. Paul's Chapel
There are two church buildings with steeples on Broadway. Both buildings are part of the Parish of Trinity Church , Wall Street. Although the St. Paul's website states that George Washington worshiped there after his inauguration, today the St. Paul's building is only used as a museum.
From www.nyfreedom.com
Washington came here for a special service after his inauguration on April 30, 1789. He continued to attend services at the chapel during the two years that New York served as the capital of the United States.
During the Revolutionary War, British Generals Cornwallis and Howe attended services here.
An oil painting of the Great Seal of the United States, the first rendition of the seal, hangs over Washington's pew.
The ornamental design over the alter was the work of Pierre L'Enfant, a French veteran of the revolution who designed Washington, D.C.
Royal Arms of George III are on display on the gallery of the church.
In front, there is a monument to General Richard Montgomery, a revolutionary hero who died in the Battle of Quebec. He is buried beneath the East Porch.
Walk east past the churchyard and cross Church Street and you are in the World Trade Center Complex.
7)The Oculus is Santiago Calatrava's 4 billion dollar transportation center. There are those that think the birdlike structure on the precipice of flight is a more fitting memorial to the 9-11 victims with its uplifting momentum, then the falling down waters of the Memorial Pools.
More information about the Oculus here https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/the-best-part-of-calatravas-oculus
8) 9/11 Memorial-The Memorial Pools
On the footprint of the fallen towers, two pools surrounded by plaques with the victims names memorialize the tragedy.
More information here: https://www.911memorial.org/about-memorial
Walk back east on Cedar Street. When you cross Trinity Street you are in Zuccotti Park. Now it is surrounded by food trucks but for several weeks in 2011 it was its own village as the Occupy Wall Street Movement appeared, thrived and was demolished in the span of a month.
Walk through 9) Zuccotti Park and turn south (right) on Broadway. Look down as you walk on Broadway and you will see metal plaques embedded in the sidewalk. Once the Canyon of Heroes regularly hosted ticker tape parades for all sorts of heroes, Once Wall Street offices generated actual ticker tape. Today the rare parade is reserved for championship NY sport teams- though the last parade held was in 2015 when the US Ladies National Soccer team won the World Cup.
list of parades
10)Trinity Church: The other steepled church on Broadway. This building is an actual house of worship. And of course there is Alexander Hamilton's Grave in the churchyard.
From the website: www,nyfreedom.com
The church was chartered by King William III in 1697 and received a large grant of real estate west of Broadway. Much early patriotic activity in New York occurred near the church, especially in the Coffee House on Wall Street. Parishioners were leaving church as an express rider from Boston arrived to tell that war had broken out with the battles of Lexington and Concord.
Trinity burned in the fire of 1776. The British seized the non-Anglican churches in the city and used them as prisons and barracks. That doesn't mean they paid particular respect to the ruins of Trinity. They fenced off the churchyard and hung lanterns in the trees, using it as something of a pleasure garden. The burning of Trinity left St. Paul's chapel further north as the center of religious life in the city during the remainder of the war, and as New York served as the capital of the new nation.
Hamilton was a brilliant aide to Washington during the war. He came to prominence in the new Republic as the youngest of the 55 framers of the U.S. Constitution. He was the first secretary of the Treasury and founded the country's first central bank. Hamilton was mortally wounded in a duel with Vice President Aaron Burr.
In the church yard, in addition to Hamilton's grave, there is a memorial to the unknown martyrs of the revolution buried on the grounds. There is another Society of the Cincinnati memorial for the 16 officers of the Continental Army and Navy buried in the cemeteries maintained by the church. There is also a memorial to the thousands of Americans who died in prison ships in New York harbor.
When the British evacuated the city on Nov. 25, 1783, the Americans marched into New York and stood at parade rest on Broadway near Trinity Church as a salute of 13 guns was fired marking the end of the war.
more, including illustrations, on the website above.
Turn east and head down Wall Street.
11) New York Stock Exchange
There is a gigantic American Flag in front of the Exchange, that and a lot of police is mostly what you get to see of the Stock Exchange. Visitors are no longer allowed for security reasons and most of the financial trading is done digitally these days.
Fearless Girl statue was moved here
12) Federal Hall
This is the site where George Washington took his oath of presidency. Thus, the large statue, where many feel need to pose for a picture. Lots of history on its official site, as well as links to other National Park Sites in the city.https://www.nps.gov/feha/index.htm
A short detour inside is worth the time. For one thing this makes an easy bathroom stop and check out the mural of early New Amsterdam across from the bathrooms.
Turn around and retrace your steps to return to Broadway.
Continue South on Broadway.
13) Charging Bull
At the foot of Broadway, right across from Bowling Green Park is the statue of the Charging Bulll. Feel free to line up to take pictures or rub any part you want.
14) Bowling Green
When the Dutch first colonized Manhattan - it was originally named New Amsterdam, the lower tip was where they settled. The Bowling Green was the community meeting place, it was where business was conducted (there was no town hall), and where the community had it recreation- hence the name Bowling Green. You can look on the NYfreedom.com website's for its role in the English Colony the succeed the Dutch.
15) Museum of the American Indian
The only Smithsonian Museum in New York City, has a few interesting exhibits about Native Americans. The building itself was once the Alexander Hamilton Custom House, and I find the rotunda with ceiling murals as interesting as the Native American exhibits. It is free and also has bathrooms.
https://www.nyc-arts.org/organizations/289/national-museum-of-the-american-indian-smithsonian-institution
16) Castle Clinton- Battery Park-
Castle Clinton, the fort where you get tickets to the Statue of Liberty is located in the park. There is a Sea Glass Carousel which, I believe solely exists to vacuum cash out of tourist's pockets is also there as are lots of lovely views of NY Harbor.
Walk out of the park. Go east on State Street which quickly becomes Water Street and make a left on Broad Street.
17) Fraunces Tavern and Stone Street
54 Pearl Street (Fraunces Tavern)
On this site George Washington said farewell to his troops in 1783. What is pretty well accepted as fact is that Samuel Fraunces opened a tavern on the site in 1760 and it played a part in the Revolutionary War. Today there is an operating restaurant and a museum which are not exactly the same building George Washington used for refreshments. I haven't availed myself to either but you can always take a quick look inside.
Around the tavern on the north side of Pearl Street you can find artifacts of the old city embedded in the sidewalk if you feel like looking for them.
Walk one more block north on Broad Street and you arrive on 18)Stone Street. Its a cute old fashion tourist street filled with expensive restaurants.
Walk west on Stone Street to Whitehall Street. Then walk south on Whitehall Street to the Staten Island Ferry Terminal.
19) Whitehall Terminal Staten Island Ferry
Tired? Stop walking. Go into the ferry terminal and get in line. There may be many people. That's okay, many people fit on the ferry. When you get on rush over to the right side of the ferry and don't sit down. Stand by the rail. You will get the best views of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. If you sit someone will stand in front of you and block the views. Then enjoy the ride. They do make you get off on the Staten Island side. Then you have a choice of running around and trying to make the next ferry to Manhattan or you can leave the terminal and walk around Staten Island for a bit. I long ago resolved never to run for the next whatever, bus, train, or ferry so unless the weather is absolutely awful I would choose the latter. When you go back, don't worry about seeing the Statue of Liberty again, she didn't change, Walk around the boat and enjoy all the different views.
Hungry?
The Financial District is filled with all sorts of restaurants-most aim to feed the thousands of weekday workers in the area. Many are fine dining for those with large expense accounts, many more are salad bars or coffee shops for those without. I generally grab something in the one I am standing in front of when I get hungry. Sometimes I take a wrap and eat it in Battery City Park or on the ferry. There's always Chinatown at the end of the day- for a cheap sit down meal.
The Dead Rabbit- very popular with tourist crowd
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