Lower Manhattan & The Financial District: 5 Centuries of a City – Walking Tour

This is the tour that spans the centuries: from the site of the first Dutch Settlement in New Amsterdam, to 3 separate skyscrapers that were each the tallest building in the world at the time of construction, to Wall St., the thoroughfare of the American financial industry.  We will pass by Ground Zero for a stunning view of the gargantuan new World Trade Center, right next to Zuccotti Park, home to the 3-month Occupy Wall St. protests in 2011.

George Washington watches solemnly down on the New York Stock Exchange

Ray describes the oldest public building on Manhattan, St. Paul’s Chapel, built 1766

“New York by Gehry,” a twisted, 76-story luxury condo complex

But instead of banks, we will more often find luxury shopping and offices converted into apartment buildings, a sign that the name “Financial District” no longer fully applies to the neighborhood.  The tour will end at Battery Park where visitors can take in unobstructed views of the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and the expansive New York Harbor.

“The Sphere,” damaged in 9/11 and moved to Battery Park as a monument to the attack.

Meeting Place: The Fountain in City Hall Park.

Closest Trains: N, R, to City Hall, #2, 3 to Park Place, #4, 5, 6 to Brooklyn Bridge, J, Z, to Chambers St, E to World Trade Center, A, C to Fulton St

A 25-foot tall woman, Civic Fame, tops the city’s Municipal Building