Wall Street, New York City

I'm a big fan of audio walking tours that you can download to your iPod or MP3 player. You can go at your leisure and pause when you want. I've done all four that Sounds for Sights offers in NY and they are very good and very inexpensive. There a bunch of different content besides history like current events, architecture and fun facts. I would suggest it to anyone and give it two thumbs up.

Federal Hall was the first capitol building of the United States. The building was demolished in the 19th century and replaced by the current structure, the first United States Customs House. The building is now operated by the National Park Service as the Federal Hall National Memorial, a museum that commemorates the earlier structure.

The current structure is often overshadowed among downtown landmarks by the New York Stock Exchange, which is located diagonally across Wall and Nassau Streets, but the site is one of the most important in the history of the United States and, particularly, the foundation of the United States Government and its democratic institutions. The current building is well-known for the bronze statue of George Washington on its front steps, marking the site where he was inaugurated as US President in the former structure.

The are open free to the public daily from 9:00am - 5:00pm except on national holidays. Exhibits include the Bible used to swear George Washington's oath of office, and exhibit on freedom of the press, and a video of the history of the hall.

On September 6, 2002, approximately 300 members of the United States Congress travelled from Washington, D.C. to New York to convene in Federal Hall as a symbolic show of support for the City, still recovering from the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The meeting was the first by Congress in New York since 1790.

I personally enjoyed walking down Wall Street and watching al the busy people doing their thing.

Great to see some of the traders outside taking a break in their jackets.

Just nice to see some of the business life of New York.

We spent several minutes walking around Lower Manhatten.

At Wall Street. This part of Lower Manhattan is one of the busiest. You will meet a lot of tourists in this area. I should say that this is the most heavily guarded area too (I saw policemen with K9s on the street).

If you have time, you can join the 'Wall Street Walking Tour' conducted by the Downtown Alliance. It is a free walking tour every Thursdays and Saturdays at 12pm. The meeting place is at the steps of the Customs Building (also houses the National American Indian Museum).

Adjacent from the historically attractive Federal Hall in lower Manhattan is the commercially attractive New York Stock Exchange. What most visitors see is the pillared facade of a building that supposedly sits on a street where the sun never shines (my photo refutes the notion). With security heightened after 9/11, the average New Yorker will hear plenty of talk of "buy and sell" from traders leaving for lunch or coffee breaks. Outside visitors can take a free tour and view exhibits. The building and the bustling activity inside truly represent America's commercial vitality.

N.B. Around the corner of the NYSE toward Trinity Church one will find a placard describing the former site of the Dutch "wall" in Manhattan, the origins of the name "Wall Street."

At present (2005) closed for reconstruction, Federal Hall is one of New York's finest Greek revival buildings. Built in 1842 on the same site as the former British City Hall (wherein Congress once met and George Washington took his oath of office in 1789), this building actually came after those events. The statue of Washington came long afterwards in 1883. Inside (when the building is again open to the public) there are many historical exhibits, including treasury displays when this building served as a custom house (before becoming a memorial). Free admission.

We took a walk around Manhattan and found our way to this financial district. A lot of people make and lose money here. Michael Douglas glamourised it! It's surroundings gave the feeling of hope and desire to be rich!

Visit Wall Street if you aspire for this.

Security around this area is impressive. Take a walk through Wall Street and smell the money :)

For those of you looking for the Wall Street Bull. You'll find it in front of the Bowling Green park...