Visiting New York's Financial District

Widely considered the financial center of the world, the southern tip of Manhattan isn't as buttoned-up as you might expect. Its ample U-shaped waterfront, lined with appealing parks, draws hordes of visitors to enjoy views of New York Harbor and catch ferries to Staten Island or the Statue of Liberty. Cradled within are the narrow, twisting streets laid out by New York's first Dutch settlers in the 17C. That nearly all of those original structures (along with the requisite windmill) were destroyed with the rise of commerce is little surprise—New Yorkers are rarely sentimental about architecture when money is at stake. What is remarkable is that developers left largely intact the curvy street plan when they built their gargantuan office towers. Gaze up and you're likely to feel as though you're at the bottom of a deep well, with only tiny patches of sky visible among the tight clusters of looming skyscrapers.

Two of those 'scrapers, of course, were the World Trade Center towers, which provided the only bird's-eye views of the district—from the observation deck of Tower 2 and from Windows on the World restaurant in Tower 1. Indeed, many of the workers you'll see in the Financial District witnessed the events of September 11,2001, firsthand. But fears that the neighborhood's spirit would always be clouded by that day turned out to be unfounded: several of the district's attractions, including a number of museums, have undergone major renovations and have proven as popular as ever. More improvements are in the works. Today in the Financial District, camera-wielding tourists bump shoulders with briefcase-toting bankers on and around Wall Street; and Battery Park, under the watchful eye of Lady Liberty, thrums with cyclists, runners, artists and souvenir peddlers.

Orient Yourself: Hop off the subway at Fulton Street, see St. Paul's first, then walk south on Broadway to Trinity Church before heading east on Wall Street. Detour north on William Street to tour the Federal Reserve Bank and its gold vault. Then head south to Battery Park for a relaxing stroll along the Promenade.
Parking: Don't even try. Finding a parking space in the district is like searching for the proverbial needle in the haystack.
Don't Miss: A free ride on the Staten Island ferry.
Organizing Your Time: With the exception of Wall Street, the sights selected here are described in descending star order, rather than geographically, so you'll know which attractions to see first, especially if you are short on time. Allow at least four hours to do all the sights in the district justice.
Especially for Kids: Hands down, the gold vault in the Federal Reserve Bank of New York will wow the elementary-school set and older. The bronze bull—the preeminent symbol of Wall Street—on Bowling Green comes in a close second.

Financial District Sights

Federal Reserve Bank of New York
National Museum of the American Indian
Saint Paul's Chapel
Trinity Church
Wall Street
World Trade Center Site
Battery Park
Promenade
Castle Clinton National Monument
Museum of American Financial History
Fraunces Tavern
New York City Police Museum
Tribute