Journey Through the Financial District

Wife and I had an adventurous afternoon, walking over to the Financial District to do a little bit of shopping. We spent a tremendous amount of money (but we found tremendous bargains) on two articles of clothing that I will desperately need in the coming weeks and months: a new suit and a winter coat. While the shopping doesn’t make a very interesting story, we did see some of New York’s most famous sites on our journey.

In the heart of the Financial District is the location that New York City is probably best known for right now—Ground Zero. Wife and I stood against the fence and gazed at the place where 2,603 Americans perished six years ago this week. Wife and I visited this same spot over a year ago, and at the time I was shocked that Ground Zero was just an empty hole in the ground. Now, it is still just an empty hole with construction trailers all surrounding the location. I just find it a little surprising that the construction of the new towers is taking so long.

We also stopped and looked at Trinity Church on Wall Street, which is one of the most historical churches in America. In 1696, Governor Benjamin Fletcher approved the purchase of land in Lower Manhattan by the Anglican community for construction of a new church. The parish received its charter from King William III of England on May 6, 1697. Its land grant specified an annual rent of one peppercorn due to the English crown. The present day Trinity Church is considered a classic example of Gothic Revival architecture. When the current church building was consecrated on Ascension Day May 1, 1846, its soaring Neo-Gothic steeple dominated the skyline of lower Manhattan and was a welcoming beacon for ships sailing into New York Harbor. Today, skyscrapers have risen all around it.

On our way home, we walked by the Woolworth Building. The Woolworth Building, climbing fifty-five stories, is one of the oldest, and one of the most famous, skyscrapers in New York City. More than ninety years after its construction, it is still one of the fifty tallest buildings in the United States as well as one of the twenty tallest buildings in New York City. Today the building houses, among other tenants, the New York University School of Continuing and Professional Studies' Center for Global Affairs.

On our way home, Wife and I walked down Wall Street. Wall Street is a city street in lower Manhattan that runs through the historical center of the Financial District. Wall Street was the first permanent home of the New York Stock Exchange, Several major U.S. stock and other exchanges remain headquartered on Wall Street and in the Financial District, including the NYSE, NASDAQ, AMEX, NYMEX, and NYBOT. It is amazing to realize that all of this is less than two miles from our apartment.

Another historic site that we walked through New York City Hall Park, home of City Hall. The building houses the office of the Mayor of New York City and the chambers of the New York City Council. New York's first City Hall was built by the Dutch in the 17th century on Pearl Street. The city's second City Hall, built in 1700, stood on Wall and Nassau Streets. That building was renamed Federal Hall after New York became the first official capital of the United States after the Revolutionary War. Plans for building a new City Hall were discussed by the New York City Council as early as 1776, but the financial strains of the war delayed progress. The Council chose a site at the old Common at the northern limits of the City, now City Hall Park. The building is the oldest City Hall in the United States that still houses its original governmental functions. Constructed from 1803 to 1812, New York City Hall is a National Historic Landmark.

Finally, we stopped at J & R Music and Computer World. This was a special treat for me, because I have loved shopping on their website for years. I have purchased various electronics throughout the years, and now I was able to explore their four-stories of electronic-gadget goodness.