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To discover the essentials of the Financial District, I suggest you take this tour on your own! The map below shows you the route from One World Trade Center to South Street Seaport, and all you have to do is follow the steps outlined below. Allow half a day to make this visit quietly. Good walk !
1/ La One World Trade Center
From the moment you arrive in New York, it won’t take long to spot One World Trade Center, New York’s tallest tower. You will see it distinctly from Newark Airport and on the horizon at JFK. Once in the Downtown, the tower is obviously omnipresent. I absolutely advise you to go up to the observatory located at the top: the view of New York is simply breathtaking!
If you want to get a glimpse of what to expect at the top, head over to the guidebook to visit the One World Observatory. Also, do not hesitate to read my advice for the visit with a video shot at the top.
2 / The 9/11 memorial
At the foot of the One World Trade Center tower, you can browse a huge park punctuated by two vast fountains. This is the September 11 Memorial, a place that pays homage to the victims of the September 11, 2001 attacks. The fountains were also built on the very site of the foundations of the old Twins Towers, the twin towers that were built. collapsed on September 11. At the heart of the memorial, do not hesitate to visit the museum of September 11: this fascinating museum tells the story of this appalling day with historical rigor and an impressive number of photos and objects. If you are interested in the museum, go to this article where I tell you about my visit to the museum on September 11, 2001.
Right next door, you can’t miss Oculus, a strange structure shaped like bird wings. This is the new PATH station. More info here on the opening of the World Trade Center station.
3 / The marina of the World Trade Center
From the 9/11 memorial, I advise you to go up via Vesey Street and head towards the Hudson River. There, at the end of the street, you will come across the memorial that pays homage to the great famine in Ireland in the mid-19th century. This monument is not the best known in New York, but its original design is worth a look. And then it’s the way to get to the World Trade Center marina.
The marina is a little smaller than that of Monaco but you will come across the same type of luxury yachts. Above all, the marina is a perfect place for a picnic or lunch on the terrace of one of the many restaurants, with a lovely view of the Hudson and New Jersey opposite. Also remember to look up at the World Trade Center with the One World Trade Center just above you!
4/ Battery Park
At the far end of Manhattan, Battery Park is the green lung of the financial district. You can also enjoy a clear view of New York Bay, with the Statue of Liberty on the horizon. I also advise you to walk the alleys of Battery Park to discover the various monuments installed here, including the monument paying homage to the Korean War fighters or the Sphere, the sculpture which was at the foot of the twin towers of the World Trade Center. . The sculpture held up to the shock of the collapse of the towers on September 11, 2001, and it shows only a few dents.
Just behind The Sphere, approach the water to see the sculpture that pays homage to American sailors who died at sea.
5 / The bull of Wall Street
Contrary to what its name suggests, the Wall Street bull is not found on Wall Street but in Bowling Green Park, at the end of Broadway, not far from Battery Park. This sculpture, made by the American-Italian artist Arturo Di Modica, was installed in front of the New York Stock Exchange in 1987, just after a financial crash. The “Charging Bull” was finally moved to Bowling Green Park and today serves as the gateway to the financial district.
If you want to take a picture of the bull, it is better to get up very early: the “Charging Bull” is indeed taken by storm all day long by tourists from all over the world!
6/ Wall Street
Day after day, we keep hearing this name on the news. “Wall Street ended the day in the red” or “Wall Street is recovering”. The small street of the wall, Wall Street, ended up being used as nickname for the New York Stock Exchange, which is installed in this street. To understand New York’s strength and its weight on the global economy, you absolutely have to take a little detour to Wall Street!
I advise you to come there during the week, in the morning, when the traders are at work. You will then have the real atmosphere of the New York business district!
For more information on the neighborhood, visit the dedicated Wall Street page.
7/ Trinity Church
This church on Broadway, at the west end of Wall Street, is a curiosity in many ways. First, you’ll appreciate the stunning contrast between an old mid-19th century church and the glass towers that seem to crush it. There are also some pretty pictures to take of the steeple with the One World Trade Center behind.
Do not hesitate to enter the church, to appreciate the neo-Gothic style. Then continue with a short walk through the cemetery, which seems straight out of a horror movie, with its old tombstones.
8/ Saint-Paul Chapel
Going up Broadway, here is another church to visit, the Saint-Paul Chapel. But, this time, the mood is very different. The Saint-Paul Chapel effectively served as shelters for firefighters, police officers and rescuers who intervened on September 11, 2001, during the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. In the days that followed, the railings surrounding the chapel and cemetery were also transformed into a notice board for families looking for missing loved ones.
16 years later, the chapel preserves the memory of these days with photos and objects. At the back of the church, on the right as you enter, you will also see a sign with badges given by police and firefighters from all over the world. You will recognize in particular insignia of the French national police and CRS.
9/ Le Woolworth Building
A few steps from the Saint-Paul Chapel, I invite you to stop in front of a building that is however much smaller than the surrounding glass towers. The Woolworth Building is nonetheless one of the oldest buildings in New York. It was inaugurated in 1913 and, with its 241 meters, it was the tallest skyscraper in the world until 1930. Since then, it has been totally overtaken …
But you will appreciate its elegant architecture, in the purest Beaux-Arts style. Moreover, during the ceremony which marked its opening, the Reverend S. Parkes Cadman nicknamed the building the “Cathedral of Commerce”.
Opposite the Woolworth Building, you will see City Hall Park with New York City Hall in the middle. Unfortunately, for the time being, guided tours of the town hall are no longer possible. Do not hesitate to subscribe to my newsletter if you want to be notified of the reopening of visits: [email protected].
10/ South Street Seaport
To end your visit to the Financial District, I invite you to descend to the East River. Take Spruce Street to admire one of New York’s most amazing buildings, 8 Spruce Street, formerly known as Beekman Tower. This elegant and tormented tower was designed by the famous American architect Frank Gehry.
Then continue along Fulton Street to the East River. Here you are at South Street Seaport, New York’s historic harbor.
At the quayside, along jetty 17, you can photograph the Peking, a sailboat built in 1911 by the German shipping company Ferdinand Laeisz of Hamburg. Today the ship sinks a happy retirement in New York ????
From the docks of the South Street Seaport you will also have a breathtaking view of the Brooklyn Bridge, the Manhattan Bridge and Brooklyn.
To continue your visit, there are several possibilities: either go to storm the Brooklyn Bridge, or take the subway to Fulton Street or Wall Street, taking the opportunity to lose yourself in the alleys of the financial district and passing in front of the Federal Reserve. Another possibility, my favorite solution: go down the East River to South Ferry to catch the Staten Island ferry. After all this walking through the Financial District, the mini-cruise aboard the ferry is pure bliss. And what’s more, it’s free! Or take a helicopter ride over New York City: the Downtown Heliport is halfway between South Street Seaport and Battery Park.
Your pictures
If you enjoyed this visit and were able to follow this route, please send me some pictures and I will add them below! ???? My e-mail address: [email protected].
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