Lower Manhattan streets

Some of the most famous tourist landmarks of New York are the New York Stock Exchange, the bronze ‘Charging Bull’ sculpture by Arturo Di Modica, Wall Street, and Tiffany’s. Yet until today, I hadn’t seen any of them.

A few quick things I was taught on the tour, and photos below, from what was a ‘glorious summer day’ as they say:

• The ‘Charging Bull‘ statue was mysteriously dumped in front of the New York Stock Exchange overnight, near Wall Street, but now lives next to Bowling Green Park. It was meant to symbolise the US being the first country to recover from the crash of Wall Street.
• If Brooklyn were a separate city, rather than borough of New York City, it would be the USA’s fifth largest city with 2.5 million population, just behind Chicago (2.7 million population).
• When migrants arrived at Battery Park, they had to promise they weren’t anarchists or polygamists.
• The Statue of Liberty is a second hand gift — it was originally intended for the Suez Canal in Egypt, but the Egyptians didn’t want it.
• ‘Ticker tape’ was the narrow tape used at the stock exchange, to record shares and help with trades; later thrown from the windows, and often seen in parades (hence the name). Due to the small size of the tape, it would have taken too long to type out the full trading name of a company, which is why the initials were used for companies; as used today.
• St Paul’s Church, due to proximity to the World Trade Centre site, operated as a rest station for emergency workers. Today, you can still see one of the stretchers workers slept on, and the hats and badges that workers from all around the world left behind as a mark of respect.

On the left, ‘wedding cake’ style of architecture common in Manhattan (gradually smaller width the higher the building goes).

Tiffany & Co. (Funnily, not mentioned by tour guide, we only stopped as Trump Building, 40 Wall Street, across street and had stories to tell).

Tourist out the front of the National Museum of the American Indian. In the background is a statue representing the continent of ‘Africa’. Four continents are represented by statues, but not Australia, as it wasn’t considered a continent at the time.

Living memorial garden for the British citizens who died in 9/11.

St Paul’s churchyard — visitors gather around the Bell of Hope, which hangs above a map of the World Trade Centre site, and is only rung on September 11.

Names of those who are resting at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean.

Memorial for all people who fought for the US, who are resting at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. Opened by President Kennedy.

Fraunces Tavern — where rebels used to meet, and Washington said farewell to his troops after the British had departed at the end of the war.

Battery Park

View across to Statue of Liberty.

Battery Park

Sydney — crests of all destinations for this shipping company on exterior of building.

St Paul’s

Battery Park

George Washington statue out the front of the building that was where congress sat before Washington DC existed.

Stone Street — hidden dining treasure.

Graveyard of Trinity Church.

Freedom Tower in the distance.

At the bottom of Broadway.

Battery Park

Blimp in the sky, and a ferry tour about to depart to visit the Statue of Liberty.

New York Stock Exchange.

Battery Park

You can read more about the Lower Manhattan Walking Tour that I went on to see these sites at the ‘Free Tours by Foot’ website.