{"id":24490,"date":"2024-09-15T15:06:00","date_gmt":"2024-09-15T15:06:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.exp1.com\/?p=24490"},"modified":"2025-11-23T15:54:24","modified_gmt":"2025-11-23T15:54:24","slug":"7-must-see-spots-in-nycs-financial-district-and-wall-street","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.exp1.com\/blog\/7-must-see-spots-in-nycs-financial-district-and-wall-street\/","title":{"rendered":"7 Must-See Spots in NYC’s Financial District (AKA Wall Street)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Wall Street is named after an actual wall. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

No, really. When the Dutch first colonized the island of Manhattan, they built a wall to separate their colonies from the Native American camps to the north. Believe it or not, 400 years ago most of Manhattan was farmland and countryside \u2014 Alexander Hamilton even built a country house in what is now Harlem<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now Wall Street refers not only to the street, but the district as a whole. You might also hear it described as downtown, the Financial District<\/a>, FiDi, Lower Manhattan, or Low-Man (although I wouldn\u2019t recommend saying that last one unless you want to receive the biggest eye roll of your life). <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When most people picture Wall Street, they probably picture the home for global finance, thanks to the New York Stock Exchange, where the big money is made (and lost) every day. But Wall Street has way more to offer than billions of dollars changing hands on a Thursday. It\u2019s actually one of the most historic neighborhoods in New York City \u2014 and the entire country. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are seven things you have to see when you visit Wall Street, ranging from the New York Stock Exchange to the building that helped birth the United States. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Federal Hall National Memorial<\/h2>\n\n\n
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Currently operated by the National Park Service, the Federal Hall National Memorial<\/span> is one of the most historic buildings in the entire country.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When NYC was the original capital of the United States \u2014 before it moved to Philadelphia and then Washington, D.C. \u2014 this served as our capitol building and New York\u2019s city hall. It\u2019s also where the founding fathers accepted the Bill of Rights in our country\u2019s First United States Congress. If that\u2019s not enough to get this on your bucket list, George Washington was sworn in as president on the front balcony in 1789. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

And I have good news: It\u2019s free to visit. Venture inside to see the stone Washington stood on to take the oath of office, a 300-year-old Bible used in the inaugurations of half a dozen presidents, and cracks in the building left over from the 9\/11 attacks.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s even more I could tell you about Federal Hall, but it\u2019s too much for this blog post, but I can tell you it’s one of our stops on our<\/span> NYC in a Day Tour<\/a> if you want to learn more and have the day to spend with us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\t

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2. The New York Stock Exchange<\/h2>\n\n\n
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I\u2019m going to bust a myth for you: You can’t visit the New York Stock Exchange<\/a> (NYSE) on Wall Street \u2014 but it\u2019s very close. Standing at the intersection of Wall and Broad, its front technically faces Broad Street, which is where you\u2019ll see traders scurrying in to work in their signature blue windbreakers. Erected in 1903, it was at one point the largest indoor space in the United States. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I don\u2019t mean to disappoint you, but I\u2019ve heard that because of online trading, the Stock Exchange has been rendered almost obsolete. Most of the trading is done online, and most hedge funds and banks are headquartered near Bryant Park in Midtown.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite this, the building that houses the New York Stock Exchange still stands as a symbol for finance and commerce across the world, so it’s absolutely worth visiting, just to see the outside and snap a photo of this icon. Just remember, the NYSE has been part of and often led financial events that have shaped the global economy (for better or worse, as the case may be). I think it’s even more fun to visit with an NYC finance insider on a <\/span>Wall Street tour<\/a>, but I’m probably biased.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Either way, this building isn\u2019t just about the architecture \u2014 it\u2019s about the million-dollar stories in its history.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Fearless Girl<\/h2>\n\n\n
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Fearless Girl is a statue that was recently moved from her original location on Broadway in front of the Charging Bull to her new home in front of the New York Stock Exchange.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Commissioned by the investment firm State Street Global Advisors, she debuted on International Women\u2019s Day in 2017. Though small in stature, she stands for something much larger: a symbol for women in the United States and across the world who are still fighting for equal rights, safe work environments, and fair treatment in the workplace. Any trip to Wall Street should include an inspirational photo, standing in solidarity with Fearless Girl. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Trinity Church<\/h2>\n\n\n
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Trinity Church was the first church built in NYC, and at one point was the city\u2019s tallest building. The structure you see here isn\u2019t the original, though.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The original Trinity Church burned down during the American Revolution, and its replacement had to be replaced because of damage from an 1838 snowstorm. So the third version, built in the early 1840s, is what you\u2019ll see at the end of Wall Street when you look to the west. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are a few prominent New Yorkers buried in the churchyard. Feel free to stroll through to see the resting places of Robert Fulton, who popularized the steamboat as a means of transportation in NYC. You\u2019ll also see Trinity Church\u2019s most famous resident, Alexander Hamilton, buried alongside his family.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Travel tip: <\/strong>My fellow tour guide wrote a whole blog post about what to see and do at Trinity Church<\/a> if you want to spend a little time here. (If you’re wondering why the blog post is on another website, it’s because we have a dedicated site for our Wall Street tours. They’re super popular, and they’re a lot to say about them!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Charging Bull<\/h2>\n\n\n
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Most people think the Charging Bull<\/a> statue is on Wall Street, but you actually have to venture back over to Broadway if you want to see this gigantic monument to finance. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Weighing in at a whopping 7,100 pounds of bronze, the Charging Bull was designed by artist Arturo Di Modica in response to the stock market crashes of 1987 and 1988. He chose a bull because they say there are two types of stock markets: bull markets and bear markets. Here\u2019s your NYC Wall Street lingo cheat sheet:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n