We are keen to get downtown a bit and explore the financial district, World Trade Centre area and the winding and confusing streets of old Manhattan. We head downtown from Times Square. As manic as Times Square is, it is the perfect launch pad to pretty much go anywhere and everywhere. We have discovered a sneaky subway entrance, well we are sure thousands of people use it, but it is easily missed so it isn’t  as busy as the main entrances on 42nd Street, so we use it. It also delivers us quickly to the Shuttle and main lines we use for getting up and downtown.

We arrive in the financial district and begin to wander around. The area is still recovering from the September 11 attacks 12 years ago. St Pauls Chapel is covered in Scaffold as it undergoes repairs and restoration. One World Trade Centre is yet to be completed. The Fulton St subway interchange is still closed. Development continues on shopping centres and buildings, with an area known as the Oculus soon to open.

The tiny cobbled streets are a reminder of the 400 year history and the tall buildings that line the streets are a reminder of the status New York has garnered over this long history. Originally settled in 1624 as a fur trading port, Manhattan (New Amsterdam) has seen a lot, which we are reminded of as we walk Wall Street. Named for being the literal wall between the early settlers and the indigenous peoples.

Some of the buildings are build to show strength and protection, the Federal Reserve being one of them. The stones are two metres long and a metre high forming its base. There is no other way to say your gold is safe with us than to build something with this level of fortification.

We wind our way around and enjoy lunch in a little Italian place, where the seating has taken over the road the street is so thin. We sit and chat and watch the crowd while enjoying pizza and pasta.

We then move over to the Hudson River side, Battery Gardens, and wander around the Gardens. We stop at the East Coast (WW2) Memorial and take some photos.

We then work our way back up town, doing a little shopping on the way.

We’ve had another long day with lots and lots of walking, so head home and call it a night.

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