The economic history of New York comes to life on this illuminating tour

(Best suited for adults and teenagers that have a strong interest in NYC history.)

Duration

2 hours, about 1.5 mile

Overview

This walking tour explores the oldest parts of New York City and explains how a small Dutch settlement became the world’s financial capital. During our walk through Lower Manhattan, we discuss how New York started on its path to such a predominant role in the world economy and how it grew and evolved over four centuries.

We also explore how its role as a center of finance and the city’s local politics affected how this neighborhood looks today. This tour is a very popular part of a course that the guide teaches at New York University on urban real estate.

The Tour:

• Bowling Green – the city’s oldest park

• Wall Street’s major sites – including The New York Stock Exchange and Trinity Church

• Federal Hall – where Washington was sworn in and the first Congress met

• J.P. Morgan’s headquarters and the remnants of its bombing in 1920

• The Federal Reserve Bank of New York – which contains the world’s largest stock of gold

• The Equitable Building – the shape of which spurred the city’s first zoning code

• The pocket park where Occupy Wall Street called home in 2011

• One World Trade Center – the most expensive office building ever built

• The Oculus – the most expensive train station ever built

• St. Paul’s Chapel – where Washington prayed and the oldest building in Manhattan

• New York City Hall – the oldest city hall currently in use in the United States

Please Note

This tour walks around Lower Manhattan and starts right near Bowling Green and ends near City Hall

*Tours take place rain or shine ​— dress for the weather!

Private Group: Please contact us for pricing and availability