#19 So, this is Wall Street

  

   

    Wall Street in New York City (NYC) is probably the most popular, frequently-mentioned street globally. You see it in movies and television. You read about it in books and the news. It is the most famous, sometimes controversial, in the corporate world, at least in America. 

    Wall Street is actually a narrow street (see Gabe's picture below with a pretzel) of about 8 blocks and not accessible to public vehicles. It is part of the larger section of the financial district of the Lower Manhattan borough in NYC. Here are the most popular tourist destinations you must see if you visit the district.

The Charging Bull. Also known as the Bull of Wall Street, this international icon is located on Broadway St. near Morisson St. This bronze sculpture of approximately 7,000 pounds is the work of the Italian artist, Arturo Di Modica. He spent tens of thousands of dollars and gifted the piece to NYC's financial district. Your friends will know where you’ve been when you have a picture with the bull. But, first, you need to line up and decide whether to have a picture of its front or behind! Behind the Charging Bull is the Bowling Green, the oldest NYC public park since 1733!

 

The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). The heart of the world's financial markets, brokers at the NYSE have been trading since 1792! Today, the most active stocks at NYSE include Apple, Microsoft, AstraZeneca, Intel, and others. Quick cheat sheet investment vocabulary: bear market means stock prices are low, and it's called so because a bear strikes down. In contrast, it is called a bull market when stocks are high because a bull's horn charges upward. Finally, don't forget to spot a freestanding sculpture facing the NYSE called The Fearless Girl, a four-foot bronze statue promoting women empowerment.

The Trinity Church. Located on Broadway St. facing Wall St., the Trinity Church Wall Street is a Gothic-style building that has been part of NYC for 300 years! It is an Episcopal community in the heart of lower Manhattan. The church is currently closed to the public except during Sunday in-person worship. The church's graveyard is the final resting place of some famous Americans, such as John Watts (lawyer and politician from NYC), Alexander Hamilton, and his wife Eliza and sister Angelica, of the blockbuster musical Hamilton.

The 9/11 Memorial and the Occulus. Several minutes walk from NYSE is the 9/11 Memorial and Museum. I wrote a blog with lots of pictures of these landmarks here.

My wife also spotted a Hermes store near NYSE. It was freezing that afternoon. Luckily there was a huge Starbucks nearby where we got ourselves warmed up. We wondered if the coffee shop is the place where brokers and executives buy their coffee. Finally, we went to Battery Island, where you can take a ferry ride to the famous Liberty Island to see the Statue of Liberty!