Ground Zero and Wall Street

This is all one can see in the place where the World Trade Centre twin towers were...the place they now call 'Ground Zero'. It is located in lower Manhattan.

A large 16 acres empty space...where they plan to build 6 buildings instead, including a transport hub and a memorial museum. This is the only tour we didn't go on in NYC.

What we did go to see is the church that was miraculously left standing when the towers fell. It served as a place of comfort for people searching the ruins. Truly a touching place that to this day has a collection of memorabilia from those days. If you look carefully to the left of the tall black building in the middle you may see the church.

This is a photo of the inside of the church: St.Paul's chapel. It's now a sort of museum and it was quite touching. This is also the church where George Washington prayed for guidance before being sworn in as president.

Next we ventured onto Wall Street via Trinity Church with its lovely architecture. Apparently this is one of NY's most important houses of worship.

I always imagined Wall Street to be bigger...and...more impressive. But I guess with all the skyscrapers everywhere it doesn't exactly have a 'Canary Wharf' effect on you.

Above the entrance and below the side of the New York Stock Exchange. Love the big flag...a true symbol of America's power.

It's closed for visitors unfortunately...for security reasons.

Right next to it stands Federal Hall...the place where George Washington was actually sworn in as the first president of the US.

Below the inside...Did you know that New York served as the capital of the United States from 1785 until 1790 and has been the nation's largest city since 1790?

Finally, we had a look at the Wall Street Bull or the 'Charging Bull'. The sculpture depicts a bull, the symbol of aggressive financial prosperity. It is one of the most photographed art works in NYC and has also come to be an unofficial symbol of the Financial District itself. (Everyone loves to just take photos of its balls. :P).

Finally, before arriving at the south most point of Manhattan and taking the boat to Liberty and Ellis Islands, we had a look at The National Museum of the American Indian. This area is called Bowling Green and it is apparently where Dutch leader Peter Minuit bought Manhattan for $24 from Lenape Indians (although that tale is often questioned).