Even though it was closed because it's under construction I was able to go into the entrance and…read morethey still had the palm trees up and I was able to see through the mesh covering to see how beautiful the seating area is and it's still going to be an amazing place to sit and have lunch or dip into away from the rain. It stated they will be reopened by this year in the summer maybe the end of the summer. I can see it will be worth the wait

Nice place to sit and chill over coffee. The breakfast croissant was very good. Very spacious and…read morethe waiters were attentive. Nice ambiance.

When I'm in New York City, Financial district for work, each time I'm in the area, I visit the…read moreStone Street Historic District. It has cobblestone road and outdoor dining! There are a lot of different bars and restaurants on this street. Stone street is one of the oldest surviving streets in New York City. Stone Street's history started back to the Dutch settlement of New Amsterdam. It was originally built in the 17th century and was one of the city's first paved streets! Today, Stone Street is between Coenties Slip and Hanover Square. Its filled with restaurants, bars, outdoor seating and there is always a festive atmosphere, especially during the evenings. Some of the restaurants currently in the area are the following Stone Street Tavern Mad Dog & Beans (I come to this restaurant often and get the chicken fajitas! The food here is delicious!) Route 66 Smokehouse Adrienne's Pizza bar and much more! There are a lot of annual festivals held at Stone Street St.Paddy's Day Cinco De Mayo Oktoberfest Oysterfest and a lot more! This is a must visit if you're traveling to Lower Manhattan and the financial district. It does get busy in this area, but it's totally worth stopping by!

I came here for Oktoberfest ,and it was so much fun. It was chaotic, busy, but overall a great…read moretime. Let me tell you I'm not a beer person, but the German lager beer was delicious. I came here with one of good friends. By the end of the night she texted me "thank you for keeping me young". The texted made me so happy. Sometimes it's so easy to get used to a routine, but it's these core memories we build that truly make life magical! I'm all about good life work balance. I love building memories with my peeps! Oktoberfest you were the bomb!

It's a huge observatory and mall on the site of ground zero…read more It's become a transportation hub. It's a beautiful building, but the history is extremely sad. I have mixed feelings about it.

The Oculus is a beautiful representation of the New York spirit. It is a shopping center, an…read morearchitectural landmark, a transport hub, and a historic piece honoring NYC. It's a part of New York as much as Grand Terminal or Penn Station is. Oculus gets busy on a daily basis because of all the things I mentioned above. The shops in the Oculus are nice and tend to be on the higher end of a price range. You have a variety of selections from Apple Store to luxury brands. The service at any store is pretty representative of what the Oculus aspires to be; excellence. It's beautiful and bright and at its core, a beacon of hope.

While visiting the Bowling Green Park, I noticed the US Custom House was nearby! The U.S. Custom…read moreHouse is located in the Financial District in New York City. It was originally constructed between 1902 and 1907! The building originally served as the headquarters for the U.S. Customs Service. The building is massive! It includes granite facade, and a columned entrance! The building's exterior has designs based on continents and symbols of maritime commerce! After the U.S. Customs service relocated in the 1970s, the building is now the National Museum of the American Indian! You can visit and explore the rotunda, murals, and the monumental staircases.

I was very grateful to see accessible Global Entry appointments being offered in the city to avoid…read moregoing to the airport for an appointment. You are essentially approved on the day of your Global Entry interview and can use your assigned number right away. The process of making an appointment online was easy through your portal, but it can be essentially up to a month long wait for availability. I only needed my passport for the appointment, but in the appointment confirmation they ask you to bring additional ID, your conditional acceptance letter, and proof of residency. On the appointment day, look for the Bankruptcy Dept entrance and make a right turn, there will be another entrance around the corner with security inspection. The entrance was hard to find because there is scaffolding all around the building and no clear signage. There was one sign that said to enter through the museum entrance, which was closed at 8am. There were armed NYPD officers with automatic weapons standing in front of the building, which really set the tone for the experience, though they didn't know anything about Global Entry appointments when I asked them where the right entrance was. Upon entering, the security was incredibly rude for no reason. I greeted the security officer and he pointed to the open bins, then spoke to me in a demeaning way when I put my items into the bin because he wanted me to wait for him to tell me when to put my items in despite there being no one in front or behind me. He made me take my things out and berated me, and then had me put my things back into the same bin a moment later. I was really shocked by how rude the interaction was. After security, you wait in a seating area and an agent comes down with a clipboard asking for people with appointment slots. You go up with people to the fourth floor into another small, crowded waiting room until your name is called by a person behind a counter. They take the no cellphone, tablet, or headphone policy very seriously, so be sure to put things away before going upstairs. Once you're called, they take a quick photo of you and I was told that I'd receive my Global Entry card within 2-3 weeks. Overall, everything took about 10 mins in and out, but just know you will probably face some sort of aggressive behavior at some point, so wait to be instructed for everything. The whole experience felt so tense and hostile despite being straightforward.

The Koenig Sphere sits in Liberty Park in Lower Manhattan, elevated above the street level and…read moreoverlooking the 9/11 Memorial pools and the broader World Trade Center complex. I walked up to the sphere and learned that it was originally installed as a decorative sculpture in the plaza between the Twin Towers, where it stood for decades as part of the everyday landscape of the complex. It was designed by German sculptor Fritz Koenig and was recovered from the debris after September 11, 2001. The damage it sustained is visible and extensive. The surface is buckled and torn in ways that make the destruction legible without any explanation, and that physical evidence is precisely what gives the object its weight. It is not a pristine monument. It is a thing that was present, that went through what happened, and that was pulled from the wreckage and placed back on display in the form it came out in. The park around it is thoughtfully arranged, with benches positioned to allow me to sit with the sphere and look out over the memorial pools and the site. The quiet of the space relative to the activity below made it easier to spend time with what I was looking at. A plaque provides context for visitors who are not already familiar with the history of the object. For anyone visiting the 9/11 Memorial, making the short walk up to Liberty Park to see the sphere in person adds a dimension to the visit that the memorial pools alone do not provide. It is a quiet, powerful stop that lingers with you after you leave.

KOENIG SPHERE. A Bronze Sculpture which was originally placed with a Fountain between the TWIN…read moreTOWERS in 1971. The badly damaged SPHERE was the only work of art which was salvaged mostly intact from the collapse of the TWIN TOWERS on SEPTEMBER 11, 2001. The SPHERE resided in BATTERY PARK afterwards until it was moved to LIBERTY PARK in 2017. WORTH VISITING.

We took the train from uptown so it was super convenient on visiting the spot. After getting out of…read morethe train, it was just a short walk to this site. Once you arrive, there's a little plaza where you can get online to take pictures in front of the wall or behind. We waited about 30 minutes for a photo from behind, which is the more popular. Also, while you're waiting, there are a bunch of vendors with drinks, souvenirs, and snack snacks. We went in the afternoon, so it was shaded by the building next-door, so that was nice. Also, you're able to take pictures with your own devices, of course but they also have other people there doing a photo op for a donation.

Over 10 years, I was staying in Manhattan for the International Parade. We visited the Financial…read moreDistrict but ignored this historic sculpture. I wasn't into it nor had any interest in the stock market at the time. The sculpture was created by Arturo Di Modica. The bull symbolizes financial optimism and prosperity following the 1987 stock market crash. The bull was intended to inspire each person who came into contact with it to carry on fighting through the hard times. If I ever visit Manhattan again, I would stop by the Financial District for this masterpiece. I am obsessed with the stock market and so bullish about it. I wish I would have been exposed to it earlier in life.

Love finding these old hidden relics throughout the city! Soooo much history here!…read more At this little pedestrian plaza is the mysteriously named "Portal Down to Old New York, and an 18th century cistern! Also set into the pavement nearby, under glass at are remnants of colonial-era New York (New Ámsterdam) discovered during excavations for the building. Nothing marking it or explaining what these glass encasing houses, so had to research to find out. Would be nice if they had some plaques w/explanations of the historical significance. But neat find nevertheless! So many people walk by w/o checking it out!

The epicenter of capitalism in the US and the largest stock exchange in the world, the New York…read moreStock Exchange stands out prominently despite being nestled within the Financial District in Lower Manhattan and surrounded by towering skyscrapers. This beautiful and iconic structure was built and first occupied in 1903. And although access to the building has been restricted to the public since 9/11, the exterior of the building is still well worth a visit. With elements of Greek Revival and Roman neoclassical architecture, this 10-story building facade has an impressive portico and pediment. Additionally, you'll find the Fearless Girl standing proudly across the street. And the Charging Bull several feet away. Making this area a one-stop shop for multiple popular attractions.

After visiting the Fearless Girl public art piece, and while exploring New York City's Financial…read moreDistrict on a Thursday evening, I stumbled across the New York Stock Exchange. The New York Stock Exchange is located on Wall Street in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan. It's one of the most iconic institutions in global finance! It was originally founded in 1792. The exchange has grown into the world's largest stock market! It serves as a central hub for finance, investment, and economics! The NYSE lists thousands of companies, emerging innovators across nearly every sector of the economy. There are opening and closing bell ceremonies, featuring CEOs, celebrities, and much more! When I visited, it wasn't open to the public, but it was great to see the NYSE from the outside!

Cool free place to check out in the historic FiDi area. The upstairs balcony is closed right now…read moredue to construction. Also didn't see a bathroom anywhere.

Federal Hall National Memorial 26 Wall St…read more New York, NY 10005 If you are looking to visit a truly historic landmark, you've come to the right spot! This building was once located at the nation's former capital. President George Washington took the oath of office; witness a piece of the actual balcony where Washington stood during his inauguration. There is also a variety of other exhibits such as a Custom House and Coast Guard Art Gallery. This location is only open on weekdays, so plan accordingly and get a taste of postcolonial history! #federalhall #federallhallnationalmemorial #georgewashingtoninauguration #formercapital #coronthiancolumns #customhouse #coastguard #lowermanhattan #wallstreet #coastguardartgallery

This art piece is also very large and unique in its design with 2 empty seats inviting interaction…read morewith the assembled crew. We posed with the art, but now I wish I'd posed with it having my back to the camera instead, as it should be. Powerful messages here, at least to me. Several artwork pieces are on outdoor display in the open air spaces approaching the 9/11 museum. Each are designed to draw the viewer in with the absurdity and the familiarity of each piece. I appreciate public artwork and especially in the outdoors, so was grateful to see so much of Gillie and Marc. Worth researching each artists' personal story and their mission: Gillie and Marc artwork.

I came out of Oculus, WTC, and saw this amazing art installation. It was installed by Gillie & Marc…read moreand it's part of 3 or 4 installations in NYC. I came home and looked it up on the Internet. You can read more about it on this page on the website of Gillie and Marc who created this extremely large bronze sculpture. It's one of three sculptures included in the Wildlife Wonders exhibit. Other pieces include The Arms of Friendship, A bronze sculpture of an octopus cradling an elephant, gorilla, bunny, and rhinoceros that has made its home in Lower Manhattan's World Trade Center campus. The Animals featured in this art are- Ten endangered animals including a hippo, Masai giraffe, African elephant, Bengal tiger, koala, chimpanzee, Grevy's zebra, Northern white rhino, lion, and mountain gorilla. They have each been invited to the table as representatives of some of the best-known species in the world. And yet they all are dangerously close to the same threat, extinction.