New York, New Jersey & Pennsylvania - Eastern USA - page 109

Thu; 4/5 to Bowling Green) , housed in the gorgeous and historic Alexander
Hamilton US Customs House, has quite an extensive collection of Native American arts,
crafts and exhibits, plus a library and a great gift shop.

Wall Street & The Financial District

Despite the worldwide economic crash of late 2007/early 2008 and the subsequent
protests of Occupy Wall Street, the neighborhood and financial industry have rebounded.
The etymological origin of Wall Street , both an actual street and the metaphorical home
of US commerce, is the wooden barrier built by Dutch settlers in 1653 to protect Nieuw
Amsterdam from Native Americans and the British. A comprehensive overview, warts
and all, of the US economy is explained in fascinating up-to-date exhibits at the Museum
of American Finance MAP GOOGLE MAP ( www.moaf.org ; 48 Wall St btwn Pearl & William
Sts; adult/child $8/free; 10am-4pm Tue-Sat; 2/3, 4/5 to Wall St) , housed in the vener-
able former home of the Bank of New York. To get an up-close-and-personal view of
what makes the world go round, sign up for an hour-plus tour of the Federal Reserve
MAP

.

GOOGLE MAP (

212-825-6990; www.nps.gov/feha ; 26 Wall St; 9am-5pm)

Battery Park & Around NEIGHBORHOOD
The southwestern tip of Manhattan Island has been extended with landfill over the years
to form Battery Park MAP GOOGLE MAP ( www.nycgovparks.org ; Broadway at Battery Pl;
sunrise-1am; 4/5 to Bowling Green, 1 to South Ferry) , so named for the gun batteries that
used to be housed at the bulkheads. Castle Clinton MAP GOOGLE MAP ( www.nps.gov/
cacl ; Battery Park; 8:30am-5pm; 1 to South Ferry; 4/5 to Bowling Green) , a fortification
built in 1811 to protect Manhattan from the British, was originally 900ft offshore but is
now at the edge of Battery Park, with only its walls remaining. Come summertime, it's
transformed into a gorgeous outdoor concert arena. The Museum of Jewish Heritage
MAP GOOGLE MAP ( www.mjhnyc.org ; 36 Battery Pl; adult/child $12/free, 4-8pm Wed free;
10am-5:45pm Sun-Tue & Thu, to 8pm Wed, to 5pm Fri; 4/5 to Bowling Green) depicts aspects
of New York Jewish history and culture, and includes a holocaust memorial. Also worth
a look, the Skyscraper Museum MAP GOOGLE MAP ( www.skyscraper.org ; 39 Battery Pl;
admission $5; noon-6pm Wed-Sun; 4/5 to Bowling Green) housed in a ground-floor
space of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel features rotating exhibits plus a permanent study of high-
rise history. Finally, Battery Place is the start of the stunning Hudson River Park MAP
GOOGLE MAP ( www.hudsonriverpark.org ; Manhattan's west side from Battery Park to 59th St;
1 to Franklin St, 1 to Canal St) , which incorporates renovated piers, grassy spaces, gar-