It’s no secret that I love New York. However, this city is just so damn big that it’ll take me years to see all of it (if ever!). I really enjoy poking around the city’s storied past, and there’s no more amazing location than New York’s Financial District, also known as the “Canyon of Heroes.” Home to ticker tape parades, decadent sky scrapers and lots of dudes in power suits, the area is so much more than a 9/11 or Occupy Wall Street tourist destination (which is why most seem to seek it out, but to each their own).
For me, the Financial District is a direct link to New York’s gritty / glam history. Gorgeous, Art Nouveau wonders like the Woolworth Building (I’m a bit obsessed with the man), Trinity Church, the teeny tiny side streets…it really inspires a sense of wonder, and the streets really do feel a bit like valleys in between those massive buildings.
Walking the oldest byways of the city — Maiden Lane, Broadway, Pine — it’s crazy to imagine how many have come before us. And now you can experience a bit of a time machine with large, beautiful portraits at NYC Past, my new favorite tumblr. So many hats! And to think I just walked down Wall Street, past the larger-than-life George Washington statue last week. Insanity.
And it’s not just the Financial District. Check out these actual sleep in Central Park’s Sheep Meadow (!!!). And the Flatiron Building! (Which I’m usually only near when I go to MAC or Shake Shack. Such an odd association.)
Find more huge, gorgeous pieces of history on NYC Past.


















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