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Built largely on 18th- and 19th-century landfill, this park at New York harbor is usually visited for Castle Clinton, the 1807 fort that is now the embarkation point for Ellis Island and Statue of Liberty ferries. This welcome swath of green is of interest for its many monuments and statues.

Several prestigious architects were involved in this extension of Manhattan, a commercial and residential enclave built on a 92-acre landfill created with earth displaced by excavation for the World Trade Center. A 2-mile (3-km) esplanade offers grand Statue of Liberty views. Parts of the complex were damaged by the Trade Center collapse but a brighter future is forecast since the opening of the posh Ritz-Carlton Hotel and the new Skyscraper Museum.

Brass doors and wrought iron gates lead into a U.S. Post Office in one of New York’s grandest interiors; a Great Hall with murals, frescoes and an elaborate domed ceiling. It was once the ticket office for the Queen Mary and Cunard’s other great ocean liners.

Although the bronze statue of George Washington on the steps marks the site where the nation’s first president took his oath of office, the original building was replaced by this handsome, columned Greek Revival structure in 1842. It served as the U.S. Custom House and a branch of the Federal Reserve Bank before becoming a museum in 1955, with exhibits of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. An introductory video and talks detail the historic events that occurred here.

Although gold is no longer transferred in payments between nations, much of the world’s gold reserve remains stored in the five-story vault below this building. All bank notes from this branch have the letter B in the Federal Reserve seal.

A memorable experience for all faiths is this chronicle of the 20th-century Jewish experience before, during, and after the Holocaust, told with over 2,000 photographs, hundreds of artifacts, and original documentary films.

The present building opened in 1903, and behind its Neo- Classical facade is the financial heart of the U.S. The exchange has grown from a dealing with local businesses to a global enterprise. On the busiest days, over 200 million shares are traded daily for more than 2,000 companies, although the action is much calmer now that everything is computerized. There are 17 trading posts, each with 22 sections of traders handling the stock of up to 10 companies.

This much-admired Gothic building is the third church on this site for one of the U.S.’s oldest Anglican parishes, founded in 1697. The church has had notable additions since completion in 1846, including the sacristy, chapel, and Manhattan wing; the bronze doors were donated as a memorial to John Jacob Astor III. Trinity is known for its musical programs, with concerts each Monday and Thursday at 1pm and occasional Sunday concerts by the full choir. Trinity also oversees the programs at St. Paul’s Chapel.

A renovation in 1994 installed gleaming galleries that circle the grand rotunda of this classic building. It is now the George Gustav Haye Center of the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, with changing exhibits of Native American life, including costumes and fine crafts. Baskets of ceremonial objects, toys, and musical instruments in the research room can be examined and researched further on the computer installed there.

Some of the top U.S. financial companies have headquarters in the World Financial Center, which was damaged in the September 11 attack. The center of the complex is the Winter Garden, with a 120-ft (37-m) atrium, palms and marble steps.