Manhattan Financial District travel guide

For New York Fashion Week and over the Family Day long weekend, my boyfriend and I stayed in FiDi. I wanted to write this Manhattan Financial District travel guide to share some of the cute places we visited, as well as some of the area’s top spots.

Of course, Wall Street is a huge draw for tourists. We went on a Saturday to catch empty streets perfect for photos, but it was definitely more bustling when I came in on Thursday. Snapping pictures in front of the NYSE is a must as well.

I’m wearing a romper from Zara (similar dress here), Mackage wool coat, cashmere hat from Kit & Ace (similar hat here), boots c/o La Canadienne and my Alexander Wang Prisma backpack.

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Near South Ferry station (north of Battery Park) is Stone Street, an adorable cobblestoned street, dotted with old shops and cute restaurants. I loved this location because it felt like I was in Amsterdam! With brick buildings and Dutch Colonial-style gables, the restaurants are very small and chic. We went to a pub one night, and for Valentine’s Day, wrapped up our night at Vintry, a cozy wine bar with an impressive and affordable wine list. My favourite glass was the Route Stock Route 29 Cabernet Sauvignon 2012. Not that I know much about wine, it was my favourite of the few we sampled that night!

Another great place to eat is Crepes du Nord on Williams Street. I had a delicious prosciutto and ricotta cheese crepe, which was the perfect meal for brunch.

In the summer, picnic and patio tables take over the cobblestone laneways and make for the perfect place to grab a drink. Our hotel was around the corner from this historic street, so I loved that we had a chance to take advantage of the area.

World Trade Center is transforming each time I visit the city. We wanted to visit the newly opened museum, but didn’t want to wait outside in line in the freezing cold. (Definitely order tickets in advance). One World Trade Center also has a new tourist attraction, One World Observatory, offering great views of the entire city, Brooklyn Bridge, the Statue of Liberty and the outer boroughs of New York. We ended up choosing museums uptown over the observatory  because again, it was freezing at -20C that weekend, but I would definitely put it on my to-do list.

A surprise we stumbled upon was St. Paul’s Chapel. The church is right beside World Trade Center and was used as a recovery centre for first responders during 9/11. There were plenty of exhibits on display, as well as faith-based art works from artists. The design of the church itself inside is interesting too, it being the oldest surviving church building in Manhattan, the interior is all pastel, white and gold.

It being so cold, we skipped other nearby landmarks, like Bowling Green, the Bull and Battery Park.

I would definitely recommend staying in FiDi because of your easy access to all of the subway lines. Within 20 minutes we got where we needed to be and it was safe and extremely quiet at night. Our hotel was also super spacious and cost much less than a hotel in Times Square. Another great benefit is being so close to Brooklyn, and SoHo for great shopping and dining options. I would definitely stay in the neighbourhood again, especially being so close to the massive discount department store, Century 21!