ON THE TOWN -- July 1996
New York City wears many hats and many hats at once. It leads the nation in the live entertainment sector and likewise the banking, securities and communications industries. Make no mistake, business is pleasure in New York when you spend the day on the town.
Make it your business to tour Wall Street. Way back in 1653 this was the northern most limit of the city. The Dutch, ever fearful of Indian attacks, built a protective blockade against the rest of the island. Begin at Trinity Church (Wall Street and Broadway) where you can find Manhattan's oldest cemetery. There lies Alexander Hamilton, but where else should our country's first Secretary of Treasury spend eternity (212-602-0773)?
Across the street is the New York Stock Exchange, the largest and most famous U.S. exchange, where stocks and bonds are traded daily from 9:15 a.m. to 4 p.m. There is a Visitor's Gallery overlooking the trading floor where automated narration describes the frenzied activity below. (Tickets are free: 212-656-5167. The gallery is on 20 Broad Street.)
The Federal Reserve Bank of New York is located at 33 Liberty Street. The largest gold repository in the world with more than Fort Knox! offers free tours (212-720-6130). After that, head to the Commodities Exchange Center at 4 World Trade Center. From an observation deck you can witness the madcap action you may remember from the hit movie Trading Places (212-748-1000).
From any perspective you can't miss the World Trade Center ("Twin Towers"), which at a modest 110 floors each are New York's tallest buildings. The Gallery on the 107th floor and the Observation Deck on the 100th floor offer unequaled views of this extraordinary city (located at One World Trade Center).
After rubbing elbows with more money than you could spend in a lifetime, you may wonder how to procure a small fortune of your own. The answer (or at least an enjoyable interlude) may be found at the Richard Rogers Theatre where a revival of the 1961 musical comedy How To Succeed in Business without Really Trying finishes its successful run on July 14. Take a note from J. Pierrepont Finch, an ambitious window washer (Matthew Broderick), as he climbs up the corporate ladder consulting a self-help bible chock full of humorous and oddly effective advice.
You may not leave with pockets full of greenbacks, but you will depart from the theatre richer for the experience, humming tunes like "The Company Way," "Brotherhood of Man," "A Secretary Is Not a Toy" and "Rosemary" which Broderick, sings to real-life sweetheart/co-star Sarah Jessica Parker (226 West 46th Street; 212-307-4100 or 800-755-4000).-- By Jennifer Lanter
