The oldest church in Manhattan,
St Paul's Chapel
dates from 1766 - eighty years earlier than Trinity Church, almost prehistoric by New York standards. George Washington worshipped here and his pew, zealously treasured, is on show. Heading south along Broadway, a most impressive leftover of the confident days before the Wall Street Crash is the old
Cunard Building
, at no. 25. Its marble walls and high dome once housed a steamship's booking office - hence the elaborate, whimsical murals of variegated ships and nautical mythology splashed around the ceiling. Today, it houses a post office - one that's been fitted with little feeling for the exuberant space it occupies. On the second floor is the
New York City Police Museum
(Tues-Sat 10am-6pm; free; tel 212/301-4440,
www.nycpolicemuseum.org
), housing a collection of 250 years worth of memorabilia of the New York Police Department, the largest and oldest in the country.
At 26 Broadway, located in the former headquarters of
John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil Company
, is the
Museum of American Financial History
28 Broadway (Tues-Sat 10am-4pm; $2; tel 212/908-4110,
www.financialhistory.org
). This is the largest public archive of financial documents and artifacts in the world, featuring such finance-related objects as the bond signed by Washington bearing the first dollar sign ever used on a Federal document. On Fridays, the museum also offers a "World of Finance" walking tour ($15).
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