Spend time in neighborhoods
Now, though, I have to ask if you are serious about walking across the Brooklyn Bridge.
I also appreciate the sense of history that you guys have.
I am absolutely not pulling your leg. To me, the experience is cool for a few reasons (I probably walk it once a month or so). The bridge was built built from 1867 to 1883, and it's pretty neat to walk on a structure that old. The views are really terrific - NY Harbor (including the Statue of Liberty), lower Manhattan skyline, Brooklyn, etc. It's one point where, on a clear day, you can get a glimpse of 4 out of 5 NYC boroughs.
As for those with an interest in history, here is my Cliff's Notes summary of historically significant sites in lower Manhattan that can easily be seen with a trip to the WTC site:
1. St Paul's Chapel - oldest continuing building in Manhattan, built in 1766. George Washington prayed here before he was was sworn in as President at Federal Hall (now a museum a few blocks south with free admission and definitely worth a visit). St Paul's is in the shadow of the former Twin Towers and, remarkably, was not damaged when they fell.
2. Trinity Church - oldest church in Manhattan. The original church was built in 1698 (you will see today the third church, built in 1846). More ornate than St Paul's. Where Alexander Hamilton and Fulton are buried.
3. Federal Hall (mentioned above) - first "White House" and where both first Congress and Senate sat. Current building was built in the 1840s or so. Statue of Washington in front of building.
4. Bowling Green - first "park" in Manhattan. Note the fence - it's the original from the 1760s with one exception - the fence posts originally had crowns on the tops. The residents melted those down in 1776 and turned them into ammunition. If you look closely, you can see saw marks.
5. Fraunces Tavern (see my previous post).
Also, note the huge Dutch influence on the city. The names Brooklyn, the Bornx and Staten island are from the Dutch (Manhattan is actually from the Lenape Indian word Manahatta which means "land of many hills"). Some of you are staying in Yonkers (also Dutch). Wall Street was named by the Dutch because they built a wall there to keep the English out (as opposed to the perception that it was native Americans - the Dutch did lots of business with the Indians and many of the streets in lower Manhattan reflect where trade with the Indians took place - Beaver Street, for example, is where Beaver pelts were traded).
Of course, the Brooklyn Bridge should be visited as well.
Rutgers was originally named Queens College and was founded in 1766 (eighth oldest school in the nation). It was founded at the same time as Kings College in NYC (Kings is now Columbia), but after the College of NJ (which is now Princeton).
