It must be funny in a rich man's world

When you go to New York's Financial District, the imposing architecture and the matching NYPD presence are stark reminders that you are in the very heartland of the most powerful economy in the world.

On Wall Street, right at the centre of this commercial metropolis, you'll find the Museum of American Finance, the only institution in the United States that seeks to educate visitors about the country's finance and financial history.

Set in the former Bank of New York building (the oldest bank in the US), the Museum was founded in 1989 but was then known as the Museum of American Financial History.  In 2001 it became affiliated with the Smithsonian and 4 years later the Museum moved to its third - and current - premises, and was renamed to what we know today.

When I met my friend to tour the Museum this morning, I wasn't really sure what to expect.  The former Bank building looks quite sizable from the outside, and its entry way is very impressive.  Head up the spiral staircase and you're presented with a wide-open exhibition space that has been carefully curated to take you through the history of America's economy, from the very beginnings to its present day.  A collection like this sounds like it would take forever to absorb but really, unless you're enormously interested in stocks, bonds, and the way financial markets work, you can get a fair appreciation for the Museum within about 60-90 minutes.

We originally joined a free Museum tour, but it became quickly apparent that our guide was more inclined to mutter to the display cases than to clearly enunciate any trivia in the general direction of our small group.  Before long we made the decision to peel away from the tour, and this did not prove to be problematic, given that the Museum display cases and the little plaques/cards next to each one clearly explain what you're seeing in the exhibits.

I particularly liked the US Treasury war bonds from WW2, with the little Disney characters on them, and (of course) the solid gold and jewel-encrusted Monopoly set, currently on loan to the Museum and worth somewhere around $2 million.

I was also pleased to learn about Alexander Hamilton, former Secretary of the US Treasury who established the US Mint, the Customs Department, the tax system, the US Coast Guard, the Bank of New York, and the country's first central bank.  The Museum also features bronze statues that memorialise the politically-motivated "pistols at dawn" duel of 1804 between Hamilton and then Vice President Aaron Burr.  The conflict ultimately proved fatal for Hamilton.

With our thirst for knowledge quenched, it became clear that we needed to do something about our empty bellies.  Finding ourselves in the Financial District around lunch time meant that I was able to tick off another item on my NYC bucket list.

The original Delmonico's restaurant opened in 1827 just off Wall Street, at a time when New York's financial heart had just started beating strongly.  Back then though, Delmonico's was just a small shop operated by two brothers, to sell pastries, chocolates, and bonbons.  It wasn't until 10 years later that the Delmonico brothers opened the very first fine dining restaurant in the whole country.

As soon as it opened, Delmonico's restaurant offered its patrons the very finest in luxury dining.  The brothers were the first US restauranteurs to offer a prix fixe menu to their customers.  On the third floor of their premises they had private dining rooms, and in the basement they boasted the largest private wine cellar in the United States (with capacity for about 16,000 bottles).

The house special, Delmonico Steak, was developed by Chef Alessandro Fellippini and is still available on the menu today.  Likewise in 1862 when Chef Charles Ranhofer was running the show, he adapted a recipe he had been shown for what became known as Lobster Newburg.  Both dishes have been replicated in restaurants around the world, but they were both created here and remain sought-after items.

I did not splurge on such fancy dishes today; however - partly because in my blue jeans, I didn't really feel worthy of the opulent surroundings.  Instead, we walked through the beautifully-restored restaurant and closeted ourselves in the bar/grill area off to the side.  We enjoyed burgers and a glass of wine, while the male patrons (who outnumbered us 15:1 at least) ignored us completely and watched the Italy versus Uruguay World Cup match.

I will definitely have to come back to Delmonico's and sample the main restaurant's signature dishes and impeccable service for myself.  Although I finally dined at Delmonico's today, I don't think I can firmly cross it completely off my bucket list until some of that tasty steak and lobster makes it onto my fork.

The photos on this site are just a small collection of the ones I took today.  You can see the rest of the album at the link below:

Post by The ABCs of NYC.