We are near the beginning of Broadway, which started life as an Indian trail running along a ridge on the once hilly land known as Mannahata. Much of the island has long since been flattened, yet this section of Broadway hints at the character of the original path.

The Dutch called it Heere Straat; the British, Great George. By early 1899 it was Broadway.

The fabled canyons of Lower Manhattan developed from superimposing skyscrapers on the narrow streets of a 17th-century plan. Lower Broadway is an ideal stage for the parades that take place here. Early honorees were showered with ticker tape, but today we follow the stock and bond markets on-screen, so the paper raining down comes from office shredders.

The 7,000 pound bronze bull ahead is a favorite tourist photo op. SoHo sculptor Arturo DeModica's creation made its first public, but highly unofficial, appearance in front of the New York Stock Exchange in December 1989. It was quickly shunted to a police impound lot. Media attention roused the public to call for the return of the bull and the New York City Parks Department found this strategic spot for an icon embodying Wall Street's optimism.

Continue down Broadway to the next location at Number One.