Monday’s AWRF Tour, October 19th Departs Hotel at 10am and returns at approximately 3:30 HISTORIC TOUR – NIEUW AMSTERDAM TO NEW YORK Discover how New York became what it is today, from Peter Minuet's purchase of Manhattan from the Native Americans for $24, to becoming our nation's first capital, and on to what many consider to be the cultural and financial center of the world. Visit Battery Park where the Dutch first settled in a town they called Nieuw Amsterdam. The financial center sprung up during the British Occupation and established a commercial center, now the site of the New York Stock Exchange. Across the street, visit the exact spot where George Washington was sworn in as the president of the newly founded United States. You'll view some of the nation's finest Federal architecture in Greenwich Village and you'll see where Abraham Lincoln delivered his famous Cooper Union address on the government's right to prohibit slavery in the territories. You'll learn how a grid street system was established to replace chaotic cow paths and Indian trails, thus allowing for an orderly progression north as the city grew. You'll see the city's first skyscraper and the newest in architectural marvels as the tour brings you up to date on the history of this exciting town. NATIONAL SEPTEMBER 11 MEMORIAL World Trade Center Site, Financial District The National September 11 Memorial is located on the site of the former World Trade Center complex where the Twin Towers once stood. The Memorial Park surrounds two square waterfalls - the largest man-made waterfalls in North America - which will cascade into reflecting pools finally disappearing into the footprints of the former Twin Towers. The names of victims who were lost in the 1993 bombing and 2001 attacks are etched in bronze around the edges of the pools. ONE WORLD OBSERVATORY ENHANCEMENT The Port Authority is developing the observation deck atop One World Trade Center. This ultimate observation deck, to be called One World Observatory, will take visitors on an inspirational journey about the history of this iconic structure. The spectacular sight-seeing venue is projected to draw an estimated 3.8 million annual visitors to the top of the tallest structure in the Western Hemisphere. The 120,000 square foot facility is scheduled to open in early 2015 and will occupy floors 100 through 102, approximately 1,250 feet above street level. Visitors will board one of five dedicated state-of-the-art elevators that will be among the fastest lifts in the world to ascend to the top of the building in approximately 60 seconds. The venue will feature cutting-edge digital technology, dining options, a gift shop, special events space and a theater where visitors will learn about the building of One World Trade Center. FRAUNCES TAVERN Both a historical museum and a popular restaurant, Fraunces Tavern has been serving New Yorkers since 1762 - and no one more important than George Washington himself, who, in 1783, bade an emotional farewell to his officers in the Tavern's Long Room. The museum contains military dispatches and a few letters and artifacts from the Revolutionary War, as well as the history of the original owner, Samuel Fraunces, a West Indian who was once a steward to George Washington. .