What if dinosaurs could come back to life at the museum? Well that only happens in the movie “A Night At The Museum”, so we decided to play it safe and go during the day After all, the museum we were visiting had skeletons (most of them are real fossils; missing parts are in cast) of everything from the famed T-Rex to the fearsome Saber Tooth Tiger.

Take a look at those teeth and nails!

The American Museum of Natural History in New York has an amazing collection of fossils, gems, ancient human carvings/paintings, and so much more. It was originally founded in 1869 and built between 1874 and 1877. With a staff of over 200 and a wealth of exhibits, it is a place you’ve got to visit if you come to New York. Watch the video above for more.

Any of you who have grown up on a diet of American gangster movies have probably heard of the Manhattan neighborhood called Hell’s Kitchen. This neighborhood has been featured in movies from State of Grace to Sleepers and was once the home of notorious Irish American gangs. Those days are long past though, and today it just looks like a slightly more run-down neighborhood with signs that construction is going on and it is getting a facelift.

There is also a small flea market held in this neighborhood every Saturday and Sunday and today we went down to see if there was anything interesting. Walking the short distance from Broadway to Hell’s Kitchen, I wondered if I would still see the 1920s buildings that once housed gangsters such as Owney Madden. Most of those buildings seem to be long gone, although there are occasional signs of aging buildings that probably wouldn’t have been out of place a century ago.

This part of town has a more gritty look

Some buildings that have seen better days

The flea market didn’t seem to have much going on. Maybe it was the cold, or maybe we were a bit late (got there around 2ish), but whatever the reason it seems that there were fewer stalls than buildings which had seen the last century through. The few stalls that were there, sold everything from second-hand boots to glassware and trinkets.

Once back in Jersey City, we had our first snowfall since Chicago. It didn’t last long, but it was nice to see it finally snowed after all the cold.

Gong Xi Fa Cai - Happy Chinese New Year to those of you who celebrate it Just before Chinese New Year, we decided to head down to Chinatown and see what the scene was like and what type of preparations were going on. And although they were far smaller scale than what you would see in many places in Asia, you could still see a lot of activity and many Chinese buying last-minute things for the celebrations.

Chinese New Year decorations for sale in Chinatown, New York

Chinatown is home to over 100,000 Chinese in New York, most of whom have come from Hong Kong and speak Cantonese. We did however, hear a lot of the stall workers speaking Mandarin so they might be some of the more recent arrivals from China.

Chinese New Yorkers buying supplies for the celebrations

The stalls were selling everything from decorations, to flowers and oranges. Oranges are a very important part of the Chinese New Year tradition and when visiting friends or relatives during this festive season, it is a custom to give them Mandarin oranges and wish them a prosperous new year ahead.

We’re back! Yes, it’s been a while since our last post and we want to thank all of you for your patience, but now we’re back in full swing and we’re starting off with a video and some pictures of our visit to the Museum of American Finance in New York.

The former hall of the Bank of New York with beautifully restored 1930’s paintings on the wall. 

Recently moved from its home on Broadway to the prestigious address of 48 Wall Street in the swanky former building of the Bank of New York, the museum holds the world’s largest public archive of financial documents and artifacts. These include such rare pieces as the first bond to ever use the $ symbol - signed by George Washington - and a letter from Isaac Newton to invest in the failed South Sea Company bubble of the 1700’s.

Washington Bond - 1792 - The first to show the $ sign

 

Isaac Newton’s letter authorizing investment in the South Sea Company

While at the museum, we met Lee Kjelleren, the CEO/President of the museum, who was kind enough to tell us a bit about the different artifacts and the direction the museum is taking to educate the public as to financial responsibility - something so important in this day and age. As a matter of fact, this museum was founded after the market crash of 1987 to remind people of history and financial risks.

To that end they have some very interesting artifacts, ranging from margin calls and ticker tapes issued in the market crash of 1929 to letters written to loved ones about the terrible state of the financial district at the time.

Ticker Tape from the day of the crash of 1929

 

Margin call from the crash of 1929

There are really so many interesting articles here that it’s impossible to list them all. Some of the other noteworthy items are the $10,000 bill, stock and bond certificates from many different time periods and places, technology from early stock ticker machines to early calculators, the Edison light bulb used for the patent application and so much more.

A prototype of Edison’s Telegraph from 1890

So if you’re in New York and are interested in finance, or just want to see how big money has been made - and lost - over the past few hundred years, then check this place out. It’s right on Wall Street and only a minute’s walk from the New York Stock Exchange.