I have vowed never to return after my last visit. However, my daughter is dying to see Broadway.
If I remember correctly, there was a swamp around Wall St. at one time.
I am sorry that you had such a negative experience here the last time you visited, AP. Living here, I certainly have some negative experiences also, but, for the most part, NYers are good people, just uninformed and naive politically.
The Collect Pond was located a bit north of Wall St., just below Canal St (hence the name). Manhattan before development was a beautiful little island with soft rolling hills, outcroppings of rock, streams and woodlands. Oh how it's changed...