Less than a mile from Wall Street is an island of solitude with 300 years of rich history.

With its tree-lined parks and turn-of-the-century homes, Governors Island is a world away from the chaos of Manhattan.

Remnants of its two centuries as a military base make for daydreams of a 19th-century New York.

From its seawall, visitors can take in a billion-dollar skyline and the chatter of seagulls. It is a piece of country serenity across the bay from the greatest city in the world.