Twenty-five years ago, Oliver Stone’s Wall Street sucked audiences into the predatory world of Gordon Gekko, a role played so masterfully by Michael Douglas that it has become the cinematic archetype of the inside trader.

Proving that everything old is new again, Stone and Douglas are back in Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps.

Set in our current financially anxious modern day, Gekko has done his time behind bars and has reinvented himself as a touted writer mentoring a young trader (Shia LaBeouf).

He helps the trader sound the alarm on the impending economic meltdown expedited by a financial system with far fewer regulations than when Gekko was king of New York.

Given the drama of each trading day these days, few tourist experiences deliver more art-imitating-life quotient than a visit to the fast-beating heart of the financial world on Wall Street.

Brooklyn Bridge

Photo: Maurice

Crossing the Brooklyn Bridge by foot (for free!) is the most spectacular entrance into Lower Manhattan. Well, short of private helicopter, that is.

The Manhattan side of the bridge deposits you right across from City Hall, and the Financial District is just a few blocks south down Broadway.

The Charging Bull

Photo: David Prior

Also called the Wall Street Bull and the Bowling Green Bull, this now-iconic sculpture appeared not long after Gekko was incarcerated.

The 3,200-kg bronze sculpture was mysteriously dropped off in front of the NYSE one day and was relocated to the Bowling Green area of Wall Street.

It represents resilience to some and nasty and unpredictable character to others. In other words, the perfect Wall Street metaphor.

Sho Shaun Hergatt at the Setai

Photo: scaredy_kat

One of Esquire magazine’s Best New Restaurants in 2009, the SHO Shaun Hergatt is one of the few places carefully straddling the changing culture of the financial world.

Its dark wood interior is reminiscent of old boys’ clubs of bull markets past, its Asian-inspired menu and antiques hint at a broader worldliness and its emphasis on fresh and local ingredients offers locavore cred.

Be sure to stop by after your tour of the area for a drink and the rotating selection of canapés.

Tiffany & Co.

The jewellery giant immortalized by Audrey Hepburn opened this location three years ago, but survived its spectacularly bad timing.

Wall Street never seems to lose for long, and Tiffany & Co. is a fantastic spot to spend your gains, or to pick up a pair of silver Bull and Bear cufflinks ($250) to give your shirt some local flair.

New York Stock Exchange

Photo: epicharmus

Even though cars are no longer allowed along Wall Street next to the NYSE, and visitors are not permitted inside the building itself, you can get a great view of the Exchange’s flag-draped facade from the steps of Federal Hall and watch the traders line up to check in with security.

Check out the timeline of local events marked on the ground outside the Exchange Building along Broad Street and learn stuff, like how Broad Street was first lit by gas lamps in 1835.

Trinity Wall Street

photo: DennisinAmsterdam

This beautiful Gothic revival church offers guided tours weekdays at 2 p.m. and Sundays after the service.

Or take a break from the bustle and walk through the graveyard. Its markers, washed clean of details by the elements and time, are a good reminder that he who makes the most still dies in the end.

Federal Hall National Memorial

Photo: hibino

This is the former site of New York’s old City Hall, where the Stamp Act Congress protested taxation without representation, where George Washington was inaugurated and where the Bill of Rights was ratified.

The current hall was built in 1842 as a customs house and has also been home to the U.S. Sub-Treasury. Today, it's a National Memorial and part of the National Parks System, which runs free tours of the building Monday through Friday.

The Trump Building

This is not where The Donald (who appears as himself in Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps) fires apprentices, but it is a building that played a lead role in New York’s financial history.

Built by the Manhattan Company in 1930, this designated New York City landmark was intended to be the world’s tallest building and a beacon of the city’s pre-Depression global influence. Unfortunately, it was surpassed shortly after completion and was acquired by Trump in 1995.

Museum of American Finance

Inspired by the 1987 market crash, and with a mission to help people learn from the mistakes of the past, this is one of the most unique museums in the country.

Visitors learn all about William Duer, believed to be America’s first inside trader, see ticker tape from both the 1929 and 1987 crashes and follow a detailed (and often way too familiar) timeline of the events leading to today’s financial quagmire.

Federal Reserve Bank

Photo: epicharmus

The Federal Reserve System (a.k.a. “The Fed”) sets and regulates monetary policy for the U.S., and the New York Fed works within that system to implement policy to supervise and regulate financial institutions.

See how the masters of industry are held in check (most of the time) by taking part in the Gold Vault Tour. Although tours are free, you have to reserve a spot at least a week in advance to allow for security clearance.

Century 21 Department Store

Photo: sha-put-ski

If you want to look more “Wall Street” and less “Main Street,” stop into Century 21, a discount department store where you can get designer duds at a fraction of the price. (22 Cortlandt St.; 212-227-9092; c21stores.com)