Do you have to physically work on Wall St to say you're on Wall St?

I know this is probably a stupid question, but I'm going to be interning at a boutique bank in Boston next summer doing M&A (currently doing S&T in NYC), and some of my mentors have said things along the lines of "congrats on getting your foot in the door of Wall St".

Put simply, if you work in IB, are you considered as being a part of "Wall Street" as referred to in conversation or by the press, or do you really have to be at a bank located in NYC to be considered as being on Wall St?

It's not an important question and doesn't really matter, I just want to make sure I'm speaking accurately and don't sound like an idiot.

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Depends on the context of the conversation. For instance, when investors discuss "Wall Street Consensus Estimates", they will include the estimates of firms like Piper/Baird/Blair/etc. On the other hand, when the press discusses "Wall Street Culture", they’re generally talking about the firms in New York. Also, some firms take pride in not being in NYC and avoiding "Wall Street Group Think". Those firms generally don’t like being tagged with the Wall Street label. Regardless, you sound like a dweeb by telling people you "work on Wall Street".

 

"I work at ____ investment bank in Boston" that simple. They won’t press you on whether or not that’s part of "Wall Street". People in finance don’t need you to explain the distinction to them. People not in finance don’t care.

 

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