New York
When people talk of New York City, they usually mean Manhattan. There are four other boroughs in the city – Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx, and Stalen Island – but Manhattan is the attraction. Manhattan, with its busy streets, sophisticated restaurants and department stores and elegant and tough neighborhoods, draws tourists from every country in the world.
Manhattan is an island city that is surrounded by rivers: the Hudson, Harlem and East Rivers. Approaching Manhattan from the ocean, one comes face to face with one of the most famous symbols of the modern world: the Statue of Liberty.
Standing over 150 feet high, Lady Liberty has been a symbol of hope and prosperity for millions of immigrants coming to America. Built as a gift from France in the late 19th century, this monument is situated on Liberty Island.
Liberty Island is reached by ferry from Battery Park in lower Manhattan. The nearby Ellis Island provides a complete history of the many people who came to America to seek their fortune.
North of Battery Park, in lower Manhattan, is Wall Street – one of the centers of the financial world. With Trinity Church at the west end of the street, Wall Street contains many offices of the Financial District.
Just west of Wall Street was one of the other great symbols of New York City – the World Trade Center. These buildings towered above the city. The tragedy of September 11, 2001 that destroyed the Twin Towers and much of the rest of the World Trade Center has forever altered the look and the feel of New York City.
But most of the symbols of the great city still stand, including the Brooklyn Bridge. Built from 1869 to 1883, this was the first bridge to use steel cables. Every day people walk or bicycle across the bridge from Brooklyn to Manhattan.
One of the first magnificent buildings in Manhattan was built in 1931 on the corner of 5th Avenue and 34th Street – The Empire State Building. It has 102 floors and 73 elevators. There are 1,806 steps to the top! From the building’s Observation Deck visitors have a fantastic view of New York City in all directions.
On the weekends, people shop outside and inexpensively. Downtown bargain-hunting shoppers stroll through the open markets looking at jewelry, clothes, handbags, hats, shoes, and many other items. If the street bargains are not enough, you can enter the many exclusive boutiques and shops along the street.
The “Village,” or Greenwich Village, is known for its educational institutions, such as New York University. Washington Square is the public park that is the center of student life in lower Manhattan.
Today, students, faculty and working artists occupy the buildings in the neighborhoods surrounding the Village.
South of Canal Street are 40 square blocks of Chinatown. With its food stalls, green grocers, and specialty restaurants, this Chinese community of more than 150,000, is the largest Chinese community outside of Asia.
North of Canal Street, and within easy walking distance of Chinatown, is Little Italy, the home of delicious Italian cuisine. Sitting in an outdoor café after a meal on Mulberry Street, one can enjoy the slow motion of an Italian street scene in lower Manhattan.
Broadway. Just saying the word brings New York to mind. This famous Theater District is located along Broadway, roughly between 42nd Street and 59th Street. For inexpensive tickets to a musical, drama, or comedy production, visit TKTS in Duffy Square.
During the evening hours, Duffy Square is home to numerous neon signs and all kinds of nightlife.
Just to the east of the Theater District, in an area of Manhattan known as Midtown, is Grand Central Terminal. Grand Central is a good place to experience the rush and energy of New York City.
Eight blocks north of Grand Central on Fifth Avenue is Rockefeller Center. With nineteen buildings, this is the largest privately owned entertainment and business complex in the world. Prometheus watches over the Plaza, where tourists and New Yorkers meet and stroll during every season of the year.
Directly across from Rockefeller Center on Fifth Avenue is St. Patrick’s Cathedral. This church is an adaption of French-Gothic style, with its spires rising up to 330 feet.
The United Nations is situated between First Avenue and the East River. The UN’s 188 member nations are represented by their flags, in alphabetical order, outside the General Assembly Building.
The center of Manhattan is dominated by Central Park. This man-made park has 6.5 miles of roads, 58 miles of pedestrian walks and 4.5 miles of house paths. Thousands of New Yorkers visit Cental Park on the weekends.
To see all of Manhattan in about three hours, try the Circle Line. Departing from Pier 83, twelve cruises circle the island of Manhattan daily. Perhaps the highlight is sailing under the George Washington Bridge. Designed by the French architect Le Corbusier, this magnificent 3,500-foot suspension bridge has been called “the most beautiful bridge in the world.”
From the boat you can see all of the bridges that connect Manhattan to other places, the tall buildings that make up Manhattan and even Yankee Stadium.
New York City, “the Big Apple,” is “the city that never sleeps.” It has even been called “the capital of the world.” It is easy to see why people say, “If you are bored in New York, it’s your own fault.”
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