Introducing New York City:
Frank Sinatra was not from New York City (he was born in Hoboken, New Jersey), but he described the city best when he sung: ‘New York, New York, if you can make it there, you’ll make it anywhere.’ New York City is indeed a city that never sleeps, with a core population of over 8 million, enjoying 24 hour mass transit, entertainment, restaurants, bars, gyms and supermarkets, under a phalanx of skyscrapers that house the highest concentration of Fortune 500 companies in the world, benefiting from the density and diversity of an urban population of over 18 million people, spread over the 5 boroughs of New York City and 3 adjacent States: New York, New Jersey & Connecticut. New York is a city of ethnically diverse neighborhoods, where you can enjoy any kind of world food delivered to your door: Tibetan cuisine, Vietnamese, Cuban or just plain American Apple Pie. The locals simply put it this way: “New York is everything”. But New York City wasn’t always a world metropolis; the Dutch established a fur trading colony called “New Amsterdam” at the southern tip of the island of Manhattan in 1614, and then they purchased the rest of the island from the native Lenape Indians in 1626 for 60 Guilders. The northernmost edge of the ‘New Amsterdam’ colony was protected by a picket wall that ran along present day Wall Street, hence the name. Circa 1667, the Dutch swapped with the British crown; a small island in the Indonesian archipelago for the Island of Manhattan. As a British colony, now renamed “New York”, the city grew into an important trading port and was the location of several battles during the War of Independence of 1777-1783, when it served as the primary base of the British forces until they faced defeat and expulsion in 1783.
New York then became the nation’s first National Capital and George Washington was declared its First President at 26 Wall Street in Manhattan. The same site became the first National Capitol and sat the first American Congress. The 18th and early 20th century brought several waves of immigration that transformed New York City into a multicultural metropolis with a street grid expanded to cover the whole island of Manhattan. By 1857, the slums that had grown above 59th street were cleared for the landscaping of what would become Central Park. Ellis Island was established on New York Harbor in 1892, next to the Statue of Liberty, as a place to process the ever growing flow of impoverished immigrants arriving into New York every day. By 1954 more than 12 million immigrants had passed through Ellis Island before setting foot in New York City and dispersing trough the country. More than 100 million Americans today can trace their ancestry to Ellis island, including former New York Governor Mario Cuomo and countless American celebrities and important American political and artistic figures, giving credence to the Emma Lazarus sonnet engraved in bronze inside the Statue of Liberty: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,”. New York is indeed, everything.
Getting Around:
New York City is served by 3 main airports and countless regional airports spread over 3 States. The main international airports are JFK international, located in Queens, New York and Newark International Airport, located in Newark, New Jersey. La Guardia airport, located in Flushing Bay, is New York City’s smaller domestic airport, offering spectacular views of Manhattan during take offs and landings as the approach is directly over the Hudson river. Once on the ground, New Yorkers enjoy one of the most efficient mass transit systems in the USA, with 24 hour subway, bus, ferry and even a cable car (to Roosevelt Island) service. Get a Metrocard valid for all the MTA’s forms of transportation. Manhattan’s rail stations offer great interconnectivity, linking with the subway, long distance buses (at Port Authority Bus station) the Amtrak rail system (at Penn. Station), including the Acela Speed train from Boston to Washington DC. The Path Trains connect New Jersey with New York (also from Penn. Station). Metro North’s suburban trains run into Grand Central Station, connecting Manhattan with Connecticut and upstate New York.
Things To Do:
New York is everything but you have to start somewhere: Head to the newly pedestrian Times Square, the epicenter of New York City, with 30 stories of neon and nonstop 24 hour entertainment. The famous Broadway theatre district is next door, featuring long running musicals like ‘Spamalot’ and ‘The Lion King’. For an ethic food fix, head over to Hell’s Kitchen, just a few blocks away and then south to the trendy SOHO district, with cobblestoned streets and boutiques. Chinatown is a must, right next to Little Italy. Keep heading south until you reach Battery Park and catch the ferry to the Statue of Liberty and Elis Island (both can be visited during the same tour). For travelers on a budget: Take the Staten Island Ferry for close up views of the statue of Liberty from the bay (The Staten Island Ferry is included in the Metrocard). Then head uptown for a spectacular view of New York City from the observatories atop the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building or the Rainbow Room Bar on the top floor of Rockefeller Center.
Keep heading uptown for museum glory: The American Museum of Natural History, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Guggenheim Museum, the Jewish Museum, the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA), Museo del Barrio, among others. Cap the evening with dinner at a trendy restaurant (Amsterdam Avenue offers the best value) and then hit a Salsa Club or a hotel Lounge. In the summer take the Subway to Coney Island (a nostalgic play land on the beach) and then walk along the Brighton Beach boardwalk for a taste of Little Odessa. New Yorkers like to entertain in Boutique Hotels, so don’t be surprised if your lobby becomes a nightclub after 9pm, notably the lounge at the Soho Grand, the W hotel’s Whisky Bar, The Iroquois’s James Dean Lounge or any hotel run by Mr. Ian, Schrager of Studio 54 fame. Remember that this is the City that actually lives “Sex & the City”.
To best way to explore the city’s best attractions is to rent a car. Discover the real New York City by driving around and stop over where ever you wish to. No schedules to follow!
New York Climate:
New York has a humid continental climate with hot summers and cold winters. The months i.e. from June to early September can be very hot with thunderstorms that pass quickly. Generally in the month of August and September, the city experiences tropical storms and occasional hurricane. Winter begins from December and lasts until early March where the temperature can dip up to near or below freezing point. There is a possibility of snow storms, freezing rain and bitter cold winds during the month of January. The best time to visit New York is during the autumn when the temperatures are warm and the humidity levels are low.
Hotel Accommodation:
The lively city of New York has plenty of hotel accommodation from luxury stay to mid range to budget hotels. Fifth Avenue – Midtown, Grand Central – Midtown, Times Square – Midtown, Madison Square Garden Midtown, Chelsea and Gramercy and Wall Street are the most popular places where the hotels are located.
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