| New York City, officially named the City of New | | | | between Fifth and Sixth Avenues) is the city's main |
| York, is the most populous city in the United States, | | | | location for jewelry shopping, and SoHo, formerly the |
| and the most densely populated major city in North | | | | center of the New York art scene, is now famous |
| America. The city is at the center of international | | | | for high-priced clothing boutiques, and the art galleries |
| finance, politics, entertainment, and culture, and is one | | | | are now concentrated in Chelsea. There are also |
| of the world's major global cities (along with London, | | | | large shopping districts found in Downtown Brooklyn |
| Tokyo and Paris) with a virtually unrivaled collection | | | | and along Queens Boulevard in Queens. |
| of museums, galleries, performance venues, media | | | | Food & Drink |
| outlets, international corporations, and stock | | | | New York is the best restaurant town in USA and |
| exchanges. The city is also home to the United | | | | one of the finest in the world. New York has literally |
| Nations, along with all of the international missions | | | | thousands of restaurants to choose from (more than |
| associated with it. | | | | 25,000, in fact), encompassing nearly every cuisine in |
| History | | | | the world. Some of the big names are Eleven |
| Long before the arrival of European settlers, the | | | | Madison Park, The River Café, Boat Basin |
| New York City area was inhabited by the Lenape | | | | Café, Veritas. Like restaurants, thousands of |
| people, including such tribes as the Manahattoes, | | | | bars and cafes are there in the city. A few old |
| Canarsies and Raritan. | | | | noteworthy among those are: McSorleys Old Ale |
| Major events in New York history include | | | | House, Revival, Push Café and White Horse |
| ¢ In 1524 the first European explorer enters | | | | Tavern. |
| New York Harbor | | | | Universities |
| ¢ European settlement begins with the following | | | | New York City is served by the publicly run City |
| the 1609 voyage of Henry Hudson | | | | University of New York (CUNY), the largest urban |
| ¢ Founding of the Dutch fur trading settlement | | | | university in the United States, which has a number |
| in Lower Manhattan in 1613 later called New | | | | of campuses throughout the five boroughs. The city |
| Amsterdam | | | | is also home to a number of other institutions of |
| ¢ English ships captured the city without struggle | | | | higher learning, some of national or even international |
| in 1664 | | | | reputation, including Columbia University, Fordham |
| ¢ The Dutch formally ceded New York to the | | | | University, Manhattan College, New York University, |
| English in the Treaty of Breda at the conclusion of | | | | the Juilliard School, The Cooper Union, Marymount |
| the Second Anglo-Dutch War in 1667 | | | | Manhattan College and The New School. New York |
| ¢ The city was renamed New York, after | | | | City is also a major center of academic medicine. |
| James, Duke of York, and became a royal colony in | | | | Manhattan contains the campuses of the world-class |
| 1685 | | | | Rockefeller University, Weill Cornell Medical College, |
| ¢ After the Civil War, the rate of immigration | | | | and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, as well |
| from Europe grew steeply, and New York became | | | | as Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center and NYU |
| the first stop for millions seeking a new and better | | | | Medical Center and their medical schools. New York |
| life in the United States, a role acknowledged by the | | | | City is home to several of the nation's top schools of |
| dedication of the Statue of Liberty in 1886 | | | | art and design, including Pratt Institute, the School of |
| ¢ In two separate actions in 1874 and 1895, | | | | Visual Arts, the Fashion Institute of Technology, and |
| New York City (and New York County) annexed | | | | Parsons S!chool of Design |
| sections of southern Westchester County known as | | | | Sports |
| the Bronx | | | | Although in much of the rest of the country |
| ¢ In 1898, New York City took the political form | | | | American football has become the most popular |
| in which it exists to this day. | | | | professional sport, in New York City baseball arguably |
| ¢ 9/11 changed the political map of the world | | | | still stirs the most passion and interest. A "Subway |
| Place of interest | | | | Series" between city teams is a time of great |
| Tourism is a major local industry, with hundreds of | | | | excitement, and any World Series championship by |
| attractions and 39 million tourists visiting the city each | | | | either the New York Yankees or the New York Mets |
| year on average. Many visitors make it a point to | | | | is considered to be worthy of the highest celebration, |
| visit Ground Zero, the Empire State Building, Times | | | | including a ticker-tape parade for the victorious team. |
| Square, Radio City Music Hall, the Statue of Liberty, | | | | Hotels & Accommodation |
| Ellis Island, Wall Street, United Nations Headquarters, | | | | The City of New York is known as the "city that |
| the American Museum of Natural History, St. Patrick's | | | | never sleeps", but its visitors have to. The city hosts |
| Cathedral, Fifth Avenue, and the Brooklyn Bridge, | | | | a large number of accommodations options. |
| among other attractions. There are over 28,000 | | | | Luxury Hotels |
| acres (113 km²) of parkland found throughout | | | | New York has many "grand dames," classic elegant |
| New York City, comprising over 1,700 separate parks | | | | hotels that have been around for years and endured |
| and playgrounds. The best known of these is Central | | | | majestically. The St. Regis, the Waldorf, Tribeca |
| Park, which is one of the finest examples of | | | | Grand Hotel, Ritz-Carlton New York, Sheraton New |
| landscape architecture in the world, as well as a | | | | York Hotel and Towers - are some to mention about. |
| major source of recreation for New Yorkers and | | | | Budget Hotels |
| tourists alike. Other major parks in the city include | | | | Besides all those luxury hotels, a large number of |
| Riverside Park, Battery Park, Bryant Park, Prospect | | | | budget hotels are available in New York City. They |
| Park, Flushing Meadow-Corona Park, Washington | | | | are comfortable, homely and light weight for the |
| Square Park, and Forest Park. | | | | pocket. Some of them to mention are - The |
| Museums & Art Galleries | | | | Whitehouse Hotel of New York, The Pioneer, Chelsea |
| New York is a city of great museums with the | | | | Center, Guesthouse and Harlem YMCA. Except these |
| Metropolitan Museum of Art's assemblage of historic | | | | hotels and guesthouses, Skyline Hotel and Travel Inn |
| art, the Museum of Modern Art and Guggenheim | | | | are rare exception among affordable hotels for their |
| Museum's 20th century collection, and the American | | | | services and facilities. |
| Museum of Natural History and its Hayden | | | | Tours and Sightseeing |
| Planetarium focusing on the sciences. There are also | | | | To know and see the New York City with no tension |
| many smaller specialty museums, from El Museo del | | | | way, a number of tour operators are there for |
| Barrio with a focus on Latin American cultures to the | | | | travelers help. These tours contain city and outskirt |
| Cooper-Hewitt National Museum of Design. A number | | | | of the city sightseeing. Tours may vary from its |
| of the city's museums are located along the Museum | | | | contents or theme. It may be a helicopter tour of Big |
| Mile section of Fifth Avenue. | | | | Apple or may be a double-decker bus tour. Some fair |
| In addition to these museums, the city is also home | | | | tour agencies are there in the city. Tours can be |
| to a vast array of spaces for opera, symphony, and | | | | booked from tour agencies or some hotels arrange |
| dance performances. The largest of these is Lincoln | | | | them for its patrons. Another easy way to book any |
| Center for the Performing Arts, which is actually a | | | | of these tours is online tour ticket booking. Some |
| complex of buildings housing 12 separate companies, | | | | helpful websites for this purpose are: |
| including the New York Philharmonic, the Metropolitan | | | | Transport |
| Opera, the New York City Opera, the New York City | | | | The airport authority owns and operates the four |
| Ballet, and Jazz at Lincoln Center. Other notable | | | | major airports in the New York City area, John F. |
| performance halls include Carnegie Hall, Radio City | | | | Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in Jamaica, |
| Music Hall, and the Brooklyn Academy of Music. | | | | Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, New |
| New York City boasts a highly active and influential | | | | Jersey, La Guardia Airport in Flushing, and |
| theater district, which is centered around Times | | | | Teeterboard Airport in Teeterboard, New Jersey. |
| Square in Manhattan. It serves both as the center of | | | | Taxicabs are operated by private companies and |
| the American theater industry, and as a major | | | | licensed by the New York City Taxi & Limousine |
| attraction for visitors from around the world. | | | | Commission. Other than cabs, New York City has a |
| Broadway theaters are considered to be of the | | | | mass transit system. Unlike most of America's |
| highest quality in the world. | | | | car-oriented urban areas, public transportation is the |
| Shopping | | | | common mode of travel for the majority of New |
| Shopping is popular with many visitors, with Fifth | | | | York City residents. The city is served by an |
| Avenue being a famous shopping corridor for luxury | | | | extensive network of parkways and expressways, |
| items. Macy's, the nation's largest department store, | | | | including four primary Interstate Highways enter the |
| and the surrounding area of Herald Square are a | | | | New York/New Jersey metropolitan area. The |
| major destination for more moderately-priced goods. | | | | world-famous New York City Subway is operated by |
| In recent years 23rd Street has become a major | | | | the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). It is |
| location for "big-box" retailers. In southern Manhattan, | | | | the most extensive subway system in the world. |
| Greenwich Village is home to hundreds of | | | | The subway system connects all boroughs except |
| independent music and book stores, while the East | | | | Staten Island, which is served by the Staten Island |
| Village continues to prevail as purveyors of all things | | | | Railway via the free Staten Island Ferry. In addition |
| "strange" and unusual which you can't find anywhere | | | | to these, city residents rely on hundreds of bus lines, |
| else. The "diamond district" (located on 47th Street | | | | both publicly and privately operated. |