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New York City

 


Your Passport to NYC

 

New York City, Bronx Bronx

The Bronx has been undergoing significant residential developement since the early 1990's. The National Civic Leaque designated the Bronx an "All American City", signifying its comeback from the decline in the 1970's.  There are over 49 neighborhoods in the Bronx.  City Island, known for its seafood resturants has a single shopping street that resembles that of a small New England town. Neighborhoods include University Heights, Port Morris, Hunts Point, Pelham Parkway, Melrose, and Morrisania.  The Bronx has two of the largest parks in New York City, Pelham Bay Park and Van Cortlandt Park, and is home to the Bronx Zoo.  Edgar Allen Poe spent that last years of his life in the Bronx at Poe cottage. The Bronx is also home to several Off-Off-Broadway theaters.  Sites to see include the, Bronx Museum of Arts, the New York Botanical Garden, and Yankee Stadium. The population of the Bronx ranks fourth of the five boroughs and is estimated to be over 1,360,000. 

Brooklyn Bride New York City Brooklyn

Brooklyn was an independant city until 1898 when it was consolidated into the main NYC.  It is named after the Dutch town of Brekuelen.  The first major battle of the American Revolutionary War, known as the Battle of Long island was fought in Brooklyn. Brooklyn is famous for its many well defined neighborhoods. The Northwestern part of Brooklyn is characterized by its nineteenth century birck townhouses and brownstones. Further north the communities are traditionally working class communities.  North Central and North East Brooklyn has some of the highest crime rates in New York City. Brooklyn has sights such as Brooklyn Bridge, Prospect Park, the Brooklyn Museum, the Brooklyn Academy of Music, and Coney Island. The neighborhoods include, Williamsburg, Greenpoint, Bedford-Stuyvesant, Sunset Park, Brighton Beach, Brooklyn Heights and Prospect Heights to name a few. Brooklyn has the highest population of the 5 boroughs, with over 2.5 million. Nicknames for Brooklyn include, "City of Trees", City of Churches:, and "City of Homes".

Manhattan Skyline Showing Grand Central Park New York City Manhattan

The name Manhattan derives from the word Manahatta, which means " island of many hills".  It was the name the native Indians had for the area when the first colony was developed by the Dutch.  However much has changed since then. You will not see many hills in Manhattan now, but instead high rising skyscapers.  Manhattan is the area of New York City famous for such sights as, the Emipire State Building, Times Square, Grand Central Station, Central Park.  It is also famous for it neighborhoods, Chinatown, The Upper East Side, Haarlem, Greenwich Village, and Chelsa, to name a few.  In Manhattan, uptown means north, and downtown means south. There are two central business districts in Manhattan, the Financial District which is at the southern tip of the island and Midtown Manhattan. According to the 2007 Census there are more then 1.5 million people living in the Manhattan area. Manhattan also boasts some of the most valuable real estate in the nation, 450 Park avenue was sold in 2007 for $510 million.

Queens, New York City

Queens

Queens is one of the original 12 counties of New York and was established in 1683. It is named after Catherine of Braganza, the wife of Charles ll. Queens economy is based on tourism, industy, and trade. Its is the largest in area and second in population, with over 2.2 million, of the 5 boroughs. The neighborhoods include Howard Beach, Long Island City, Maspeth, Flushing, Forest Hills, Fresh Meadows, Saint Albans, and Bellerose.  Queens is home to John F. Kennedy and La Guardia airports. Sights to see include, the Queens Museum of Art, New York Hall of Science, Flushing Meadows Park, museum of African Art, and Socrates Sculpture Park.  Queens is one of the most diverse counties in the nation and has a variety of foods from different cultures, particulary Chinese, Columbian, Ecuadorian, Filipino, Indian, Korean, Dominican and African Amercan. It is home to the New York Mets and the U.S. Open tennis tournament.  It was an epicenter of jazz in the 1940's with Loius Armstrong, Count Basie and Ella Fitzgerald finding escape from segregation in the diverse cultural and ethnic communities.

Staten Island New York

Staten Island

When many visitors come to New York City they do not think about the beaches that surround the city. Most visitors never go much further into Staten Island then the landing point of the Ferry to Staten Island. For a great day of relaxation, grab your flip flops, put on your bathing suit, load up your picnic basket and head to Staten Island. Staten Island was formed in the Pleistocene ice age between 14 and 20 thousand years ago. The sheet of ice that covered the area reached as far as New York City to a depth that would be close to the same height as the Empire State Building. The island played a significant role in the American Revolutionary War. Sometimes called " the forgotten borough" Staten Island is the most suburban of the 5 boroughs. Neighborhoods include, St. George, Tompkinsville, and Stapleton. Sight to see include, Histoic Richmondtown museum, the Conference House, Clay Pit Ponds, Clove Lake Park, South Beach and Great Kills Park. Staten Island has the lowest population of the 5 boroughs with about 477,000.

Overhead view of New York City " The city that never sleeps."

New York City is called "The city that never sleeps." With over 180 historical sights, more then 1700 parks and recreation areas, as well as over 80 museums, it is a city that can not be seen, felt and truly experienced in a day. More then 180 countries are represented within the population of over 8 million. The ethnic and cultural experiences the city has to offer is unlimited. From its distinct dining choices, to its exciting night life, New York City is truly a city like no other. When the Dutch founded the town of New Amsterdam, which later became New York City, they had a vision of economical wealth. The wonderful harbor location gave the city a perfect location for trade. The city did not disappoint the dreams of the Dutch. It has become the very heart of the economical world as we know it today. The city has become much more then that however. When one reads of the explorers who came to these shores searching out a "New World", we learn that they had many dreams of what the "New World" could mean and become for them. New York City has defined every one of their dreams. It is a city with a population where people from all religious backgrounds, ethnic origins and economical standing, live and thrive "together". Henry Hudson was disapointed that he never found his passageway to Asia. Would he still be disapointed if he could sail his ship into the harbor today? He found a treasure much more meaningful then the spices or jewels Asia had to offer, he found the gateway to the "New World".

 

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New York City

The City

Its ironic that the English were not the first to settle and claim what is now known as New York City.The English already had settlements on most of the North American east coast, from Virginia to New England. It was a navigational error that prevented English Puritans from reaching the harbor on their venture north, instead they turned off course and headed into the rocky shores of Massachusetts. It also was not claimed by the French in 1524 when Giovanni da Verrazano, ventured into the islands. And oddly enough it was not claimed by the Spanish a few months later due to the winter weather conditions when Esteban Gomes sailed into the harbor. The island was abandoned even by the native Indians due to its frozen uninviting appearance. It was not until 1609, when Henry Hudson, who was employed by the Dutch to find a passageway to Asia, sailed his ship the Half Moon into the harbor, did anyone take note of the potential wealth the area had to provide.  A  small colony was established in 1624 on Governors Island.. The native Indians claimed Manhattan's entire twenty-two mile length forcing the Dutch to bargain and purchase the area for the excessive amount of about $24, before they could begin building the town of New Amsterdam in 1625. They built a fortified wall to the north that would be known hundreds of years later as Wall Street.

The Dutch envisioned New Amsterdam strictly as a commercial venture. Located in one of the finest natural harbors in the world the commercial trading post began to blossom. The English however wanted control of this area, and in 1664 they launched an attack from sea and defeated the Dutch to take claim and rename the city and the colony to New York, after James, Duke of York.

Due to its outstanding location and busy trade industry, New York City was one of the most important places in North America.  The British maintained control over the city until 1783.  The first capital of the United States, under the Constitution of The United States, was located in NYC, with Congress meeting in Federal Hall from 1785 until 1790.  George Washington, was inaugurated as President of the United States in Federal Hall on Wall Street.

NYC is often referred to as "The Five Boroughs".  Unlike most American Cities that lie within a single county, each of New York City's boroughs is a county of New York State.  The borough of The Bronx is Bronx County, the borough of Brooklyn is Kings County, the borough of Manhattan is New York County, the borough of Queens is Queens County, and the borough of Staten Island is Richmond County.