NEW YORK CITY

New York City (NYC), also known as the City of New York or simply New

York (NY), is the most populous city in the United States. With an estimated 2018
population of 8,3 distributed over a land area of about 784 km2, New York is also the most
densely populated major city in the United States. Located at the southern tip of the state
of New York, the city is the center of the New York metropolitan area, the
largest metropolitan area in the world by urban landmass and one of the world's most
populous megacities, with an estimated 19,mil people in its 2018 Metropolitan Statistical
Area and 22,mil residents in its Combined Statistical Area.
  A global power city, New York City has been described as
the cultural, financial, and media capital of the world, and exerts a significant impact upon
commerce, entertainment, research, technology, education, politics, tourism, art, fashion, and
sports. The city's fast pace has inspired the term New York minute. Home to the headquarters
of the United Nations, New York is an important center for international diplomacy.
Situated on one of the world's largest natural harbors, New York City consists of
five boroughs, each of which is a separate county of the State of New York. The five
boroughs – Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, The Bronx, and Staten Island – were consolidated
into a single city in 1898. The city and its metropolitan area constitute the premier gateway
for legal immigration to the United States. As many as 800 languages are spoken in New
York, making it the most linguistically diverse city in the world.  If greater New York City
were a sovereign state, it would have the 12th highest GDP in the world. New York is home
to the highest number of billionaires of any city in the world.

CLIMATE
 New York City features a humid subtropical climate (Cfa), and is thus the
northernmost major city on the North American continent with this categorization.
Winters are chilly and damp, and prevailing wind patterns that blow sea breezes offshore
temper the moderating effects of the Atlantic Ocean;

RELIGION
Christianity (59%) — made up of Roman Catholicism (33%), Protestantism (23%),
and other Christians (3%) — is the most prevalent religion in New York, as of 2014

TOURISM
Tourism is a vital industry for New York City, which has witnessed a growing
combined volume of international and domestic tourists, receiving an eighth consecutive
annual record of approximately 62.8 million visitors in 2017.
Approximately 12 million visitors to New York City were from outside the United States,
with the highest numbers from the United Kingdom, Canada, Brazil, and China.
I Love New York (stylized I ❤ NY) is both a logo and a song that are the basis of an
advertising campaign and have been used since 1977 to promote tourism in New York City.
 ATTRACTIONS IN NEW YORK

THE STATUE OF LIBERTY

For the many immigrants who flocked from Europe to New York, the Statue of
Liberty was the first image they saw of the USA. The statue was a gift from the French
government for the 100th anniversary of America's Independence.
Design
Statue of Liberty
The statue was designed by a young French sculptor, Frédéric-Auguste
Bartholdi, who was striving to build a statue like the great Colossus that
once stood at the Greek island Rhodes.

The statue's face was modeled after his mother's and the story goes that
the body was modeled after a prostitute.
The crown of Lady Liberty, as the statue is often affectionately called,
has seven spikes, symbolizing the Seven Seas across which liberty
should be spread. In her left hand she holds a tablet with the
Declaration of Independence and in her right hand a torch, symbolizing Enlightenment.
Construction

Statue of Liberty
under construction
The statue's steel framework was made by the French engineer
Gustave Eiffel, better known as the man behind the Eiffel Tower in
Paris. Thanks to an ingenious construction consisting of copper plates
attached to the metal framework, the statue is flexible enough to
withstand heavy storms. Large iron bars attach the framework to a
central pylon.

The Statue of Liberty was constructed in Paris, France. It took nine years before it
was completed in 1884 after which it was sent to the USA in 214 crates. Even before the
arrival of the statue, Bartholdi himself had traveled to the United States to discuss the
location of the statue with president Ulysses S. Grant. Eventually it was decided tot erect the
statue at a small island in the harbor of New York City. Today the island is known as Liberty
Island.
Liberty Island
The biggest and most embarrassing problem was the
construction of the pedestal, which had to be paid for by
the Americans themselves.

The statue's torch was displayed in Madison

Square park for six years - from 1876 until 1882 - in an attempt to spark interest and attract
funds. But it was only after publisher Joseph Pulitzer published the names of those who
donated money for the project that the funds started flowing in. Eventually, the statue was
erected ten years late, in 1886, when it was officially inaugurated by president Grover
Cleveland.
The Statue

Aerial view
The Statue of Liberty is 46,5 meters (151ft) tall and together with the
pedestal it reaches a height of 93 meters (305ft). You can take the
staircase inside the statue and walk all the way up the 354 steps to the
crown from where you have a nice view over New York City.

If you want to enter either the pedestal or the monument's crown it is

best to reserve tickets well in advance. For more info on how to get
tickets to enter the Statue of Liberty, take a look at this website.

TIMES SQUARE
Times Square, the most bustling square of New York is known for its many
Broadway theatres, cinemas and electronic billboards. It is one of those places that
make New York a city that never sleeps.
History

Times Square
By the end of the nineteenth century, New York City had expanded up
to 42nd street and the area was becoming the center of the city's social
scene. In 1904, the New York Times built the Times Tower on 43rd
street just off Broadway to replace its downtown premises. The square
in front of the building was called Longacre square, but was soon
renamed Times Square. The name is now used for the area between 40th
and 53rd street and 6th and 9th avenue.

New York Times Headquarters

The inauguration of the New York Times' new headquarters at 1 Times
Square was celebrated with a fireworks display, starting a New Year's
Eve tradition which still continues today. 
Billboards
The first famous ball-lowering from the 1 Times Square's rooftop pole was held on New
Year's Eve 1907.

Theater District and Billboards

At the start of the First World War, Times Square was the center of the Theater District and
attracted a large number of visitors. This made the square an ideal place for billboards. In
1917 the first large electric display billboard was installed. Eleven years later, the first
running electric sign was lit for the first time, to announce Herbert Hoover's victory in the
Presidential elections. The billboards have become such a tourist attraction for the area, that
the zoning now requires the buildings to be covered with billboards!
Decline

Times Square at night

In the thirties, the Great
Depression led to a sharp
decline in theater attendance. Many businesses had to close
down, and they were quickly replaced by strip teases and and peep shows. The area continued
to attract visitors though and after the Second World War, the
Theater District was booming again. At the end of the sixties,
the area started to go downhill and by the mid-seventies,
tourists avoided Times square, which had become a seedy,
crime-ridden and drug-infested place.

Disneyfication
In the 1980s redevelopment proposals were submitted, with little result. This changed a
decade later, when the Walt Disney Company opened a Disney store on Times Square. This
attracted more family-friendly businesses to the area, leading to a so-called 'Disneyfication'.
The area was now - like most of New York City - a lot safer than in the early nineties and
Times Square once again became a magnet for tourists and a center of New York's social
scene.
Times Square Today
Today Times Square is a constantly buzzing tourist magnet; the square is even one of the
most visited places in the world.
Pedestrianization

Pedestrianized area
For most of its existence Times Square wasn't much more
than a large traffic intersection, but it is now being
redeveloped into a pedestrian-friendly square with large car-free plazas replacing much of the
asphalt. The redevelopment project - dubbed Times Square Transformation - started in 2012
and is expected to be completed in 2016. See the transformation here.
Entertainment
Many people come to Times Square for the ambiance and
the billboards spectacle, but there are also many restaurants
and shops - well over 100 - in the area including some
crowd-pullers such as the Disney Store and a large
Toys"R"Us. But Times Square is best known for its
entertainment, and plenty of visitors come here to attend a
Broadway show. Times Square is also home to MTV's
headquarters and ABC's 'Good Morning America' is
broadcast in front of a live audience from its office at 44th
and Broadway.
Paramount Building and Visitors Center
Paramount Building
The most famous building at the square is undoubtedly the iconic
Paramount Building. The building was home to the Paramount
theater where stars such as Fred Astaire, Bing Crosby and Frank
Sinatra performed in their heyday. Unfortunately the theater was
demolished and the Paramount building is now merely an office
tower.
Another former theater, the Embassy Theater, is now the home of
Times Square's own visitors center. Here you can get information
about events and Broadway shows. There's also a small museum
that tells the history of Times Square.

THE BROOKLYN BRIDGE

The Brooklyn Bridge, built between 1869 and 1883, connects Manhattan with New
York's most populous borough, Brooklyn. The bridge is one of the most famous and
magnificent landmarks in New York City.

Brooklyn Bridge

At the time of construction, Brooklyn - founded by Dutch settlers in the 17th century - was
still an independent city. In fact it was even one of the country's largest cities. In 1898, fifteen
years after the opening of the Brooklyn Bridge, Brooklyn citizens decided in a close vote to
become a borough of New York.
Construction

Brooklyn Bridge
The construction of the Brooklyn Bridge started in 1869 and took fourteen years to complete.
At the time many saw the construction of such a large bridge as a folly.

The driving force behind the whole project, John Roebling, was a German immigrant who
had worked for the Prussian government as a bridge and road builder. He launched the idea
of building a bridge across the East River after he had taken a ferry across the river that ended
up stuck in the ice.

John Roebling would never get to see the bridge he had designed: he died after crushing his
foot in an accident. He wasn't the only one to lose his life during the construction: 20 of the in
total 600 workers died while working on the bridge. The son of John Roebling, Washington
Roebling, took over the leadership of the project but he suffered from the caisson-disease as a
result of the works on the pillars of the bridge and was on his deathbed during the
inauguration. That day, May 24, 1883, about 150,000 people crossed the bridge.

Roebling had not just made a bridge that looked incredibly strong, it also turned out to be just
as strong in reality. A mesh of cables of which the four strongest have a diameter of 11 inches
(28 cm) are anchored in the ground and keep the bridge from collapsing. 

Brooklyn Bridge Tower

But even if the four strongest cables would
snap, the other cables would still be sufficient
to support the bridge. Roebling even claimed
that the bridge wouldn't collapse without any
cables, it would merely sag.
But even after the inauguration, many New
Yorkers were not convinced the bridge was
safe. So as to prove the doubters wrong, P.T.
Barnum led a caravan of circus animals - including a herd of 21 elephants - across the bridge
in 1884.

The Bridge
The Brooklyn Bridge ranks as one of the greatest engineering feats of the 19th century and
remains one of New York's most popular and well known landmarks.
The impressive bridge spans the East river between Brooklyn and Manhattan and stretches
for a length of 5989 ft, about 1.8 km. The span between the large towers measures 1595.5 ft
(486 meters). This made the Brooklyn Bridge the world's largest suspension bridge.

The most noticeable feature of the Brooklyn Bridge are the two masonry towers to which the
many cables are attached. The towers with large Gothic arches reach a height of 276 ft (84
meters), at the time making them some of the tallest landmarks in New York. Roebling
claimed that the monumental towers would make 

The Footpath
the bridge a historic monument. He was proven right when
the bridge officially became a national monument in 1964.

Footpath
An elevated pedestrian path not only gives you the opportunity to cross the river without
being bothered by the traffic that rushes past a level below, but it also offers a great view of
the bridge's towers as well as downtown Manhattan's skyline. The views alone attract
millions of visitors to this bridge each year.
CENTRAL PARK
Central Park is one of those places that make New York such a great place to live. The
huge park, 341 hectare large (843 acres), is located in the center of Manhattan. Its
design has served as an example for city parks around the world.

The park boasts several lakes, theaters, ice rinks, fountains, tennis courts, baseball fields,
many playgrounds and other facilities. It is also home to the Central Park Zoo and
the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Especially during the weekends, when cars are not
allowed into the park, Central Park is a welcome oasis in this hectic city.
History
Conception
When the terrain for Central Park was bought by the City of
New York in 1853, it was faraway from civilization,
somewhere between the City of New York and the village
Harlem. The area contained sheds from colonists, quarries,
pig farms and swamps.

In 1857, the city of New York organized a competition for the

design of this new park, which had to rival with the great
parks in London and Paris. A design by Frederic Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, named
'the Greensward Plan' was chosen.

Charles A. Dana Discovery Center

This plan featured an English style landscape with large
meadows, several lakes and hills. Winding pedestrian roads
were separated from main roads and the huge number of
trees ensured the city's buildings were not visible from
within the park.

Creation
To convert the swampy area into the park the designers had envisioned, several hundred
thousand trees were planted, more than 3 million cubic yards of soil was moved, roads and
bridges were constructed and a large reservoir was dug out.
It took more than 15 years before the 20,000 workers had
completed the park. 

The Lake
Central Park immediately became a popular place for all
New Yorkers, attracting millions of visitors each year.
From Relaxation to Recreation
Frederic Law Olmstead's goal was to create a place where people could relax and meditate.
He saw the park as a kind of social experiment where people from both upper and lower
classes would meet, a rather revolutionary idea at that time.

After the appointment of Robert Moses in 1934 as New York City Parks Commissioner, the
focus of the park shifted from relaxation to recreation. 

Small bridge at The Pond

During Moses's 26 year tenure he constructed many sports
facilities, playgrounds and the Wollman rink. He also
renovated the Zoo, and installed several sculptures including
'Alice in Wonderland '.
Decline and renovation
After the departure of Moses in 1960, Central park started to decline. Graffiti, garbage and
criminality kept both citizens and tourists from visiting the park. In the 1970s the park
became a symbol of New York City's decline.

Rowboats at The Lake

The tide started to turn in 1980 when a group of citizens
created the Central Park Conservancy. Together with the
city, it started a 50 million dollar renovation project. Several
parts of the park, including Sheep Meadow and Bethesda
Terrace were restored.
Three employees were hired to remove the graffiti - it took
them three years to complete this task. Criminality was
reduced with the deployment of a large police force.

Balto Statue
Thanks to these efforts by both the city and private groups, Central Park is now a relatively
clean and safe place, visited by more than 30 million people each year.
Sights & Attractions
There's plenty to see and do in Central Park. Sports facilities can be found all over the park
but most of the interesting sights are found in the lower half of Central Park. You'll come
across historical buildings, statues, monuments, beautiful bridges, and of course plenty of
nature. Some of it is quite rugged like the forest-like Ramble while other parts of the park are
more manicured and feature beautiful flowers and shrubs.

Merchants' Gate
There are eighteen gated entrances to the park. Each of them has its
own name. Several of these gates are ornate such as the Vanderbilt
Gate, Engineers' Gate and in particular Merchants' Gate at Columbus
Circle.

Central Park Zoo

Many people enter the via the Scholars' Gate at Grand Army Plaza,
near Fifth Avenue, which leads to a nice pond with a beautiful stone
bridge. More to the north is one of the park's most popular attractions:
Central Park Zoo. The zoo has exhibits divided into several regions such as a tropic zone and
polar circle. Some of its popular residents include polar bears, snow leopards, red pandas and
penguins. Just north of the Central Park Zoo is the Tisch Children's Zoo, where small
children can see and touch domestic animals.
Dairy
West of the Central Park Zoo is the Dairy, a Victorian style cottage created in 1870. The
picturesque building houses a Visitor Center where you can get maps, guides, gifts, and
information on events that are planned in Central Park. The Dairy is located at a former
pasture, where cows grazed to provide fresh milk for the city's children, hence the name of
the building.

Bethesda Terrace
Bethesda Fountain and Terrace
The Mall, a wide boulevard lined with American elm trees,
brings you from the Dairy to the Bethesda Terrace, one of
Central Park's architectural highlights. The terrace has a
central covered arcade flanked by two staircases that lead to
a plaza. The focal point of the plaza is the Bethesda
Fountain, installed here in 1873. The fountain's statue,
Angel of the Waters, was created in 1842 by Emma Stebbins to commemorate the opening of
the Croton water system, which for the first time provided New York with clean water.
Bethesda Terrace overlooks The Lake and the Loeb Boathouse, where you can rent rowing
boats or even a gondola.
Statues
Alice in Wonderland
Remote controlled model boat enthusiasts head to the
Conservatory Water, a pond situated east of The Lake.
There are two statues near the pond that are very popular
with children. At the west side of the pond stands a statue of
Hans Christian Andersen while a sculpture group of Alice
in Wonderland and her friends can be found just north of
the Conservatory Water. Children love to climb on the giant
mushroom. Another famous statue in Central Park shows Balto, a Siberian Husky sled dog
who in 1925 helped transport medicine across Alaska to deliver a serum necessary to stop a
deadly outbreak of diphtheria.
Sheep Meadow and Great Lawn
Just west of the Mall is one of Central Park's largest open spaces: Sheep Meadow, an
expansive pasture popular in summertime with sunbathers. The Great Lawn, more to the
north and at the geographical center of Central Park, is even larger. The oval lawn, created in
1937, often plays host to free summer concerts.
Metropolitan Museum and Cleopatra's Needle
Cleopatra's Needle
The most important monument in Central Park is Cleopatra's Needle,
an authentic Egyptian obelisk, located east of the Great Lawn. The 20
meter tall granite obelisk was originally erected at Heliopolis and later
moved to Alexandria. In the mid-nineteenth century it was donated to
the US as a gift from Egypt.
The obelisk stands near the Metropolitan Museum of Art, one of the
world's most important museums, with an enormous collection of
artwork from all continents, covering a period from prehistory to
today.
Strawberry Fields
Strawberry Fields is a memorial garden situated near the entrance to Central Park at W 72nd
Street. It was created in honor of John Lennon, who was shot dead in front of the Dakota
Apartments, where he lived. The tear-shaped garden was dedicated in 1985 as a garden of
peace. It is named after a Beatles song written by John
Lennon. 
Strawberry Fields Mosaic
The famous mosaic with the word Imagine (another Lennon
song) was a gift from the city of Naples in Italy.

Bow Bridge and Ramble

There are many bridges in Central Park - each with a unique design. One of the most
interesting is the 18 meter (60 ft) long cast-iron Bow Bridge, that spans The Lake between
Cherry Hill near the Bethesda Terrace and the Ramble, a 15 hectare (38 acre) large
woodland. Here Central Park is at its most natural, with narrow paths winding through
thickets of trees. This is a popular place for bird-watching: the Ramble is on a trans-Atlantic
migration route and more than 250 different bird species have been spotted here.
Belvedere Castle
Belvedere Castle
Just north of the Ramble is the Belvedere Castle, situated at the
highest point in the park. The castle was created in 1869 as a lookout
tower after a design by Calvert Vaux. The tower overlooks Turtle
Pond, named for the many turtles that live here.
Shakespeare Garden
Shakespeare Garden was created in 1913 as the Garden of the Heart.
Three years later, on the 300th anniversary of the Shakespeare's
death, it was dedicated to the famous play writer. The garden contains
plants that were mentioned in Shakespeare's plays. Stairs connect the
garden with the Swedish Cottage, a replica of a Swedish school from the nineteenth century.
It was transported to Philadelphia on the occasion of the Centennial International Exhibition
of 1876 and it eventually ended up here in New York's Central Park.
Conservatory Garden
Conservatory Garden
The upper part of Central Park is less visited and there are also less
interesting sights. One major exception is the Conservatory Garden,
the only garden in Central Park with a formal layout. It is divided into
three sections: a central Italianate garden flanked by a French-style
garden to the north and an English-style garden to the south. The
gardens are adorned with several beautiful fountains, including "Three
Dancing Maidens", created in 1910 by the German sculptor Walter
Schott.

Charles A. Dana Discovery Center

Further up north, bordering Harlem, is Harlem Meer, one of the largest lakes in Central Park.
The pretty Victorian-style building near the lake is much younger than it looks: it was built in
1993. It is home to the Charles A. Dana Discovery Center, an environmental educational
center targeting families and children.
WALL STREET
Wall Street is one of the world's most famous streets. Historically known as the center
of New York's financial district, Wall Street is often associated with wealth and
ambition in America.

How It Got Its Name

Wall Street

NYSE

40 Wall Street
After the Dutch purchased "New Amsterdam" from the Native Americans, a palisade was
erected that formed the northern boundary of the new colony. The first "walls" along the
street were basic plank fences, but as time passed and tensions grew, a stronger, taller wall
was built in order to defend the colony against both the British and the American Indians
tribes that still dominated the area. In 1685, after the original palissade was torn down and
replaced with a new wall, a new street was created parallel with the wall, aptly named Wall
Street. The British removed the defensive wall in 1699.
How It Got Its Reputation
Records show that in the years after the Revolutionary War, traders and speculators would
gather under a particular buttonwood tree that sat at the foot of Wall Street. They soon
formed The Buttonwood Association (1792), which is believed to be the roots of the New
York Stock Exchange, whose headquarters has been located on Wall Street for centuries.
Buildings along Wall Street
By the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Wall Street was "the place" to be if you
were a large financial institution or other big business. So many buildings sprung up on this
tip of Manhattan that the Wall Street district began to boast its own distinct skyline, separate
from the buildings in Midtown.

People like J.P Morgan built headquarters like the one at 23 Wall Street, which was - for
decades - the most important financial institution in the country. (One can still see the
pockmarks on the building, left there from an unsolved bombing that occurred in 1920.)

Other notable buildings include the columned Federal Hall, originally built to house City
Hall and its offices. The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) Building is also quite grand,
built by George B. Post in a neoclassical style 

Federal Hall

Charging Bull
that earned it a spot on
the National Register of Historic Places. Equally as
notable is the ornate 40 Wall Street, once home to the Bank of Manhattan.
The Charging Bull Statue
One of the Financial District's most famous symbols is the 'Charging Bull' Statue (The bull
represents a bull market, a constantly rising market).

Inspired by the stock market crash in 1987, sculptor Arturo Di Modica created the 7,000-
pound (3175kg) bull statue as a token of optimism. In 1989 he placed it - without
authorisation - in front of the New York Stock Exchange in Wall Street. Police removed the
statue but thanks to a public outcry it was reinstalled, but this time on Bowling Green, a small
square annex park near Wall Street. The statue has become one of Lower Manhattan's most
popular attractions.

LITTLE ITALY
New York City is indeed a melting pot of many cultures. You'll find neighborhoods
filled with people of various ethnic backgrounds. One of the most popular areas with
visitors is Little Italy, where you can experience the sights and smells of The Old
Country.
Where is It?
The Tricolore
The neighborhood known as Little Italy is located in Lower
Manhattan, between Canal and Houston Streets and Lafayette and the
Bowery, bordering Chinatown. The area has long been home to New
York's Italian population, including those who came through Ellis
Island in search of a better life in America.

At the end of the nineteenth century Little Italy was populated with
more than 40,000 Italians who housed in cramped tenement houses.
Today the number of Italians still living here is only a small percentage
of this figure and much of Little Italy has been devoured by the ever-growing Chinatown.

What's There?
There are a number of excellent reasons to visit Little Italy.
If you're a fan of architecture, you'll enjoy viewing the
buildings that grace the area, most from the late nineteenth
and early twentieth centuries. 
Mulberry Street
Look up and you'll see five or six story buildings capped
with very ornate cornices. This is true even for the rather
plain tenement houses that were plentiful in this neighborhood.

Glass storefronts were often a part of these tenements and other

industrial buildings and many are still visible today, housing shops
that sell fine Italian foods, meat, or - more commonly these days -
clothing. A glance towards the sky will also reveal the occasional
gargoyle, beautiful stone and iron work, and a number of very ornate
fire escapes.
If you've come for the food rather than the architecture, you won't be
disappointed. No place in New York City can you get as much
authentic Italian cuisine as in Little Italy.

More than three dozen Italian restaurants call the neighborhood their home. Most are
situated along Mulberry Street and some have room for no more than just a few tables. Don't
overlook them! They're often the best places to grab authentic cuisine. You'll also want to be
sure to visit the bakeries for some extra treats you can enjoy later.
Feast of San Gennaro
Thousands flock to Little Italy in mid-September to participate in the San Gennaro Festival, a
religious feast that includes an elaborate procession honoring the patron saint of Naples, as
well as street vendors selling scrumptious food, lots of carnival games, and plenty of
entertainment Italian-style.
THE GUGGENHEIM MUSEUM
The Guggenheim Museum on Fifth Avenue is home to an important collection of
modern art. Even if you're not into art, the building housing the art is worth a visit on
its own. It was the last completed project by Frank Lloyd Wright before he died in
1959.
The Building

Guggenheim Museum
The building was
commissioned in 1943 by
Solomon R. Guggenheim
for his collection of modern art.
Frank Lloyd Wright, America's most acclaimed architect, spent more than a decade tweaking
his design for the museum until construction finally started in 1956. By that time
Guggenheim had already passed away, but he had bequeathed two million dollar for the
construction of the museum. The museum opened three years later, in 1959.
The museum building is an eye-catching structure that
completely ignores its urban context. Throughout his career,
Frank Lloyd Wright's designs had been inspired by nature
and this buildings was no exception. The organic spiral shape
is said to embody the natural shapes found in Central
Park across the street. Due to its unconventional shape the
soft white colored building stands out and even in a
landmark-filled city like New York, it continues to attract the
attention of passersby.

Interior
Inside, the spiral rotunda is flooded with daylight thanks to a large glass dome. Wright
intended visitors to take the elevator and start walking down the 400 meter long spiraling
ramp, but you are free to walk up as well.

In 1992 the museum was expanded with a nine story annex designed by Gwathmey Siegel &
Associates based on Frank Lloyd Wright's original drawings.
Art & Architecture

Fifth Avenue facade

 The Great Rotunda

Black Lines, Kandinsky

Some see the museum as one of the less successful
architectural realizations of Frank Lloyd Wright. The main
criticism was that the shape of the building did not suit its
purpose. Due to its organic shape, visitors walk through a part of the museum in an upward
(or downward) spiral, which means the artwork is always viewed from an angle. The walls
are also relatively low for a museum, which prevents some paintings from being properly
displayed. Wright's own comment on this was that the paintings had to be cut in half!.

The 1992 expansion partially solved this problem, since visitors can now leave the ramp on
each floor and visit a room in the new building, where the floors are level.
Collection
The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum houses some fine collections of world famous
painters like Picasso, Chagall, Kandinsky, and many other modern artists. The major part of
the collection consists of paintings, but sculptures and photos are also on display in the
museum.

The collection was started by Solomon R. Guggenheim in the late 1920s. In 1937, he founded
the Museum of Nonobjective painting, located on East 54th street. It later moved to its
present location near Central Park. The collection was expanded several times. In 1976, an
important collection of paintings from Gauguin, Picasso, van Gogh and many others were
donated by Justin K. Thannhauser. In 1990, more than two hundred works of American
Minimalist art were added to the collection.
THE CATHEDRAL OF SAINT PATRICK
The neo-Gothic Cathedral of St. Patrick is the largest catholic church in the United
States. Despite its tall spires it is dwarfed by the many neighboring midtown
skyscrapers.
History

St. Patrick's Cathedral

 Main portal

Door sculptures

Interior

Front façade
St. Patrick's Cathedral, situated on
posh Fifth Avenue near Rockefeller
Center, is actually the "new" St. Patrick's.
The original church opened in 1815 on Mulberry Street in lower
Manhattan. During the next several decades, the Catholic population of
New York City continued to rise, and in 1853, Archbishop John
Hughes declared that the city's faithful should have a new place to
worship.

Hughes' plans were so grandiose that most people took to calling the project "Hughes' Folly".
James Renwick's Gothic revival design was based on the cathedral in Cologne, Germany.
The cornerstone was laid in 1858 and the doors of the cathedral finally opened in 1879,
fifteen years after Hughes's death. The spires were completed even later, in 1888.
Architecture
The marble clad St. Patrick's Cathedral is arguably the most spectacular ecclesiastical
building in New York. The west facade, with its flamboyant Gothic twin spires, is
particularly impressive. The slender towers rise majestically to a height of 330 feet (100m).
Until the advent of the skyscrapers around the turn of the 20th century they towered high over
the city.

The cathedral has a Latin cross floor plan, with a total length of 332 ft (100m). The transept is
relatively short at 174 feet (53m). The main facade has three porches with bronze doors. The
enormous door in the central porch, weighing nine tonnes, is decorated with sculptures
depicting some of New York's most important religious figures.
Interior
The interior was designed in the style of English churches. The ornate Lady Chapel was
constructed in 1900 after a design by Charles T. Mathews, complete with magnificent stained
glass windows crafted in England and added gradually over the next twenty-five years. Near
the chapel is a pietà created in 1906 by American sculptor William O. Partridge. It is three
times as large as Michelangelo's pietà in the St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.

The church also features a tomb for the country's first saint: St. Elisabeth Ann Seton. Also of
note are the the cathedral's large rose window. Below the rose window is the church's main
organ, added in 1930 as a replacement for one of the original organs.
Renovations
Miraculously, St. Patrick's Cathedral was debt free by 1911. By this time, more and more
features had been added and $4 million total had been spent on the structure.

Throughout the last several decades, the cathedral has undergone several renovation projects,
both inside and out, including projects to restore the cathedral's organs and bells. A recent
chapel was added in homage to the Polish saint, Our Lady of Czestochowa.
BROADWAY
It’s name would suggest, Broadway is a wide street in New York City that runs the full
length of Manhattan, from its southern tip at Bowling Green to its northern tip at Inwood and
even on into the Bronx.
It's the oldest north-south street in New York City, existing as a Native American path since
before the city was first settled and called New Amsterdam.
Even though there are many famous sites along the several miles of Broadway, one small
stretch comes to mind when most people hear the word “Broadway." It's the part of
Broadway between 42nd and 53rd streets — including Times Square — that is considered the
home of the American theater industry.
This famous section of Broadway is known as the Theater District. You will also often hear it
called “The Great White Way."
This nickname came about because Broadway was one of the first streets in the United States
to be lit with electric lights. The nickname remains popular today because millions of lights
on theater marquees and billboard advertisements still light up the night sky along Broadway.
The Theater District is home to 40 large professional theaters. Each of these theaters seats
500 or more people. They host a constantly changing variety of productions, including plays
and musicals.
Many people believe the theatrical productions on Broadway are the best in the world. Each
year, the best Broadway shows are awarded Tony Awards.
Broadway shows are one of the most popular tourist attractions in New York City. In 2010,
Broadway shows sold more than $1 billion in tickets!
Because many of the shows are popular and quite profitable, they often run for years and
years, only closing when they stop drawing new audiences and become unprofitable.
The longest-running musical in Broadway history is The Phantom of the Opera. It opened on
Broadway in 1988 and is still going strong today, giving more than 9,500 performances to
date.
The Broadway production of The Phantom of the Opera has made more than $715 million
dollars, making it the most financially successful Broadway show in history. It also won the
1988 Tony Award for Best Musical.

Wonder What's Next?

Tomorrow’s crafty Wonder of the Day will teach you about the beauty that can flow from
imagination, glue and “chewed paper.”
Try It Out
If you've never seen a musical, you don't need to travel to New York City to see one. Many
musicals have been turned into movies over the years. Why not make tonight a family movie
musical night?
Rent a movie musical from your local video store or kiosk, or head to your local library to
borrow one for the evening. There are many to choose from. Some favorites sure to interest
kids of all ages include: The Wizard of Oz, The Sound of Music, Mary Poppins, Beauty and
the Beast and Grease!
No family movie night is complete without snacks. Do you prefer salty, buttery popcorn or
smooth, rich chocolate? Maybe you have a special movie snack that's unique to your family.
Whatever snack you choose, make sure there's enough to share. Grab the remote, pop in the
movie and enjoy a little bit of old Broadway right in your own living room!
If the mood strikes you, feel free to act out — or sing out — your favorite song or scene from
the movie. Can you mimic the moves of the actors?
You never know when YOU might be called to the bright lights of the big city. Family movie
night could be your first step toward Broadway!

CHINATOWN
One of the North America's largest chinatowns, New York City's unique ethnic
neighborhood was founded in the 1870s by the Chinese immigrants who decided to call
the burgeoning city their new home.
About Chinatown

Chinatown

Confusius
Huang Da Xian Temple

Church of
Transfiguration
Located in the lower portion of Manhattan, not far from other famous neighborhoods like
Tribeca, Soho, and the Lower East Side, Chinatown is both quirky and charming, boasting all
sorts of ethnic delights from authentic Chinese restaurants to unique art and handicrafts to
peddlers selling ancient Chinese herbs.

Exploring the area on foot is a must as many of the wonderful places that deserve a visit are
merely holes-in-the-wall and easily missed when driving through.

Chinatown boasts literally hundreds of restaurants, some of them only big enough for just a
few tables. Ask the locals where the best ones are and you'll no doubt be guided towards an
unforgettable meal. You'll also find other Asian cuisine here, including Thai, Japanese,
Vietnamese, and Malaysian.

Shops sell everything from Asian-inspired clothing and jewelry to martial arts equipment to
unique foods you can take home and prepare on your own.

Buildings and Landmarks

Chinatown is also full of landmarks important to the history of New York and to Chinatown
specifically. Head to Chatham Square, where you can view the statue of Lin Ze Xu and the
monument to Chinese Soldiers who died in World War II fighting for the U.S.

Take an early morning stroll to Columbus Park, the largest green area in Chinatown, where
dozens enjoy relaxing tai chi exercises each morning. The park was built in the 1890s and is
the site of many Chinese festivals.

The Church of the Transfiguration, the oldest Catholic church building in NYC, was built in
1801 and has been serving the community consistently since that time. This lovely church is
now home to New York's growing Chinese Catholic community.

The Edward Mooney House, the oldest rowhouse in New York, is also located here. It's a
unique combination of Federal and Georgian and, thanks to concerned citizens, was restored
to its original condition.

At the Mahayana Buddhist Temple, the largest in New York, you can view the great Golden
Buddha, more than 16 feet high.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_City
https://www.netstate.com/states/geography/ny_geography.htm
http://m.aviewoncities.com/nyc/attractions

Top 10 New York City Editura:

Dorling Kindersley Ltd

Editura Lonely Planet New York City