New York. Places of interest

New York. Places of interest.

Although New York is not the capital of the United States, it is the biggest and most

important city of the country. New York is situated on the Atlantic coast, in the NorthEast of the country, in the state of New York at the mouth of the deep Hudson River.

It is the financial and media capital of the world, the center of the American cultural life

and the national leader in fashion and entertainment. The “Big Apple” is nickname of

the city. New York , with the population of 16 mln people, is the second largest city

and the biggest sea port in the world. It was founded in 1613 by Dutch settlers. It

consists of 5 large boroughs: Manhattan, the Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn and Richmond.

There are a lot of places of interest in New York. The most famous of them is The

Statue Of Liberty, given to the USA by France in 1886. Its torch towers about 200 feet

above the harbor and can be seen at night for many miles. It is the largest statue in the

world. The Empire State Building used to be the first, but now it is only the third tallest

building in the world. It is a 102- storied building with an observatory on he 86 floor.

Broadway is the longest street in the world. It is 12 miles long. It is the center of

entertainments. The Metropolitan Museum is by now probably the richest museum in

the world in painting and other objects of Art, due to what had been bought from

Europeans after World War Two. Besides, we can see the works of American painters

there. The Central Park is the largest park in the world. The Fifth avenue has the best

houses, hotels and fashionable shops. Times Square is known as New York’s theatre

land the Metropolitan Museum of Art and many other museum are situated there. The

Rockefeller center belongs to the Rockefeller family. It is 15 skyscrapers housing several

large corporations. It is also known as “Radio City”. There is a theatre , too. The United

Nations Headquarters was built in 1952. The building and the grounds contain

sculptures and other works of art, donated by member nations. Among them is the gift

of the Soviet Union.

New York attract people from all over. Get on a subway in New York and look at the

newspapers that people around you are reading . One person is reading a newspaper in

Spanish , another in Chinese, yet others in Arabic , Russian , Italian , Yiddish, and French

. New York was always a city of immigrants. It still is .

The are 5 boroughs in New York - Manhattan , Brooklyn , Queens , the bronx , and

Staten Island. Brooklyn alone has so many people that if it were a separate city, it

would be the fourth largest in the United States.

Manhattan Geography.

Manhattan is an island just 13 miles long and 2 miles wide . It is the center of American

finance, advertising, art theatre, publishing, fashion - and much more. The borough of

Manhattan is what most people think of New York, one of the most exciting cities in

the world.

Manhattan is divided into the East Side and the West Side. The dividing line is Fifth

Avenue. So, for example , East 47th Street begins at Fifth Avenue, as does West 47th

Street.

Manhattan is also divided, with less exactness, into Lower (Downtown), Midtown and

Upper (Up-town) Manhattan. As you go North, or uptown, the street numbers get

higher. Lower Manhattan refers to street numbers below 14th Street and Central Park,

and Upper Manhattan to the renaming, northern, part of the island.

Statue of Liberty History

The Statue of Liberty National Monument officially

celebrated her 100th birthday on October 28, 1986.

The people of France gave the Statue to the people

of the United States over one hundred years ago in

recognition of the friendship established during the

American Revolution. Over the years, the Statue of

Liberty has grown to include freedom and democracy

as well as this international friendship. Sculptor Frederic

Auguste Bartholdi was commissioned to design a

sculpture with the year 1876 in mind for completion,

to commemorate the centennial of the American Declaration of Independence. The

Statue was a joint effort between America and France and it was agreed upon that the

American people were to build the pedestal, and the French people were responsible

for the Statue and its assembly here in the United States. However, lack of funds was a

problem on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. In France, public fees, various forms of

entertainment, and a lottery were among the methods used to raise funds. In the

United States, benefit theatrical events, art exhibitions, auctions and prize fights

assisted in providing needed funds. Meanwhile in France, Bartholdi required the

assistance of an engineer to address structural issues associated with designing such as

colossal copper sculpture. Alexandre Gustave Eiffel (designer of the Eiffel Tower) was

commissioned to design the massive iron pylon and secondary skeletal framework which

allows the Statue's copper skin to move independently yet stand upright. Back in

America, fund raising for the pedestal was going particularly slowly, so Joseph Pulitzer

(noted for the Pulitzer Prize) opened up the editorial pages of his newspaper, "The

World" to support the fund raising effort. Pulitzer used his newspaper to criticize both

the rich who had failed to finance the pedestal construction and the middle class who

were content to rely upon the wealthy to provide the funds. Pulitzer's campaign of

harsh criticism was successful in motivating the people of America to donate.

The story of the Statue of Liberty and her island has been one of change. The Statue

was placed upon a granite pedestal inside the courtyard of the star-shaped walls of Fort

Wood (which had been completed for the War of 1812.) The United States Lighthouse

Board had responsibility for the operation of the Statue of Liberty until 1901. After

1901, the care and operation of the Statue was placed under the War Department. A

Presidential Proclamation declared Fort Wood (and the Statue of Liberty within it) a

National Monument on October 15th, 1924 and the monument's boundary was set at

the outer edge of Fort Wood. In 1933, the care and administration of the National

Monument was transferred to the National Park Service. On September 7, 1937,

jurisdiction was enlarged to encompass all of Bedloe's Island and in 1956, the island's

name was changed to Liberty Island.

Brooklyn Bridge

A VISION FOR A BRIDGE: Plans for a crossing between

the city of Brooklyn and lower Manhattan dated back

to the early 1800's. When the East River crossing was

planned, Brooklyn, with about 400,000 residents, was

still more rural than urban. The city of New York -

which at the time consisted only of Manhattan - had

twice as many residents, and the bridge was seen as a

solution to overcrowding in Manhattan while spurring

development in Brooklyn. The bridge would enable people and goods to cross the East

River quickly, regardless of weather conditions.

From The Great Bridge by David McCullough: A

bridge over the East River, joining the cities of New

York and Brooklyn, had been talked about for nearly

as long as anyone can remember… But nothing was

done. The chief problem was always the East River,

which is no river at all technically speaking, but a tidal

strait and one of the most turbulent and in that day,

especially, one of the busiest stretches of navigable

salt water anywhere on earth. "If there is to be a

bridge," wrote one man, "it must take one grand flying leap from shore to shore over

the masts of the ships. There can be no piers or drawbridge. There must be only one

great arch all the way across. Surely this must be a wonderful bridge."

Original cross-section of the roadway on the Brooklyn Bridge. (Figure by Paul Phillipe

Cret and Rudolphe Modjeski.)

Liberty State Park

With the Manhattan skyline, the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island as a spectacular

backdrop to this urban park, Liberty State Park is an extraordinary and unique public

resource. The park hosts more visitors than any other in New Jersey, currently over 4

million/year, testament to the public's interest in this special place. Major festivals and

other events are often held in the park. The historic Central Railroad of New Jersey

Terminal (CRRNJ), a grand setting for much of New Jersey's transportation history in the

northeast, sits prominently at the north end of the park. Liberty Walk, a 2 mile

promenade, links a picnic area, interpretive center and the CRRNJ Terminal while

presenting visitors with a sweeping view of the Hudson River. Liberty Science Center, a

popular attraction for students and families, is located in the park's western section.

Liberty State Park contains both estuarine and upland habitats. Herons, egrets,

migratory shorebirds, and waterfowl utilize habitat at the park. In the winter, long-eared

owls are often seen near the interpretive center. Liberty State Park was once an urban

industrial area. As a result of this historical land use, the Division of Parks and Forestry

has spent the past 25 years planning and building park infrastructure as well as

remediating the site for public enjoyment. As part of the Division's waterfront

improvement initiative for Liberty State Park, development of an 88 acre Green Park

was completed in 1999. The Green Park is made up of crescent lawns, trails and

landscaping improvements, including newly planted trees, shrubs and wildflower

meadows. Approximately 4 miles of paved walkways have been added, as well as 7 plaza

areas located along Liberty Walk, providing views of Ellis Island and the Statue of

Liberty. The "Save Ellis Island!" initiative is meanwhile taking action to restore important

historic features of the island where, long ago, immigrants to this country made their

first stop.

Empire State building

350 Fifth Avenue At Fifth Avenue and 34th Street stands

New York City’s most famous fixture - starring in over 90

movies, a star of gigantic proportions - The Empire State

Building.

Having held the record as the world’s tallest skyscraper for

40 years - the symbol of this city was constructed in only

two years - 1930 to 31 and the 1,453 foot colossus instantly

became a tourist magnet. Even King Kong came to visit!

Enter the spacious Art Deco lobby lathed in 10,000 square

feet of marble, and head downstairs for your ticket to the

observation levels. Lines get pretty long, especially during

summer and the holiday season, but you can fit a trip here any time into your itinerary,

they’re open from 9:30 a.m. until midnight every day.

Central Park

59th (Central Park South) to 110th Street (Between 5th and 8th (Central Park West)

Avenues)

Central Park, an 843-acre retreat in the midst of bustling Manhattan, was developed in

1858 by Frederick Olmsted, the famous landscape architect, and Calvert Vaux. The park

combines beautifully landscaped areas with a remarkable variety of recreational facilities.

Among its many features are: Belvedere Castle, with scenic views and the children's

Discovery Chamber. The Carousel with its beautiful and historic hand-carved horses.

Central Park Zoo (at 64th Street), with animals living in a 5-acre habitat. The Charles A.

Dana Discovery Center , with scenic views, hands-on exhibits, and family workshops.

Conservatory Garden. Delacorte Theater (at 79th Street), host to the famous annual

Shakespeare in the Park Festival. Great Lawn, featuring New York Philharmonic

performances. The Heckscher Puppet House, with weekday shows at 10:30am and

noon. Lasker Rink. Summer Stage, presenting free performances and events May

through August. Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre with performances Tuesday

through Friday. Walkman ice skating rink (at 62nd Street), which is open year-round,

with ice-skating in the winter, and roller skating and miniature golf in the summer. Also

available are the Bethesda Fountain, a model yacht pond, carousel, two rowing lakes

and Sheep Meadow. Guided tours of the Park by Manhattan National Park Rangers,

featuring historic and natural history. The free tours, on Saturdays and Sundays, last

approximately one and one-half hours, and include a good amount of walking. Horsedrawn carriages. The Dairy in Central Park near 64th Street and 5th Avenue is an

exhibition -information-sales center for the park where slide presentations on the park

are shown continuously. The Dairy is the location of the Central Park Visitor and

Information Center. Horse enthusiasts will find plenty of bridle paths, and horse rentals

are available at the West 72nd St stables. Visitors to Central Park can cruise the park

lake on a Venetian gondola. The 37.5 foot Daughter of Venice was built in Venice and

donated to the city by New York Philanthropist Lucy Moses. The gondola rides must be

reserved by calling the boat house at the above number.

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