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NEW YORK
INTRODUCING THE CITY--NEW YORK
READ IT HERE The most beguiling city in the world, New York is an adrenaline-charged, history-laden place that holds immense romantic appeal for visitors. Wandering the streets here, you'll cut between buildings that are icons to the modern age - and whether gazing at the flickering lights of the midtown skyscrapers as you speed across the Queensboro bridge, experiencing the 4am half-life downtown, or just wasting the morning on the Staten Island ferry, you really would have to be made of stone not to be moved by it all. There's no place quite like it. While the events of September 11, 2001, which demolished the World Trade Center, shook New York to its core, the populace responded resiliently under the composed aegis of then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani. Until the attacks, many New Yorkers loved to hate Giuliani, partly because they saw him as committed to making their city too much like everyone else's. To some extent he succeeded, and during the late Nineties New York seemed cleaner, safer, and more liveable, as the city took on a truly international allure and shook off the more notorious aspects to its reputation. However, the maverick quality of New York and its people still shines as brightly as it ever did. Even in the aftermath of the World Trade Center's collapse, New York remains a unique and fascinating city - and one you'll want to return to again and again. You could spend weeks in New York and still barely scratch the surface, but there are some key attractions - and some pleasures - that you won't want to miss. There are the different ethnic neighborhoods , like lower Manhattan's Chinatown and the traditionally Jewish Lower East Side (not so much anymore); and the more artsy concentrations of SoHo, TriBeCa, and the East and West Villages. Of course, there is the celebrated architecture of corporate Manhattan, with the skyscrapers in downtown and midtown forming the most indelible images. There are the museums , not just the Metropolitan and MoMA, but countless other smaller collections that afford weeks of happy wandering. In between sights, you can eat just about anything, at any time, cooked in any style; you can drink in any kind of company; and sit through any number of obscure movies . The more established arts - dance, theater, music - are superbly catered for; and New York's clubs are as varied and exciting as you might expect. And for the avid consumer, the choice of shops is vast, almost numbingly exhaustive in this heartland of the great capitalist dream. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- HISTORY To begin, select a topic in the navigation bar to the left Early days and colonial rule Before the arrival of European explorers, Native Americans populated the area now encompassing New York City. In 1524, 32 years after Christopher Columbus had sailed to the New World, Giovanni da Verrazano , an Italian in the service of the... Revolution By the 1750s the city had reached a population of 16,000, spread roughly as far north as Chambers Street. As the new community grew more confident, it realized that it could exist independently of the government in Britain. In a way, New York's role... Immigration and civil war The opening of the Erie Canal in 1825 allowed New York to expand massively as a port. The Great Lakes were suddenly opened to New York, and with them the rest of the country; goods manufactured in the city could be sent easily and cheaply to... The late nineteenth century The end of the Civil War saw much of the country devastated but New York intact, and it was fairly predictable that the city would soon become the wealthiest and most influential in the nation. New York was also the greatest business, commercial and... Turn-of-the-nineteenth-century development At the same time, the emigration of Europe's impoverished peoples continued unabated, and in 1884 new immigrants from Asia settled in what became known as Chinatown ; Jewish and other European immigrants continued to arrive, and in 1898 the... The war years and the Depression: 1914-45 With America's entry into World War I in 1917, New York benefited from wartime trade and commerce. Perhaps surprisingly, there was little conflict between the various European communities crammed into the city. Although Germans comprised roughly one-fifth... The postwar years Following racial tensions in the 1950s there was a general exodus of the white middle classes out of New York - the Great White Flight as the media labeled it. Between 1950 and 1970 more than a million families left the city. Things went from... The Giuliani years Though it may have been coincidental, Giuliani's first term helped usher in a dramatic upswing in New York's prosperity. A New York Times article described 1995 as "the best year in recent memory for New York City." Even... September 11, 2001, and beyond Nothing could have prepared New York - or indeed the world - for the morning of September 11, 2001 , when terrorists took over four hijacked planes, crashing two of them into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center, a third plane into the... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ CITY TRANSPORTATION Getting around the city is likely to take some getting used to; public transit here is on the whole quite good, extremely cheap, and covers most conceivable corners of the city, whether by bus or subway. Don't be afraid to ask someone for help if you're confused. You'll no doubt find the need for a taxi from time to time, especially if you feel uncomfortable in an area at night; you shouldn't ever have trouble tracking one down - the ubiquitous yellow cabs are always on the prowl for passengers The subway The New York subway is intimidating and initially incomprehensible. It's also the fastest and most efficient way to get from A to B in Manhattan and the outer boroughs, and it is safer and more user-friendly than it once was. Put aside your... Buses The bus system is simpler than the subway, and you can see where you're going and hop off at anything interesting. It also features many more crosstown routes. The major disadvantage is that they can be extremely slow - in peak hours almost... Taxis Taxis are always worth considering, especially if you're in a hurry or in a group or late at night. Always use medallion cabs, immediately recognizable by their yellow paintwork and medallion up top; gypsy cabs, unlicensed, uninsured operators who... Walking Few cities equal New York for street-level stimulation. Getting around on foot is often the most exciting - and tiring - method of exploring. Figure fifteen minutes to walk ten north-south blocks - rather more at rush hour. However you plan... --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ENTERTAINMENT The performing arts and film READ IT HERE From Broadway glitter to Lower East Side grunge, the range and variety of the performing arts in New York is exactly what you might expect. Broadway, and even Off-Broadway theater , is notoriously expensive, but if you know where to look, there are a variety of ways to get tickets cheaper, and on the Off-Off-Broadway fringe you can see a play for little more than the price of a movie ticket. As for dance, music and opera , the big mainstream events are extremely expensive, but smaller ones are often equally as interesting and far cheaper. New York gets the first run of most American films (and many foreign ones before they reach Europe) and has a very healthy arthouse and revival scene. Listings for the arts can be found in a number of places. The most useful sources are the clear and comprehensive listings in Time Out New York , the free Village Voice (especially the pull-out "Voice Choices" section), or the also-free New York Press , all especially useful for things downtown and vaguely "alternative." For tonier events try the "Cue" section in the weekly New York Magazine , the "Goings On About Town" section of the New Yorker , or Friday's "Weekend" or Sunday's "Arts and Leisure" sections of the New York Times . Specific Broadway listings can be found in the free Official Broadway Theater Guide , available at theater and hotel lobbies or at the New York Convention and Visitors' Bureau. |
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