New York, New York
Millions of travellers from all corners of the globe stream into New York City each month, in search of the unique story that only The Big Apple can offer. It is the concrete jungle that serves as a backdrop to many dreams, but once you get there, you will soon realise that is far much more than that.
The City
New York City is one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world with over 8 million people in City alone, located on one of the world's largest natural harbours. It is composed of 5 boroughs: Manhattan, the most densely populated borough that is home to Central Park and most of the city's skyscrapers; the Bronx, famous for being the location of the New York Yankees Stadium and is also the birthplace of rap and hip hop culture; Brooklyn, on the western tip of Long Island, is known for its cultural, social and ethnic diversity, an independent art scene and a distinctive architectural heritage; Queens, geographically the largest borough and the most ethnically diverse county in the United States, is home of the New York Mets and annually hosts the US Open tennis tournament; Staten Island, connected to Brooklyn by the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge and to Manhattan by way of the free Staten Island Ferry, is one of the most popular tourist attractions in New York City as it provides unsurpassed views of the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and lower Manhattan.
The Lifestyle
New York City prominently excels in the spheres of art, cuisine, dance, music, opera, theatre, film, fashion, museums and literature. Without a shadow of a doubt, New York City offers a lifestyle like no other.
New Yorkers are generally immaculately dressed in designer numbers, even in the early hours of the morning; they carry an aura of prestige and status.
New York City's food culture includes a variety of world cuisines influenced by the prominent immigrant history. Eastern Europeans have made the City famous for bagels, cheesecake and New York-style pizza, while Chinese restaurants are inevitable within footsteps. Moreover, thousands of mobile food vendors, synonymous with the City, have made Middle Eastern foods such as falafel and kebabs standbys of modern New York street food, although hot dogs and pretzels are still the main street fare.
New York City is also home to many of the finest and most diverse haute cuisine restaurants.
It is also the birthplace of many cultural movements, especially in literature and visual art. New York is widely featured as the setting for books, movies and TV.
“Culture just seems to be in the air, like part of the weather”, Tom Wolfe
What to see
The Statue of Liberty, which greeted millions of immigrants when they came to America by ship in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, is a globally-recognised symbol of the United States and its democracy.
Times Square, known as The Crossroads of the World, is the brightly-illuminated hub of the Broadway theatre district, the major centre of the world's entertainment industry.
Wall Street, in Lower Manhattan, is the New York City's financial district and the financial capital of the world, home to the New York Stock Exchange, the world's largest stock exchange by total market capitalisation of its listed companies.
Empire State Building, the 102-story landmark skyscraper and American cultural icon at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and West 34th Street, is without a doubt another must-see in New York City.
Metropolitan Museum of Art is a world-renowned art museum with a permanent collection that contains more than two million works, divided into 19 curatorial departments.
Central Park, at the centre of Manhattan, is a National Historic Landmark since 1963 which notably receives approximately an average of 35 million visitors annually.
Madison Avenue is identified as "the fashionable road" where most of the very well known fashion designers, jewellers and upper class hair salons are located.
Business
New York is a paramount global hub for international business and commerce and as such, exerts a significant impact upon global finance, media, art, technology and education.
The New York metropolitan area has the largest regional economy in the United States and the second largest city economy in the world.* New York controlled 40% of the world's finances by the end of 2008, making it the largest financial centre in the world.*
*according to unspecified data.
Getting there
Queens is home to two of the three major airports serving the New York metropolitan area, LaGuardia Airport and John F. Kennedy International Airport. The third is Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, New Jersey.