- "New York, New York" redirects here. For alternate meanings, see New York, New York (disambiguation).
New York City (officially named the City of New York) is the largest city in the United States and the world's most important center for global finance and communications. The city is
also home to hundreds of world-class museums, galleries, and performance venues, making it the unrivaled cultural and
entertainment capital of the Western Hemisphere.
With a population of over 8 million people contained within 309 square miles (800 km²), and large populations of immigrants
from over 180 different countries, the city is often affectionately referred to as "the Big Apple." In addition to
these new arrivals from overseas, the city has also become home to people from other parts of the U.S. who wish to experience a more cosmopolitan lifestyle than found in the rest of the country.
New York City lies at the heart of the New York
Metropolitan Area, which, with over 22 million people, is one of the largest urban conglomerations in the world. The city
comprises five boroughs: Brooklyn, the Bronx, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island, each of which could be a major
city in its own right. This area itself is the epicenter of the Tri-State
area and the BosWash megalopolis.
New York City serves as an enormous engine for the global economy, with an estimated gross metropolitan product of US$488.8
billion in 2003, the largest of any city in the United States and the sixth largest if
compared to any U.S. state. If it were a nation, the city would have the 16th highest gross domestic product in the world, exceeding that of Russia ($433 billion). Though this value has been as high as 10 percent of the United States' GDP, in the last ten
years it has been around 4.5 percent, fluctuating only recently. Along with London and
Tokyo, New York City is considered one of the three primary global cities of the world. The United
Nations has also had its permanent headquarters in the city since 1951, a few years
after its founding.
History of New York City
- Main article: History of New York
City
The area that now constitutes New York City was inhabited by such Native American tribes as the Manahattoes and Canarsies long
before the arrival of European settlers, as attested to by discoveries of arrowheads and other artifacts in areas of the city
that are not occupied by buildings today, such as Inwood Hill Park
and Riverside Park. European settlement began with the founding of the
Dutch settlement of New Amsterdam (Nieuw Amsterdam) on the southern tip of Manhattan in 1626. Many Huguenots seeking religious freedom also settled in the area. In 1664,
English ships captured the city without struggle, and it was renamed New York, after
James, Duke of York to whom the territory had been given by his brother
Charles II. The Duke of York in turn took his title from
the City of York in England, hence the prefix 'New'. When James succeeded his brother as
James II in 1685 the
colony, including New Jersey, became a Royal one. At the end of the Second Anglo-Dutch War in 1667, in the Treaty of Breda the Dutch formally signed New York over to the English and
received the colony of Run, one of the Banda Islands, in return.
At the start of the American Revolutionary
War, the city was the scene of important early fighting at the Battle of Brooklyn, suffered a great fire in which much of it burned, and fell into British control for the remainder of the war, not to be regained by the Americans
until 1783. The anniversary of "Evacuation Day," when the British finally left the city at
the end of the war, was long celebrated in New York.
During the 19th century, the city population boomed by an influx of a
vast number of immigrants. In 1811, the city street grid was expanded to encompass all of
Manhattan with a visionary development proposal called the Commissioner's Plan. In 1819, the opening of the Erie Canal had a tremendous impact on the city's economic developement, as it opened
the city's port to the vast agricultural markets of the Mid-western United States
and Canada. By 1835, New York City overtook
Philadelphia as the largest city in the United States.
During the Civil War, the city's strong commercial ties to
the South, as well as its growing immigrant population, led to a split
in sympathy between the Union and Confederacy, culminating in the Draft Riots of 1863, the worst civil unrest in American
history.
After the war, the rate of immigration from Europe grew steeply, and New York became the first stop for millions seeking a new and better life in the United
States.
In 1898, New York City took the political form in which it exists to this day. Prior to
1898, New York City consisted of Manhattan and the Bronx, which was annexed by the city
from southern Westchester County in two separate actions: the
western portion in 1874, and the remaining portion in 1895. In 1898, a new municipal government, originally called "Greater New York,"
was created by new legislation. It was divided into five boroughs. The Boroughs of Manhattan and The Bronx covered the original city and the rest of
New York County. The Borough of Brooklyn consisted of the City of Brooklyn as well as several municipalities in eastern Kings County. The Borough of Queens was established in western Queens County, and covered several small cities and towns, including Long Island City, Astoria and Flushing. The Borough of
Staten Island contained all of Richmond County.
All municipal governments contained within the boroughs were abolished. A year later, the area of Queens County not contained
within the Borough of Queens became Nassau County.
In 1914, the state legislature created Bronx County, shrinking New York County so it contained only Manhattan. The five boroughs are now considered
to be generally coterminous with their respective counties.
In the first half of the 20th century, the city became a world center
for industry, commerce, and communication. Interborough Rapid Transit (the first subway company) began operating in 1904. The New York skyline soared in the 1930s with the
building of some of the world's tallest skyscrapers.
In the decade immediately after World War II, the city experienced an
economic and residential boom from returning veterans, and waves of new housing were constructed in eastern Queens. In 1951, the headquaters of the United
Nations opened in Manhattan (a temporary headquarters had been first established in Flushing, Queens from 1946-49), helping to boost the city's civic pride. It was not long, however,
until the city slid into gradual decline in the mid-1960s with the loss of population to the suburbs and the erosion of its
industrial base. Like many US cities, New York suffered severe race riots in the 1960s,
and by the 1970s, the city had gained a reputation for being a crime-ridden relic of
history. In 1975, the city hit bottom and had to restructure its debt through the Municipal
Assistance Corporation, headed by Felix Rohatyn. The city was also forced to accept increased scrutiny of its finances by an agency of New York State called the Financial Control Board.
The 1980s saw a rebirth of Wall
Street, and the city reclaimed its role at the center of the world-wide financial industry. In the 1990s, crime rates dropped drastically and the outflow of population turned around, as the city once again
became the destination not only of immigrants from around the world, but of many U.S. citizens seeking to live a cosmopolitan
lifestyle that only New York City can offer. In the late 1990s, the dot com boom fueled another frenzy of financial speculation that sent the economy
soaring.
The September 11, 2001 attacks also struck
at Washington, D.C., but New York was the city most affected,
because of the attack on the World Trade Center and the thick,
acrid smoke that continued to pour out of its ruins for a few months following the Twin Towers' fiery collapse. However, cleanup
of Ground Zero was completed ahead of schedule, and the city has since rebounded and pushed forward new plans for the destroyed
areas of the World Trade Center. The Freedom Tower, to be built on the
site, is intended to be the world's highest skyscraper after its scheduled
completion in 2008. Today, the city is poised to undergo yet another transformation, as a
wave of both public and private-sector building projects will be reshaping large sections of the city over the next ten years.
Furthermore, the city is also being impacted by a residential construction boom, with rapidly escalating real estate prices and
permits being issued for over 25,000 new units of housing each year.
Boroughs and neighborhoods
The City of New York is composed of five boroughs, each a county of New York
State. Residents of the city often refer to the city itself as "the Five
Boroughs," reserving the phrase "the City" to refer to Manhattan. Those less familiar with the city often (incorrectly) think
Manhattan is synonymous with New York City. The boroughs other than Manhattan are also referred to as "the Outer Boroughs."
Through the boroughs, there are hundreds of neighborhoods in the city,
many with a definable history and character all their own.
- Manhattan (New York County, pop. 1,564,798) is the business center of the
city, and the most superlatively urban. It is the most densely populated, and the home of most of the city's skyscrapers.
- The Bronx (Bronx County, pop. 1,363,198) is known as the purported birthplace
of hip hop culture, as well as being the home of the New York Yankees. It is the only part of the city on the mainland.
- Brooklyn (Kings County, pop. 2,472,523) is the most populous borough, with a
strong native identity. It ranges from a business district downtown to large residential tracts in the central and southeastern
areas.
- Queens (Queens County, pop. 2,225,486) is the most diverse county in the U.S., with
more immigrants than anywhere else. Geographically it is the largest of the
boroughs, and the legacy of its old constituent towns is still evident.
- Staten Island (Richmond County, pop. 459,737) is somewhat isolated
and the most suburban part of the city. But it in the last decades it has been growing more a part of city life (especially since
the opening of the Verrazano Narrows Bridge in
1964, which has bred controversy and even a recent attempt at secession.
(Population figures from July 1, 2003 Census estimates – see http://www.census.gov/ for more information).
New York City government
- Main Article: Government of New York
City
New York City is governed pursuant to the New York City Charter, as amended. The
charter is enacted and amended by the New York State legislature, and occasionally through referendum. Though subservient to the State of New York, the city enjoys a high degree of legislative and
executive autonomy. Like most governmental entities in the United States, the city government is divided into executive, legislative and judicial branches.
Boroughs
The five boroughs are coterminous with their respective counties, but the
counties do not have actual county governments. Each borough elects a Borough President, but under the current city charter, the
Borough President's powers are limited—he or she has a small discretionary budget to spend on projects within the borough.
(The last significant power of the borough presidents—to appoint a member of the Board of Education —was
abolished, with the board, on June 30, 2002.) Currently, borough presidents serve as
ex officio members of various boards and committees.
Executive
The executive branch of New York City is headed by the Mayor, who is elected by direct popular vote. The mayor has executive authority over five divisions
of city government as well as several independent government offices. The divisions, each comprising several city agencies and
headed by an appointed Deputy Mayor, are:
- Operations
- Economic Development and Rebuilding
- Policy
- Administration
- Legal Affairs
The mayor has broad emergency powers which can be exercised in cases of emergency weather conditions, natural disaster, riots,
civil unrest, invasion or other emergency. Most recently, Mayor Michael Bloomberg declared a state of
emergency during the 2003 North America
blackout.
Legislative
Legislative power in New York City is vested in a unicameral City Council,
which contains 51 members, each representing a district of approximately 157,000 people. Council members are elected every four
years, and the leader of the majority party is called the Speaker. The current Speaker of the City Council is Gifford Miller, a Democrat. Like most legislative bodies, the City Council is divided into committees which
have oversight of various functions of the city government. Bills passed by a simple majority are sent to the mayor, who may sign
it into law. If the mayor vetoes the bill, the Council has 30 days to override the veto by a two-thirds majority vote.
Judicial
Unlike the rest of New York State, New York City does not have typical county courts. Instead, there is a single Civil Court,
with a presence in each borough and city-wide jurisdiction, and a Criminal Court for each New York City county which handles
lesser criminal offenses and domestic violence cases, a
responsibility shared with the Family Court. Unlike other counties in New York, judges for Family Courts in New York City are
appointed for ten year terms by the mayor, instead of being elected.
Criminal cases are handled on indictment by the Supreme Court in each New York City county. The Supreme Court
also handles larger civil cases, and grand juries sit in each county. Thus,
unlike other states and the Federal
Government, in New York, the Supreme Court is not the highest court. Appeals are handled by the Appellate Division of the
Supreme Court. The highest court in the state is the Court of Appeals.
Crime
Since 1991, New York City has seen a dramatic reduction in crime and is now among the
safest cities in America. This downward trend has continued unabated for nearly fifteen years now, and has shown no signs of
reversing its present course. Today, many neighborhoods that were once considered off-limits are now thriving with new businesses
and housing, and many residents feel safe to walk the streets late at night. Over the past 12 years alone, violent crime in the
city has dropped by three-fourths, and the murder rate in 2004 was at its lowest level in
over forty years.
While the exact reasons behind this drop in crime are a debatable issue for many New Yorkers, it has undoubtedly been aided by
the use of COMPSTAT, implemented in 1994 by the New York Police Department to map
crimes, analyze problems and devise solutions.
New York City's crime rates vary by neighborhood and borough. Staten
Island is the safest borough in the city, Queens and Manhattan are in the middle range, while Brooklyn and
The Bronx have the highest crime rates.
There have been some notorious crime sprees. For example, on July 29, 1976 the "Son of Sam", pulling a gun from a paper
bag, killed one person and seriously wounded another, in the first of a series of attacks that terrorized the city for the next
year.
As soon as the Sicilian Mafia moved to New
York in the 1920s, they became infamous with their hits on businesses that did not pay money to them. They had also set up
smuggling rings and fixed boxing matches. The Mafia flourished due to a distrust
of the police in the Italian-American communities in New York. The
five largest crime families in New York were the Bonnanos, the
Colombos, the Gambinos, the Genovese, and the Luchese. The
assimilation of the Italian-American population is choking the Mafia in New York, although they still operate. For New York City
crime Statistics see http://www.nyc.gov/html/nypd/html/pct/cspdf.html.
- See also: Timeline of New
York City crimes
Geography and climate
New York City is sited among an archipelago of islands astride the Atlantic Ocean off the Eastern Seaboard of North America, surrounding the fine New York
Harbor, which was the very reason for the city's founding. The city itself has been built on the three major islands of
Manhattan, Staten Island, and on western Long Island (Brooklyn and Queens),
as well as on the mainland in the Bronx. There are also some smaller islands in the
surrounding waters.
The Hudson River is sometimes known in the city, where it is in fact a
tidal estuary, as the North River. It flows from the Hudson Valley into New York Bay and separates the Bronx
and Manhattan from New Jersey. The East River, really a tidal strait, stretches from Long Island Sound to New York Bay, and separates the Bronx and Manhattan
from Long Island.
Upper New York Bay is surrounded by Manhattan, Brooklyn,
Staten Island, and the coast of New Jersey, and is connected by the Narrows
between Brooklyn and Staten Island to Lower New York Bay, which
is partially surrounded by Brooklyn, Staten Island, and the coast of New Jersey, and is open to the Atlantic Ocean.
The shape of the land has been altered substantially by human intervention, with considerable land reclamation along the waterfronts since Dutch times, most dramatically in Lower Manhattan, and continuing in modern developments like Battery Park City. Much of the natural variations in topography have been
evened out, particularly in Manhattan. A number of smaller islands have been artificially enlarged, and the map of islands in Jamaica
Bay has been completely transformed.
New York has a humid continental climate. The city is adjacent
to water, so temperature changes are not as drastic as those inland. It snows in New York every winter due to the city's
latitude. Because of its key position, New York had been king in the shipping passenger trade between Europe and the Americas for
quite some time, until the airplane came into wider use across the Atlantic.
New York winters are typically cold, and sometimes feature snowstorms that can paralyze the city with over a foot (30 cm) of
snow. Springs are mild, averaging in the 50s (degrees Fahrenheit, 10–15 degrees Celsius) in late March to the lower 80s °F
(25–30 °C) in early June. Summers in New York are hot and humid. It is common for summer high temperatures to exceed 90 °F
(32 °C), although it often stays below 100 °F (38 °C). Autumns are comfortable in New York. However, the weather in New York is
notably unpredictable, even if not to the degree experienced in some other parts of the world. Mild, almost snowless winters and
chilly summers surprise New Yorkers from time to time; there have been huge snowstorms as late as the second week in April; and
there can be large temperature swings from one day to the next. Travelers are advised to check forecasts and bring several layers
of clothing in late fall and in the early spring months (e.g., November, March, April).
Although most of the city is adequately above sea level, parts of it could be threatened in the future if the current patterns
of global warming continue.
According to the United States Census
Bureau, the city has a total area of 1,214.4 km² (468.9
mi²). 785.6 km² (303.3 mi²) of it is land and 428.8 km² (165.6 mi²) of it is
water. The total area is 35.31% water.
See: Geography of New York
Harbor
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 8,008,278 people, 3,021,588
households, and 1,852,233 families residing in the city. The population density is 10,194.2/km² (26,402.9/mi²). There are 3,200,912 housing units at an average
density of 4,074.6/km² (10,553.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 44.66% White, 26.59% Black or African
American, 0.52% Native American,
9.83% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 13.42% from other races, and 4.92% from two or more races. 26.98% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race. 35.9% of the population is foreign born (18.9% born in Latin America, 8.6% Asia,
7.0% Europe). New York City is also home to the nation's largest community of American Jews, including hundreds of thousands of secular and observant Jews. New York is home to the
worldwide headquarters of the Hasidic Lubavitch sect as well as the Bobover and Satmar branches of Hasidism.
A partial list of major ancestry groups reported by the 2000 Census for New York City
residents includes:
- Asian - 10%
- Italian - 9%
- West Indian/Caribbean - 7% (does not include Hispanic groups)
- Irish - 6%
- German - 3%
- Russian - 3%
- English - 2%
- Polish - 2%
- Sub-saharan African - 2% (does not include African-American, see race data above)
- Arab - 1%
- French - 1%
- Native American - 1%
The median income for a household in the city is $38,293, and the median income for a family is $41,887. Males have a median
income of $37,435 versus $32,949 for females. The per capita
income for the city is $22,402. 21.2% of the population and 18.5% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 30.0% of those under the age of 18 and 17.8% of those 65 and
older are living below the poverty line.
There are 3,021,588 households out of which 29.7% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.2% are married couples living together, 19.1% have a female householder with no husband present,
and 38.7% are non-families. 31.9% of all households are made up of individuals and 9.9% have someone living alone who is 65 years
of age or older. The average household size is 2.59 and the average family size is 3.32.
In the city the population is spread out with 24.2% under the age of 18, 10.0% from 18 to 24, 32.9% from 25 to 44, 21.2% from
45 to 64, and 11.7% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 34 years. For every 100 females there are 90.0 males. For
every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 85.9 males.
Economy
History of the economy
Historically, the city developed because of New York Harbor,
widely considered one of the finest natural ports in the world. The value of this port was
greatly expanded upon in 1819 with the opening of the Erie Canal, which gave
New York an enormous advantage over the competing ports of Boston and Philadelphia. The old port facility was at the South Street Seaport in Manhattan, but today there is only residual activity remaining at
Red Hook in Brooklyn, and the Howland Hook Marine Terminal in Staten Island.
Since the 1950s, most shipping activity in the area has shifted to Port Newark-Elizabeth Marine
Terminal in New Jersey. But despite changes in international shipping,
trade and the teritiary sector have always remained the real basis of New York's economy.
Manufacturing first became a major economic base for New York City in the mid-nineteenth century with the advent of
industrialization and the railroad. New York was formerly a national center for clothing manufacture, and some continues, sometimes in sweatshops.
Like international shipping, though, manufacturing gradually declined in the late-twentieth century with rising land values. The
city was also the first center of the American
film industry, until it moved to Hollywood,
California, and still has some television and movie production.
Present day
Today, New York City is the chief center of finance in the world economy, with Wall
Street in Lower Manhattan's Financial District. Financial markets based in the city include the New York Stock Exchange, NASDAQ, American Stock Exchange,
New York Mercantile Exchange, and New York Board of Trade.
New York is also the center of many of the service sector industries
in the U.S., with more Fortune 500 companies headquartered in the city than
anywhere else in the country (including companies as prominent and diverse as Altria Group, Time Warner, American International Group, Pfizer, and many others). The city is by far the most important center for American mass media, journalism and publishing (see Communications and media). Manhattan's Madison
Avenue is synonymous with the American advertising industry, while
Seventh Avenue is nicknamed
"fashion avenue" as it serves as an important center for the fashion industry. New
York also has the most important scenes for art, music, and theater in the U.S., with an increasingly active artist's
community (see Museums and cultural
institutions).
The city has a large tourism industry described under Tourism, recreation, and the arts.
See: List of major corporations based in New York City
Culture of New Yorkers
- Main article: Culture of New York
City
A New York City resident is a New Yorker. There is also some borough identification, and the subways are crowded with proud
Manhattanites, Bronxites, Brooklynites, Queensites and Staten Islanders. Sometimes people in the surrounding suburbs, many of city
origin, are also called New Yorkers, but the term is rarely used to refer to residents of Upstate New York. Residents generally refer to New York City (or sometimes just Manhattan) as "New York" or "the city". Ambiguity is resolved by writing "NYS" for the state and "NYC" for
the city.
Throughout its history there have been many nicknames attributed to New York City; some of the most common include: "the Big Apple", "Gotham", "the City
that Never Sleeps", "the Naked City", "the Capital of the World", "the World's Second Home", and many others.
To some observers, New York, with its large immigrant population, seems more
of an international city than something specifically "American." But to others, the city's very openness to newcomers makes it
the archetype of a "nation of immigrants." Among large American cities only Los
Angeles receives more immigrants, but immigration to New York is considerably more diverse. It is not without reason that the
city government maintains translators in 180 languages. Residents are accustomed to thinking of everyone in the city as a member
of a minority in some sense, but they also have a shared identity as New Yorkers.
As in many major cities, immigrants to New York, and sometimes their descendants, tend to congregate into ethnic enclaves where they can talk and shop and work with people from their
country of origin. This phenomenon is more pronounced in New York than in other U.S. cities, and the five boroughs are home to
many distinct communities of Irish, Italians,
Chinese, Koreans, Puerto Ricans, Caribbeans, Jews, South Asians and many others, though there are also more
multi-ethnic or cosmopolitan neighborhoods where people of different backgrounds can coexist comfortably.
The everyday lifestyle of New Yorkers differs substantially from that of other Americans, and has in some ways been compared
to that of urban Western Europeans. Despite the best efforts of
Robert Moses, residents are less attuned than other Americans to the 'car
culture' that dominates most of the country. The well-designed New York
Subway and the threat of congestion keep six in ten residents, including many middle class professionals, out of cars and off
of the highways. Even the city's billionaire mayor, Michael
Bloomberg, is known to take the subway to City Hall each morning. This pattern is strongest for Manhattanites, who live in an
area with better subway service and worse traffic, but more moderated for residents of the outer boroughs, especially in more
peripheral areas, though many here too commute by train to Manhattan. This dependence on public transportation, the high
population density, and a preponderance of mixed-use zoning, has also fostered a real "pedestrian culture" not seen anywhere else
in the U.S.
Unlike most Americans, although less atypically for city dwellers, the great majority of New Yorkers live in apartments in
what is usually seen as a very overpriced and difficult market at all ends. In this crowded city few can afford the closet space
they feel they really need, and self-storage is a strong local industry. Again, the pattern is strongest in Manhattan and
moderated, but still present, in the outer boroughs, which do have a number of suburban-style homes. Growing up in an
ultra-cosmopolitan city like New York can sometimes foster an impressive cultural awareness.
The common stereotype of the "hard-boiled New Yorker" is held by many.
Denizens of the fast-paced big city are seen as self-centered, rude and brusque, with no time to spare for anyone else. These
characters will supposedly not hold the door for anyone, and will scoff the genial tourist who does. They are urban cynics who
openly mock and deliberately misguide naive tourists unfamiliar with the wiles of city life. And supposedly, New Yorkers are so
jaded that things that others would consider drawbacks to life in "the city" ([[crowds, noise, etc.) are instead marks of pride,
the very lures that keep them from ever leaving.
Some of this caricature is based on fact, some on misunderstanding, and much on ignorance; a visitor from a small town can
have trouble understanding the situation of someone who daily walks through what is an essentially infinite social universe. When
New Yorkers encounter so many random people a day, it should not be surprising if they exchange greetings with them less often
than in less crowded places. But life in New York, though a bit neurotic, is essentially normal, filled with feeling, caring
people whose reality is hardly reflected in old myths about urbanism that go back to stories of Babylon.
After the September 11, 2001 attacks, the
old stereotype, for a time at least, was turned around as Americans felt increased sympathy with New Yorkers. In the city itself,
attitudes also changed in some ways, but stayed the same in others. For example, pride in the city and their way of life
increased for many, though others may have showed signs of paranoia.
Today, there is a palpable sense of optimism in New York; fear of terrorism has lessened dramatically, and a massive
confluence of transportation infrastructure projects promises to greatly expand the city's economic potential over the next ten
years. Furthermore, the drastic reductions in crime have resulted in what was once called "the ungovernable city" becoming a
remarkably civilized place. Indeed, polls today show a vast majority of New Yorkers agreeing that the city "is moving in the
right direction."
See also: List of famous New
Yorkers
Tourism, recreation, arts, and media
Tourism and attractions
Tourism is a major local industry, with hundreds of attractions. Many visitors make it a point to visit the Empire State Building, Times Square, Radio City Music Hall,
the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Wall Street and the Brooklyn Bridge, among other attractions.
Although the city is famous for its high density and fast-paced lifestyle, there are over 28,000 acres (113 km²) of parkland
found throughout New York City, comprising over 1,700 separate parks and playgrounds. The best known of these is Central Park, which is one of the finest examples of landscape architecture in the world, as well as a major source
of recreation for New Yorkers and tourists alike. Other major parks in the city include Riverside Park, Prospect Park, Flushing Meadow-Corona Park, and Forest Park. In addition to these, the city also has 578 miles of waterfront and over
14 miles of public beaches.
Maritime attractions include the South Street Seaport,
site of a historic port, and the Intrepid
Sea-Air-Space Museum, located at a World War II aircraft carrier.
Shopping is popular with many visitors, with Fifth Avenue being a famous
shopping corridor for luxury items, while Macy's and the area around Herald Square are a major destination for more moderately-priced goods. In recent
years, the area around 23rd Street
has become a major location for "big-box" retailers, while Greenwich
Village is home to hundreds of independent music and book stores. The "diamond district" (located on 47th Street between 5th and 6th Avenues) is the city's main location for
jewelry shopping, and Soho is now famous for high-priced clothing boutiques. Soho used to
be the center of the New York art scene, but with the increasing commercialism of the neighborhood, most galleries have moved to
Chelsea. There are also large shopping districts found in Downtown Brooklyn, and along Queens Boulevard in Queens.
The first Macy's Thanksgiving Day
Parade was held in New York on November 27, 1924. Since then this has been an annual event drawing tens of thousands of spectators and in later years millions of
television viewers. Annually on New Year's Eve, hundreds of thousands of people congregate in Times Square to watch the ball drop as millions watch on television.
The World Trade Center was an important tourist destination
before the September 11, 2001 attacks, which
devastated the city and its tourist industry. The city was nearly devoid of tourists for months, and it took two years for the
numbers to fully rebound with fewer international, but more domestic visitors. Now the World Trade Center site has itself become an important place for visitors to see.
Many tourists only think of "New York" in terms of Manhattan, but there are four boroughs more, which, if they can't compete
in skyscrapers, still offer other kinds of attractions.
Brooklyn's old Coney Island is still a center of seaside recreation,
with its beach, boardwalk, and amusement parks. Many enjoy the spectacular views available from the deck of
the Staten Island Ferry. The Bronx Zoo is world-famous, and the Bronx Bombers
don't play in Manhattan. Flushing, Queens is home to the
legacy of the 1964 New York World's Fair
(including the Unisphere), the US Open in tennis and Shea Stadium.
Museums and cultural institutions
New York is a city of 'great museums' with the Metropolitan Museum of Art's assemblage of historic art, the Museum of Modern Art's 20th century collection, and the American Museum of Natural History and
its Hayden Planetarium focusing on the sciences. It is also a
city of many smaller specialty museums, from El Museo del
Barrio with a focus on Latin American cultures to the Cooper-Hewitt National Museum of Design. A number of museums are located along the
Museum Mile section of Fifth Avenue.
In addition to these museums, the city is also home to a vast array of spaces for opera, symphony, and dance
performances. The largest of these is Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, which is actually a complex of buildings
housing 12 separate companies, including the New York
Philharmonic, the Metropolitan Opera, the New York City Opera, the New York City Ballet, and Jazz
at Lincoln Center. Other notable performance halls include Carnegie
Hall, Radio City Music Hall, and the Brooklyn Academy of Music.
Communications and media
Because of its sheer size and cultural influence, New York City has been the subject of many different, and often
contradictory, portrayals in mass media. From the sophisticated and worldly metropolis seen in many Woody Allen films, to the chaotic urban jungle depicted in such movies as Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver, New York
has served as the unwitting backdrop for virtually every conceivable viewpoint on big city life. New York’s portrayal on
television is similarly varied, with a disproportionate number of crime dramas taking place in the city despite the fact that it
is one of the safest cities in which to live in the United States. New York has also been the setting for countless works of
literature, many of them produced by the city’s famously large population of writers (including Jonathan Franzen, Don
Delillo, Thomas Pynchon, Susan Sontag, David Foster Wallace, and
many others).
Fictional depictions of the city
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