Contents

Introduction..................................................................................................2Chapter I : Famous cities from ,, The Big Apple ......................................4I.1 Most popular attractions................................................................4I.2 Most popular streets.....................................................................10I.3 Famous parks and squares...........................................................13Chapter II : The history of New York City................................................17II.1 New York City in the 18th century.............................................18II.2 New York City in the 19th century.............................................18II.3 New York City in the 20th century..............................................19II.4 New York City in the new millennium.......................................20Precise......................................................................................................21Bibliography...............................................................................................22

IntroductionNew York City

New York, the largest city in the U.S., is an architectural marvel with plenty of historic monuments, magnificent buildings and countless dazzling skyscrapers. Besides the architectural delights, New York is an urban jungle that has everything to offer to visitors. The city is home to numerous museums, parks, trendy neighborhoods and shopping streets. New York City,city and port located at the mouth of the Hudson River, southeasternNew Yorkstate, northeastern U.S. It is the largest and most influential American metropolis, encompassing Manhattanand Staten islands, the western sections ofLong Island, and a small portion of the New York state mainland to the north of Manhattan. New York City is in reality a collection of many neighborhoods scattered among the citys five boroughs like Manhattan,Brooklyn, theBronx, Queens, andStaten Island. Each exhibiting its own lifestyle. Moving from one city neighborhood to the next may be like passing from one country to another. New York is the most populous and the most international city in the country. Its urban area extends into adjoining parts of New York,New Jersey, andConnecticut. Located where the Hudson andEastrivers empty into one of the worlds premier harbours, New York is both the gateway to the North American continent and its preferred exit to the oceans of the globe. New York is the most ethnically diverse, religiously varied, commercially driven, famously congested, and, in the eyes of many, the most attractive urban center in the country. No other city has contributed more images to the collective consciousness of Americans: Wall Street means finance, Broadway is synonymous with theatre, Fifth Avenue is automatically paired with shopping, Madison Avenue means the advertising industry, Greenwich Village connotes bohemian lifestyles, Seventh Avenue signifies fashion, Tammany Hall defines machine politics, and Harlem evokes images of the Jazz Age.

Chapter I : Famous cities from ,,The Big AppleI.1 Most popular attractions

The Empire State Building TheEmpire State Buildingis a 103-storyskyscraperlocated inMidtown Manhattan,New York City, at the intersection ofFifth AvenueandWest 34th Street. It has a roof height of 1,250feet (381meters), and with itsantennaspire included, it stands a total of 1,454 feet (443m) high. At the time when it was built in the early 1930s onFifth Avenue, the Empire State Building broke all records and was dubbed 'the 8th world wonder'.The building had 64 elevators (now 73) and was constructed in only 1 year and 45 days. The skyscraper towered over the neighborhood with its height of 381 meters (1250 ft). As the Empire State Building was one of the last skyscrapers built before the Great Depression hit the real estate market, it wouldn't be topped until 1972, when the twinWorld Trade Towers dethroned the Empire State Building as the world's tallest building. The Empire State Building is built on a full city block. Much of it was occupied by the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, which opened in November 1897 as the city's largest hotel with 1050 rooms. It was one the most prestigious in New York and attracted an upper-class clientele. The Empire State Building was designed by William Frederick Lamb of the architectural firm of Shreve, Lamb, and Harmon.

Statue of Liberty The statue was designed by a young French sculptor, Frdric-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. The Statue of Liberty is 46,5 meters (151ft) tall and together with the pedestal it reaches a height of 93 meters (305ft).The Statue of Liberty was constructed inParis, France. It took nine years before it was completed in 1884 after which it was sent to the USA in 214 crates. It is acolossalneoclassical sculpture and it is locatedonLiberty Islandin the middle ofNew York Harbor, inManhattan.Brooklyn 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 construction of the Brooklyn Bridge started in 1869 and took 14 years to complete. At the time many saw the construction of such a large bridge as a folly. 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. The Brooklyn Bridge was initially designed by German immigrantJohn Augustus Roebling, who had previously designed and constructed shorter suspension bridges. The Brooklyn Bridge was opened for use on May 24, 1883. The opening ceremony was attended by several thousand people and many ships were present in the East Bay for the occasion.

The Flatiron Building The Flatiron Building is one of the most famous historic landmarks in New York. The iconic 21 story building, best known for its triangular shape, was one of the early spectacular high-rises that have come to define Manhattan. The Flatiron Building was constructed between 1901 and 1903 at the intersection of Broadway andFifth Avenue, at the time one of the most prominent locations in New York City. It is situated nearMadison Squareat the end of the Ladies' Mile, one of Manhattan's most important shopping districts at the turn of the 19th century. The Flatiron Building was designed by Chicago's Daniel Burnham as a steel-frame skyscraper clad in white terra-cotta. At 21 stories and 307 ft. (93 meters), it was one of the city's tallest buildings.Built as the headquarters of the Fuller Construction company, the skyscraper was meant to be named Fuller Building. But the building was soon dubbed 'Flatiron' after its unusual shape, caused by the triangular plot. The building was called "One of the world's most iconic skyscrapers, and a quintessential symbol of New York City". The Flatiron Building was given another nickname: "Burnham's Folly". Many people at the time thought Daniel Burnham's triangular design combined with the building's exceptional height would not withstand strong winds. Some were even speculating how far the building's debris would spread after falling over. But Burnham was an experienced architect who knew what he was doing and his skyscraper withstood the test of time.

Grand Central Terminal Grand Central Terminal is one of two magnificent train stations that were built in New York in the heyday of railway transportation. The other, Penn Station, was demolished in the 1960s.The monumental railway station was constructed in 1903-1913 for the New York and Harlem Railroad company. It is a grand Beaux-Arts building which serves as a transportation hub connecting train, metro, car and pedestrian traffic in an efficient way. It has 67 train tracks on two different levels.Built by and named for theNew York Central Railroadin the heyday of American long-distance passenger rail travel, it is the largest such facility in the world by number ofplatformswith 44 serving 67tracks along them. They are on two levels, both below ground, with 41tracks on the upper level and 26 on the lower, though the total number of tracks along platforms and inrail yardsexceeds 100. The terminal covers an area of 48 acres (19ha).Although the terminal has been properly called Grand Central Terminal since 1913, many people continue to refer to it wrongly as Grand Central Station, the name of the previous rail station on the same site. Featuring monumental spaces and meticulously crafted detail,Grand Central Terminal has been described as "the world's loveliest station" and was rated the sixth-most-visited tourist attraction for its roughly 21.6 million annual visitors.

Chrysler Building At the beginning of the twentieth century, the race for the world's tallest building started in earnest with several developers in New York vying for the coveted title. The Chrysler Building was the first building to top the tallest structure, then theEiffel TowerinParis. For Walter P. Chrysler, from the car manufacturer, building the tallest building in the world was a status symbol. The Chrysler Building was in a race with the Bank of Manhattan (now40 Wall Street) for obtaining the title of tallest building in the world. It looked like the Bank of Manhattan would win the race, with an expected height of 282 meters (927ft) to around 230 meters for the Chrysler Building. But the spire of the Chrysler Building was constructed in secret inside the tower.Just one week after the Bank of Manhattan had topped out, the spire of the Chrysler Building was put in place, making it 318 meters (1045ft) tall, thus beating the Bank of Manhattan as the tallest building in the world. It would not keep this title for long: one year later theEmpire State Building was erected. The Chrysler building is one of the last skyscrapers in the Art Deco style. The gargoyles depict Chrysler car ornaments and the spire is modeled on a radiator grille. Since it was restored in 1996 it glitters again like it must have in the 1930s.It is still the tallestbrick building in the world, albeit with an internal steel skeleton. After thedestructionof theWorld Trade Center, it was again the second-tallest building in New York City until December 2007, when thespirewas raised on the 1,200-foot (365.8 m)Bank of America Tower, pushing the Chrysler Building into third position.I.2 Most popular streetsWall 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. Wall Streetis a 0.7 miles (1.1km), eight-block-long, street running west to east fromBroadwaytoSouth Streeton theEast RiverinLower Manhattanin thefinancial districtofNew York City.Over time, the term has become ametonymfor the financial markets of the United States as a whole, the American financial sector, even if financial firms are not physically located there, or signifying New York-based financial interests. By the late 19th and early 20th 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.Wall Street is the home of theNew York Stock Exchange, the world's largest stock exchange by market capitalization of its listed companies. Several other major exchanges have or had headquarters in the Wall Street area, includingNASDAQ, theNew York Mercantile Exchange, theNew York Board of Trade, and the formerAmerican Stock Exchange. Anchored by Wall Street, New York City has been called the world's principalfinancial center. Other notable buildings include the columnedFederal Hall, originally built to house City Hall and its offices. Equally as notable is the ornate40 Wall Street, once home to the Bank of Manhattan .One of the Financial District's most famous symbols is the 'Charging Bull' Statue (The bull represents a bull market, a constantly rising market).

Fifth AvenueNew York's Fifth Avenue is best known as an unrivaled shopping street. Almost any upscale retailer has a prestigious store located at this street. However not all of Fifth Avenue is shopping - centre. AlongCentral ParkFifth Avenue becomes a more residential street with a large number of interesting museums. Fifth Avenue starts just north of Washington Squareand goes all the way north up to 143rd street in Harlem. It is one of the world's most expensive streets, especially the area between 49th and 59th street where some of the most prestigious stores can be found. The "most expensive street in the world" moniker changes depending on currency fluctuations and local economic conditions from year to year. For several years starting in the mid-1990s, the shopping district between 49th and57th Streetswas ranked as having the world's most expensive retail spaces on a cost per square foot basis.In 2008, Forbesmagazine ranked Fifth Avenue as being the most expensive street in the world. Some of the most coveted real estate on Fifth Avenue are the penthouses perched atop the buildings. TheAmerican Planning Association(APA) compiled a list of 2012 Great Places in America and declared Fifth Avenue to be one of the greatest streets to visit in America. This historic street is home to extraordinary museums, businesses and stores, parks, luxury apartments, and historical landmarks that are reminiscent of its history and vision for the future. There are enough over-the-top shopping opportunities on Fifth Avenue to satisfy everyone's taste.Women will love browsing and buying at stores like the famous Saks Fifth Avenue, Bergdorf-Goodman, Louis Vuitton, Prada, Emanuel Ungaro, Gucci, Ferragamo, and Versace. Men can check out Bergdorf Men, the NBA Store as well as the famous Apple Store. Fifth Avenue is not just a shopping street. Along Central Park, which borders Fifth Avenue, the street becomes more residential. Here you'll find palatial homes, grand churches and other historic buildings. You'll also come across numerous museums. In fact, there are so many of them that the area between 82nd and 104th Streets is known as the 'Museum Mile'.During the 19th and early 20 century many wealthy industrials settled here along Fifth Avenue. They built fabulous mansions with views ofCentral Park. Many of these magnificent buildings are now home to museums.I.3 Famous parks and squaresCentral 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 was initially opened in 1857.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 theMetropolitan 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. 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 inLondon andParis. A design by Frederic Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, named 'the Greensward Plan' was chosen.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. 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 atColumbus Circle.

Washington Square ParkWashington Square Parkis one of the best-known ofNew York City's1,900 public parks. At 9.75 acres (39,500m2), it is a landmark in theManhattanneighborhood ofGreenwich Village, as well as a meeting place and center for cultural activity.It is operated by theNew York City Department of Parks and Recreation. The Park is an open space, dominated byWashington Arch(1892), with a tradition of celebrating nonconformity. The Park's fountain area has long been one of the city's popular spots for residents and tourists. Most of the buildings surrounding the park now belong toNew York University, but many have at one time served as homes and studios for artists. Some of the buildings have been built by NYU, others have been converted from their former uses into academic and residential buildings. Located at the foot ofFifth Avenue, the park is bordered byWashington Square North(Waverly Placeeast and west of the park), Washington Square East (University Place north of the park), Washington Square South (West 4th Streeteast and west of the park), and Washington Square West (MacDougal Streetnorth and south of the park).While the Park contains many flower beds and trees, little of the park is used for plantings due to the paving. The two prominent features are Washington's Arch and a large fountain. It includes children's play areas, trees and gardens, paths to stroll on, a chess and scrabble playing area, park benches, picnic tables, commemorative statuary and two dog runs.Times SquareTimes 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. At the end of the 19th 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. Times Square, iconified as "The Crossroads of the World", "The Center of the Universe"and the "The Great White Way",is the brightly illuminated hub of theBroadwayTheater District,one of the world's busiest pedestrian intersections and a major center of the world'sentertainment industry. According toTravel + Leisuremagazine's October 2011 survey, Times Square is the world's most visited tourist attraction, hosting over 39 million visitors annually. Approximately 330,000 people pass through Times Square daily, many of whom are either tourists or people working in the area. 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.Chapter II : The history of New York City

The first native New Yorkers were the Lenape, an Algonquin people who hunted, fished and farmed in the area between the Delaware and Hudson rivers. Europeans began to explore the region at the beginning of the 16th centuryamong the first was Giovanni da Verrazzano, an Italian who sailed up and down the Atlantic coast in search of a route to Asiabut none settled there until 1624. That year, the Dutch West India Company sent some 30 families to live and work in a tiny settlement on Nutten Island (todays Governors Island) that they called New Amsterdam. In 1626, the settlements governor general, Peter Minuit, purchased the much larger Manhattan Island from the natives for 60 guilders in trade goods such as tools, farming equipment, cloth and wampum (shell beads). Fewer than 300 people lived in New Amsterdam when the settlement moved to Manhattan. But it grew quickly, and in 1760 the city (now called New York City; population 18,000) surpassed Boston to become the second-largest city in the American colonies. Fifty years later, with a population 202,589, it became the largest city in the Western hemisphere. Today, more than 8 million people live in the citys five boroughs.

II.1 New York City in the 18th century In 1664, the British seized New Amsterdam from the Dutch and gave it a new name:New YorkCity. For the next century, the population of New York City grew larger and more diverse: It included immigrants from the Netherlands, England, France and Germany; indentured servants; and African slaves. During the 1760s and 1770s, the city was a center of anti-British activityfor instance, after the British Parliament passed theStamp Actin 1765, New Yorkers closed their businesses in protest and burned the royal governor in effigy. However, the city was also strategically important, and the British tried to seize it almost as soon as the Revolutionary War began. In August 1776, despite the best efforts of George Washingtons Continental Army in Brooklyn and Harlem Heights, New York City fell to the British. It served as a British military base until 1783.II.2 New York City in the 19thcenturyThe city recovered quickly from the war, and by 1810 it was one of the nations most important ports. It played a particularly significant role in the cotton economy: Southern planters sent their crop to the East River docks, where it was shipped to the mills of Manchester and other English industrial cities. Then, textile manufacturers shipped their finished goods back to New York. But there was no easy way to carry goods back and forth from the growing agricultural hinterlands to the north and west until 1817, when work began on a 363-mile canal from the Hudson River to Lake Erie. The Erie Canal was completed in 1825. At last, New York City was the trading capital of the nation. As the city grew, it made other infrastructural improvements. In 1811, the Commissioners Plan established an orderly grid of streets and avenues for the undeveloped parts of Manhattan north of Houston Street. In 1837, construction began on the Croton Aqueduct, which provided clean water for the citys growing population. Eight years after that, the city established its first municipal agency: the New York City Police Department.Meanwhile, increasing number of immigrants, first from Germany and Ireland during the 1840s and 50s and then from Southern and Eastern Europe, changed the face of the city. They settled in distinct ethnic neighborhoods, started businesses, joined trade unions and political organizations and built churches and social clubs. For example, the predominantly Irish-American Democratic club known asTammany Hallbecame the citys most powerful political machine by trading favors such as jobs, services and other kinds of aid for votes.

II.3 New York City in the 20thcenturyAt the turn of the 20th century, New York City became the city we know today. In 1895, residents of Queens, the Bronx, Staten Island and Brooklynall independent cities at that timevoted to consolidate with Manhattan to form a five-borough Greater New York. As a result, on December 31, 1897, New York City had an area of 60 square miles and a population of a little more than 2 million people; on January 1, 1898, when the consolidation plan took effect, New York City had an area of 360 square miles and a population of about 3,350,000 people.The 20th century was an era of great struggle for American cities, and New York was no exception. The construction of interstate highways and suburbs after World War IIencouraged affluent people to leave the city, which combined with deindustrialization and other economic changes to lower the tax base and diminish public services. This, in turn, led to more out-migration and white flight. However, the Hart-Cellar Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 made it possible for immigrants from Asia, Africa, the Caribbean and Latin America to come to the United States. Many of these newcomers settled in New York City, revitalizing many neighborhoods.

II.4 New York City in the new millennium On September 11, 2001, New York City suffered the deadliest terrorist attack in the history of the United States when a group of terrorists crashed two hijacked jets into the citys tallest buildings: the twin towers of theWorld Trade Center. The buildings were destroyed and nearly 3,000 people were killed. In the wake of the disaster, the city remained a major financial capital and tourist magnet, with over 40 million tourists visiting the city each year. Today, more than 8 million New Yorkers live in the five boroughsmore than one-third of whom were born outside the United States. Thanks to the citys diversity and vibrant intellectual life, it remains the cultural capital of the United States.

Precise

First of all I would like to speak a little bit about the reason for my choice. Since I was a little child I liked the metropolises and their specific atmosphere. And why I chose the city of New York among all the cities around the world? The answer is very simple, nowhere in this world cant find the authentic American lifestyle like in New York City. Of course each city or country has its specific particularities more or less beautiful but from my point of view the city of New York is one of the most beautiful and influential metropolis of the world. My project is structured in two main chapters which are divided in three respective four subsections. The first chapter includes the most popular attractions of the city and the second one presents the history of it starting from the 18th century. Before the chapters, a little introduction of New York is the start of my project. In conclusion I can say that while I was searching for information necessary to my work I was pleased I had the chance to read and learn about some historical events that were crucial to the American nation and also a little about the culture of their state. In my opinion this project was beneficial, culturally speaking, for me.

Bibliography

Eisenstadt, Peter, ed. (2005).The Encyclopedia of New York State. Syracuse, New York:Syracuse University Press; Brodhead, John Romeyn.History of the State of New York.New York City: Harper & Brothers, 1874; Kammen, Michael.Colonial New York: a History. New York City: Oxford University Press; 1975, 1996; www.Wikipedia.com; www.aviewoncities.com.

1