NEW YORK
In 1524, the Italian explorer Giovanni da Verrazzano discovered New York in this pursuit of the
Northwest Passage to the Orient. Not until 1609 did Henry Hudson explore the river that would later
bear his name, beginning the era of colonization. In 1624, Belgian and then Dutch settlers began arriving
in New York. Original inhabitants, Indians, sold the city to the Dutch for 24 dollars in 1626. The Dutch
called their new home New Amsterdam and in 1664 it become an English colony and was renamed New
York.
During the height of the Revolutionary War in 1776, the British torched Manhattan. Nevertheless,
form 1785 to 1790, New York served as the nation´s first capital.
The city of New York is made up of 5 boroughs: the Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn with Coney
Island, Staten Island. Manhattan is in fact an island, cut off from the mainland by the Hudson River, the
East River and the tiny Harlem River.
Most streets go from east to west and have numbers instead of names. Most avenues go from
north to south.
STATUE OF LIBERTY
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the 250-ton, 151-foot statue which was completed in 1874
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in 1886 it was erected and dedicated
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the right arm alone stretches 42 feet, the eyes are ten feet across, the nose 4 feet long, the lips
over a yard wide.
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in her left hand, Lady Liberty holds the Declaration of Independence, the table inscribed with
the date of that document, July IV MDCCLXXVI
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in her right hand she bears the famous torch
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the chains of tyranny are seen trampled beneath her feet as a symbol of freedom for the
people of all seven continents who are represented in the seven points of her crown. Emma
Lazarus´ poem, The New Colosus, is engraved on the statue´s base and entrenched in the
annals of American history:
Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door.
ELLIS ISLAND and the MUSEUM of IMMIGRATION
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once it was military outpost, the island became an immigrant-receiving station n 1892
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Ellis Island welcomed 5,000 immigrants a day, each was interviewed and given a medical
check up to ferret out those who might become “public charges,” although only about two
percent were turned away.
WALL STREET
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represents the core of New York´s financial district
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It got its name 4 centuries ago when Dutch settlers erected a wall on the northern side of the
thoroughfare as protection from the local Indians.
FLATIRON BUILDING
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originally named the Fuller Building after its builder
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It has peculiar triangular shape, it is squeezed between converging Broadway and Fifth
Avenue at 23rd Street.
BROADWAY
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Theatre District and TIMES SQUARE
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The crowds, the horns, the towering advertisements, the blaze of flashing neon lights.
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Originally known as Longracre Square, this monumental crossroads changed to its present
name in 1904, when the New York Times moved its headquarters to One Times Square.
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Times Square is also the country´s premier showcase for theatre. It has become the Mecca of
the theatre world, attraction over two million tourists a year and bringing in $2.3 billion in
revenue to the city.
FIFTH AVENUE
EMPIRE STATE BUILDING
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rising 1,472 feet, 102 floors, 1,860 steps, 40,000 visitors a day,
NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY
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founded in 1895 by John Jacob Astor
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exhibitions of the library´s collection of historic books, drawings, maps, paintings and prints.
ROCKEFELLER CENTER
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one of the most successful monuments to urban planning in the world
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a city within a city with its own fountains, gardens, promenades and thoroughfares, its own
shops
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in the heart of Rockefeller Centre can be found the famous Christmas tree and skating ring
ST. PATRICK´S CATHEDRAL
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the largest Catholic church in the United States
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the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of NY
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the spiritual home of the city´s large Catholic population
PARK AVENUE
CHRYSLER BUILDING
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built by auto magnate Walter Chrysler in 1929
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1048 foot, 77 story building