New York
New York is a city at the forefront of the art, entertainment, fashion and food scene. There is so much to be said about New York we can only cover some of the major highlights like the Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building, Broadway and Central Park to name but a few.
Central Park is New York’s green space, situated from 5th to 8th Avenue and from 59th to 110th Street on 843 acres. This captivating landscape was drawn up by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux and officially completed in 1873. Within the Central Park’s borders, you will find ponds, a lake, a reservoir, public art, fountains, playgrounds, sporting facilities and more than 25,000 trees.
Fifth Avenue is New York’s most refined artery on the eastern side of Central Park. It encompasses a huge amount of things including Empire State Building or the Frick Collection, Parkside blocks between 59th and 96th Street and the Museum Mile from 82nd to 105th Streets with nine prestigious museums almost side by side, including The Met and the Guggenheim. Between 49th and 60th Street, Fifth Avenue is given over to the flagship luxury Emporia for Tiffany & Co., Cartier, Prada and more.
Ellis Island National Museum Of Immigration is the entry point of arrival for 12 million immigrants to the United States between 1892 and 1954, Ellis Island is a short boat trip via Statue Cruises at Battery Park. Dating back to 1900, the main building of the immigration station complex houses the Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration. Outside, there is a Wall of Honour list acknowledging some of the people who have been processed here.
The 93 metre Statue of Liberty depicts the Roman goddess Libertas, striding free of the shackles at her feet, holding aloft a torch in her right hand and carrying a tablet in her left hand bearing the date of the Declaration of Independence, “JULY IV MDCCLXXVI” (1776). From 1886, immigrants making the voyage to New York for a new life would be greeted by this inspiring symbol of freedom, conceived by Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi and with a metal framework built by Gustave Eiffel.
The National September 11 Memorial and Museum is on the site of the World Trade Centre. This sombre site is a tribute to the 2,977 people who were killed in the attacks in 2001, as well as the six who died in the 1993 bombing. The twin reflecting pools mark out the exact footprints of the Twin Towers and walled with the largest man made waterfalls in North America. The bronze panels on parapets surrounding these pools are inscribed with the names of every person who died in the two attacks. The Memorial Museum remembers the events of 9/11, the weeks leading up to the attack and the aftermath.
Located on the northwest corner of the World Trade Center site is the One World Trade Center Observatory, one of the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere at 541.3 metres with a trip to the 102 storey takes approximately 47 seconds. The Observatory grants a 360° views to Upper New York Bay and the Statue of Liberty, as well as the Brooklyn Bridge and up to the cluster of Midtown skyscrapers.
The Empire State Building is a symbol of New York’s dream in the 20’s and 30’s. This timeless building is still one of the tallest skyscraper in the world with its Art Deco roof that towers 380 metres over the Midtown Streets. The Main Deck on the 86th floor is open until 02:00am for a late night perspective of the city that never sleeps.
Broadway’s theatre district merges around Times Square, where Broadway and Seventh Avenue meet. On any given day more than 460,000 people pass through Times Square and up to a million come to ring in the New Year at the famous ball drop, a tradition that dates back to 1907. Broadway is New York’s Theatre district, with more than 41 venues. Broadway’s signs date back to the 1910, when theatre owners realised it was safer and cheaper to advertise their venues with electric lights. White bulbs took longer to burn out and so Broadway became known as the ‘Great White Way’.
Made up of 19 buildings The Rockefeller Center is sectioned by a sunken Central Plaza, all commissioned by the Rockefeller family, who first made their money in the oil industry. The 1936 Atlas statue faces St. Patrick’s Cathedral across Fifth Avenue, the 1934 Prometheus on the west side is a majestic addition to the much loved skating rink and Christmas tree. Radio City Music Hall is part of the Rockefeller Center, an iconic Art Deco live entertainment venue that opened in 1932, hosting major concerts, awards ceremonies and live broadcasts of TV shows.
Another landmark that makes New York standout is the Brooklyn Bridge linking Manhattan to Brooklyn across the East River. Completed in 1883 this was the world’s first steel wire suspension bridge. The structure has a sense of drama, which comes from its two Neo-Gothic Towers, composed of limestone and granite and rising to 84 metres and anchoring the intricate cable system. The Brooklyn Bridge Park has transformed Brooklyn Piers 1 to 6 with multiple sports facilities, children’s playgrounds and eateries. However, it is the River and the views, especially at sunset that make the Brooklyn Bridge Park come alive.
Other places to visit include the world famous MoMA, one of the largest and most significant museums for modern and contemporary art in the world, the Metropolitan Opera House part of the Lincoln Center, Greenwich Village a neighbourhood of 19th Century Townhouses and tree lined streets with bars, cafés, Madison Square Garden’s home of the New York Knicks and New York Rangers and the Bronx Zoo the largest urban zoo in the country, spread out over 265 acres with some 5,000 animals. So come and visit the City that never sleeps!