New York

Pieter verjaar vandag in New York. Anca het vir hulle 'n helikoptertrippie na (en om) Manhattan bespreek... lekker bederf ;-)

Geniet jou verjaarsdag, Boeta!

New York City

New York, the ‘city that never sleeps’, is one of the world’s great metropolises, offering visitors everything from the ethnic flavors of Chinatown and Little Italy, to the galleries of SoHo, the cafes of Greenwich Village, the glitz of the Theater District, the shopping on Fifth Avenue and the affluence of Park Lane and the Upper West Side.

New York City is made up of five boroughs and is laid out on a grid of avenues and streets. Most tourist sights are found on Manhattan Island, the city’s entertainment and business center. The remaining four boroughs are primarily residential – the Bronx to the north, Queens to the east, Brooklyn to the southeast and Staten Island to the southwest. Each has wealthy and salubrious districts alongside working-class neighborhoods – demonstrating New York’s varied social mix. The total area of all five boroughs is 780 sq km (301 sq miles).

New York’s location at the mouth of the Hudson River on the Atlantic Ocean is reflected in the city’s importance as a port, and as the point of disembarkation for millions of immigrants to the USA. Vibrating with the energy of over 7 million inhabitants, New York is a constantly evolving, growing and changing organism.

The sheer volume of things to do – theater, ballet, opera, museums – is astonishing. Many of the city’s 18,000-plus restaurants are reporting boom times, while several new hotels have emerged over the past few years. Renovations of historic theaters in the area – such as the Victory, the Lyric or the Academy/Apollo – have been followed by a flood of restaurateurs and prospective retail tenants signing up for space on or near Times Square.

The terrorist attacks on Manhattan’s famous Twin Towers on 11 September 2001 has had a detrimental effect on the city’s tourism. However, New York’s JFK airport still enjoys its status as the USA’s busiest airport for international arrivals, with over 15 million international tourists (many of them from the UK) using the airport in 2002. On the whole, however, numbers are down, with Newark International and La Guardia reporting a 4 per cent and 6 per cent decrease in international arrivals respectively. Crime, on the other hand, is plummeting, following the introduction of ‘zero tolerance’ policing; according to FBI crime statistics, the city is the safest large city in the USA.

The New York City Police Museum, at 100 Old Slip at South Street, shows just how this is done. Visitors with disabilities will now find wheelchair access to 99 per cent of New York City buses and 40 per cent of subway stations. Public telephones for the deaf are also widespread. Two brochures for disabled people are available from New York City Transit (see contact number above).

Manhattan

The Manhattan skyline is an instantly recognizable sight, immortalized in countless films and television programs. One of the best views of it can be obtained from the Staten Island Ferry (see below).

Following the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001, the famous landmark of the World Trade Center with its twin towers was completely destroyed, forever altering both the skyline and the history of America. The decision has recently been made to build a memorial at the ‘Ground Zero’ site. The Lower Manhattan Development Corporation announced in January 2004 that Michael Arad and Peter Walker’s design for a grove of trees above two reflecting pools, named ‘Reflecting Absence’, would be chosen to immortalise that infamous event. The design was chosen over 5000 submitted ideas. Also in the planning is the ambitious Freedom Tower skyscraper, designed by David M Childs, which could have a unique turbine tower as a feature, creating one-fifth of the energy used by the building and doubling as somewhat unorthodox Buddhist prayer wheels.

The first European settlement on Manhattan was by the Dutch in the 1620s, who named the city New Amsterdam. In 1664, the British took over and renamed it New York, and settlement continued from south to north along the island. Skyscrapers, such as the art-deco Empire State Building, offer spectacular views of the city by day or night. Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island: New York’s most famous image is the 46.5m- (151ft-) high Statue of Liberty, located on Liberty Island, which may be reached by boat from Battery Park on Manhattan’s southern tip. A lift and staircase inside the Statue take visitors up to an observation platform.

The Liberty/Ellis Island Ferry departs from the historic Castle Clinton at Battery Park every 30 minutes and also stops at Ellis Island, the gateway for the massive numbers of immigrants arriving in New York between 1892 and 1954. On the island, the Wall of Honor, the world’s longest wall of names, commemorates over 600,000 immigrants, and the Ellis Island Immigration Museum offers an interesting insight into the lives of New York’s early immigrants.

In Battery Park City, the new Skyscraper Museum celebrates the architectural style so intrinsic to the city’s history and psyche. Lower Manhattan: The oldest part of the city is at the southern end of Manhattan. East of Battery Park is the Financial District, containing the famous Wall Street and the New York Stock Exchange, where visitors have access to a public gallery to catch a glimpse of the frenetic trading action. The historic South Street Seaport, located at the end of Wall Street, offers great views of New York Harbor. The seaport is a thriving waterfront community with a world-class maritime museum and more than 100 shops, cafés and restaurants.

To the northeast of the seaport is the famous Brooklyn Bridge, leading to Brooklyn. Chinatown, Manhattan’s most thriving ethnic neighborhood extends from Canal Street into Little Italy and east into the Lower East Side. This labyrinth of narrow streets, crammed with Chinese stores and restaurants, is home to over 100,000 residents.

While Chinatown has expanded in recent years, neighboring Little Italy has dwindled somewhat, and few of the original Italian immigrants remain, though Little Italy’s restaurants, delis and bakeries remain as tempting as ever.

East of Little Italy, the Lower East Side has traditionally been New York’s Jewish area, owing to a flow of Jewish immigrants to the area in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The recently revamped Museum of Jewish Heritage is located here. In addition to its other two Manhattan venues, the Guggenheim Foundation is adding a new waterfront museum on the East River. The area is also known for its Orchard Street Market, an open-air bazaar, and its numerous delis.

To the northwest, Greenwich Village has been a melting pot for art, literature and music for decades, though its legendary bohemian feel has partly been replaced by upmarket beatnik chic. South of Greenwich Village is SoHo (South of Houston), which has become synonymous with art since the 1960s, and retains its arty, avant-garde character, with plenty of galleries, cafes, boutiques and loft spaces fronted by interesting cast-iron façades.

Still further south is TriBeCa (Triangle Below Canal Street), once a deserted warehouse district, and now a growing residential area. Midtown Manhattan: The heart of the city is located between 34th Street south and 59th Street north and contains several of New York’s landmark buildings, including the 102-story Empire State Building (completed in 1931).

Worth visiting here are Bryant Park and the beautiful New York Public Library nearby; the 1930s art-deco Chrysler Building (New York’s first skyscraper); the United Nations Building (the organization’s world headquarters); Grand Central Station, which has been completely restored, with special attention paid to its magnificent constellation ceiling; Fifth Avenue, the city’s most glamorous thoroughfare, filled with luxury shops and department stores; the Chelsea neighborhood, home of the landmark Chelsea Hotel and also center for New York’s gay community as well as a new magnet for art galleries and commercial developers; the Rockefeller Center, famous for its (winter-only) ice skating rink and also the home of NBC Studios, which can be visited (the Center reopened its observation deck in 2005, website: http://www.www.rockefellercenter.com/) and the new American Folk Art Museum.

A few blocks away, the highly celebrated Museum of Modern Art underwent a massive US$650 million expansion, which was completed in spring 2004. The Carnegie Hall now also includes the Judy and Arthur Zankel Hall. At the heart of Midtown is the Broadway theater district near the recently revamped, once seedy but now ‘family-friendly’ Times Square, with its recently reopened Biltmore Theater, and the world’s largest toy store, home to a 60ft Ferris wheel and life-size Barbie house. Uptown Manhattan: Uptown Manhattan covers the area north of 59th Street and is split roughly in the middle by Central Park (see below).

To the northwest of the park is Columbia University and the Cathedral of St John the Divine, the world’s largest Gothic cathedral, which is still under construction (begun in 1812); the cathedral was recently designated a landmark by the New York City Landmark Preservation Commission. The new US$115 million Jazz at Lincoln Center opened in autumn 2004; the venue is part of the new AOL Time Warner Center, which contains luxury retail outlets, restaurants, office space, condominiums and a 249-room hotel. The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater also opened its new facility in autumn 2004. The Joan Weill Center for Dance will be the largest facility dedicated exclusively to dance in the USA. Further north, Harlem is noted for its rich African-American community. Good examples of classic New York brownstones can be seen in Harlem’s Sugar Hill. Several decayed and crime-ridden areas in Harlem are now being redeveloped.

Brooklyn

Brooklyn is best reached via Brooklyn Bridge, which is particularly striking at night, and usually bustling with people during the day. Having crossed the bridge, visitors arrive in Brooklyn Heights, a good area to walk around.

The Jewish Children’s Museum is a new attraction to the area. Further southeast lie Prospect Park and the adjacent Brooklyn Botanic Gardens; the Brooklyn Academy of Music, home to the interesting Next Wave Festival; and the historic Park Slope district, notable for its old brownstones. Downtown Brooklyn is home to the recently renovated New York Transit Museum, located in a decommissioned subway station, with over 200 trolleys on display.

Coney Island and Brighton Beach, the latter full of Russian shops and restaurants, are at the south/southeastern end of the borough.

The Bronx

Major attractions include the world-famous Bronx Zoo and New York Botanical Garden; Yankee Stadium, home to the Yankees baseball team; Poe Cottage, former home of the writer Edgar Allan Poe; and Woodlawn Cemetery, where several famous musicians, including Miles Davis, are buried. This area of New York is currently good at breaking records.

The 19,200-seat Randall’s Island Pavilion opened in May 2003 and was the first major new live stage venue to be built in the city in 30 years, while the Ferry Point Park Golf Course, designed by Jack Nicklaus, will open later this year as the first golf course to be built in the city for 35 years.

Queens

Major attractions in the borough include the Astoria Movie Studios with the (attached) American Museum of the Moving Image, close to La Guardia airport; and Shea Stadium (home to the New York Mets Major League Baseball team), with the nearby Flushing Meadows-Corona Park.

The southern half of Queens includes a portion of the Gateway National Recreation Area which, despite its location next to JFK International Airport, provides a refuge to hundreds of bird species.Staten IslandVisitors to the island often do so mainly to enjoy the view of the classic New York skyline from the Staten Island Ferry, which operates from Battery Park (downtown) past the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island to Staten Island.

The Verrazano-Narrows Bridge connects Staten Island with Brooklyn.Parks & BeachesNew York’s most famous park, Central Park, was created in 1856, when officials set aside 341 hectares (843 acres) of land between Fifth and Eighth Avenues and 59th and 110th Streets. John Lennon fans may pay their respects at Strawberry Fields, the area of the park dedicated to his memory. Also within the park is the Central Park Wildlife Center, a small but interesting zoo.

During summer, the park hosts afternoon and evening concerts. Additions to the park include the Dana Discovery Center and fishing pond (with free poles and bait). Visitors should note that it is not advisable to visit Central Park after dark. The recently restored Bryant Park, behind the New York Public Library, has been a great success with businesspeople and visitors on lunch, especially as it offers free outdoor concerts and comedy shows.

Reminiscent of Paris, with gravel pathways, green folding chairs and a manicured lawn, it’s a great place for sunbathing, reading or enjoying a sandwich or salad bought from kiosks in the park. The fountain at the western end is a good place for a romantic rendez-vous.

Other parks include the world-famous New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx, which has 100 hectares (250 acres) of woods, waterways and gardens and whose centerpiece is the newly restored Enid A Haupt Conservatory. Riverside Park, running alongside the Hudson River; Battery and Washington Square parks in Lower Manhattan; the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens, Marine Park and Prospect Park in Brooklyn; and Cunningham, Flushing Meadows/Corona, Jacob Riis and Kissina parks in Queens. Clove Lake Park and Fort Wadsworth on Staten Island boast impressive views of New York harbor.

There are several fine beaches to the east of New York City. Nearest to Manhattan are Brighton Beach, Coney Island and Manhattan Beach. Other beaches include Orchard Beach in Pelham Bay Park, South Beach and Wolfe’s Pond Park on Staten Island.

Special Events

The following is a selection of special events occurring in New York City in 2005; for further events, contact NYC & Company CVB (see General Info section): Mar 17 St Patrick’s Day Parade, Manhattan. Jun-Aug Celebrate Brooklyn Performing Arts Festival, Brooklyn. Jul 4 Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks, near East River. Aug Harlem Week, citywide. Aug 29-Sep 11 US Open Tennis Tournament, Flushing. Nov 6 New York City Marathon. Nov 24 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Manhattan. Dec 31 New Year’s Eve at Times Square.