New York City photos

U.S.A.

U.S.A. facts & history in brief        U.S.A. Map

New York city, the big, big apple, with a population of around 10 million, is the largest city in the United States in population and is one of the world's most important centres of business, culture, and trade.
It is more than twice as large as any other city in the United States.
It is also the home of the United Nations (UN).
In many respect what happens in New York City affects what happens throughout the United States and around the world.
(I've heard a joke somewhere, sometime, 'that if New York catches a cold, the rest of the world goes down with pneumonia.)
Today's New York City had been occupied by Native Americans for more than 11,000 years.
In 1524 the Florentine Giovanni da Verrazano hired by the French, arrived at New York Bay.
In 1609, English explorer Henry Hudson working for the Dutch East India Company claimed it for the company while searching for the Northwest Passage.
The city was founded in 1625 by the Dutch after establishing Albany, as their capital at the mouth of the Hudson on Manhattan Island, which they bought from local Indians for trinkets worth $24.
The Dutch called it New Amsterdam, but in 1664 the British captured it was and renamed it New York for the Duke of York (later became James II).
For the first hundred years Dutch and British settlers, landowners, merchants, pirates and some of the local Iroquois prospered.
It was held by the British throughout the War of Independence, even after Washington's entry into the city in 1783.
In 1789 Washington's presidential inauguration took place in the city and it was the new national capital for a while.
During the 1800's and early 1900's, millions of Europeans settled in the city seeking freedom, opportunity and wealth.
Since 1886 the Statue of Liberty, in New York Harbor is the symbol of this new life.
New York City's skyscrapers, banks, stock exchanges, and the famous Wall Street play a major role in the economy of the U.S. and of the world.
The docks, warehouses, and shipping companies that line New York's huge natural harbour handle much of the nation's imports and exports.
New York City is also the major cultural centre in the United States.
The city's world-famous Broadway area is the centre of professional theatre in the United States.
The city also plays a leading role in publishing, fashion and architecture.
New York City is in southeast of the New York State, at the mouth of the Hudson River.
It is about 956 square kilometres, including about 174 square kilometres of inland water.
The city is divided into five areas called boroughs, Manhattan, the Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn, and Staten Island.
They are counties of New York State. Manhattan, the smallest borough in area, covers 88 square kilometres.
It also contains Downtown New York city and the main business district.
It occupies a long, narrow island bordered by the Hudson River on the west, the East River on the east, the Harlem River on the north and northeast, and Upper New York Bay on the south.
The Bronx lies across the Harlem River from Manhattan and covers 143 square kilometres.
It extends north along the Hudson River and east along the East River.
It is the only borough not separated from upstate New York by water.
Queens, the largest borough in area, occupies 326 square kilometres on the northwest corner of Long Island.
Brooklyn covers 288 square kilometres on the southwest tip of Long Island.
Staten Island, formerly called the borough of Richmond, is 168 sq. km. island.
Coney Island is at the southern tip of Brooklyn is a peninsula now days, due to extensive land filling.
New Yorkers flock here in summer by underground to the beaches and to its famous Boardwalk, which has side shows, souvenir stands, and many other attractions.
New York also well known for the Times Square's New Year's Eve festivities.
The St Patrick's Day Parade on 5th Ave on 17 March.
The Jazz Festival in June.
Independence Day fireworks spectacle on the 4th of July, in the East River.
The New York Film Festival takes place in September and many others.
The city has many other famous attractions, including the Statue of Liberty, that was modelled on the Colossus of Rhodes, built and donated by Frenchmen honouring the American conception of political freedom, to the Land of Opportunity, on 28 October 1886.
The 45m. (151ft) Statue stands on Staten Island at the entrance of New York harbour.
Another one is the Empire State Building.
New York's and the world's first awe-inspiring 'tall' building, standing 102 storeys and 436m (1454ft) above 5th Ave.
An airship and later a B25 crashed into the building in 1945, killing 14 people.
Central Park is a 337 hectare (843 acre) green heaven in a huge concrete jungle of skyscrapers, where New Yorkers relax, exercise, play sport and can watch various free performances.
Times Square is another world famous sight with its huge lights and signs, especially on New Years Eve as the brightly lit ball descends from the roof of One Times Square at midnight.
Than there is the Metropolitan Museum of Art, (The Met), the Museum of Modern Art (The MOMA), the Solomon R Guggenheim Museum is a distinctive spiral space, and many other museums.
SoHo (from 'south of Houston'), one of the oldest part of the city and famous for its art galleries, clothing stores, boutiques and beautifully restored cast-iron buildings.
Tribeca, (the 'TRIangle BElow CAnal' St), of old warehouses and loft apartments, and the area is favourite for fashion photographers.
Greenwich Village (The Village as New Yorkers call it) is one of the city's most vibrant, varied and popular neighbourhoods, known for anything outlandish and bohemian, where artists, writers, and jazz musicians and gays hang out.
Also interesting is Long Island across the East River from Manhattan with beaches, wineries and many houses.
The nearby Atlantic City is also a popular tourist destination for it's gambling opportunities and for terrific accommodation bargains in the off-season.

New York is well served by three major airports, (John F Kennedy Airport (JFK), 24km, (15 miles), the La Guardia Airport is 13km, (8 miles) and Newark Airport in New Jersey, is 16km (10 miles) from Midtown Manhattan), two train terminals Pennsylvania (33rd St between Seventh and Eighth Aves and Grand Central Station, at Park Ave and 42nd St) and a massive bus depot, (Port Authority Bus Terminal at 41st St and Eighth Ave in midtown Manhattan, from where all suburban and long distance buses depart from).
New York City is one of the most important transportation centres in the USA.
New York has many excellent underground, bus train and taxi services.

For variety's sake Hui Chin and I left Washington D.C. by train, and you probably guessed it by now, we arrived in the Big Apple by train.
By the nature of our objectives, our plans and tactics don't vary much.
(To see and have fun doing it as much, as cheaply and as fast as humanly possible).
We phoned a number of Hotels and Hostels from Penn Station, all of them full or too expensive for us.
Left our bags in the lockers and walked up to Times Square to catch our sightseeing tour.
It was a double decker bus and the first tour guide enjoyed screaming at me for jumping up momentarily every now again for a photo shoot.
Again it was one of those hop-on hop-off arrangements, where we could get of at a major attractions for a better look.
(He had a bit of bad blood, because when I was standing up, I wasn't much taller than the windscreen at the front.
We enjoyed New York, the U.N. tour, Fifth Ave, Times Square, Grand Central Station, colourful SoHo, Tribeca, Greenwich Village, Long Island, Atlantic City and the special ambience that is strictly New York.
The variety and colour (I do not refer to skin colour here) of people.
People going to work or working on roller skates, the thousands of taxis running around.
Visiting the Empire State building Observation deck.
After running around for hours without finding anything suitable we stayed a few days at the New Yorker Hotel.
Pretty expensive for us, but we couldn't find any 'stables'.
We were disappointed when a security guard misusing her powers and wouldn't let us catch the Staten Island, to see the Statue of Liberty.
After spending some time in the queue she poked a finger towards my camera: "Turn all cameras off, is your camera off?"
Her finger touching the lens of my camera.
I remarked in quite a friendly way to her, that "You didn't have to touch the lens", at which she 'lost her rag' and started yelling aloud I didn't touch your lens", "I didn't touch his lens."
When I said, "You did", she 'really lost it', and went to see another guard to tell him that we are not allowed to go any further.
I did not have any reason to say that she touched my lens if she had not.
I am not a trouble maker.
I am very shy and self conciencios, especially in a crowded place like that to even raise my voice or anything to draw attention.
I do think she has abused her powers for an imaginary or other personal slight.
I apologised, to try and let Hui Chin see the Statue.
She wouldn't accept it.
I think it is really bad when people with a little power abuse it for their own benefit.
I had to get this off my chest.

We spent a lot of our time going around and having a look at Ground Zero.
Our sympathies goes out to the poor victims and their kin.
Even after more than 12 months it was a grim sight, especially across the road the many little memorials on the church fence.
We spent some time wondering around in Greenich Village, SOHO and Chinatown as well.

You can click on these photos for an enlargement.


1996

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2002

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