My Tour to New York

Sham S. Misri 
(From: New York)

Thursday, 4^th July, 2002

Having left our lodge, Holiday Inn, at Washington, we proceeded towards The New York City. On reaching our destination we stayed in a Hotel in the heart of Manhattan. 

A global power city, New York exerts a significant impact upon commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and entertainment. The home of the United Nations Headquarters, New York is an important center for international diplomacy and has been described as the cultural capital of the world. The Statue of Liberty greeted millions of immigrants as they came to America by ship in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and is a globally recognized symbol of the United States and its democracy. Times Square, an icon as "The Crossroads of the World", is the brightly illuminated hub of the Broadway theatre district, one of the world's busiest pedestrian intersections, and a major center of the world's entertainment industry.

New York traces its roots to its 1624 founding as a trading place by the Dutch Republic. New York is the most populous city in the United States of America. It is one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. The city is referred to as New York City, and is a part the State of New York. Located on one of the world's largest natural harbors, New York City consists of five boroughs, each of which is a state county. The five boroughs—The Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island—were consolidated into a single city in 1898.

New York is the most densely populated major city in the United States. As many as 800 languages are spoken in New York, making it the most linguistically diverse city in the world. The New York City is the United States' largest, with 18.9 million people distributed over 6,720 square miles.

The city has many world renowned bridges, skyscrapers, and parks. New York City's Wall Street in Lower Manhattan, functions as the financial capital of the world and is home to the New York Stock Exchange. It is the world's largest stock exchange by total market capitalization of its listed companies. Manhattan's real estate market is among the most expensive in the world. Manhattan's Chinatown incorporates the highest concentration of Chinese people in the Western Hemisphere. The New York City Subway is one of the most extensive rapid transit systems in the world. Numerous colleges and universities are located in New York, including Columbia University, New York University, and Rockefeller University, which are highly ranked in the world.

In early times New York City was inhabited by various bands of tribes of Native Americans, including the Lenape. Their homeland included Staten Island, the Long Island including the Brooklyn and Queens, Manhattan, and the Lower Hudson Valley.

The first visit by a European was in 1524 by Giovanni Verrazano. He was an explorer in the service of the French crown. He sailed his ship into Upper New York Harbour and spent one night aboard ship. He sailed out the next day. He claimed this area for France. A year later, a Portuguese sailing for Emperor Charles V of Spain, entered New York Harbour and named the Hudson River as Rio de San Antonio. Heavy ice kept him from further exploration.

In 1609 English explorer Henry Hudson re-discovered the region when he sailed his ship into New York Harbour. He proceeded to sail up what he named the North River, and now known as the Hudson River, the site of the present-day New York.

The year 1614 saw a Dutch fur trading settlement on the southern tip of Manhattan which was called ‘New Amsterdam’ in 1625. Dutch colonial Director-General Peter Minuit purchased the island of Manhattan from a small group of the natives in 1626 for a value of 60 guilders. In 1664, the Director-General of the colony of New Amsterdam surrendered to the English without bloodshed. The English promptly renamed the city "New York" after the English Duke of York. Several intertribal wars among the Native Americans and some epidemics brought on by contact with the Europeans caused sizable population losses between the years 1660 and 1670.  By 1700, the native population had diminished to 200. In 1702, the city lost 10% of its population to yellow fever. New York suffered seven major yellow fever epidemics from 1702 to 1800. The Battle of Long Island, the largest battle of the American Revolution, took place in Brooklyn in 1776.

New York grew in importance as a trading port under British rule. It became a center of slavery, with 42% of households holding slaves by 1730. Most slaveholders held a few or several domestic slaves, but others hired them out to work at labour. Slavery became integrally tied to New York's economy through the labour of slaves throughout the port. In 1754, Columbia University was founded by George II of Great Britain as King's College in Lower Manhattan.

The Battle of Long Island, the largest battle of the American Revolutionary War, was fought in August 1776 entirely within Brooklyn. After the battle, in which the Americans were routed, the city became the British military and political base of operations in North America. The city was a haven for Loyalist refugees, as well as escaped slaves who joined the British lines for the freedom promised by the Crown. As many as 10,000 escaped slaves crowded into the city during the British occupation.

Shortly after the British occupation began the Great Fire of New York occurred, a large blaze destroyed many buildings in the city, including a Church. In 1789 the first President of the United States, George Washington, was inaugurated. By 1790, New York was the largest city in the United States.

Under the state's "gradual abolition law of 1799", children of slave mothers were born free, Together with slaves freed by their masters after the Revolutionary War and escaped slaves, gradually a significant free-black population developed in Manhattan. The city's black population reached more than 16,000 in 1840.

In the 19th century, the city was transformed by development related to the western and cotton trades, as well as European immigration. Discovery of the African Burying Ground in the 1990s during construction work revealed that tens of thousands of Africans had been buried in the area in the colonial years.

The Great Irish Famine brought a large influx of Irish immigrants, and by 1860, one in four New Yorkers—over 200,000—had been born in Ireland. There was also extensive immigration from the German provinces, where revolutions had disrupted societies, and Germans comprised another 25% of New York's population by 1860.The Brooklyn Bridge was under construction from 1870 until 1883.

In the 1920s, African Americans Migrated to New York City.  The larger economic boom generated construction of competing skyscrapers that changed the skyline into its identifiable twentieth-century shape. New York became the most populous urbanized area in the world in early 1920s, overtaking London.

In the 1960s, job losses due to industrial restructuring caused New York City to suffer from economic problems and rising crime rates, which extended into the 1970s. While revival in the financial industry greatly improved the city's economic health in the 1980s, New York's crime rate continued to increase through the decade and into the beginning of the 1990s. By the 1990s, crime rates started to drop dramatically due to changed police strategies. New immigrants from Asia and Latin America came.  Important new sectors, such as Silicon Alley, emerged in the city's economy.

The city suffered the worst nationally of the September 11, 2001 attacks, when nearly 3,000 people died in the destruction of the twin towers of the World Trade Center. Much of New York is built on the three islands of Manhattan, Staten Island, and Long Island, making land scarce and encouraging a high population density. New York City experiences a humid subtropical climate. The Capital of New York is Albany, and the motto: Excelsior (Ever upward).It is nicknamed as ‘Empire State.’ The large cities are New York, Buffalo, Rochester, and Albany. Many places of interest were visited here.

Empire State Building

More than any other building in the world, the Empire State Building represents the ambition of humans to build towers that reach the skies. It is New York's best known building and is prominent on many postcards. Though the building has been stripped from its title of the world's tallest building, it is a symbol of New York itself, and is visited by nearly two million people each year. At the time when it was built in the early 1930s on Fifth 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 has a height of 1250 ft.

Much of The Empire State Building was occupied by the 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. A perfect work of art gave the building a firm grandeur. The building has a huge spire on the top of it. We visited the Empire State Building's observatory on the 86th floor from where we had a magnificent view over the city of New York.

Central Park

The land for the Central Park was bought by the City of New York in 1853. When the land was purchased, it was far away from civilization. The area contained sheds from colonists, quarries, pig farms and swamps. Central Park is one of those places that make New York such a great place to live. The huge park, 843 acres large, is located in the center of Manhattan. The park has several lakes, theatres, fountains, tennis courts, baseball fields, many playgrounds and other facilities. The Central Park Zoo and the Museum of Art are also there. The Central Park is a popular place for all New Yorkers. It attracts millions of visitors each year.

Brooklyn Bridge

The construction of the Brooklyn Bridge started in 1869 and took 14 years to complete. It connects Manhattan with New York's most populous borough, Brooklyn. The bridge is one of the most magnificent landmarks in New York.  At the time of construction many thought of such a large bridge as a folly. The driving force behind the whole project was a German immigrant who had worked for the Prussian government as a bridge and road builder. He launched an idea of building a bridge across the East River. The German immigrant John Roebling never saw the bridge he had designed. He died after crushing his foot in an accident during the construction. Many more workers died while working on the bridge. His son took over the leadership of the project. He suffered from the disease and was on his deathbed during the inauguration. That day, May 24, 1883, about 150,000 people crossed the bridge.

Roebling had not just made a bridge that looked incredibly strong; it also turned out to be just as strong in reality. A mesh of cables of which the four strongest have a diameter of 11 inches are anchored in the ground and keep the bridge from collapsing. But even if the four strongest cables would snap, the other cables would still be sufficient to support the bridge. Roebling even claimed that the bridge wouldn't collapse without any cables, it would merely sag. But even after the inauguration, many New Yorkers were not convinced the bridge was safe. To prove the doubters wrong, a circus man led a caravan of circus animals - including a herd of 21 elephants - across the bridge in 1884.

The Brooklyn Bridge is one of the greatest engineering feats of the 19th century. It is one of New York's most popular and well known landmarks. The bridge spans the East river between Brooklyn and Manhattan and stretches for a length of about 1.8 km. The Brooklyn bridge the world's largest suspension bridge.

The most noticeable feature of the Brooklyn Bridge is the two masonry towers to which the many cables are attached. The towers with large arches are 276 ft tall. Roebling claimed that the monumental towers would make the bridge a historic monument. He was proven right when the bridge officially became a national monument in 1964. An elevated pedestrian path not only gives 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.

Times Square

Time square is the busiest square of New York. It is known for its many Broadway theatres, cinemas and super signs. It is one of those places that make New York a city that never sleeps. In 1904, the New York Times built the Times Tower on 43rd street. The square facing the building was called the Times Square. The name is now used for the area between 40th and 53rd street and 6th and 9th avenue.

At the start of the First World War, Times Square was the center of the Theatre district and attracted a large number of visitors. This made the square an ideal place for billboards. In 1917 the first large electric display billboard was installed. 11 Years later, the first running electric sign was let for the first time, to announce Herbert Hoover's victory in the Presidential elections. The billboards have become a tourist attraction for the area.

In the thirties, the Great Depression led to a sharp decline in theatre attendance. Many businesses had to close down, and they were quickly replaced by strip teases and peep shows. The area continued to attract visitors and after the Second World War, the Theatre district was booming again. At the end of the sixties, the area started to go downhill and by the mid-seventies, tourists avoided Times Square, which had become a seedy, crime-ridden and drug-infested place. Around 1990 Walt Disney Company opened a Disney store on Times Square. This attracted more family-friendly businesses to the area. The area is like most of New York City - a safer now. The area is attraction for tourists and a center of New York's social scene.

Chrysler Building

At the beginning of the 20th century, the race for the tallest building in the world started and the Chrysler Building was the first building to top the then tallest structure, the Eiffel Tower in Paris. New York would keep the tallest building in the world until 1974, when the Sears Tower was built in Chicago.

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 (now 40 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 927ft. against around 230 meter 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 reached its top, the spire of the Chrysler building was put in place, making it 318 meter (1045ft) high, thus beating the Bank of Manhattan as the tallest building in the world.

United Nations HQ

The headquarters of the U.N. in New York were developed by an international team of architects. The main building, the Secretariat, was one of the city's first towers in International Style. In 1946, the United Nations were looking for a location for their new headquarters in New York. Rockefeller Jr. bought the 18 acre plot and donated it to United Nations. This site was then used to build the UN's headquarters. The whole area was converted into international territory and officially does not belong to the United States. The design for the United Nations complex was drawn by an international committee of architects, the United Nations Board of Design.

The largest of the four buildings is the Secretariat of the building, home of the UN's administration. The large, 39 story, building has become a worldwide symbol of the United Nations.

The General Non-violence assembly hall has a seating capacity of 1,800. The meetings with representatives of all UN members take place here. The conference building behind the Secretariat and General assembly buildings houses the Security Council and the Economic and Social Council.

Adjacent to the United Nations complex is a small public park bordering the East River. It is littered with artwork donated by many countries.  Along First Avenue in front of the United Nations Headquarters is a display of flags from each member of the UN. It starts with Afghanistan at 48th street and ends with Zimbabwe at 42nd street.

Wall Street

Historically known as the center of New York's financial district, Wall Street is often associated with wealth and ambition in America. After the Dutch purchased "New Amsterdam" from the Native Americans, a wall was erected that formed the northern boundary of the new colony. That's how Wall Street got its unusual name. The first "walls" along the street were basic plank fences, but as time passed and tensions with the mother country grew, a stronger, taller wall was built in order to defend the colony against both the British and the American Indians tribes that still dominated the area. The British removed the wall around the turn of the 18th century.

By the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Wall Street was "the place" of 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. It was separate from the buildings in Midtown. People like J.P Morgan built headquarters at 23 Wall Street, which was - for decades - the most important financial institution in the country.

The Charging Bull Statue

One of the Financial District's most famous symbols is the 'Charging Bull' Statue (The bull represents a bull market, a constantly rising market).

Inspired by the stock market crash in 1987, sculptor Arturo Di Modica created the 7,000-pound (3175kg) bull statue as a token of optimism. In 1989 he placed it - without authorisation - in front of the New York Stock Exchange in Wall Street. Police removed the statue but thanks to a public outcry it was reinstalled, but this time on a small square annex park near Wall Street. The statue has become one of Lower Manhattan's most popular attractions.

Ground Zero

The previously known World Trade Center was known as "Ground Zero" after the September 11 attacks.  It sits on 16 acres in Lower Manhattan in New York City. The previous World Trade Center complex stood on the site until it was destroyed in the September 11 attacks. The site was cordoned off at the time of our visit. We looked at the spot where the debris was being cleared from a distance. It was a horrible scene. Visiting September 11, 2001 site means that ‘A day that will forever be remembered.’

Let it not be remembered for the evil acts of violence targeted at fear, panic and death. Let it be remembered for the human spirit, the brotherhood of mankind, and the goodness of New Yorkers. May God bless our Ground Heroes?

Survival Tree

One of the many trees planted at the memorial site is known as the 'Survival Tree'. The tree, a Callery pear, was recovered from the rubble of the WTC in October 2001. Originally planted in the 1970s, the tree was badly damaged and burned but still had a living branch. It was nursed by the N.Y.C. Parks Department and recovered.