City Breaks in New York

Manhattan borough, the business and commercial centre of New York City, is situated on a large island in the middle of the Hudson River. Just south of it, across the main harbour, lies the easily accessible (by ferry) borough of Staten Island, home to the famous landmark – The Statue of Liberty. Across the East River branch of the Hudson, the boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens are situated on the western tip of Long Island. The borough of Bronx is on the mainland to the north. New Jersey lies across the Hudson to the west. Manhattan is home to some of the most interesting museums in the United States including the Museum of Modern Art, and the Jewish Museum and a trip there wouldn't be complete without visiting some of the world's most famous landmarks like the Empire State Building, Times Square and Central Park. Manhattan Island is about two miles wide and over 12 miles long. It contains most of the business, economic, entertainment and cultural sights of the city. A four-mile long by half-mile wide Central Park, located at the very centre of the island, neatly divides the city into sectors. The southern part of the island is called "Downtown" and the section directly south of Central Park is called "mid-town". Everything from the middle of the park to the northern tip of the island is usually called "Uptown". The part of the island closest to Long Island is called the "East Side" and the part closer to the Hudson River is the "West Side". The two neighbourhoods lying on either side of Central Park are called "Upper East Side" and "Upper West Side". The numbered streets of Manhattan all run east-west beginning with First Street just above Greenwich Village, and extending all the way up to 218th Street at the far northern tip of Up-town. Avenues run north-south beginning with First Avenue on the East Side and extending to Twelfth Avenue along the Hudson River on the West Side. These numbered Avenues are interspersed with named Avenues such as Park Avenue, Lexington, Madison and Broadway. Broadway is a bit unusual as it starts out as a typical north-south avenue in the middle of the island downtown, but angles sharply to the west just below Central Park and continues on up the West Side to the top of the island.New York’s location at the confluence of the Hudson River, Long Island and the Atlantic Ocean reflects the city’s importance as a port .The first European settlement on Manhattan was by the Dutch, during the 1620s. They named the city New Amsterdam. In 1664, the British took over and renamed it New York. The settlement rapidly flourished, expanding from south to north along the island. Mass immigration in the 19th and early 20th centuries saw the emergence of distinct ethnic quarters, with the island of Manhattan rapidly developing into a unique cultural melting pot housing an entire world within its 58sq km (23sq miles). The cultural diversity stemming from the city’s rich history contributes to its importance as a multicultural capital. New York is the planet’s urban epicenter and reflects cosmopolitan diversity . Little Korea is just one block away from Little Brazil, Little Italy jostles for elbow room with Chinatown, which, in turn, merges into the Hispanic Lower East Side.

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