New York City - Bite
Outta Big Apple
So what do you think of when you
imagine yourself studying in New York?
Walking down Fifth Avenue at night
taking in the bright lights hailing
a yellow taxi? Having your picture
taken in Time Square before step-hop-shuffling
yourself off to Broadway? Or is it
sipping on a Cosmopolitan in a cool
bar downtown Manhattan like the infamous
Carrie Bradshaw in “Sex In The
city” or meeting for coffee
at your local coffeehouse like the
cast of “Friends”. Well,
of course New York is all of this
AND so much more. Study In New York
investigates the five main boroughs
of the city and takes a bite outtada
Big Apple!
MANHATTAN
Located at south-eastern part of
New York, sitting at the head of Upper
New York Bay, Manhattan is an organised
grid of avenues running north-south
and its streets east-west. This and
the well managed Subway and bus service
makes the city particularly easy to
get around in. As an island the East
River separates Manhattan from Queens
and Brooklyn. The Harlem River separates
Manhattan from the Bronx which is
connected to the mainland. To the
west is Hudson River looking across
to New Jersey.
When you picture a scene of New
York in your head you are more than
likely thinking of somewhere in Manhattan.
It is the key areas within this borough
that have placed New York City firmly
on the global map as one of the most
exciting cities in the world. The
Financial District for example - home
to soaring skyscrapers, the New York
Stock Exchange and the world famous
Wall Street. Fifth Avenue, also known
for its fashion and fines museums
and then there’s Park Avenue,
renowned for it exclusive residence
and the bright advertisement lights
of Time Square. If you are lucky enough
to study in New York you may find
yourself celebrating on New Year Eve
around Time Square. Each year thousands
of New Yorkers congregate around the
square and countdown to the New Year
in a blaze of colour! Park Avenue
is also home to Broadway which holds
over 350 theatres including the world
famous Met Opera, New York City Ballet
and New York Philharmonic. Broadway
is the most wonderful and varied theatre
districts in the nation and possibly
the world. Many actors aspire to one
day performing on Broadway. The best
way to describe Broadway is WOW and
top of the line PIZAZZ!
As well as finance, fashion and culture
Manhattans nightlife is an array of
restaurants, clubs and bars which
caters for all tastes – yes
even for those on a budget! For example,
if you fancy a cheap night out why
not try China Town. This area has
over150,000 Chinese people who live
within just two square miles. It is
a very popular section of the Manhattan
borough. Here you can enjoy the shops
and the culture and eat some of the
best Chinese food in the world! For
the ultimate shopping experience however,
the Rockefeller Center (named at the
world’s first billionaire John
D Rockefeller) provides a wide array
of indoor and outdoor shopping outlets.
At Christmas the Center houses the
world’s largest Christmas tree
during the holiday season.
If you fancy a cheap day out in-between
studies why not take a ferry to Liberty
Island to see the Statue of Liberty.
However, if history is more your thing
then why not take a ferry to Ellis
Island. Here you can discover how
in 1892 the first ever immigrants
arrived in New York. Today over 80,000,000
people – 1.5 million in the
57 kilometres of Manhattan alone -
call New York City their home.
QUEENS
Queens is a large area of New York
City that is strongly residential.
Its neighborhoods tend to be relatively
self-contained areas. Popular with
new immigrants in the past half a
century, Queens has become a melting
pot of different cultures that are
largely split up into different ethnic
neighborhoods. There are very few
inter-racial neighborhoods and the
new immigrants that come to live here
tend to congregate in their own areas.
In terms of socializing Queens is
not Manhattan. It’s not even
Brooklyn. However, more and more people
are visiting the borough than ever
before to discover what a great destination
it is. There’s history, culture,
views and food without the crowds
and prices of Manhattan. For example
if you fancy an afternoon of sport
why not offer your support to The
Mets at Shea Stadium - you will find
the seats here less expensive than
at the world famous Yankee Stadium
based in the Bronx. In between studies
if you want to enjoy New York’s
great summer over a long cool beer
then take a visit to the Bohemian
Hall and Beer Garden in Astoria. This
huge beer garden, with its shady trees,
picnic tables, and platters of hearty
Czech food and Barb-b-q’s, provides
an excellent way to wind down away
from the crowds.
If you fancy a more cultural experience
in Queens then why not try the Museum
of the Moving Image in Astoria which
celebrates the history, technology
and art of movies. Jackson Heights
and Indian and South Asian Neighborhood
is also a great cultural experience.
Here the streets are lined with gold
though the many jewelry shops alongside
the many delicious curry houses. Nicknamed
by locals as “Little India”
this is a great place to experience
Queens famed diversity.
BROOKLYN (Kings)
Brooklyn (Kings County) is a borough
of many neighborhoods each with it’s
own identity. Home to the famous suspended
Brooklyn Bridge, with its unique view
of the Manhattan and Brooklyn skyline,
Brooklyn is also popular with New
Yorkers in the summer. Each year millions
of them descend for a day out at Coney
Island – America's classic amusement
park.. Here you can ride the roller
coasters, lay on the beach or take
a walk across the boardwalk all the
way over to Brighton Beach a true
Russian neighborhood complete with
Cyrillic signs and English as a second
language. For those on a budget the
first Saturdays of each month the
Brooklyn Museum runs entertainment
free of charge. Here you can enjoy
world-class music, art and other forms
of entertainment for free! Afterwards,
if you’re peckish why not stop
off for pizza at the world famous
Grimaldi’s or a slice of the
cheesecake at Juniors – you
may have to queue but it is definitely
worth the wait! For those of you who
want to escape the crowds you can
take a stroll along the Japanese Hill-and-Pond
Garden which is part of the Brooklyn
Botanic Gardens or why not just chill
and enjoy the endless activities in
Prospect Park. Whatever you want to
do Brooklyn has something for everyone.
BRONX
The Bronx is the only borough of
New York City that is connected by
land to the rest of the United States.
It is one of New York’s most
vibrant communities. It’s a
place of world-famous attractions
such as the Yankee Stadium, diverse
artistic expression, miles of parks
and over 60 landmarks and historic
districts. Its here people like Edgar
Allan Poe and Mark Twain lived and
break-dancing and salsa music were
born. The diverse mix of cultures
within the Bronx lends itself to be
an area where the arts, music and
dance are key. Local plays, dances
and hip-hop festivals all readily
occur throughout the year and the
Bronx Museum Of The Arts - the borough’s
key fine art institution - is nationally
acclaimed for reflecting the multi-ethnicity
of its community and New York city.
The South Bronx was once the postage
stamp of crime, urban blight and general
despair. However, cultural improvement
has reigned for the last 11 years
and this dramatic revitalization has
earned the Bronx the All-American
City Award and the Crown Community
Award.
If you want to escape from the urban
culture of the Bronx why not take
a visit to The Bronx Zoo – the
USA ‘s largest Metropolitan
zoo with over 6,000 animals - or the
250 acres of the New York Botanical
Gardens. You can also take a trip
out to Orchard Beach – a mile
long sandy beach which is the boroughs
most popular summertime meeting place.
Wherever you go in this borough you
will understand the expression ”the
Bronx is up!”
STATEN ISLAND
Staten Island is just a 25 minute
ferry ride across New York Harbour.
It is by far the least populated,
most ethnically homogeneousand remote
borough of New York City. It is often
refferred to as the Richmond County
- making it part of the southernmost
section of the State of New York.
Staten Island is sometimes the object
of humour by residents of the other
boroughs as being somewhat enigmatic
and rustically suburban. Indeed, much
of the central and southern sections
of the island were once dominated
by farms, primarily dairy and poultry
farms, some of which are still in
existence. However, if you want to
escape city life and have a few hours
to spare State Island is definetly
worth a visit. It is uncrowded, affordable
and easy to get to.
Step off the ferry at St George’s
Station and catch some jazz at the
Side Street Saloon or Cargo Café
and don’t miss the latest installations
at the Staten Institute of Arts and
Sciences. Why not watch the Staten
Island Yankees play at the Richmond
County Bank Ballpark or go for a swim
at South Beach. However, if history
interests you why not take a visit
to Fort Wandsworth, one of the oldest
military sites in the United States
or the Sandy Ground Historial Museum,
founded in the 19th century by one
of the oldest the freed slaves communities
in North America. Staten Island may
not carry the pace and highlife of
the more urban city boroughs of New
York City but it is steeped in history
and culture and is definitely worth
a look in.
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