New York City, NY

History -
    Where does one begin in telling the history of New York City?  The first settlement was the Dutch settlement of New Amsterdam and was founded in 1626.  In 1646, the English took over the settlement and renamed in New York.  The settlement was not “officially” handed over to the English until 1667 in the Treaty of Breda.  During the American Revolutionary War, the Battle of Brooklyn (also known as the Battle of Long Island) saw much of the city burned to the ground.  After the war, the rebuilding process saw the city grow to be largest in the United States by 1835, surpassing Philadelphia.  During the American Civil War, the city had strong commercial ties to the Confederate states, which during the Drafts of 1863 caused the city to break out in riots.  After the war, New York City became the focal point of immigrants coming into the United States.
    In 1898, New York City became what it is today:  a conglomerate of five boroughs.  The boroughs, Manhattan, The Bronx, Brooklyn, Staten Island and Queens, make up the greater New York City area and each has their own distinct characteristics.  In 1904, New York also gained one of its distinguishing trademarks, its subway system.  During the 1930’s the city’s skyline rose to new heights as companies raced to built taller and taller skyscrapers.  During the 1960’s and 1970’s, the city declined slightly due to race riots occurring frequently.  The city even had to declare bankruptcy in 1975.  The 1980’s saw a resurgence of Wall Street, and the 1990’s saw crime drop dramatically.  New York City was the location of the worst terrorist attack in United States history when in September of 2001; the World Trade Center buildings were attacked and destroyed.  The city has since recovered from the attacks, and plans to build the Freedom Tower in the footprints of the Trade Center buildings.  

Local Businesses -
    New York is a great environment for businesses and a very business friendly city.  Harlem is even seeing a surge in growth.  For example, Harlem's Heaven sells womens hats and church hats and has experiened growth due to a variety of assistance programs.  The city and businesses also work together to help promote helping the environment by taking a variety of initiatives to reduce emissions and user more environmentally friendly building materials.

Local Attractions -
    Officially known as Liberty Enlightening the World, the Statue of Liberty was given to the United States by France in 1786 to commemorate the 100th birthday of the US.  Designed by French sculptor Frederic-August Bartholdi with the steel framework designed by Gustave Eiffel (of Eiffel Tower fame), the Statue was transported from France to the New York in 214 pieces.  After construction was complete, 10 years behind schedule due to financing problems, the Statue of Liberty stood 305 feet tall.  Visitors used to be able to walk the 354 steps to the observation deck in the head, but are no longer allowed to do so following the 9/11 attacks.
    Anytime the New York downtown area is represented in silhouette form, the Empire State Building stands out as the most recognizable.  In 1933, King Kong even managed to make the building more famous by climbing up the building fighting off the bi-planes that were attacking him.  Over 2 million visitors come to the building to see its impressive 1,455 height, and to ride up one of the 70+ elevators to the observation deck.  
    If a movie is filmed in New York City, there is undoubtedly a scene that takes place in Central Park.  Designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, the Park features walking tracks, lakes, playgrounds, large grassy areas, and ice-skating rinks.  During the summer months, the Public Theatre offers open air performances of William Shakespeare’s works among others.  
    The Brooklyn Bridge spans the East River from Manhattan to Brooklyn and is one of the oldest suspension bridges in the United States.  It took 14 years to construct the Bridge, and upon completion was the longest suspension bridge in the world.  The Bridge currently features lanes for automobiles with a separate level for pedestrians and bicycles.  In 1977 the Bridge was named to the National Register of Historic Places, and in 1983 the Bridge was designated a National Historic Engineering Landmark.
    Each New Years Eve, the entire United States, if not the World, focuses on one place:  Times Square.  The first New Years celebration happened in the Square in 1904, the first time “the ball was dropped” occurred in 1907.  That tradition exists to this day.  Times Square was the center of the Theater district in the early 1900’s, and in 1917 the firs electric billboard was installed.  In 1928, the running electric sign that has become a symbol of the square was lit, announcing the Presidential victory of Herbert Hoover.  Times Square is now home to a Disney Store, a Warner Brothers Store and MTV’s Total Request Live.

Sports –
    To some, New York City is the Mecca of the sports world.  Seven major sports franchises call the Big Apple home, including:  the New York Giants (NFL), the New York Jets (NFL), the New York Islanders (NHL), the New York Rangers (NHL), the New York Knicks (NBA), the New York Mets (MLB) and the New York Yankees (MLB).  Many of these teams have established themselves as the premier groups with some of the greatest players ever throughout the years.  The Giants have featured such NFL Hall of Fame Players as Larry Csonka, Frank Gifford, Fran Tarkenton and Lawrence Taylor.  The Jets featured Don Maynard and Joe Namath.  The Islanders have featured Dennis Potvin, Bryan Trottier and Pat LaFontaine, with the Rangers featuring Phil Esposito, Wayne Gretzky, Jacques Plante, and Gump Worsley.  The Knicks featured Bill Bradley, Jerry Lucas and Patrick Ewing.  The Mets have featured Willie Mays and Nolan Ryan.
    The New York Yankees are probably the most well known professional sports franchise in the World.  With 39 players, managers and front office personnel in the Baseball Hall of Fame, the Yankees have won an unprecedented 26 World Series Championships.  No other Major League franchise even comes close to winning that number of World Championships.  Players that have worn the Yankee pinstripes include:  Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jim “Catfish” Hunter, Reggie Jackson Joe DiMaggio and Yogi Berra.  

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