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The city of dreams, the city that never sleeps, the capital of the world… Known by several nicknames, without a doubt, if we talk about the Big Apple, the famous Times Square signs, the Statue of Liberty or the Brooklyn Bridge will come to your mind. You will know we are talking about New York.
Population and cultural diversity: Apart from being the most visited city in the United States, New York, with approximately 8.5 millions of habitants, is the most populated city in the country. Due to the immigration that took place in the past centuries, dozens of nationalities coexist in New York in the different neighborhoods and areas of the city. Up to 800 different languages are spoken in the city, making it the most linguistically diverse city in the world.
The five boroughs: To understand a little better how New York is distributed, you should know that the city is divided into five boroughs:
– Manhattan
– Brooklyn
– Staten Island
– The Bronx
– Queens
These boroughs, in turn, are divided into other neighborhoods. If you do not have much time and want to get a general idea of the five boroughs, a good option is to take one of the various tours of contrasts that take place in the city. In these tours you will be able to see all five neighborhoods in one day, so you will be able to understand more about the multiculturalism of New York.
Gastronomy: Regarding the gastronomy, in New York, as there is so much cultural diversity, you can find any dish and food of the world. Although, if you want to feel like a local, you should try the typical food of the city. And no, I’m not talking about the hot dogs or pretzles that are sold in street carts in every corner of the city (and which are also known worldwide). I’m talking about the dollar pizza, a slice of pizza that costs $1 and is basically a slice of cheese pizza; simple. The hamburgers, like everywhere else in the United States, are very popular here and you can have them in almost any restaurant, as well as the Pastrami Sandwich. You can also try brunch on the weekend and order chicken waffles or french toast. As for desserts, cheesecake is well known, being the restaurant “Junior’s” one of the most popular, as well as cookies, finding many varieties in the different places that are popular in the city, such as “Insomnia Cookies” or “Levain Bakery”.
Places to visit: New York is a city where you will never get bored and where you will find, not only anything you need 24 hours a day, but thousands of plans, tourist attractions and activities in any month of the year. As it is impossible to talk about all the things you can do and visit, below, you will find a list of the most emblematic places and activities you should not miss:
- Times Square
- Bryant Park and the National Library
- Grand Central
- Go to watch a game of the Knicks at Madison Square Garden
- Rockefeller Center and Top of The Rock
- Empire State Building
- Herald Square and Macy’s
- Fifth Avenue: The Plaza Hotel, Trump Tower, Sacks 5th Avenue luxury department store and St. Patrick’s Cathedral.
- The UN building
- Broadway Theaters
- Central Park
- Harlem, Gospel and Jazz
- Columbia University
- Manhattan neighborhoods: Upper East Side, Upper West Side, Hell’s Kitchen, Soho, Noho and Nolita, Lower East Side, Koreatown, Chinatown and Little Italy.
- Museums: There are several museums in the city, but the best known and most appreciated by tourists are the Museum of Natural History, the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA), the Metropolitan Museum (MET) andthe Guggenheim Museum.
- Flatiron building
- Union Square
- Washington Square Park
- The different piers throughout the city
- The Vessel
- High Line
- Wall Street
- World Trade Center
- Statue of Liberty Ferry
- Staten Island 9/11 Memorial
- Brooklyn Bridge
- Dumbo
- Coney Island
- Williamsburg and the Jewish Quarter
- Joker Stairs and Yankee Stadium in the Bronx
- Flushing Chinatown in Queens
- Roosevelt Island
In short, New York is an incredible city and has a magic that cannot be described in words, and that I recommend visiting, even once in a lifetime.
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