City of New York

By Nivedita Balamurugan

New York City, officially named the City of New York, is the most populous city in the United States, and the most densely populated major city in North America. The city is at the center of international finance, politics, entertainment, and culture, and is one of the world's major global cities (along with London, Tokyo and Paris) with a virtually unrivaled collection of museums, galleries, performance venues, media outlets, international corporations, and stock exchanges. The city is also home to the United Nations, along with all of the international missions associated with it.

History

Long before the arrival of European settlers, the New York City area was inhabited by the Lenape people, including such tribes as the Manahattoes, Canarsies and Raritan.

Major events in New York history include

¢ In 1524 the first European explorer enters New York Harbor

¢ European settlement begins with the following the 1609 voyage of Henry Hudson

¢ Founding of the Dutch fur trading settlement in Lower Manhattan in 1613 later called New Amsterdam

¢ English ships captured the city without struggle in 1664

¢ The Dutch formally ceded New York to the English in the Treaty of Breda at the conclusion of the Second Anglo-Dutch War in 1667

¢ The city was renamed New York, after James, Duke of York, and became a royal colony in 1685

¢ After the Civil War, the rate of immigration from Europe grew steeply, and New York became the first stop for millions seeking a new and better life in the United States, a role acknowledged by the dedication of the Statue of Liberty in 1886

¢ In two separate actions in 1874 and 1895, New York City (and New York County) annexed sections of southern Westchester County known as the Bronx

¢ In 1898, New York City took the political form in which it exists to this day.

¢ 9/11 changed the political map of the world

Place of interest

Tourism is a major local industry, with hundreds of attractions and 39 million tourists visiting the city each year on average. Many visitors make it a point to visit Ground Zero, the Empire State Building, Times Square, Radio City Music Hall, the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Wall Street, United Nations Headquarters, the American Museum of Natural History, St. Patrick's Cathedral, Fifth Avenue, and the Brooklyn Bridge, among other attractions. There are over 28,000 acres (113 km²) of parkland found throughout New York City, comprising over 1,700 separate parks and playgrounds. The best known of these is Central Park, which is one of the finest examples of landscape architecture in the world, as well as a major source of recreation for New Yorkers and tourists alike. Other major parks in the city include Riverside Park, Battery Park, Bryant Park, Prospect Park, Flushing Meadow-Corona Park, Washington Square Park, and Forest Park.

Museums & Art Galleries

New York is a city of great museums with the Metropolitan Museum of Art's assemblage of historic art, the Museum of Modern Art and Guggenheim Museum's 20th century collection, and the American Museum of Natural History and its Hayden Planetarium focusing on the sciences. There are also many smaller specialty museums, from El Museo del Barrio with a focus on Latin American cultures to the Cooper-Hewitt National Museum of Design. A number of the city's museums are located along the Museum Mile section of Fifth Avenue.

In addition to these museums, the city is also home to a vast array of spaces for opera, symphony, and dance performances. The largest of these is Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, which is actually a complex of buildings housing 12 separate companies, including the New York Philharmonic, the Metropolitan Opera, the New York City Opera, the New York City Ballet, and Jazz at Lincoln Center. Other notable performance halls include Carnegie Hall, Radio City Music Hall, and the Brooklyn Academy of Music.

New York City boasts a highly active and influential theater district, which is centered around Times Square in Manhattan. It serves both as the center of the American theater industry, and as a major attraction for visitors from around the world. Broadway theaters are considered to be of the highest quality in the world.

Shopping

Shopping is popular with many visitors, with Fifth Avenue being a famous shopping corridor for luxury items. Macy's, the nation's largest department store, and the surrounding area of Herald Square are a major destination for more moderately-priced goods. In recent years 23rd Street has become a major location for "big-box" retailers. In southern Manhattan, Greenwich Village is home to hundreds of independent music and book stores, while the East Village continues to prevail as purveyors of all things "strange" and unusual which you can't find anywhere else. The "diamond district" (located on 47th Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues) is the city's main location for jewelry shopping, and SoHo, formerly the center of the New York art scene, is now famous for high-priced clothing boutiques, and the art galleries are now concentrated in Chelsea. There are also large shopping districts found in Downtown Brooklyn and along Queens Boulevard in Queens.

Food & Drink

New York is the best restaurant town in USA and one of the finest in the world. New York has literally thousands of restaurants to choose from (more than 25,000, in fact), encompassing nearly every cuisine in the world. Some of the big names are Eleven Madison Park, The River Café, Boat Basin Café, Veritas. Like restaurants, thousands of bars and cafes are there in the city. A few old noteworthy among those are: McSorleys Old Ale House, Revival, Push Café and White Horse Tavern.

Universities

New York City is served by the publicly run City University of New York (CUNY), the largest urban university in the United States, which has a number of campuses throughout the five boroughs. The city is also home to a number of other institutions of higher learning, some of national or even international reputation, including Columbia University, Fordham University, Manhattan College, New York University, the Juilliard School, The Cooper Union, Marymount Manhattan College and The New School. New York City is also a major center of academic medicine. Manhattan contains the campuses of the world-class Rockefeller University, Weill Cornell Medical College, and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, as well as Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center and NYU Medical Center and their medical schools. New York City is home to several of the nation's top schools of art and design, including Pratt Institute, the School of Visual Arts, the Fashion Institute of Technology, and Parsons School of Design

Sports

Although in much of the rest of the country American football has become the most popular professional sport, in New York City baseball arguably still stirs the most passion and interest. A "Subway Series" between city teams is a time of great excitement, and any World Series championship by either the New York Yankees or the New York Mets is considered to be worthy of the highest celebration, including a ticker-tape parade for the victorious team.

Hotels & Accommodation

The City of New York is known as the "city that never sleeps", but its visitors have to. The city hosts a large number of accommodations options.

Luxury Hotels

New York has many "grand dames," classic elegant hotels that have been around for years and endured majestically. The St. Regis, the Waldorf, Tribeca Grand Hotel, Ritz-Carlton New York, Sheraton New York Hotel and Towers - are some to mention about.

Budget Hotels

Besides all those luxury hotels, a large number of budget hotels are available in New York City. They are comfortable, homely and light weight for the pocket. Some of them to mention are - The Whitehouse Hotel of New York, The Pioneer, Chelsea Center, Guesthouse and Harlem YMCA. Except these hotels and guesthouses, Skyline Hotel and Travel Inn are rare exception among affordable hotels for their services and facilities.

Tours and Sightseeing

To know and see the New York City with no tension way, a number of tour operators are there for travelers help. These tours contain city and outskirt of the city sightseeing. Tours may vary from its contents or theme. It may be a helicopter tour of Big Apple or may be a double-decker bus tour. Some fair tour agencies are there in the city. Tours can be booked from tour agencies or some hotels arrange them for its patrons. Another easy way to book any of these tours is online tour ticket booking.

Transport

The airport authority owns and operates the four major airports in the New York City area, John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in Jamaica, Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, New Jersey, La Guardia Airport in Flushing, and Teeterboard Airport in Teeterboard, New Jersey.
Taxicabs are operated by private companies and licensed by the New York City Taxi & Limousine Commission. Other than cabs, New York City has a mass transit system. Unlike most of America's car-oriented urban areas, public transportation is the common mode of travel for the majority of New York City residents.

The city is served by an extensive network of parkways and expressways, including four primary Interstate Highways enter the New York/New Jersey metropolitan area. The world-famous New York City Subway is operated by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). It is the most extensive subway system in the world. The subway system connects all boroughs except Staten Island, which is served by the Staten Island Railway via the free Staten Island Ferry. In addition to these, city residents rely on hundreds of bus lines, both publicly and privately operated.
Many private ferries are run by NY Waterway, which provides several lines across the Hudson River, New York Water Taxi, with lines connecting Brooklyn and Manhattan, and other operators

Name: Nivedita Balamurugan

Occupation: Traveler

Website: [http://www.thereservationcenter.com]

Biography: Nivedita is with The Reservation Center - providers of discounted tours to make your vacations and sightseeing trips in various cities across the world as comfortable and enjoyable as possible

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/127117

Rising Tuition Costs Cause Problems for New York Public Colleges

By Kelli B Smith

SUNY (State University of New York) colleges have long been recognized by the exceptional public education they provide and the state of New York is home to a number of other prestigious colleges and universities. While recent budget troubles have made the cost of college an issue in the state, the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education reported improvement in all measured areas for New York universities in colleges in its 2008 State Report Card.

Statistics on Colleges in New York

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, in 2008/09, there were many more colleges in New York than in most other states. The IES divided them as follows:

    Public institutions: 307 (U.S. average: 32)
    Private, not-for-profit institutions: 80 (U.S. average: 31)
    Private, for-profit institutions: 182 (U.S. average: 23)

According to the National Center for Public Policy/Higher Education's 2008 Report Card, the numbers of New York universities and colleges were as follows:

    45 public four-year colleges in New York
    35 public two-year colleges in New York
    179 private four-year colleges in New York
    50 private two-year colleges in New York

There were 930,756 students attending these New York universities and colleges in 2006, according to the report:

Mixed Grades for New York Universities and Colleges

New York colleges' 2008 Report Card showed mixed results, with the state scoring well in performance measures such as preparation and completion but earning an "F" for affordability.

While the two worst grades for New York universities and colleges were related to recent tuition hikes, the Report Card noted that the costs of New York colleges had improved over the past decade.

According to the report, the average tuition at New York colleges in 2007/08 was:

    Public four-year: $5,148
    Public two-year: $3,466
    Private $27,331

Average financial aid for students of New York universities and colleges was $3,985 for 2-year college students and $6,895 for 4-year college students. According to the Department of Education, in 2010, over 1 million students of New York universities and colleges received financial aid, including grants and loans. That's an increase of over 10 percent from 2006.

The higher scores for colleges in New York were given for high standards for secondary education and a high percentage of students who complete bachelors' degrees (58 percent).

New York Living

The median 2009 income for New York's nearly 19.54 million people was $50,790, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistic (BLS). Much of New York's economy is reliant on New York City, which has a population of 8.2 million. According to Pricewaterhouse Coopers, as of 2007, New York City had the second-biggest GDP (behind Tokyo) of all cities on the globe. In New York City, commerce and finances are big industries. Throughout the state, top industries include education, insurance, health care, and, in the capital city of Albany, government.

Kelli Smith writes about colleges and universities, community colleges, and online schools. Find New York Colleges at CollegesandUniversities.org.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/5729893

Finding Bargain Basement Accommodations

One of the things I've noticed through my many travels is that people often give up on the possibility of a good deal before even trying to get one. The art of bartering seems to be a lost art as is the art of comparison-shopping. When it comes to travel and vacation, every penny that you save on accommodations, food, and transportation is one more penny you have to spend on entertainment and adventure.

There are certainly plenty of both to be had in the wonderful city of New York and a vacation here is much like Alice's adventures in wonderland. There is just so much to do and see that it is almost impossible to know where to begin. I recommend making arrangements to save money before ever arriving in the city. One of the ways you can do that is by investing a little time each evening and making copious notes about whom you've talked to where and what they've had to offer you as far as price and perks for accommodations.

Most hotels today are quite willing to offer incentives to their guests in order to have warm bodies filling their beds. All good managers know that a filled bed earns them more money than empty beds under their care and the more money earned under their care, the more secure their positions. That being said, if you take wonderful notes about the other hotels you've discussed tentative arrangements with you are very likely to be able to strike a deal with one or more of them that is far more favorable then the original deal offered.

This of course, will not work if you are trying for a weekend that is likely to be a popular travel weekend so if you're considering a popular holiday or extended weekend for your trip this is probably not the best idea and you should probably be glad for any offer you can find. That being said almost any other weekend on the planet is fair game unless there are some very large and popular local events that may be drawing a sell out crowd for the local hotel industry.

Back to what I was saying, you can often not only get a better price by going between two competing hotels, but also added perks like tickets to shows, free meals, spa packages at the hotels spa, gift certificates to the hotel gift store. There are often little things a manager is willing to do in order to get your business with the assumption (often correct I might add) that he will make up the differences in add-ons and other purchases.

Some managers may get annoyed and confuse being frugal with being cheap. Please remember to tip properly. It's one thing to save money by being frugal and another thing to do so by simply being cheap. If you do not treat the staff well they will remember you long after you're gone. But that's another story all together. The trick is in always being polite when dealing with managers on the phone and going with your best deal.

It is also important that you realize the best deal may not be in the cheapest room. If you're getting one or two meals each day of your staying and only paying $5 0r $10 more a day for the privilege then you are very well coming out ahead in the bargain, particularly if one of those meals is dinner.

Top 5 Universities in New York City

By Aaron K James

New York is one of the fastest growing cities in the world and pursuing education here is a dream come true for students within and out of the states. Also, the eligibility criteria of the top Universities here as well as the expenses are very high. For those who satisfy these criteria, here are the top universities in the city of New York:

New York University
A private University, located in Manhattan and founded in 1831 is the New York University. Though the name sounds as if it is a public University, it is not. This is a very large University that is associated with 18 schools and a large residential system that can provide housing to about 12000 students. The University is also good in sports and other extra curricular activities. The average rank of this University worldwide is 22. The Philosophy school is worth mentioning as it ranked #1 in the world.

Cornell University
This is also another top private University in New York located in Ithaca. The courses offered here are plenty and is open to everyone. Cornell University is non-sectarian and has 14 colleges for graduates and under graduates. This is a great hub for international students from 120 countries

University of Rochester
One more private University in New York that is again non-sectarian and a great school where many top notch musicians graduates is University of Rochester. The university provides opportunities to hundreds of locals and stands 35th in the top schools of USA. The number of lecturers is comparatively very high and they are always available for you when in need. This is a good one for research students and the department is ranked 21st.

Columbia University in the City of New York
Interesting fact about New York is all the top Universities are private and this falls under the same set. This is one of the oldest universities in the country and the oldest in the state. Founded in 1754, the University new operates in several countries including Chinam France, India and Jordan. The university is ranked first in research and many other disciplines and areas including but not limited to assets, National Academy members, awards and postdoctorial appointees. Interestingly, 90% of the graduates here are under graduates of the same University

CUNY
CUNY stands for City University of New York. Finally we have a public University in the list. As the name says, it is an urban University located in the city where students from more than 200 countries pursue graduate and under graduate studies. In terms of area, CUNY stands third in the US in terms of area and is funded by the New York city.

To find more about these New York New York Universities and other Universities in the city, visit our blog - ms in us

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6007386

Planning your New York City Vacation Makes all the Difference

Whether you realize it or not, planning is the key to any successful vacation. You do not have to be a vacation tyrant that makes your family dread vacations and the boot camp they entail but by having some sort of plan of action for each day of your vacation you can much better stick to a budget as well as assuring you will get the rest and relaxation that is so very important to the renewal of mind and body before returning to work.

Vacations do not have to cost a vast fortune, even vacations in cities that are known for being expensive such as New York City. Most people fail to realize that people of all economic backgrounds live in these cities as well and there are some forms of entertainment that offer a little something for everyone and many of these are free. If you plan carefully you can have two or three activities that are low or no cost in one area of the city each day followed by a restful hour or two in your room during the afternoon and a very nice event for each evening. This gives you budget control, down time each day for you and your kids and (if planned right) activities in one general area each day rather than spending a lot of time and money on transportation.

Most cities have city guides that can be found easily online. New York City is no different. In fact there are several city guides. It would be a good idea to find out the activities you can do for little or no cost, choose several of those activities that interest you or may interest other members of your family and see where they are all located in reference to each other. Try to bunch the several that are geographically central to each other for one day's activities and doing the same for subsequent days.

Keep in mind that you aren't marrying the plan and shouldn't overlook things you happen upon that may not have been in the guide or may not have seemed as appealing in the guide as they do in person. Some of the best trips we'll ever make in life are detours. Not only that, but if you allowed yourself the cushion of time each day I recommended earlier you have the option of adjusting your schedule slightly and enjoying less rest or skipping one of the less appealing items on your itinerary in favor of this new attraction you found.

Vacations are meant to be fun for the entire family. We often forget that and make plans without getting the input of the family. If you do not allow for open dialog and at least get some input from all family members no one is going to enjoy the vacation. The kids are going to be fussy and irritated, the spouse is going to feel neglected and overlooked, and you are going to feel that no one is sticking to the plan. This is why getting everyone to look over the plan, sign off on the plan, and to compromise is by far the best way to go about things. This way everyone has input, everyone gets something that is important to them out of the vacation experience, and there are no major surprises or upsets involved. Everyone knows what to expect along the way.

It is better by far when you can build happy vacation memories rather than of hours spend in the hot sun with cranky children who feel as though no one is taking their input seriously or spending a day with cranky spouses in desperate need of some downtime themselves. So plan for these times as well as the activities (particularly the more costly activities) in which you will participate. No ahead of time where the bulk of your money will be spent and make it clear that there is only so much money to be spent. Many people don't keep close enough track of vacation spending and find they've spent far more than they anticipated.