New York – The city that never sleeps! English Course in New York
If you are worried that you will get bored during your English course, we recommend you to go to New York!
New York is situated in the State of New York at the East Coast of the United States.
With its 8 million inhabitants, it is the most populated city in the US.
It is one of the most important economical and cultural centers of the world.
So being a true “world city”, New York is characterised by its demographical mixture: 35% of the inhabitants are White, 24% are Black, 27% are Latinos, 12 % are Asian and 2% are multi culture. Only half of the inhabitants speaks only English at home! The second important language is Spanish.
History
The first expedition to the place where New York is now took place in 1524 and was guided by Giovanni da Verazano. From 1610 onwards, Dutch traders started the trading of fur with the Indian people who lived on the island then called “Manna Hatta”.
In 1624, the first 30 Dutch families settled down on the island which was the beginning of the colonisation.
In 1626, a Dutch family bought the island from the indigenous and called the new settlement Nieuw Amsterdam, which became the capital of Nieuw Nederland.
In 1664, the city got invaded by the English and was then called Newe York, after the leader James, Duke of York. From 1788 till 1790, New York was the capital of the United States and George Washington was declared first president of the United States here in 1789.
Until the beginning of the 19th century, only small parts of Manhattan were inhabited. But a big change came with the Channel of Erie in 1925 which connected Manhattan with the Big Lakes and the Middle West. Overnight, the city became the biggest market place on the East Coast. At the same time, the appearance of the city changed a lot. The buidlings got higher and higher to provide enough living space for the new settlers. In the beginning of the 20th century, New York lived a big economical heigth. That periode was therefore called “the wild 20th”. But it ended 1929 with the big crash and a big economical crisis.
In the following decades, New York was characterized by racism and a high crime rate.
But the famous mayor Rudolph Giuliani achieved a decline of the crime rate from of 77% between 1990 and 2007, so that today New York is one of the safest big cities in the States.
Districts
New York is divided into 5 districts: Manhattan, The Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island. Originally, those districts were 5 different little cities which were connected in 1898. Although every district has its own charme and is woth visiting, nearly all cultural sights of touristical interest are located in Manhattan.
Means of transport
The New York subway system is one of the biggest in the world with an 24-hour service in most part of the city. In addition to that you have a huge bus and metro system.
For the schedule and exact prices, visit: www.mta.info
New York provides two huge train stations: Grand Central Terminal and Pennsylvania Station. The Grand Central Terminal is actually the biggest train station in the world!
www.grandcentralterminal.com
www.amtrak.com
New York City also provides three airports: John F. Kennedy International Airport for international flights and La Guardia Airport for national flights. Both airports are situated in Queens. The third famous airport of the region is Newark Liberty International Aiport which is actually the closest to Manhattan, but already part of Newark, New Jersey.
www.panynj.gov
Climate
New York enjoys a continental climate, that means worm and wet summers and cold winters. The warmest month is July with an average temperature of about 24,7 °C and the coldest month is January with an average temperature of about -0,4 °C. In summer the temperature can easily reach the 30 °C and during winter it is not seldom that the thermometer shows -20 °C.
Must-Do´s
New York is a real world city and houses 500 galeries, 200 museums, more than 150 theatres and 18.000 restaurants. So here just a short, short overview over the most famous sights.
Empire State Building: One of the most visited sights worldwide! With its 443 meters (including the antenne) it is actually the highest building in New York. Get into one of the elevators and let the amazing view over New York City take your breath away!
Statue of Liberty: “Miss Liberty” is located on Liberty Island just in front of the harbour. It was a gift from France and was inaugurated in 1886 in order to welcome homecomers and newcomers. It has been declared world cultural heritage by the UNESCO.
Ground Zero: In 2001, New York suffered a big terrorist attacks during which the two twin towers of the World Trade center got destroyed by an airplane crash. The place where these two towers were situated is known as “Ground Zero”. At the moment, a new tower is in construction. With its 541,3 meters the “One World Trade Center” will soon be the tallest building in New York.
Broadway and Times Square: Heart of Manhattan. The Broadway was originally an indigenous path which, with its 25km, has been converted into the longest North-South-Street in Manhattan, full of shops, restaurants, cinemas, theatres, office buidlings etc. In its middle lies the Time Square which is the center of the theatre and musical district of New York.
Central Park: New York´s green lung. You can go jogging, inline skating or just enjoy the sun and a barbeque.
Conclusion
New York is the city which never sleeps. So we assure you that you will never get bored, unless you want to. Don´t forget to study!
English Course in New York has everything you need.
We also recomend English Course in London.
