MANHATTAN
Let’s start here: New York is not synonymous with Manhattan. In addition to this world-famous borough, the city is made up of four others—Staten Island, Brooklyn, the Bronx, and Queens. And Central Park, built in 1873 and spanning nearly 341 hectares, isn’t the city’s only major green space. Pelham Bay Park in the Bronx covers 1,070 hectares; Greenbelt Park in Staten Island, 719 hectares; Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in Queens, 508 hectares; and Cortlandt Park, also in the Bronx, 463 hectares.
MANHATTAN
The color of New York City’s famous taxis isn’t random. It’s based on a study from the University of Chicago, which found that yellow is the color most easily seen from a distance. On another note, Empire State—not only the name of one of New York’s most iconic skyscrapers and for decades its tallest—is also a nickname for the city itself. The phrase originates from a letter signed by George Washington, in which he described the state of New York as “The seat of Empire.”
MANHATTAN
Today, the tallest building—not only in New York City but in the entire Western Hemisphere—is One World Observatory, located on the site of the former Twin Towers. The ride to the top takes less than 60 seconds, and from there, you can enjoy the most expansive view in the city.
MANHATTAN
Everyone knows that Katz’s serves delicious pastrami sandwiches—and that the famous scene from When Harry Met Sally was filmed there. What’s less known is why the staff wear T-shirts that say “Send a salami to your boy in the army.” The phrase comes from a jingle (in a New York accent, army sounds like ahmee and rhymes with salami) created by the owners during World War II, when they sent food to soldiers on the front lines—including their three sons.
MANHATTAN
Grand Central Terminal is the largest (with 44 platforms), the most luxurious, and the busiest (welcoming over 80 million passengers each year)—but it also hides the most secrets. One of them lies in its famous Main Concourse ceiling, designed by J. Monroe Hewlett and Paul Helleu, and its “little mistake.” The dome features more than 2,500 stars and intricately depicted constellations—only, they’re upside down. The reason is far less poetic than you might think: a simple error by the workers, who placed the sketch on the floor and viewed it from above instead of from below.
MANHATTAN
In New York, anything is possible—even finding medieval European architecture just a subway ride away. More specifically, architecture from Segovia, since The Cloisters Museum, a branch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art since 1958 (yes, it’s celebrating an anniversary), houses among its treasures the apse of San Martín de Fuentidueña. Beyond its artistic and cultural value, the museum is worth visiting for its location alone: set in the northwestern tip of Manhattan, it’s a green oasis overlooking the Hudson River—a place once favored by its benefactor, John D. Rockefeller.
STATEN ISLAND
New York’s most famous lady undoubtedly resides in Staten Island—or more precisely, on Liberty Island: the Statue of Liberty. Yet, like some muses, Miss Liberty’s measurements can be a bit underwhelming for those expecting something monumental. She isn’t quite as large as she seems: the statue itself stands 46 meters tall (97 meters including the pedestal); her waist measures 11 meters; her nose is 4 by 6 meters; and her toes are about 2.5 meters long. Another fascinating detail is that the book she holds bears, in Roman numerals, the date of the United States Declaration of Independence—July 4, 1776—while her twin on the banks of the Seine in Paris displays the date of the French Revolution: 1789.
BROOKLYN
The Brooklyn Bridge, completed in 1883, was the first suspension bridge to use steel cables. Its construction, however, came at a high price: its designer, John Roebling, died from injuries sustained during worker strikes, and another 20 laborers lost their lives during the building process. Once finished, the first person to cross it was Emily, the wife of Roebling’s son. Another interesting fact: New York’s oldest building isn’t in Manhattan—it’s in Brooklyn, at 5816 Clarendon Road, home to the Farmhouse Museum. The oldest part of the house, the kitchen area, was built by Pieter Claesen in 1652.
BRONX
The Bronx is the only borough located on the mainland, and it owes its name to Jonas Bronck, the first Swedish immigrant to settle in the area.
BRONX
Few people know that Woodlawn Cemetery is the final resting place of many great figures from the arts: Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, Herman Melville, Joseph Pulitzer, Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney (founder of the Whitney Museum)—and also Celia Cruz. The cemetery also features an arboretum with 140 unique species and several remarkable trees, making it an exceptional place for eternal rest. Guided tours are available.
BRONX
The Bronx Zoo opened in 1899 with the primary goal of preserving endangered North American bison and remains one of the most important zoos in the world. In addition, the Grand Boulevard and Concourse was once known as the “Champs-Élysées of the Bronx” or the “Park Avenue of the Bronx.” Built between 1902 and 1909 to connect Manhattan and the Bronx, it featured separate lanes for pedestrians, carriages, and bicycles, along with Art Deco and Modernist buildings, corner windows, terracotta mosaics, and etched glass. These elegant details attracted the borough’s wealthier residents—mostly Jewish families—who lived there until the 1950s and 1960s, when many moved to more affluent neighborhoods and the area’s grandeur gradually faded.
