Best of New York

New York is an urban jungle with many attractions and landmarks. The city is home to numerous museums, parks, trendy neighbourhoods and shopping streets. It is hard to know where to start but whether you are planning to visit for a day or a week, New York City has so much to offer, that visitors have to be selective about the places they will want to see.

Saint Patrick's Cathedral, the seat of the Roman Catholic archbishop of New York, is an example of the decorated and geometric style of Gothic ecclesiastical architecture which prevailed in Europe from 1275 to 1400.

In 1853 the Archbishop Hughes declared that the city's faithful should have a new place to worship, his plans were so grandiose that most people started calling “Hughes' Folly” project. The cathedral was designed by James Renwick at a cost of $850,000, not including furnishings. The cornerstone was laid 5 years later finally it opened in 1879, fifteen years after Hughes' death. The ornate of Lady Chapel was constructed in 1900, with magnificent stained glass windows crafted in England, added gradually over the next 25 years. Throughout the last several decades, the cathedral has undergone several renovation projects, both inside and out, including projects to restore the cathedral's organs and bells. A recent chapel was added in homage to the Polish saint, Our Lady of Czestochowa.

Visitors can enjoy an self guided tour by the massive white-marble-and-stone structure. Be sure to visit the exquisite Tiffany and Company-built St. Louis and St. Michael altars and the St. Elizabeth altar, fashioned by Italian artist Paolo Medici. Also pamphlets are available at the rear of the church, which can serve as a guide for visitors. There's also a gift shop where guests can purchase books about the cathedral as well as religious items. Furthermore concerts on the cathedral's organ are held often, so be sure to check the events schedule if you're interested in hearing this fabulous instrument.

The grand-daddy of all skyscrapers offers the best views over the city of New York such as UN Secretariat, Chrysler Building, Times Square and Rockefeller Centre among others. It represents the human's ambition to build towers that reach the skies and probably it is the best known building of New York City.

The film that made Empire State Building even more famous was King Kong film in 1933. The skyscraper had 64 elevators (now 73) and was constructed in 1 year and 45 days. Its height of 381 meter wouldn't be topped until 1972 when the twin World Trade Towers eclipsed it.

The statue was a gift from French government for the 100th birthday of America's Independence. Also known as “Lady Liberty” is recognized as a symbol of freedom throughout the world. It was designed by Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, a French sculptor who was trying to build a statue like The Great Colossus in the Greek Island of Rhodos and the steel framework was made by Gustave Eiffel, who also built the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

The Statue of Liberty was constructed in France and sent to the United States in 241 pieces. Some interesting facts about it; height: 305 feet (93 m); the seven rays of crown represent the seven seas and seven continents; the pedestal is set within the walls of an army fort and it had to be paid by Americans; there are 25 windows in the crown, which symbolize 25 gemstones found on the earth; and the tablet, which the statue holds in her left hand, reads in Roman numerals “July 4th, 1776”.

The huge park makes of New York City a great place to live, with 843 acres. It is located in the centre of Manhattan and offers a variety of beautiful recreational opportunities amid the bustle of Gotham. Joggers, nature lovers and bikers use the park daily. Kids young and old enjoy riding the Friedsam Memorial Carousel and the Belvedere Castle affords great views of the city. The park boasts several lakes, theatres, ice rinks, fountains, tennis courts, baseball fields, many playgrounds and other facilities. It is also home to the Central Park Zoo and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Central Park was designed by Frederic Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux. It was the first landscaped park in the United States. To convert the swampy area into the park the designers had envisioned, several hundred thousand trees were planted, more than 3 million cubic yards of soil was moved, roads and bridges were constructed and a large reservoir was dug out. It took more than 15 years before the 20,000 workers had completed the park. Central Park immediately became a popular place for all New Yorkers, attracting millions of visitors each year.

The Brooklyn Bridge was built between 1869 and 1883 and connects Manhattan with the most populous borough of New York, Brooklyn. The bridge is one of the most magnificent landmarks in New York and it considered one of the greatest architectural accomplishments of the nineteenth century, also is in fact, a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark.

The construction started in 1869 and took 14 years to complete it. The proposal of architect John Roebling was that the structure be a suspension bridge but he died after the work began. His son, Washington, took over but he suffered from the caisson-disease, otherwise known as “the bends” during the works on the bridge pillars. Also many workers got the bends as a result of leaving the caissons and rising to the river's surface so quickly.

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