New York
N.Y. is associated with the US, because it is the gateway to America and the Statue of Liberty which greets the immigrants in the New York harbour is the symbol of new life and happiness for generations of immigrants. New York has a universal character and they say that "it's not only a city, it is a state of mind", if you can live here- you can live everywhere. For people all over the world N.Y. is a symbol of world finance, trade and it is the money market of the world. But what else makes N.Y. the most attractive city of the US? It is the historical city, the second capital of the country, which has a great diversity of different sights.
Manhattan is the heart of New York. It is crossed from North to South by Avenues and from East to West by streets.
The 5th Avenue is the central avenue. With luxury and the best apartment houses, 5th Avenue is a world of fashion, wealth and elegance all over the USA and all over the world. The most famous street is Wallstreet. It is a financial center of the world. Broadway is famous for its night clubs and it means the American professional theatre. Sometimes it is called "the Great White Way". Rockfeller is famous for its Radio city. It is called "a city within a city"with its own stores, restaurants, theatres, post offices. It is a business and entretainment center. In winter its plaza is transformed from an outdoor restaurant to an ice skating-ring.
Empire State Building held the world's record for tallness intil 1973. It lost its title when the twin towers of N.Y. World Trade Center were completed.
The centennial celebration gave the idea to erect a monument in honour of french-american friendship. A french writer amd historian suggested that the French should present a monument to the American people. The American were to provide the pedestal to the statue. The task was great. The Statue was completed in Paris in July 1884. It arrived in New York in 21 hundred boxes. It was designed and built by the famous architect Bartholdi. Since then the statue is the symbol of freedom. Its weight is 225 tones. There are 165 steps from the land level to the top of the pedestal and 168 steps inside the statue. At the foot of the statue there is the American Museum of Immigration.
New York has a lot of nicknames. The most popular and widly used is "Big , which was given by American jazz misicians in the 20's. And now I'd like to say some words about the history of New York. The city began to grow at the end of the 18th century when it became one of the largest ports in the world. At the beginning of the 20th century millions of people driven by poverty immigrated to the USA form all countries of the world. They came to America through N.Y and settled down there. Little by little the city grew and became one of the largest cities of the USA, the political, business, educational and cultural center of the country.
