The first of them were built at the turn of the 20th century because of the lack of space. A skyscraper is a small city in itself. It offers residential quarters, office spaces, parking lots, restaurants, shopping, cultural and sports facilities. Each of the skyscrapers houses tens and even hundreds of companies. The two best known skyscrapers are the Empire State Building (102 storeys, 381 metres, for a long time the highest building in the world) and the World Trade Center (twin towers, 110 storeys, 417 metres). Q33NY
Everyday, hundreds of thousands of employees come to work in Manhattan, who commute from all parts of the city as well as from outside. In the 19th century the only way to get to the island was by ferry, but today there are several magnificent suspension bridges (the Brooklyn Bridge, the George Washington Bridge, the Verazzano Bridge...), as well as four underwater tunnels. The usual means of transport (apart from private cars) are the subway, buses and the typical yellow taxicabs. New York has three airports: John F. Kennedy International Airport, Newark International Airport and La Guardia Airport.
New York´s importance is primarily as a bussines centre. Especially the Wall Street area is the home of numerous banks and of the New York Stock Exchange.
Broadway, especially the area around Times Square, is well know as the home of a number of theatres, first-night cinemas and concert halls.To act on Broadway always was the dream of all American actors. As the lyrics of the song „New York, New York“ put it: „...who can make it there, can make it anywhere...“
In New York there are also several universities, the oldest of them is Columbia University founded in 1754.
Some other places of general interest in New York: The Statue of Liberty, a present by the people of France, erected in 1886 on Liberty Island in front of New York harbour. The statue itself is 45.3 m hight.The United Nations Headquarters are located along the bank of the East River.The Madison Square Garden Center is a complex of buildings for cultural and sporting events.Rockefeller Center is a beautifully designed complex of buildings which houses a number of diverse companies, luxury stores, cultural facilities, consulates, restaurants and theatres. It includes also the Radio City Music Hall, where the greatest pop stars get their Grammy Awards.