7 things you probably didn’t know about New York.

New York sometimes called “The Big Apple” is an absolutely stunning city. It took about 7 hours with a British Airways flight from London to get there and it was well worth the trip.

Like with every city, people have expectations of what they envisage a city to be before they arrive. It could be a reflection of other people’s views, perhaps from watching a movie or just sheer imagination. 

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After the 7hr Night flight… 

For me, the city of New York was close to what I had imagined and more… colourful, beautiful and buzzing! Here are some interesting highlights of my trip of some things that may surprise you.

*An important thing is there is a difference between the State of New York and City of New York. 

 

1. The city is located on one of the world’s largest natural harbors

 

New York City is beautifully located on a large natural harbor along the Atlantic coast. So essentially, New York City is spoilt with spectacular views! There is a wealth of water from rivers, creeks, straits and bays surrounding New York City.

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Geographically, water helps separate New York’s five boroughs from each other: Manhattan is an island surrounded by three rivers and the Atlantic Ocean; Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by two tidal straits and is cut off from the rest of New York by the New York Bay; Brooklyn, along with Queens, is part of the larger island of Long Island; and the Bronx is the only borough connected to the rest of the United State’s mainland. Read more here.

 

 

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2. New York City is apparently the Greatest city in the world

New York city is commonly referred to as the greatest city in the world! I heard the phrase several times and I have the picture below to show for it!!

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It is believed that this phrase was coined by the inhabitants of the city of New York and there are different arguments as to why it is such as the one stated here

 

True or False, I think it is brilliant that New Yorkers can boldly say that!!

 

3. New Yorkers care about their health

 

A common notion of America, especially when compared to the UK is that there their culture is quite an unhealthy one.

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Runners by Hudson river in Manhattan

New York City on the contrary seemed to defy this. There were so many runners, cyclists and what seems to be a yoga studio on almost every block. New Yorkers apparently walk everywhere, as it is quite difficult to own a car.

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Doing our bit – Myself and my sisters on an early morning run by Hudson river in Manhattan.

According to some research, New Yorkers spend more money than all but two other American cities on gym memberships.

They also have a variety of food to cater for most kind of eaters, from clean and healthy foods to Vegans and Gluten Free. The calories in most foods were even listed in a number of eateries.

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See this article on What New Yorkers Can Teach The Rest Of America About Living Well!

 

4. Stacked Car Park System

New York have incorporated the Stacked Car Park System in some areas. Now, this is the first time I have seen this!

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5. Amazing Skyline

 

New York has an amazing skyline with lots of extremely tall buildings, and numerous iconic buildings such as One World Trade Center which is the tallest building in New York, it rises 1,776 feet (541 m) and was topped out on May 10, 2013. Other iconic buildings such as the Empire state Building, Chrysler Building and 40 Wall street stand tall.

 timessqme_FotorTimes square 

EmpireStateBuildingNightEmpire State Building at night

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6. Home to the Fourth largest clock in the world (Formerly the largest)

 

Among the overflowing field of landmarks visible along New York Harbor such as the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, New York is home to the fourth biggest clock in the world. It is a Colgate clock. The clock is in Jersey city which is a 5 minute boat ride away from New York City.

 ColgateClock

The surface of the clock is 1,963.5 square feet and 50 feet in diameter. The minute hand is 25 feet 10 inches long; the hour hand is 20 feet long. The timepiece can be adjusted and is maintained to stay within one minute of accurate time. (http://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/10407)

 

 

7. Dirty Subway

 

The New York city subway system doesn’t rank high in terms of cleanliness and clarity. I understand that it does take you almost everywhere in the city and it is considerably cheap but it wasn’t one of my favourite subway systems compared to some other cities I have visited.

Read more here about its subway system

 

Now its your turn to tell us what fact above surprised you… if anything! And anything you want to add. 🙂

 

Bye New York! Till we meet again…

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Times square 

CentralPark_FotorBelvedere Fountain – New York Central Park

BroklynBridge_FotorBrooklyn Bridge

FolsBuCentralPark_FotorLiterary Walk – Central Park New York

nypdcar_Fotor nyRoadStatueofLib_Fotor Statue of Liberty

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8 replies
  1. Hilary no tabi says:

    Wow! I would love to visit NY. I enjoyed your interesting facts especially the pic of stacked cars! That system is so common in Japan and it’s neat to see it used elsewhere. Enjoy your day!

    Reply
    • Lola E
      Lola E says:

      Hi Hilary, Fantastic! Great to hear that… Thx!! Wow, regarding the stacked cars…. Who would have thought! Lol Japan is definitely on my must visit list! Have an awesome day. Thx x 🙂

      Reply

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