New York , New York , so good they named it twice. New York is truly an amazing city and really is a city that never sleeps .
Besides being the largest city in the U.S , made up of 5 separate boroughs, this little island is the world's financial centre, offers world famous restaurants, museums and architecture, as well as being home to many of the worlds best known organisations such as the United Nations and the World Trade Organisation.
New York is a melting pot of nationalities from every corner of the planet, with a population of around eight million people , speaking a total of over 80 languages. Indeed more than 47 percent of the residents over 5 years old, speak a language other than English at home.
Add to that the 45 million or more visitors annually visiting over 23,000 restaurants, 150 museums and more than 12,000 stores bursting with the world's top brand names, the pace of life in New York is enough to exhaust even the most seasoned of travellers.
To escape the 24-hour mayhem of the cities' frenetic pace, most New Yorkers head for Central Park every chance they get. Central Park is a wonderful oasis to for a break from the surrounding noise and clamor. If you can't ice skate, roller skate or row a boat, you can surely feed the squirrels or bring the kids to one of the 21 playgrounds or to the penguin feeding at Central park Zoo.
New York's location at the mouth of the Hudson River and and the Atlantic Ocean reflects the city's importance as port, this is the point at which millions have arrived as immigrants to the US.
The first settlers were Dutch arriving around the 1620s and naming the city 'New Amsterdam'.
The rapid expansion from south to north along the island, drew immigrants from all over the globe.
The 19th and early 20th century saw many millions arrive and the start of the formation of distinct ethnic ghettos such as little Italy and The Irish "Hells Kitchen", which still exist today.
New York is a great place to visit any time of year, although it is particularly pleasant during autumn and Spring , when temperatures are just about right at around 20ºC (70ºF).The winters tend to be unpredictable and the summers can be a killer, sweltering heat which can last well into September. Thank goodness for New York's ubiquitous air-conditioning!