Continent:North America Country:United States of America State:New York (NY) County:New York County City:New York

New York, the ultimate in skyscraper architecture, has since long lost the title of city with the highest skyscraper, but remains with distance the city with the most interesting skyscrapers in the world. Besides the countless Manhattan skyscrapers, New York is an urban jungle that has everything to offer to travellers. The city is home to numerous museums, parks, trendy neighborhoods and shopping streets.

Statue of Liberty For the many immigrants that flocked from Europe to New York, the Statue of Liberty was the first image they saw of the USA. The statue was a gift from the French government for the 100th birthday of America's Independence. It was designed by a young French sculptor, Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi, who was striving to build a statue like the great Colossus that once stood at the Greek island Rhodos. The statue's face was modeled after his mother's and the story goes that the body was modeled after a prostitute. The steel framework was made by Gustave Eiffel, who also built the Eiffel Tower in Paris. It was constructed in France and sent to the USA in 214 pieces. The biggest and most embarrassing problem was the construction of the pedestal, which had to be paid for by the Americans themselves. The statue's torch was displayed in Madison Square park for six years in an attempt to spark interest and attract funds. But it was only after publisher Joseph Pulitzer published the names of those who donated money for the project that the funds started flowing in. Eventually, the statue was erected 10 years late, in 1886.Eiffel TowerParisMadison Square park

Empire State Building More than any other building in the world, the Empire State Building represents the ambition of humans to build towers that reach for the skies. It probably is New York's best known landmark and is prominent on many postcards. It also features in many films, but the film that made it even more famous then it already was, was the classic King Kong in Even today, though the building has been stripped from its record, it is a symbol of New York itself and is visited by more than 2 million tourists each year. At the time it was built on 5th. Avenue, it broke all records and was dubbed 'the 8th world wonder'. It had 64 elevators (now 73) and was built in only 1 year, 45 days. Its 381 meters wouldn't be topped until 1972, when the twin World Trade Towers eclipsed the Empire State Building. World Trade Towers

Central Park Central Park is one of those places that make New York such a great place to live. The huge park, 843 acres large, is located in the center of Manhattan. Its design is an example for city parks around the world. 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. Especially during the weekends, when cars are not allowed into the park, Central Park is a welcome oasis in this hectic city.

Brooklyn bridge Brooklyn, a borough founded by the Dutch in the 17th century was an independent city until 1898, when Brooklyn decided in a close vote to become a borough of New York. At that time the Brooklyn bridge had connected the two cities for 15 years. The impressive bridge spans the East river from Brooklyn to lower Manhattan and stretches for about 1.5 km. A pedestrian path is available and gives you the opportunity to have a unique view on the south side of Manhattan, particularly on the magnificent Woolworth building as you can see on the accompanying picture.Woolworth building

Times Square At the end of the 19th century, New York City had expanded up to 42nd street and the area was becoming the center of the city's social scene. In 1904, the New York Times built the Times Tower on 43rd street just off Broadway to replace the premises in Downtown. The square facing the building was called the Longacre square, but was soon renamed Times Square. The name is now used for the area between 40th and 53rd street and 6th and 9th avenue.

Chrysler Building At the beginning of the 20th century, the race for the tallest building in the world started and the Chrysler Building was the first building to top the then highest building, the Eiffel Tower in Paris. New York would keep the highest building in the world until 1974, when the Sears Tower was built in Chicago. For Walter P. Chrysler, from the car manufacturer, building the highest building in the world was a status symbol. The Chrysler building was in a race with the Bank of Manhattan for obtaining the title of highest building in the world. It looked like the Bank of Manhattan would win the race, with an expected height of 283 meters against the around 230 meters for the Chrysler building. But the spire of the Chrysler buil ding was constructed in secret inside the tower. Just one week after the Bank of Manhattan had reached its top, the spire of the Chrysler building was put in place, making it 319 meters high, thus beating the Bank of Manhattan as the highest building in the world. It would not keep this title for long: one year later the Empire State Building was erected. The Chrysler building is one of the last skyscrapers in the Art Deco style. The gargoyles depict Chrysler car ornaments and the spire is modeled on a radiator grille. It has been restored in 1995 and it glitters again like it must have in the thirties.Eiffel TowerParisNew YorkSears TowerChicago Bank of ManhattanEmpire State Building

Grand Central Terminal Grand Central Terminal is one of the two monumental gateways that were built in the heyday of railway transportation. The monumental railway station was constructed in for the New York and Harlem Railroad company. It is a grand Beaux-Arts building which serves as a transportation hub connecting train, metro, car and pedestrian traffic in an efficient way. It has 67 train tracks on two different levels.

Rockefeller Center The area where the Rockefeller Center is located was originally planned as the new location for the Metropolitan Opera. The original area, between 48th and 51st streets, Fifth and Sixth avenue, was a red-light district owned by Columbia University. John D. Rockefeller Jr. leased the area on behalf of the Metropolitan Opera. The design of the complex was done by the architect Benjamin Wistar Morris. The Rockefeller Center, known as the 'city in the city' is an exceptional example of civic planning. All buildings share a common design style, Art Deco, and are connected to each other via an underground concourse, the Catacombs. The complex is nevertheless well integrated in the City, especially along Fifth Avenue.

Washington Square The Washington Square Park, located in the heart of Greenwich Village, is a very popular and crowded square. It is best known for its bohemian and rebellious character. The park looks seedy, has little green space and attracts vagrants, but people from all backgrounds still flock to the square. The two main attractions in the square are the fountain and the Washington arch. The Washington Square park is bounded by Waverly Place, 4th street, University Place and MacDougal Street. The Washington Arch is located at 5th Avenue and Waverly place.

Woolworth Building Frank Winfield Woolworth, the owner of the '5 and dime' Woolworth retail chain admired the gothic buildings in Europe, in particular the Houses of Parliament in London. When he needed a new office building for the headquarters of his company, he asked Cass Gilbert to build a gothic tower with plenty of windows. Gilbert, who had studied in Europe, designed a U-shaped skyscraper with a steel frame and gothic ornamentation. The Woolworth building is best known for its neo-gothic style and decorations: The main entrance at Broadway resembles European Cathedral entrances. It is decorated with many symbols, like salamanders (symbol for the transmutation of iron and clay into steel and terra-cotta) and owls (symbol for wisdom). Two empty niches flank the entrance: one was supposed to hold a statue of F.W. Woolworth, but it was never realized. The interior of the building is on of the most sumptuous in New York. Woolworth's private office was modeled and furnished after Napoleon's Palace in Compiègne. The lobby is covered with marble and features a stained glass ceiling. Inside the lobby are carved caricatures of men involved in the construction of the building. One of them is a sculpture of Cass Gilbert, holding a model of the Woolworth building, and another one features Frank Woolworth paying for his building in coins. This refers to the payment of the building by F.W. Woolworth: instead of taking a mortgage, he preferred paying the $13,5 million in cash. The building was sold in 1998 for $126,5 million. Both for its exterior and interior, the Woolworth building is even today one of the most remarkable buildings in New York. Many buildings have surpassed it in height, but not in splendor.Houses of ParliamentLondon

Madison Square Madison Square, located in the Flatiron district, is one of the historically most important squares in New York City. The attractive 19th century Madison Square Park is surrounded by historic landmarks from the Gilded Age, including the famous Flatiron building and the classical Metlife tower.