New york

New York, one of the largest and most exciting cities in the world, is situated at the mouth of the Hudson River, where it empties into the Atlantic Ocean, and consists of five parts, called boroughs: Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx and Staten Island.

Manhattan is an island 13 miles long and 2 miles wide Manhattan is the centre of American finance, advertising, art, theatre, publishing, fashion – and everything else. This famous island is divided into the East Side and the West Side. The dividing line is Fifth Avenue.

The Wall Street Area The first Europeans to settle in Manhattan were the Dutch. To protect themselves from possible attacks, they built a strong wooden wall. This wall, which is now destroyed, gave its name to a street in Lower Manhattan, and the street, in its turn, become a synonym of American capitalism. Of course, this street is Wall Street. Both the New York Stock Exchange and the American Stock Exchange are located in the Wall Street area, as well as many banks and offices of many large corporations. The twin towers of the World Trade Centre destroyed by terrorists on the 11^th of September, 2002 were also here. Their height was 1350 feet, and on the 107^th floor of one of the towers there was an observation desk.

Midtown Many of New York offices and jobs are concentrated in Midtown, as well as many of its famous skyscrapers.

The first skyscraper in New York was built in 1902. It was twenty storeys high. The first building boom for skyscrapers came in the late 1920’s. These skyscrapers were built in art deco style and were abundantly and richly decorated. The most beautiful and famous of the art deco skyscrapers of than type there are the Chrysler Building and the Empire State Building, the third highest building in the world.

The State Empire Building has become a symbol of New York. It was designed by the internationally famous firm of architects and completed in 1931.

The exterior of the world’s most famous building is made of Indiana limestone and granite trimmed with millions of sparkling stainless steel which reach from the sixth floor to the pinnacle of the building. The Empire State Building soars more than a quarter of a mile into the atmosphere above the heart of Manhattan. Centrally located in the heart of Manhattan, it presents unprecedented views to all four sides.

The upper 30 floors of the Empire State Building are illuminated nightly from sunset to midnight either in white or an appropriate colour scheme commemorating special events.

There are two observatories, one on the 86^th and one on the 102^nd floor. The 86^th floor observatory, 1050 feet (320 m); reached by high speed elevators, has both a glass-enclosed area, which is heated in winter and cooled in summer, and spacious outdoors promenades an all flour sides of the building. Standing on the 102^nd floor – 1,250 feet (381 m) above the bustling streets below, visitors can see the surrounding countryside for distance up to 80 miles. Over 3,5 million visitors come to the top of the Empire State Building every year.

In 1955 the American Society of Civil Engineers honored the Empire State Building as one of the Seven Modern Wonders of the Western Hemisphere.

Rockefeller Centre, which was built in the 1930’s, is the world’s largest privately owned business and entertainment centre. Today it consists of nineteen buildings, which include offices, shops, and various places of entertainment. In the 1950’s there was a second building boom, which introduced a new style – buildings of steel and glass. The United Nations Secretariat building was the first steel-and-glass skyscraper.

Times Square got its name from the New York Times, the most popular newspaper in America, which has its main office there.

Central Park. Practically the whole of the Manhattan area is a sea of concrete. Luckily for New Yorkers, there is one exception: Central Park. The huge park in the middle of the city was designed in the 1850’s by the landscape architect Frederic Law Olmsted.

Answer the questions to the text

1. Who were the first Europeans to settle in Manhattan?

2. Why is Wall Street called Wall Street?

3. Why is Wall Street a synonym of American capitalism?

4. When was the first skyscraper built in New York?

5. What style were the first skyscrapers built in?

6. What is Rockefeller Centre?

7. Explain the name “Times Square”.

8. When was Central Park opened? What architect designed it?