Greetings, my friends, and welcome to New York!
The Big Apple, uptown and down, is a vast melting pot of cultures, hopes, and dreams. The city has an amazingly rich and interesting past, and a present full of exciting opportunities for all.
Looking at New York City today, it is difficult to imagine the area as it once was - covered in a lush forest full of animal life. When Giovanni Verrazano first sailed into New York Harbor in 1524, the island of Manhattan was called Manna-hata by the Native Americans who used it as a hunting and fishing ground. When the dutch West India Company settled in the area in 1652, it became known as New Amsterdam. Later, under British rule, it was called New York, and the name stuck.
As millions of hopeful immigrants arrived, and technology advanced, the city continued to grow upward and outward. Today it is a cultural, financial, and educational center which millions of New Yorkers call home.
Come, let's explore the Big Apple, the "city that never sleeps," and take a journey around New York City.
