Manhattan
Manhattan is divided into the East Side and the West Side,and also divided with less ex-
actness, into Lower (Downtown), Midtown, and Upper (Uptown) Manhattan. As you go
north, or uptown, the street numbers get higher. The sub- way system confuses even some
longtime New Yorkers. Hurried pace of life.
Financial district
The Dutch were the first Europeans to settle Manhattan. They built Wall Street to protect
themselves , became synonymous with American capitalism. The New York Stock
Exchange and the American Stock Exchange are both in the Wall Street area. To escape
the commotion of Wall Street, you can visit the nearby South Street Seaport. The seaport
is an open area of low buildings on the East River. Long ago, this area used to be in the
East River. The twin towers of the World Trade Center rise 1,350 feet above the city.
There's an observation deck on the 107th floor of one of the towers. the Dutch bought
Manhattan from the Indians.
What divides the Upper East Side from the Upper West Side?
The Lower East Side
T he Lower East Side as originally an elegant neighborhood.
President George Washington lived on the Lower East Side
1800s the Lower East Side had changed greatly: Old Brew- ery had two wings,
Murderers' Al-ley ,Den of Thieves.
1800s the Lower East Side had become an area in which im- migrants settled:
Irish, Eastern Europe.
1880s was greater than that of Bombay, India.
+ Working six or seven days a week:four dollars .
Life on the Lower East Side also had its pleasures, though, especially food:egg
cream,herring, sour pickles, and "knishes"...
Jews have moved elsewhere, and the Lower East Side has be- come Puerto Ricans
and other Hispanics.
Italians settled Little Italy at the same time that Jews settled the Lower East Side.
Only immigrant community in Manhattan that's still growing
Greenwich Village and the East Village
Greenwich Village and the East Village have always been at the center of New
York's ex- citement
- Greenwich Village, more often called "the Village"
This charm attracted bohemians writers and artists to the Village in the early 1900s
-The rents were cheap, and the artists,
-1920s curious to see how these odd Villagers lived
-Today, rents in the Village are far from cheap
-Village has many elements students attending New York University; an active jazz
scene...
The gay community is an especially im- portant part of Village life
1920s they found an area similar to the Lower East Side
The East Village has changed the Fast Village has been a center for many
movements for the beat poets of the 1950s.
Midtown Manhhatan
1. Midtown Manhattan: A major business hub in New York, home to many offices,
jobs, and skyscrapers.
2. Flatiron Building (buit in1902): New York's first skyscraper, standing 20 stories tall
and towered over the other buildings of its time.
3. 1920s Skyscraper Boom
- Featured Art Deco style: highly decorated and elaborate.
- Built during the Great Depression.
- The most beautiful and famous skyscrapers:
+ Chrysler Building (you can admire it from many different points in the city)
+ Empire State Building (a symbol of New York, the third tallest building in the
world, connected to real and fictional history).
4. Rockefeller Center (built in1930s)
- The world's largest privately owned business and entertainment center with 19
buildings.
- Highlights include the RCA Building and Radio City Music Hall (its bathroom murals
are now in the Museum of Modern Art).
5. 1950s Skyscraper Boom
- Featuring a new style: United Nations Secretariat Building (the first glass curtain wall
skyscraper)
Seagram Building with its metal and its smoky glass -->This style became widespread
6. Shopping in Midtown
- Luxury stores on Fifth Avenue: the world's most expensive (Cartier, Gucci, Tiffany’s)
- Department stores: Have more realistic prices.
+ Macy's, on the West Side, is the world's largest store
+ Bloomingdale's, on the East Side
The Theater District
Times Square is a place of extreme contrasts, with elegant theaters alongside
adult shows and shops.
Safety Precautions: Visitors should hold onto their belongings, avoid carrying
wallets in back pockets, and stay in busy areas.
The New York Times: The area is named after the newspaper, known for being
one of the best in the country, while other New York papers focus on sensational
headlines.
Theater District: The area around Broadway is home to many famous Broadway
theaters, with performances often beginning in other cities before coming to
Broadway.
Off-Broadway & Off-Off-Broadway: These theaters, mostly in the Village and
East Village, offer more experimental plays with a wider range of topics,
sometimes involving audience participation.
Ticket Prices: Broadway tickets can be expensive, but half-price tickets are
available at the TKTS booth in Times Square.
Backstage Tours: You can also take backstage tours led by stage managers,
directors, and actors.
Why do some people find Off-Off-Broadway plays more interesting than
Broadway plays?
Central Park
- Central Park, located in Manhattan, was designed in the 1850s by landscape
architect Frederick Law Olmsted as a rural paradise for people of all backgrounds
- “rich and poor, young and old.”
- It offers various attractions such as gardens, a zoo, a skating rink, a carousel, a
lake for rowing, and an outdoor theater. Visitors can also explore the park by
horse-drawn carriage or bicycle.
* East Side
- The park opened in 1876, attracting wealthy residents who built mansions along
Fifth Avenue, such as Vanderbilts (a wealthy family once owned over 10 mansions
on Fifth Avenue).
- Remaining mansions house art collections, including the Frick Collection
( displayed in what was once the millionaire's home Clay Frick ).
- The “Museum Mile” along Fifth Avenue includes institutions like the
Metropolitan Museum of Art, one of the most significant art museums in the U.S.
*West Side
- The West Side features apartment buildings like The Dakota, a place that
attracted many people to stay, including celebrities such as actress Lauren Bacall
and conductor/composer Leonard Bernstein. But most of all the building makes
people think of John Lennon, who was tragically killed outside on December 8,
1980.
Harlem
- In the 1900s, new housing in Harlem became vacant until a black man came up
with an idea with the building owner to rent it to black people living in shabby
places in the city center. Later Harlem became a largely black neighborhood.
- News spread that black people in Harlem had many rights, which attracted many
black people to Harlem from the southern United States and even from the
Caribbean islands.
- The 1920s were a golden age for arts in Harlem, featuring renowned musicians
like Duke Ellington and writers like Langston Hughes, who celebrated Black
experiences.
- Harlem was known for its vibrant nightlife, with clubs like the Cotton Club
( which ironically excluded Black patrons ) and the local parties in Harlem, where
the food is delicious and the music is probably better than anywhere else because
famous artists come to play all night and “challenge” each other.
