Its all about ships and more
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CRUISING TO
NEW YORK,
NEW YORK
(USA)
OVERVIEW
Above: Sunrise on a summer's day over the still quiet
city.
Below: The sky erupts into color during a winter time
sailing.
The "Canyons of Manhattan" are created by the tall buildings that line areas of Midtown and Downtown. Above left: The towers of
Sixth Avenue at Rockefeller Center. Above right: The Lever Building, one of the first international style skyscrapers.
However, New York is not just about corporations and finance. It is a center for art (e.g. Urs Fischer's giant teddy bear, temporarily
installed on Park Avenue and Jean Dubuffet's "Four Trees" a fixture at Chase Plaza, below left); for sports (e.g. Madison Square
Garden below middle); education (e.g., Parsons School of Design); and fashion and retailing (e.g. Versace on Fifth Avenue).
Cruise destination guide - - photo tour - - New York, New York (USA) - - home page
CONTENTS
New York has become one of the busiest cruise ports in North
America. In the 19th Century and the first half of the 20th Century, it
handled a great amount of passenger traffic as the primary western
terminus for Atlantic crossings. After the ocean liner era passed, there
was a period when relatively few passenger ships visited the city.
However, as the cruise lines expanded out of the Caribbean and
developed the strategy of basing ships closer to where passengers live,
the number of ships has grown.
Today, there are cruise ships sailing year round from New York as well
as ships that are based in New York for several months each year. In
addition, New York is a port of call for yet more cruise ships.
New York City is the most populous city in the United States with a
population of 8 million people. However, that is only part of the story
as the adjoining densely populated areas of New Jersey, Long Island
and the New York State mainland are economically and culturally
intertwined with New York City.
Politically, the city consists of five boroughs - - Manhattan, Brooklyn,
Queens, Staten Island and the Bronx. This guide focuses primarily on
Manhattan because that is where most of the attractions that visitors
think of when they think of New York are located. There are
attractions in the other four boroughs and in the adjoining suburbs but
because they are not as concentrated as in Manhattan, they are not as
easy for cruise passengers to visit during a port call or during a short
visit before or after a cruise.
Because it has a very diverse population, many languages are spoken in
New York. However, the common language is English. The U.S.
dollar is the official currency. And other currencies are not accepted.
However, major credit cards are widely accepted.
Visitors sometimes find the pace of life in New York to be intimidating.
Every one moves quite quickly, whether a foot or in a vehicle. This is
just part of the culture. It is part of the excitement of life in New York.