Welcome to New York City

WELCOME TO NEW YORK CITY

THE BIG APPLE

WELCOME TO THE GREATEST CITY ON EARTH! BEFORE WE BEGIN OUR TOUR, CLICK BELOW TO MEET YOUR TOUR GUIDES.  ANY TIME YOU NEED THEM DURING YOUR VISIT, JUST CLICK AND THEY WILL BE ABLE TO HELP YOU.

WE LIVE IN THE "COUNTRY" OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.  THE UNITED STATES HAS 50 "STATES."  ONE OF THE STATES IS NEW YORK STATE.  NEW YORK STATE HAS MANY "CITIES".  NEW YORK CITY IS ONE OF THOSE CITIES.

DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM?  I AM THE "MAYOR" OF NEW YORK CITY.  A MAYOR IS A LEADER OF A CITY.  I MAKE DECISIONS ABOUT IMPORTANT THINGS GOING ON IN OUR GREAT CITY.  I WORK WITH A GROUP OF PEOPLE CALLED THE CITY COUNCIL TO MAKE THESE DECISIONS.  ONE OF THE THINGS I MAKE DECISIONS ABOUT IS THE SCHOOLS, INCLUDING P.S. 113.  I ALSO AM IN CHARGE OF THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, AND THE SANITATION DEPARTMENT.

IT MAY NOT LOOK LIKE IT ON A MAP, BUT NEW YORK CITY IS ONE OF THE LARGEST CITIES IN THE WORLD IN POPULATION.  THERE ARE OVER 8 MILLION PEOPLE LIVING IN OUR CITY.

BECAUSE THERE ARE SO MANY PEOPLE, NEW YORK CITY IS DIVIDED INTO 5 DIFFERENT PIECES CALLED "BOROUGHS."  THE BOROUGHS ARE 1. MANHATTAN, 2.BROOKLYN, 3. QUEENS, 4. THE BRONX, AND 5.STATEN ISLAND. 

IF YOU LOOK AT THE MAP ABOVE, YOU CAN SEE THAT QUEENS IS THE LARGEST BOROUGH IN SIZE.  BROOKLYN, HOWEVER, HAS A BIT OF A LARGER POPULATION.  MANHATTAN IS THE SMALLEST BOROUGH IN SIZE, BUT IT HAS THE THIRD LARGEST POPULATION AND MANY MORE PEOPLE COME TO MANHATTAN EVERY DAY TO WORK. 

WHEN PEOPLE ALL OVER THE WORLD THINK ABOUT NEW YORK CITY, MOST OF THEM ARE THINKING ABOUT MANHATTAN.   MANHATTAN IS ONE OF THE MOST POPLULAR PLACES IN ALL OF THE WORLD TO VISIT. 

MANHATTAN IS AN EXCITING PLACE TO LIVE, WORK, PLAY, AND VISIT.  MILLIONS OF PEOPLE LIVE THERE IN LARGE APARTMENT HOUSES.  THERE ARE VERY TALL BUILDINGS CALLED "SKYSCRAPERS" WHERE MILLIONS OF PEOPLE COME EVERY DAY TO WORK.  THERE ARE MANY RESTAURANTS, THEATERS, AND STORES.  VISITORS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD COME HERE TO SEE MANY OF THE FAMOUS "LANDMARKS" CONTAINED HERE INCLUDING:

CENTRAL PARK - IS TWO AND A HALF MILES LONG AND A PLACE WHERE PEOPLE RUN, WALK, SKATE, BICYCLE RIDE, TAKE A HORSE AND CARRIAGE RIDE, PLAY BASEBALL, SOCCER, TENNIS, AND ICE SKATE AND VISIT THE ANIMALS IN THE ZOO.

MADISON SQUARE GARDEN - HOME OF THE BASKETBALL TEAM THE NEW YORK KNICKS AND THE HOCKEY TEAM, THE NEW YORK RANGERS.

ROCKEFELLER CENTER - INCLUDES RADIO CITY MUSIC HALL WHERE ALMOST 6,000 PEOPLE CAN WATCH A SHOW AND WHERE THE WORLD FAMOUS ROCKETTES PERFORM, AN ICE SKATING RINK AND ONE OF THE WORLD'S LARGEST CHRISTMAS TREES.

THE EMPIRE STATE BUILDING - IS 102 STORIES TALL.  VISITORS CLIMB UP TO THE OBSERVATION DECK AND ON A CLEAR DAY CAN SEE UP TO SIX MILES IN ANY DIRECTION.

CHINATOWN - FILLED WITH MANY RESTAURANTS, STORES AND FRUIT CARTS THAT SELL MANY TYPES OF CHINESE FOOD AND ITEMS.  MANY OF THE SIGNS ARE IN CHINESE AND SOME OF THE ROOFS AND TELEPHONE BOOTHS ARE IN THE SHAPE OF A PAGODA.

WELCOME TO BROOKLYN! THAT BRIDGE WE JUST TRAVELED OVER IS THE WORLD FAMOUS BROOKLYN BRIDGE.  IT OPENED IN 1883 AND IS STILL IN USE TODAY, CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT? THIS BRIDGE IS 1,600 FEET LONG AND CONNECTS MANHATTAN TO BROOKLYN. 

BROOKLYN'S POPULATION IS ABOUT TWO AND A HALF MILLION PEOPLE.  THAT IS MORE THAN MOST CITIES IN THE UNITED STATES!

HERE IN BROOKLYN WE WILL GET TO SEE:

CONEY ISLAND - IS THE HOME OF THE HISTORIC CYCLONE ROLLER CAOSTER WHICH IS OVER 30 YEARS OLD.  HERE YOU WILL ALSO FIND A BOARDWALK WITH MANY GAMES AND AN ARCADE, A SKATING RINK IN THE WINTER MONTHS, AND THE MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL TEAM, THE BROOKLYN CYCLONES. 

NEW YORK AQUARIUM - ALSO LOCATED ON THE BOARDWALK, WE CAN SEE MAMMALS SUCH AS WALRUSES, OTTERS,  AND SEA LIONS, BIRDS, FISH AND REPTILES AND AMPHIBIANS SUCH AS SEA TURTLES AND FROGS.

STATEN ISLAND IS ACTUALLY AN ISLAND.  IT IS LOCATED TO THE SOUTHWEST OF BROOKLYN.  YOU CAN DRIVE FROM BROOKLYN OVER THE VERRAZANO-NARROWS BRIDGE.  THERE ARE ALSO 3 BRIDGES THAT CONNECT STATEN ISLAND TO ANOTHER STATE, NEW JERSEY, WHICH IS TO THE EAST OF STATEN ISLAND.  BY FAR, THE MOST FUN WAY TO GET THERE, HOWEVER, IS THE STATEN ISLAND FERRY.  THE FERRY RUNS FROM MANHATTAN TO STATEN ISLAND.  AS YOU RIDE THE FERRY, YOU WILL SEE ELLIS ISLAND AND THE STATUE OF LIBERTY.  

WHEN WE GET OFF THE FERRY, WE WILL LAND AT ST. GEORGE TERMINAL.  FROM THERE, LET'S HEAD TO HISTORIC RICHMOND TOWN WHICH IS A LIVING MUSEUM.  WE CAN SEE HOW PEOPLE LIVED  HUNDREDS OF YEARS AGO.  PEOPLE HERE DRESS LIKE THEY DID IN THE PAST, LIVE IN HOUSES FROM THE PAST AND EAT, WORK, AND PLAY JUST LIKE THEY DID A LONG TIME AGO.  AFTER THAT, WE'LL LOOK AT THE BEAUTIFUL FLOWERS AND TREES AT THE SNUG HARBOR CULTURAL CENTER. HERE WE WILL ALSO VISIT THE STATEN ISLAND CHILDREN'S MUSEUM WHERE WE CAN EXPLORE A PIRATE SHIP, SEE MANY INSECTS, BIRDS AND FISH, EXPLORE THE CANOPY OF A TAIN FOREST, PRETEND WE ARE A FIREFIGHTER, AND PERFORM IN A SHORT PLAY.  BEFORE WE LEAVE, WE WILL CATCH A BASEBALL GAME FROM THE MINOR LEAGUE TEAM, THE STATEN ISLAND YANKEES.

THE BRONX IS THE FURTHEST NORTH OF ALL OF THE BOROUGHS.  IT GOT IT'S NAME FROM BRONCK'S FARMS, A LARGE FARM OWNED BY AN EARLY DUTCH SETTLER.  THE BRONX IS KNOWN FOR MANY THINGS, INCLUDING THE BIRTHPLACE OF HIP HOP AND THE HOME OF THE NEW YORK YANKEES.

YANKEE STADIUM - FOR ALL OF OUR YANKEE FANS, WE WILL STOP HERE FIRST.  THIS STADIUM IS BRAND NEW, IT OPENED IN 2009.  OVER 50,000 PEOPLE CAN SIT IN THE STADIUM.  TO HIT A HOMERUN OVER THE CENTERFIELD WALL, YOU WOULD HAVE TO HIT THE BALL OVER 408 FEET.

THE BRONX ZOO - ONE OF THE WORLD'S LARGEST ZOOS IS LOCATED HERE IN NEW YORK CITY.  THE ZOO CONTAINS MORE THAN 600 DIFFERENT TYPES OF ANIMALS AND HAS MANY EXCITING EXHIBITS SUCH AS THE CONGO GORILLA FOREST, TIGER MOUNTAIN, WILD ASIA MONORAIL, AND THE NEWEST ONE, MADAGASCAR. 

HOME SWEET HOME! WELCOME BACK TO QUEENS.  BUT DON'T GET TOO COMFORTABLE YET.  WE ARE GOING TO TOUR OUR OWN BOROUGH.  WHY YOU ASK?  QUEENS IS THE LARGEST BOROUGH IN SIZE AND THE SECOND LARGEST IN POPULATION.  BESIDES OUR HOME AND SCHOOL, THERE ARE MANY THINGS TO DO AND SEE HERE.

FLUSHING MEADOWS PARK - LIKE SOME OF THE OTHER PARKS WE READ ABOUT, THERE IS ICE SKATING, BASEBALL FIELDS, RUNNING, SKATING, BICYCLE PATHS.  IT IS ALSO THE LOCATION OF THE WORLD'S FAIR IN THE 1960'S.  HAVE YOU EVER SEEN THAT LARGE GLOBE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE PARK?

THE HALL OF SCIENCE - NEW YORK'S CITY'S LARGEST INTERACTIVE SCIENCE MUSEUM.  UNLIKE OTHER MUSEUMS, HERE YOU CAN TOUCH, TRY, AND EVEN RIDE SOME EXHIBITS.  IT ALSO HAS A LARGE PLAYGROUND WITH A GIGANTIC SEE SAW, SIMPLE WATER MACHINES, AND A GIANT CLIMBING NET.

CITIFIELD - THE NEW HOME OF THE NEW YORK METS.  THEIR PREVIOUS FIELD WAS CALLED SHEA STADIUM.  THE FIELD IS LOCATED BY FLUSHING MEADOWS AND YOU CAN GET THERE BY CAR OR THE ELEVATED NUMBER 7 TRAIN.  ON THE OTHER SIDE OF ROOSEVELT AVENUE IS THE HOME OF THE US OPEN TENNIS TOURNAMENT.

AIRPORTS - NEW YORK CITY'S TWO MAJOR AIRPORTS ARE LOCATED IN QUEENS: 1. JFK INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT AND LAGUARDIA AIRPORT. 

BRIDGES - THERE ARE MANY BRIDGES THAT CONNECT QUEENS WITH THE REST OF NEW YORK CITY.  THESE BRIDGES INCLUDE THE QUEENSBORO BRIDGE AND THE WHITESTONE BRIDGE. 

EXCEPT AS OTHERWISE STATED, ALL PICTURES ARE FROM FREEPHOTO.COM

AND THE CLIPART IS FROM http://www.amphi.com/teachers/psteffens/web.html