Statue of Liberty 5/20/12

Summary: The statue of liberty is a statue that was first dedicated to America on October 28, 1886 by France as a gift. The statue is of a woman wearing a robe, and it represents Libertas, the roman goddess of freedom. The statue holds a torch in one hand and a book in her other hand, which has the date of the American Revolution written on it, which is July 4, 1776. The statue also has a broken chain laying at her feet. The statue has become an icon of freedom and of the United States. The statute is located on Liberty Island, which is a small island in New York Harbor in New York City. the statue is 151 and one foot feet tall and is known around the world as a major symbol of New York City.


Analysis: The statue was given to the United States by France to recognize the friendship that was established between the two countries during the rough times of the American Revolution.  The statue was designed and sculpted by Sculptor Frederic-Auguste Bartholdiof of France. Because of the statue's old age of 125 years, the statue has frequently been restored over the years to ensure that the statue is in good shape for many years in the future, and currently access to the interior part of the statue is limited due to planned improvements that are going to be made to the interior. During all season of the year, tourists come from all over the world to visit the statue of liberty and Ellis Island which can both be reached by taking a ferry.


Reflection Question: Why was the statue of liberty given as a gift to America?

"The statue of liberty history." thestatueofliberty.com. Evelyn Hill Inc., 2012. Web. 20 May 2012. <http://thestatueofliberty.com/liberty_island.html>.

holiday celebrations in nyc 5/13

Summary: There are numerous holidays that are annually celebrated in New York City. Many of these holiday celebrations in the city are displayed on TV, so people living all around the United States can experience the holiday celebrations from their own homes. Many of these famous American holidays are celebrated by extravagant parades, with hundreds of immensely large parade floats, many of popular classic cartoon characters from American TV shows or movies, such as Micky Mouse, Charlie Brown, and the Simpsons. Other floats can hold multiple people, who dance in whimsical costumes, or floats can display well known celebrities.

Analysis: Some holidays that are annually celebrated by immense parades in New York City are Thanksgiving and Saint Patrick's Day. Holidays can also be celebrated in other ways besides parades. For example, the tradition for New Year's Eve in the city is thousands of people gather in Rockefeller Center, where many celebrities perform in front of an innumerable number of people and anticipate the moment that the infamous New Years Eve ball drops from the sky. New york City is known around America for its lavish holiday celebrations and many people around the country will continue to visit the city during these holidays or just enjoy the celebrations from their own homes by watching TV.

Reflection Question: How are many famous holidays celebrated in New York City?

Cross, Heather. "New Year's Ball Drop in New Years Eve." www.about.com. www.about.com, 2011. Web. 13 May 2012. <http://gonyc.about.com/od/newyearseve/a/nye_ball_drop.htm>.

Central Park 5/6

Summary: Central Park is one of the most prominent parks in the United States. The public park is located by the center of Manhattan in New york city. The park is very well known around the world, and serves as a symbol of New York City. It is one of the most famous aspects of the city, along with the empire state building and statue of liberty. Central Park first opened in 1857, and in 1858 the park was improved and expanded by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, this plan to expand the park being called the Greensward Plan. The park is very popular among tourists, receiving approximately thirty five million visitors annually and Central Park is also the most visited urban park in the United States. When it was initially opened, it was 770 acres of land and was later expanded to 843 acres.

Analysis: Central Park is also well known to tourists as a park of breathtaking beauty, with its multiple ponds, lakes, plants and large rocks. The park also obtains the Central Park Zoo, a wildlife sanctuary, two ice skating rinks for the winter, the central Park Conservatory Garden and more factors that significantly appeal to tourists. Many people enjoy the park because its a place for many activities, including jogging, skateboarding, bicycling, and numerous sports. Multiple residents of New york city and tourists really enjoy Central Park and will continue to be amazed by it and enjoy it.

Reflection Question: When did Central Park first open?

"Central Park:the heart of the island at the center of the world." centralpark.org. N.p., 2012. Web. 13 May 2012. <http://centralpark.org/index.php/about-2/>.

Cuisine in NYC 4/29

Summary: New York City is very well known around America for having unique cuisine. The city's food originates from multiple cultures from around the world. Various parts of New York City are known for selling food from different cultures. The 5 boroughs of New York(Brooklyn, The Bronx, Queens, Manhattan and Staten Island) have a myriad of food from diverse cultures.  For example, in Manhattan, Chinatown mostly sells Chinese and Vietnamese food,  while the upper east side is known for its German, Czech, and Hungarian food.  In Brooklyn, food from nearly every country or heritage can be found, including Arabic, Irish, Italian, Kosher, Russian, South American, and many more. The restaurant food in New York is not only very appealing to tourists and residents, but the street food also is known to attract many people. From ice cream to hot dogs, to large pretzels, everybody can enjoy new york's street food.


Analysis: New York City's five boroughs are all well known for their authentic cuisine, orginating from countries all over the world. The city is very famous for its five star restaurants that poeple from all over the world come to visit. The city is also famous for its street vendors who sell every kind of snack imaginable. Many foods are also believed to hav been invented in New York City, such as the black and white cookie, the ice cream cone, penne alla vodka and more.


Reflection Question: What kind of foods can be found in New York City?

Street Food - New York - June28 Part 1 . YouTube, Film. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?

CULTURE 4/22

Summary: One aspect of New York City making it so excitable and fascinating to tourists is the city's large population of people originating from foreign countries. Many factors of New York are influenced by other cultures, like the city's unique food, exotic fashion, and entertainment. New York is influenced by countries from all over the world, the city commonly being known as a place of cultural diversity. Numerous foreigners commonly from Italy, China, Russia, Ireland and India have moved to New York over the past two centuries and have significantly impacted the area's atmosphere positively. Throughout parts of the 1800s and 1900s, an innumerable amount of people traveled by sea to Ellis Island in New York where they were examined for sicknesses, and majority were eventually welcomed to live freely in the United States, which is why New York City is known for its diversity.
Analysis: Some areas in New York City are known for their large population of people originating from foreign countries. Areas like China Town, Little Italy and Brighton Beach are home to large populations of  people from Italy, China and Russia and have been drastically altered by the arrival of foreigners. In these areas, there is a myraid of various shops and restaurants that exhibit the unique tastes of these various countries, which tourists from all around the world come to experience during all months of the year.
Reflection Question: What are some areas in New York City that are known for have large populations of foreigners?

Rider, Nate. "Culture in New York City." HubPages. Hub Pages, n.d. Web. 22 Apr 2012. <http://naterider.hubpages.com/hub/New-York-City-culture>.

9/11- 4/15

SUMMARY: September 11th 2001, most commonly known as the events of 9/11, was a day of catastrophe that shocked and devastated America and many other countries around the world. With  approximately 3,000 people killed that fateful day, September 11th will always be remembered, and America will continue to be very cautious to try to prevent these horrible events from occurring again in the future. On 9/11, There was a series of four attacks on the United States, that were previously planned by nineteen terrorists from the Islamic group Al-Qaeda. These attacks were planned to hit New York City and Washington D.C. Four planes, American Airlines Flight 11, United Airlines Flight 175, and American Airlines Flight 77, and United Airlines flight 93,were hijacked by some of the terrorists, and two of them were intentionally flown into the twin towers in New York City and both towers fell down within about two hours. Another plane crashed into the Pentagon in Virginia, and the fourth plane was supposed to hit Washington D.C., but crashed into a field in Pennsylvania.

Analysis: Initially, Americans were unaware of who had committed these atrocious acts, but many were suspicious of the Islamic group, Al-Qaeda. The group of terrorists quickly denied their involvement in the attacks of 9/11, but eventually in 2004, the terrorist group's leader Osama Bin Laden confessed that he was responsible for the events of September 11th. There was a very large amount of damage done to the areas affected, especially around New York City. 

Reflection Question: What areas in America were impacted by the events of September 11th.

Falk, Richard. "9/11:More Than Meets The Eye." http://www.journal-online.co.uk. (2008): n. page. 0. <http://www.journal-online.co.uk/article/5056-911-more-than-meets-the-eye>.

TOURISM 4/8

SUMMARY: New York City is one of the most toured cities in the world, and the most visited city in America. This city is incomparable to other cities in America in the amount of people who tour during the year. Nowhere in the country can you find varied cultural attractions that are as entertaining and interesting like New York. There are numerous diverse attractions that tourists can visit in this city year round, all that have been around for multiple years, but still continue to excite and engage people and gain a large sum of money year round. New York has approximately 100 museums, ranging from ancient art museums, to immigration museums, and even to wax museums, like the madame Tussauds Wax Museum. Among its 100 museums are the Museum of Modern Art, the American Museum of Natural History, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Whitney Museum of American Art and the Guggenheim Museum, all very differing from each other. New York is an exceptional city that will always be very popular among tourists from around the world. 
 ANALYSIS: New York is very well known around the world as a very interesting and engaging place to visit. New York has a myraid of aspects that make it so loved by millions of people. From the city's amazing and unique art and history museums that people of any age can enjoy, to its breathtaking views from central park, or its beautiful atmosphere, the city is appealing to countless tourists. The city also is very captivating at nighttime. From Times Square, to the famous Broadway shows, or the ctiy's dance clubs and blues clubs, this city is like no other.
REFLECTION QUESTION: What are some factors of New York City that make it so appealing to people visiting from all around the world?
. "New York,New York." http://www.citytowninfo.com/places/new-york/new-york. citytowninfo.com, n.d. Web. 8 Apr 2012. < http://www.citytowninfo.com/places/new-york/new-york>.