A Day in Manhattan

Today we went to see some sights in Manhattan. Manhattan is the part that most people think of when they think about New York City. It has lots and lots of really tall buildings called sky scrapers. Here is a map of Manhattan. This one shows the buildings called the Twin Towers. They aren't there anymore, but there is another tower there now. I like this map, though, because it shows the big buildings.

I labeled some of the places on this map. Can you find the Brooklyn Bridge that we visited in my last post? Manhattan is an island so there are lots of bridges.

First we went to Central Park. It was cold, so we didn't go explore too much. Aunt Beverly and Uncle Josh said that it is really pretty in the summer time when all the trees have their leaves. It is a big park with lot of different things in it. There are paths to walk on, gardens, meadows and even a zoo! Can you find Central Park on this map? It is near the top. 

This is called the Maine Monument and is at the main entrance to the park at a part called Merchant's Gate. A merchant is a person who sells things.

After Central Park we went to see Columbus Circle. This is right next to Central Park. It is named after Christopher Columbus. 

Can you see the statue of Columbus?

Here is another picture that I found online. It shows Columbus Circle and the Merchant's Gate in Central Park in the summer time. 

This picture is taken from inside one of the glass buildings. (That's what the squares are from.) Can you see why this area is called a circle?

From Columbus Circle we headed south to the part of Manhattan called Midtown. It is called that because it is in the middle of Manhattan. Here we found the main building for the New York City Public Library. Maybe you have seen it on TV. It is very famous. They first started building it in 1902 and opened in 1911. It is very old, isn't it?

Inside they have many one of a kind books and areas to read and learn new things. It is very pretty inside. Here are two pictures that I found online. 

At the entrance to the library there are two lion statues. Their names are Patience and Fortitude. I knew that patience means waiting for something without complaining, but I had to ask what fortitude meant. Aunt Beverly told me that it is when a person has inner strength when they face hard times. I like those names. 

Here I am with one of the lions!

After the library we went further south to a part of Manhattan called Herald Square. It was named after a newspaper that used to be here called The New York Herald. I got to see the big Macy's store. This store opened in 1902. That means it is 110 years old! You have probably seen it when you watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on TV. It is a big store!

Here is a picture that I found online of Herald Square a long time ago. This was taken in 1907. They didn't have color pictures back then. Just look at all those old fashioned clothes!

(If you click on the picture it will get bigger.)

Nearby Herald Square is the Empire State Building. Did you know that New York is called the Empire State? That is where the building got it's name. They started building it in 1929 and finished in 1931. It is very tall. It has 102 stories! It is 1,454 ft high counting the antenna (the long skinny part) on top. It was the tallest building in world for 40 years!

Manhattan is a big part of New York City and there is a lot to see. Today it was starting to get cloudy like it might rain and we were getting tired, so we went home. We will be going back to Manhattan again soon to see more sights! I can't wait!