23 DEC 2020 · You are now standing in front of the largest and most famous museums of Manhattan.  The museum occupies 4 city blocks and is completely devoted to the evolution of life on Earth.  Incidentally, it was precisely in this museum of Natural History that the hero of the film "Night at the Museum" worked.  If you have seen the film then you are already acquainted with some of the exhibits of the museum.  The museum has been located in this building since 1874.  The exhibits of the museum are divided into separate sections depending on the sphere of natural science.  It is impossible to see all of the museum at one time.  The museum is maximally interactive so that it is possible not only to see the exhibits but to touch and hear them.The definite pearl of the museum is the library consisting of the largest collection of material on natural sciences.  The collection of books alone today numbers more than 450,000 volumes, but in addition there are illustrations, films, photographs and memorial objects.The gigantic collection of dinosaurs, mammoths, alligators and anthropomorphs attract particular attention.  A female brontosaurus standing on its hind legs at full height - more than 17 meters - in order to defend her child, is an unforgettable sight.  In the gallery on the life of the ocean and the biology of fish, you will most likely pay particular attention to the blue whale, with a length of 29 meters.It is also possible in the museum to see desiccated scalps, the miniature of an ancient eastern city, and an African hut in its natural state.  And would you like to know how much you would weigh on various planets?  There are special scales in the museum for this.  The collection in the gallery of Precious Stones includes more than 100,000 examples.  The most valuable of these are the extremely rare emerald - the 632 carat Patricia emerald -  and the stellar shaped sapphire, the Star of India.  It will also be worth while seeing the Lotus Flower Sapphire from Sri Lanka because of its rare orange color. One more important place of interest in the museum is its planetarium.  Visiting the planetarium you will be able to be taken to the beginning of time and the cosmos at the Big Bang.  On the lower level of the museum is a large cafe with very tasty food.  Thematic desserts are sold in the cafe - for instance, you can try a multi- layered parfait with marmalade worms.  You will not only enjoy the desert but learn about the strata of the soil.Photo noname by Steveen Manon is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

23 DEC 2020 · To our left is an elegant apartment complex.  This cooperative apartment is called "The Dakota."  It was built between 1880 and 1884 when several businessmen decided to build an elite dwelling on what was then the outskirts of the city.  Among them was the sewing machine king, Edward Clark, the owner of Singer Sewing Machine Company, who commissioned the architect.  The building was built of light yellow brick, faced with dark brown stone.  The elegance and pretentiousness of the building are striking both from the inside and the outside.  The apartment walls have a thickness of 40 cm, the ceilings are more than 4 meters high, the fireplaces are faced in marble and the ceilings are oak.  For the benefit of the residents there is a swimming pool, tennis court, covered interior court yard, convenient elevators with their own electrical generator and central heating.  One additional important feature are the delightful views of Central Park from the large French lancet windows.   And all of this in the 1880's!!Over the years it has been prestigious not only to buy an apartment in the Dakota, but also to rent one.In 1973 John Lennon and Yoko Ono bought a large apartment on the 7th floor. Neighbors could often see the couple dancing in their apartment.  John and Yoko loved to take picnics in the park with ham sandwiches and champagne.  The champagne they drank directly from the spout of the bottle, passing the bottle to each other.  Their son John was born here.  John Lennon even turned into a house-husband taking care of their child and baking bread.  The life of the young family was like a fairy-tale until December 8, 1980 when on the threshold of the Dakota where they had spent so many happy days, a misfortune which shocked the entire world occured.At 11 o'clock in the evening, John Lennon together with his wife Yoko were returning from the sound studio.  The young, talented musician had barely returned to the music world after a long period of isolation spent at home with his family.  Therefore, the two were hurrying home to their son John. At the entrance to the Dakota, Lennon was greeted by a man who earlier in the morning had asked his "idol" for an autograph, and now was waiting for him at the entrance to the building. John was not even able to turn around before 5 shots rang out.The police arrived less than 2 minutes later.  Not waiting for an ambulance, the police themselves carried the wounded musician to the nearest hospital, located some two kilometers from the site of the shooting.  But by the time Lennon reached the hospital physicians he had already lost 80% of his blood, and he could not be saved.The murderer,  25 year old Mark David Chapman,  threw down the pistol and did not even try to run from the crime scene.  He sat down on a bench not far from the Dakota and sat motionless reading  "Catcher in the Rye".  Initially pleading insanity, and then withdrawing that plea, Chapman was sentenced to prison for a term of 20 years to life with the stipulation that mental health treatment be provided.On the morning after the tragedy a large crowd had gathered in front of the home of the music idol.  Lennon's song, All You Need Is Love,  became a sort of requiem for its composer.  At Lennon's home there began to arrive innumerable letters of condolence  and on radio stations all day long songs of the famous musician were played.  News of the death of the well know music idol quickly spread throughout the world.  In England alone in the two months after the death of Lennon 2 million records of the Beatles were sold.In Central Park not far from the Dakota, Yoko Ono created a memorial,  "Strawberry Fields".  The central feature of the Strawberry Fields is a mosaic with the word -  Imagine.  Beatle fans from all over the world come here bringing flowers, guitar picks and letters for members of the Beatles.  On the day of his birth and his death members of the group perform concerts of their songs.  The nations of the UN donated sapling trees for the Strawberry Fields.Photo Dakota Apartments by Erik Drost is licensed under CC BY 2.0

23 DEC 2020 · On the left side in the direction as we are walking is the performing arts center named after President Abraham Lincoln.  This is the largest performing arts complex in the United States, consisting of approximately 30 buildings, plazas and institutions, all compactly located on a large piece of land.  All of the buildings, although designed by various architects, are built of the same material - white travertine limestone. The Metropolitan Opera, built in 1966, is the most famous and is located at the heart of the complex.  Even from the outside you will be able to see the large frescoes by Mark Chagall decorating the vestibule, the red pathway and lamps which rise to the gilded ceiling before presentations.  The auditorium can hold 4000 people.  In addition to the Metropolitan opera company, there are also performances of the American Ballet theater. To the left is located the Theater of the State of New York now called the David H. Koch Theater.  In this building are presentations of the New York Opera Company and the New York Ballet theater.  In 1964 at the time of its opening,  curtains were made for the windows of the theatre composed of 8 million tiny gold spheres, reflecting the number of residents of New York at the time.  Because of prolonged exposure to the sun the tiny spheres have now turned silver.To the right side of the Opera is the the Avery Fisher Concert Hall now re-named the David Geffen Hall.  This is the home of the oldest orchestra in New York, the New York Philharmonic.  Also here is the largest library in the world dedicated to books about performing arts.  The major Jazz site of Lincoln Center is the Franklin P. Rose Theater.  It is located in the Time Warner Center.  In Alice Tully Hall, home of the Chamber Music Society, chamber music concerts can be heard. Tours are held at Lincoln center, so you can visit all of the concert halls, without attending a performance.Photo Lincoln Center by Ralph Daily is licensed under CC BY 2.0

23 DEC 2020 · Columbus Circle is one of the major plazas of the city.  Named in honor of Christopher Columbus, the Spanish seafarer of Italian birth who opened up America to Europeans in 1492.In the very center of the circle rises a monument to the famous Genoese sailor, erected in 1892 for the 400th anniversary of Columbus' arrival in the New World.  The monument is the 21 meter granite rostral column on the top of which is a marble statue of Christopher Columbus.  100 years later for the 500th anniversary the monument was restored with a circular plaza and attractive fountains.At the entrance to Central Park where we returned from the opposite side is located another famous monument - the USS Maine National Monument - dedicated to the sailors of the battleship USS Maine blown up and sunk in 1898 in Havana Harbor with the death of 266 sailors.  The sinking of the Maine precipitated the Spanish american War.On a large pedestal is a golden triumphal chariot with three sea horses driven by Columbia, symbolizing dominion of the seas.  It is believed that the bronze figures were forged from the weapons of the sunken ship.  Below on each side,  the monument is surrounded by allegorical figures representing the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, war and victory, peace, courage, perseverance and justice.At Columbus Circle there is a point called the zero kilometer point from which all distances in New York are calculated.The world famous sky-scraper Time Warner Center is at the edge of Columbus Circle. In this building the staff offices of CNN and the International Trump Hotel are located.  In front of the hotel there is a large stainless steel globe which can be seen from quite a distance.Photo Flying above Columbus Circle New York City by Anthony Quintano is licensed under CC BY 2.0

23 DEC 2020 · Times Square, where you are now standing, is often called the crossroads of the world.  In the course of a year approximately 40 million people pass through Times Square.  Recently Times Square celebrated its 110th anniversary.  Previously called Longacre Square it received its current name in 1904 when the offices of the New York Times newspaper moved to a skyscraper, the Times Building, on 42nd street.  The same year the terminal station of the first metro line opened here.  Three weeks later at the corner of 46th Street and Broadway the first electrified advertisement appeared on the side of a bank.  From that time on, the glow of lights on Times Square has continued to increase even during the periods of the first and second World Wars.By the 1970s the square had become one of the most dangerous crime ridden regions of the city, well known for the many varied pornographic establishments, narcotic trade and frequent crime.  Twenty years later due to the work of the civil authorities and private organizations, the Square in fact underwent a second birth.  On New Years Eve now gather no less than a million people on Times Square in order to follow the descent of an enormous illuminated glass sphere down a flagpole; reaching the bottom at exactly midnight.After 8 o'clock in the evening theater goers begin to flock into the square.  Sell outs have become the norm for Broadway productions even though the cost of tickets is quite high.  But if you have a compelling desire to see one of these spectacles, drop into the small ticket office located at the intersection of Broadway and 47th Street.  At the ticket office you will see the identirying letters "tkts'.  The hottest tickets to all the spectacles in all the theaters are sold here.   Truthfully it is worth mentioning that you may have to stand in a long line and there is no guarantee that the there will be tickets available.Photo Times Square 2010 by Greg Knapp is licensed under CC BY 2.0

23 DEC 2020 · Have you ever seen an aircraft carrier in its natural grandeur?  Or have you walked on one's decks?  If not, you will have the possibility to do this and to have many emotions aroused.  It will be necessary simply for a little while to turn from the itinerary of the excursion and to return later.  If you walk down 46th street to the Hudson, you will be able to visit the unique Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum.The Aircraft carrier USS Intrepid was built in the 1940s and almost immediately sent into active military service.  The list of its service duties includes - the invasion of the Marshall Islands, military engagements at Truk island, at Leyte Gulf, the landing of Americans on Okinawa, participation in the Cuban crisis, and in the Korean and Vietnam Wars.  It participated 10 times in recovery missions for landing astronauts.Thirty years ago, in 1974, the Intrepid was decommissioned from active service of the Armed Forces of the USA. The ship was purchased by the American millionaire real estate developer Zachary Fisher.  He organized a museum on the aircraft carrier.  Today this is the largest naval museum in the USA.  The basic exhibits of the museum are located on the aircraft carrier.  Moored alongside is the diesel submarine, the USS Growler, which you can visit and see with your own eyes what life is like onboard a submarine.  On the aircraft carrier you will be able to visit the machine room, the captain's bridge and many other places.  During its active years, 2900 people served on the ship.  In the living and working spaces and in the cabins with the help of models, the daily life and work of the crew is shown from mechanics, cooks, barbers to pilots and naval officers. Beside all of this, the aviation collection of the Intrepid Museum includes 30 airplanes and helicopters.Photo USS Intrepid by Tim Dobbelaere is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

23 DEC 2020 · Broadway - probably there are very few people in the word who have never heard anything about Broadway.  Not only is it the main street of New York but it is also the longest street in the city.What do you associate with Broadway?  Probably first of all you think about flashing advertisements with neon lights and musical-show spectacles.  This main artery of the city in its outline repeats an Indian path which later united the two first European settlements on the island - Harlem and New Amsterdam.  The name of the street comes from the first settlers of Dutch extraction who called it Breede weg - wide path.  The southern part of Broadway you will encounter from other of our tours, but in front of us awaits the Theater district on Broadway.  The theatre district of New York extends from 40th to 54th streets and from 6th avenue on the west to 8th avenue on the East.  The portion of Broadway included in the theater district is called the Great White Way because of the incredibly bright light of the neon signs.Theatrical life began to actively develop here in the early 1900s.  At that time the civil authorities decided to demolish antiquated buildings in the region of Times Square.  On the freed up space, theaters began to appear like mushrooms after a rain.  It turned out that to invest money in a theatrical presentation was very profitable.  Therefore, theaters were built and rebuilt, trying to outdo each other in elegance and magnificence.  In addition to traditional spectacles  and stylish plays the theaters tried to attract audiences with new musical entertainments.  It was at this time that the  genre of the Broadway musical emerged. In 1914 on Broadway very close to each other there were 43 theaters, today there remain 22.Photo Broadway by Matthias Uhlig is licensed under CC BY 2.0

23 DEC 2020 · You are now standing in front of the legendary Empire State Building skyscraper. For nearly 40 years after its construction it held the title of the tallest building on the planet.  The building itself achieves a height of 381 meters, and with its spire 443.2 meters. The construction work began on March 17, 1930.  During the entire period of its construction   3,400 laborers worked here.  After 410 days  construction of the highest building in the world was finished and it opened May, 1931.  It is important to remember that in the years of the Great Depression the building was almost empty with much of the office space unrented.  Therefore, some even called it the Empty State Building.  The building only began to bring a financial return to its owners after almost 20 years.The tower of the building has 86 stories.  The remaining 16 stories are an art deco superstructure ending with an observatory deck on the 102nd floor.  The observation deck of the building from the very beginning attacked a great number of visitors.  Today their number reaches 3.8 million annually.  The more frequented observatory deck is the one on the 86th floor.The carcass of the building was constructed from 60,000 tons of steel.  The building is covered with 10 million bricks and has 6,500 windows.  In one of its 73 elevators you will be able to rise to the 80th floor in a minute. From the late 1970s there is an annual race up to the stairs to the 86th floor - 1,576 steps.  In 2016 he record time was 9 minutes, 33 seconds.Originally the external lighting of the building was installed in the 1960s.  Projectors illuminate the highest part of the building in various colors.  In honor of this or that event this highlighting of the upper floors is done in specially selected colors.After the tragic events of September 2001, when the World Trade Centres were destroyed, the Empire State Building once again became the largest building in New York.Photo Empire State Building by Jeffrey Zeldman is licensed under CC BY 2.0

23 DEC 2020 · On the left side as we are walking is the main building of the New York Public Library.  The Library building was designed at the beginning of the 20th century by the architectural firm Carrere and Hastings in the modern style.  There is a grand staircase leading to the main entrance, on the steps of which both New Yorkers and tourists like to sit and rest.  On the other side of the staircase are two lions.  At first they were called Leo Astor and Leo Lenox in honor of the founders of the library  (Jacob Astor and James Lenox).  But in 1930, the mayor of New York, Fiorello Laguardia gave the statues the nicknames Patience to the left and Fortitude to the right.Ascending the staircase will will arrive in an arched hall of white marble, called Astor Hall. Strolling through the library pay attention to the magnificent ceiling of carved oak.  The enormous reading room has been divided into two sections:  in Gottesman Hall you can see temporary exhibits; while in Salomon Room you can encounter some of the rarities of the library collections.In Bryant Park adjoining the library on the opposite side, New York Fashion Week shows are held. In the summer you can also enjoy seeing a movie here under the open sky.Photo Public Library 2 by Paulo Godoy is licensed under CC BY 2.0

23 DEC 2020 · You are standing in front of the central railway station, Grand Central Station. This is the oldest and most famous train station in New York. This two story building was built in the beaux-art style, a mixture of Italian Renaissance and French Baroque. The station has 44 platforms and 67 tracks. A train station first appeared on this site in 1871. The building gradually changed, obtaining more elegant and lavish features. At the beginning of the last century a grandiose reconstruction was completed which is considered the birth of today's Grand Central Station. The station has therefore recently observed its 100th anniversary. There are rumors that in the near future plans to enlarge the station will be carried out. A new level will be constructed which will permit an increase in the number of tracks to 75 and the number of platforms to 48. Inside the station pay attention to the clock located at the center of the main concourse of the station. The clock face is made from opalescent glass and semiprecious opal. In today's market, the value of the clock is considered to be at a minimum 10 million dollars. Now look up and observe the ceiling. It is decorated with frescoes showing the signs of the Zodiac and 2500 stars, 60 of which are translucent. When looking at this ceiling astronomical map in the main concourse, if you have an interest in astronomy, you will probably notice a small mistake. The cosmos in the fresco is presented as a reflection in a mirror so that the constellations are not correctly related to each other as seen from earth. The fault of this completely lies with the artist Paul Elle who oriented himself to the draft design looking at it from above. But the commissioners of the ceiling, the Vanderbilt family, found humor in the mistake. They suggested considering the purpose of the frescoes to show how the heavens appear to God looking down from above.Look to the right of Grand Central Station at the unique sky scraper rising high above other buildings, the Chrysler Building. If you were to ask people on the streets, "What is your favorite building in New York?", with some certainty we can guess that more than half of those asked would answer, the Chrysler Building.The building was commissioned by the automobile magnate Walter Chrysler in 1929. By plan every detail of the 77 story  building was to call to mind a Chrysler Plymouth automobile. The steel winged gargoyles are modeled after the 1929 Chrysler radiator cap, the stepped terraces are similar to the styled hub caps and the entire spire brings to mind the car's radiator grill. The automobile theme can also be found in the design of the vestibule. Do not pass by the enormous lobby ceiling mural measuring 30 x 31 meters by Edward Turnbull entitled Transport and Human Endeavor illustrating industrial scenes.Cinematography has often turned its attention to the Chrysler building. In the last of the Men in Black trilogy the main hero jumps back in time precisely from the Chrysler building, from one of the winged gargoyles. If you see this episode again you will be able to make out the upper part of this building in the close ups. In the year of its construction, the Bank of Manhattan Building (now simply called 40 Wall Street) was also constructed. Both buildings competed in a battle for the title of the tallest building in the world. Therefore, the details of construction were kept in strict secrecy. The Bank of Manhattan building was finished first and seemed to be several flowers higher. But the architect of the Chrysler, William Van Allen,  planned a cunning trick to gain victory and guaranteeing that his "child" would have the title of the highest building in the world for almost a year. In a special pit inside the building he clandestinely constructed a 38 meter spire which was raised and attached to the top of the Chrysler building which guaranteed its success in the battle.If you walk down to the end of 42nd street you will come out onto the banks of the East River. The buildings of the UN complex are located here, constructed in the middle of the last century. The interior of the UN can be seen by taking an arranged tour.Photo New York City - Grand Central Station by Ka!zen is licensed under CC BY 2.0