Nicknamed the “Big Apple,” New York City is the most populated city in the US. Poised around 8.4 million people in 2010, it is destined to reach 9 million people by 2025. With figures like that, it is no wonder New York City is rich with history and offers an extraordinary night life.
In 1613 the Dutch Fur Trading Company settled what we now know to be New York City and declared it New Amsterdam. By 1664 the English had conquered the area and claimed it for themselves. It was the British who dubbed it New York. George Washington ended the British reign in 1783 and finally claimed the city for America.
Opening in 1825, the Erie Canal, allowed a water way from the Atlantic port of New York into the interior of the continent where agriculture was flourishing. This allowed New York City to prosper, and by 1835 it had surpassed Philadelphia as the largest city in the United States. With a huge surge of immigration in the 1850s as a result of the Great Irish Famine, the population continued to expand rapidly. By the time Brooklyn was incorporated into New York City in 1898, the area was well on its way to becoming the world’s leader in technology, commerce, communication and industry.
New York City has long been a leader in the entertainment industry as well, offering Broadway theater, Jazz clubs, comedy clubs, exquisite restaurants, athletic venues, parks, concert halls and venues, museums, night clubs, and bars. Attracting the world’s greatest artists and musicians, the night life is spectacular. Famous clubs like Studio 54, Blue Note, or the 40/40 club are available for the wealthier set while thousands of unique lounges, clubs, bars, or restaurants can offer any tourist the exact experience they are looking for.
The Smoke-Free Air Act, passed in 2002, prohibits cigarette smoking in workplaces, children’s playgrounds, and public pools. A newly passed law will see the ban extended to the outdoors including parks, public beaches, boardwalks, marinas and pedestrian plazas. For those smokers who still wish to see all that New York has to offer but can not curb the smoking habit, the electronic cigarette is a perfect alternative (although the FDA wanted to ban electronic cigarettes in New York). Smokeless and odorless because it operates automatically every time a smoker inhales, the electronic cigarette allows an individual to continue to get their Nicotine fix while visiting Central Park or Times Square. Through this invention, smokers and non-smokers alike can experience the extraordinary place that is New York City.
