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New York City Guide
Take an escalator to an observation floor in Manhattan's towering Empire State Building, and you'll view a busy panorama of asphalt and skyscrapers. As spectacular as that sight may be, it's a one-dimensional snapshot of the state of New York. The broader picture encompasses much more. A rich maritime and farming heritage characterizes Long Island, a resort playground with pristine beaches, breathtaking mansions and quaint lighthouses. The Catskills and the Adirondacks give you adventure--by water, by land and by air. The past is the draw in the Hudson Valley, in which Franklin D. Roosevelt's ancestral home is counted among the many historic sites. Albany, the state capital, is noted for its art and architecture, while vineyards are the trademark in the fertile Finger Lakes region.
You'll find romance at Niagara Falls and in the Thousand Islands, an area with scenic trails and warm beaches. History and sports are the focus in the Leatherstocking region where the Erie Canal system and baseball and soccer legends are celebrated. And varied cultures--American Indian and Amish--in Chautauqua-Allegheny grant you the opportunity to expand your horizons. Its many images and varied attractions make New York an intriguing collage. Brazilian. Chinese. German. Irish. Italian. Korean. Mexican. Polish. Russian. South African. Vietnamese. These nationalities represent a mere handful of the full shelf of ethnic spices that add zest to the New York City melting pot. The city's cultural stew is an epicurean piéce de résistance. Similarly, the tantalizing attractions of the state as a whole combine in a recipe equally appetizing. Among the most savory ingredients is history, and you'll find it in several flavors. One traces the turmoil and strife of the Revolutionary War. Nearly a third of the war's battles were fought on New York soil--at such places as Johnstown, Saratoga, Schuylerville and White Plains. Weapons, uniforms, paintings and documents relating to the struggle for independence fill a museum at Fort Ticonderoga.
The story of the Underground Railroad is another. Many slaves found freedom taking cover in the safe houses along the route. Among those preserved sites are the Harriet Tubman Home in Auburn; the H. Lee White Marine Museum in Oswego; and the John Brown Farm State Historic Site in Lake Placid. Displays in Fenton History Center in Jamestown provide a wealth of information about the abolitionist network. Yet a third recounts America's love of sports. In addition to being the home of numerous professional teams, the Empire State boasts halls of fame for several sports, including boxing, horse racing and soccer. Most notable, though, is Cooperstown's National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, which pays homage to the national pastime. Add to this historical stock samples of diverse styles of architecture. Albany's Capitol, one of few such buildings without a dome, bears intricate carvings that give it a decidedly French feel. The Beaux-Arts style characterizes the Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site in Hyde Park. A Greek Revival flair marks the Rose Hill Mansion in Geneva.
Fold in a rich dollop of art. Renowned museums in Albany, Buffalo and New York show off the talents of such artists as Willem de Kooning, Pablo Picasso, Auguste Rodin and Andy Warhol. Exquisite glass is the centerpiece at Corning Museum of Glass. The Statue of Liberty, equal parts architecture and art, rises up from Liberty Island as a 151-foot-tall symbol of freedom on a 154-foot-high pedestal. Sprinkle in a pinch of nature's architectural treasures. Brick walkways weave through the stalactites and stalagmites in Howe Caverns in Howes Cave. Huge outcroppings comprise the Panama Rocks in Panama. Top it all off with a heaping spoonful of something home-grown--presidential homesteads. Millard Fillmore, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Theodore Roosevelt and Martin Van Buren all were New York natives. Pour in plenty of water. Hugging varied borders are the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island Sound, lakes Champlain, Erie and Ontario, and the Delaware and St. Lawrence rivers. The aptly named Finger Lakes, 11 glacial lakes, gash vertical blue streaks in the landscape south of the stretch of I-90 linking Rochester and Syracuse. Breathtaking waterfalls--including 215-foot Taughannock Falls near Ithaca, Rainbow Falls in Watkins Glen and the honeymooner's paradise of Niagara Falls--cascade and plummet all over the state.
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