new York

HISTORY: Columbia University is the oldest institution of high learning in the state of New York and the fifth oldest in the United States.

HISTORY: Cornell has been described as the first truly American university because of its dedication to its land-grant mission of outreach and public service.

HISTORY: Low Memorial Library was the first major building erected on the present Columbia University site. Today it is one of the most important Neo-Classical structures in America.

HISTORY: Dedicated in 1894, this statue depicts the explorer whose trans-Atlantic trips, starting in 1492, helped lead to European colonization of the Americas.

HISTORY: Uris Library is home to the Andrew Dickson White Library, which was built to hold the 30,0000 books that formed the personal collection of Cornell's first president, Andrew Dickson White.

HISTORY: Opened in 1892, Ellis Island served as a federal immigration station for more than 60 years until it closed in 1954. Millions of newly arrived immigrants passed through the station during that time.

HISTORY: From 1921 to 2008, this building housed the American Stock Exchange and its earlier incarnations, the New York Curb Market and the New York Curb Exchange.

HISTORY: Completed in 1907, this Beaux Arts building housed U.S. Customs Service operations for the port of New York until 1973.

HISTORY: The trade center's twin 110-story towers, the planet's tallest buildings when they officially opened in 1973, were destroyed in the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks against the U.S.

City of New York: Did you know the new Whitney Museum, designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Renzo Piano, is to be located at the southern tip of the High Line? (Image credit: Renzo Piano Building, whitney.org)

City of New York: Luna Park takes its name from the original Luna Park, which operated at Coney Island from 1903 to 1946.

City of New York: Did you know? To create that feeling of being in the countryside, and not in the middle of a city, the four Transverse Roads were sunken down eight feet below the park’s surface.

[Princess]: The Manhattan skyline is breathtaking. It is beautiful from any angle, at anytime.

City of New York: Coney Island was explored by Henry Hudson in 1609; he landed on Manhattan the next day.

City of New York: Did you know? This historic structure is the only remaining lighthouse in Manhattan today.

City of New York: More than one million books were set in place before the official dedication of the Library on May 23, 1911 and 30,000-50,000 visitors streamed through the NYPL during its first day open.

Time Out New York: Try the Key Lime Pie soft-serve flavor. Dressed up with crumbled graham crackers, it’s good enough to compete with any ice-cream sundae in town. It’s one of our #100best dishes and drinks of 2011. Read more.

HISTORY: Designed by Max Abramovitz, the hall opened in 1962 as Philharmonic Hall, as the new home concert venue of the New York Philharmonic, after the orchestra moved from Carnegie Hall.

City of New York: Did you know that the Queens County Farm Museum is largest remaining farmland site within New York City at approximately 48 acres?

City of New York: Feeling adventurous? Go paddling on the East River! When the weather is nice, the Long Island City Community Boathouse hosts free kayaking events here, launching from Socrates Sculpture Park.

City of New York: The Wonder Wheel has been in operation since 1920 & was designated a NYC Landmark in 1989. It is 150 ft tall, holds 160 passengers with 8 stationary cars & 16 cars that slide along serpentine tracks.

City of New York: Yankees fan? FDNY firefighters from Engine 68/Ladder 49 would be the first called to an emergency at Yankee Stadium.

City of New York: St. Ann's is the oldest surviving church in the Bronx, which was built in 1841 on the country estate of entrepreneur Gouverneur Morris Jr., the son of one of the framers of the U.S. Constitution.

City of New York: Did you know? Part of the simple wooden building dates to 1694. The eastern third of the meeting house is New York City’s oldest structure in continuous use for religious purposes.

City of New York: Look for the historic sculpture depicting “The Consolidation of Greater New York”, to your right, directly above the security station.

City of New York: Opened in 2002, the Audubon Center is housed in the landmarked 1905 Boathouse, an architectural masterpiece based on the design of a 16th-century Venetian Library.

NYC Parks: Aaron Burr, best known for killing Alexander Hamilton in a duel, lived here during his brief marriage to Eliza Jumel, who ended it when she realized he was losing her money in land speculations.