The Sound of Settling

New York City is, of course, part of the North East coast of the U.S., and that area was the first major start of the European Settlement era in the early 1600's. Englishman Henry Hudson (whom the Hudson River is named after) was in search of finding a path to Asia as part of the Dutch East India Company's ease of trade and landed upon what is now New York City. There were Native Americans already inhabiting the area, however, called the Lenape, speaking the language of Algonquin. It's location close to waterways was prime for those inhabitants in need of resources for food like fishing and hunting. Upon European Settlement and the Dutch influence, the Lenape population was down to only 200 by the year 1700.

Throughout it's extensive history in the Revolutionary War and after, New York began to flourish as a center for politics, economy, industrialization, and culture. When we see New York City now and think of all the people that can amass to one city for New Year's Eve, you can begin to wonder about the population density of such a city. Consider the countless skyscrapers that line the streets of the regions, counting for more people in tighter areas and an increase in consumption. Of course with the many people surrounding the city, you can very much expect a great amount of religious and cultural diversity, though the Catholic Church mostly counting for it.

Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_New_York_City

Photos provided by:
http://i2.cdn.turner.com
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lenape

A City for All Seasons

Have you heard about that ridiculous blizzard that is currently hitting the Northeast? Well, if you haven't, let's just say that New York City is pretty much in the midst of it. Is there a reason for that, though?

New York City is prone to this sort of stuff because of precipitation. The precipitation is generated mostly by storm systems for the majority of the states east of the Rockies and the two air masses going N/NE from the Gulf of Mexico and S/SE from Canada, and its closeness to the Atlantic Ocean is certainly reason to cough up storms here and there. It also has a latitude of 40.78 degrees, which is enough above the equator for NYC to have differing shifts in weather during the year. Might I say that NYC actually has seasons compared to Los Angeles where I live?

While a blizzard is not unusual, to have it hit as hard as it currently is is rather interesting to note. According to a climate study done by Cornell University, the annual snowfall in NYC is usually about 22.3'', and it managed to snow nearly as much in a single day during my week there in 2010. I know I would be covering myself up and staying indoors if that ever occurred here in L.A., but I have a feeling nothing like that will ever happen.

Region Reasons

New York City is among the many populated cities within the Northeast. I use populated to the highest degree, in that it thrives as a metropolitan area filled with urbanized subdivisions such as Chinatown or Little Italy that are not only distinctively cultural but staggered with modern living arrangements and stores that just about anyone can use them as places for living and visiting . Not that being populated is that big of a deal, considering that mobility is very well organized with it's mass transit systems, but it's good to note that having millions of people dwell within a city requires much more consumption and economic pressures, resulting in some percentage of poverty and decay.

So what's with me and liking this city so much? The idea that such a city can have a lot of activity within a wide range of cultural and natural zones astonishes me. Sure, there's a lot of history related to the area and it's many structures, but speaking for those non-tourists, I would hope that they could see the similarities within the differences of the subdivided areas are at least intriguing, multi-functional and multi-ethnic. As dense a place as it can be, New York City is significantly different from the spread-out Los Angeles that I live in, and it confines so much in its metropolitan area that there is a wealth of abundant activity and communication. Thankfully, New York City is within a region that has the ability to do what it does best: generate and unite everyone dwelling in it, no matter what color, nationality, religion, or economic status.