Why is NYC Called the Big Apple?
In the 1920s, a sportswriter for the Morning Telegraph named John Fitzgerald overheard stable hands in New Orleans refer to NYC's racetracks as "the Big Apple." He named his column "Around the Big Apple." A decade later, jazz musicians adopted the term to refer to New York City, and especially Harlem, as the jazz capital of the world. There are many apples on the trees of success, they were saying, but when you pick New York City, you pick the big apple.
Why Cabs Are Yellow?
John Hertz, who founded the Yellow Cab Company in 1907, chose yellow because he had read a study conducted by the University of Chicago that indicated it was the easiest color to spot.
Statue of Liberty
The Lady in the Harbor is 101 feet tall from base to torch, 305 feet tall from pedestal foundation to torch.
She has a 35-foot waist and an 8-foot index finger, and she weighs 450,000 pounds.
New York Stock Exchange
The trading area of the New York Stock Exchange is about two-thirds the size of a football field.
The New York Stock Exchange is the world's largest exchange with an annual trading volume of $5.5 trillion.
The New York Stock Exchange began in 1792 when 24 brokers met under a buttonwood tree facing 68 Wall Street.
NYC Fun Facts
Downtown Manhattan was the site of the nation's first capital.
As late as the 1840s, thousands of pigs roamed Wall Street to consume garbage - an early sanitation system.
Under the Dutch, Wall Street - where there really was a wall - was the city limit.
St. Paul's Chapel is Manhattan's oldest public building in continuous use.
New York City's first theater was on Beaver Street.
Forty-six percent of leisure visitors to Downtown come from outside the United States.
When built, 120 Broadway's Equitable Building cast a 7-acre shadow, leading to the creation of zoning setback laws.
In 1664, the city's tallest structure was a 2-story windmill.
Legend has it that Peter Minuit paid $24 in trinkets to purchase the island of Manhattan from Leni Lenape Indians at Bowling Green.
The vaults of the Federal Reserve Bank on Maiden Lane store more than one-quarter of the world's gold bullion.
Without firing a shot, the British seized control of Nieuwe Amsterdam from the Dutch in 1664 and renamed it New York City.
A 7,000-pound bronze 'Charging Bull' mysteriously appeared one day in 1989 in front of the New York Stock Exchange - the bull is now at Bowling Green.The Brooklyn Bridge was the first bridge to be lit using electricity.
On completion, the Brooklyn Bridge was the world's longest suspension bridge and the city's tallest structure.
When it built its headquarters at 26 Broadway, Standard Oil Company was the largest U.S. corporation and its founder, John D. Rockefeller, was the wealthiest person in the world.
Phillippe Petit walked a tightrope between the rooftops of the World Trade Center towers in 1974.
The triangular shape of the Flatiron Building (an early skyscraper on 23rd Street) produced wind currents that made women’s skirts billow and caused police to create the term ’23 skiddoo’ to shoo gapers from the area.
In 1898, the five boroughs – The Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens and Staten Island – were incorporated into a single entity, known as Greater New York.
There are 6,374.6 miles of streets in New York City.
Broadway's Original Name was the Wiechquaekeck Trail. It was an old Algonquin trade route.
The Cloisters, a branch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, is the only museum in America dedicated exclusively to medieval art.
The Caribbean Cultural Center is the only cultural organization in the U.S. that represents all of the diverse artistic expressions and traditions of the African Diaspora.
Ellis Island Immigration Station officially opened its doors to the world on Friday, January 1, 1892. Annie Moore, a 15-year-old Irish girl, was the first to be questioned in the immigration station’s second-floor Registry Room.
From 1892 to 1924, 12 million immigrants entered the United States through Ellis Island.The Titanic was scheduled to arrive at Chelsea Piers on April 16, 1912 at the conclusion of her maiden voyage. Fate intervened, and the “unsinkable” ship struck an iceberg and sank on April 14, 1912. Of the 2,200 passengers aboard, 675 were rescued by the Cunard liner Carpathia, which arrived at the Chelsea Piers on April 20th.
The Numbers:
The Verrazano-Narrows Bridge is so long – 4,260 feet – that the towers are a few inches out of parallel to accommodate the curvature of the earth. New York City has 578 miles of waterfront.
The 2½ mile boardwalk at Staten Island's South Beach (718/390-8000) is the fourth longest in the world.
The New York City Department of Transportation is responsible for approximately 5,700 miles of streets and highways and 753 bridge structures and tunnels.
The world’s largest gothic cathedral is the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine – and it’s still under construction. Its first stone was laid in 1892. The nation’s largest public Halloween parade is the Greenwich Village Halloween Parade
Macy’s, the world’s largest store, covers 2.1 million square feet of space and stocks over 500,000 different items.
The New York Botanical Garden is home to the nation’s largest Victorian glasshouse, the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, a New York City landmark that has showcased NYBG’s distinguished tropical, Mediterranean, and desert plant collections since 1902.
The Panorama of the City of New York in the Queens Museum of Art is the world’s largest architectural model, containing 895,000 individual structures at a scale of 1 inch equals 100 feet.
Oldest:
The Sandy Ground Historical Society offers a look at the oldest continuously inhabited free black settlement in the nation.
The oldest schoolhouse still standing, built in 1695, is situated in Historic Richmond Town.
The country’s oldest municipal golf course, opened in 1895, is in Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx.
Number of bird species in Central Park is 215.
First in the Field:
The Brooklyn Children’s Museum is the world’s first museum for kids.
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, America’s first performing arts center, held its first performance on September 23, 1962.
Babe Ruth hit the first home run in Yankee Stadium in the first game ever played there. Opened in 1633 in the Market Field, which is now the financial district, was the first public brewery in America. Colonists loved their beer and often had a mug with their breakfast.
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Friday, October 06, 2006
Black Eyed Peas Concert: October 4th
So for the second time, I went to see Black Eyed Peas in concert at Rexall Place in Edmonton. The first time was about 1 week before my wedding and they had two openers that I didn't know at the time. I was also pretty pissed off that I didn't get floor seats thanks to the "Dancing Moms" (another long story).
This second concert was WAY more amazing than the first one. They had Swollen Members & Rihanna open for them (not to noteworthy but alright). The stage show was very elaborate this time including 3 big screens, several small screens, giant floating monkey heads, flashing "BEP" signs, and back up dancers. My friend Melissa said she felt like she had ADD cuz she didn't know where to look as there was so much going on. The sounds quality was better this time, oh & I had floor seats too. Yeah Baby! The freestyling of the first concert was replaced with paradies of well known songs (think Sweet Child O' Mine &, OPP & Hotel California) and they played "Let's Get Retarded" versus "Let's Get it Started" from the first concert (why write a song if you don't have the balls to see it?). Fergie also played her new song "London Bridges"...did I mention that she has an amazing voice even in person & that I wish I had her bod?
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
ENGLISH Write in Another's Style
Assignment: We had to duplicate another person's style, though create our own story. It's ugly but I should showcase my good & bad work. There are 2 stories & 2 styles.
Style 1:
He had never gambled, or taken a risk, in all his life. This plump man was pale, a tired, aging man with defeated shoulders, as if he had resigned himself to this fate. He wore a bankers suit, traditional black, starched white shirt, sans tie, collar unbuttoned. Trampled. He also had a Burberry trench. But he didn’t have the brown, tattered brief case and his hair was disheveled. He always thought the stock market was for rich guys. When actually, he could play too.
So he had, played the stock market, or it had played him. What had changed his mind, to jeopardize, investing all his savings, in a fool’s hope to strike it rich? That crazy game of ups, downs, buying, selling, crashing. Broke. He now had nothing. Not a dollar, not a penny to his name and his family gone. One mistake, in a lifetime of rule abiding.
Styler 2:
Every Saturday she saunters past the store windows and dreams. The sidewalks are bustling with frenzied shoppers. All the bakeries scents waft through the air. The store shoes are sensational in a way she could not envision on her – dainty ankle straps, glittering jewels, so expensive and outrageous that she hoped it would shock the shoppers into rebellion, into non-conformity, but they bought them anyway.
She strides past the designer clothing to jewelry. The shop girls are buzzing around their best prospects. They all have the hungry look in their eyes. No one bothers her as she looks around – too poor, unfortunate, so meager and small that she doesn’t even register on their radar as a target, maybe as a shoplifter, but not a patron.
Style 1:
He had never gambled, or taken a risk, in all his life. This plump man was pale, a tired, aging man with defeated shoulders, as if he had resigned himself to this fate. He wore a bankers suit, traditional black, starched white shirt, sans tie, collar unbuttoned. Trampled. He also had a Burberry trench. But he didn’t have the brown, tattered brief case and his hair was disheveled. He always thought the stock market was for rich guys. When actually, he could play too.
So he had, played the stock market, or it had played him. What had changed his mind, to jeopardize, investing all his savings, in a fool’s hope to strike it rich? That crazy game of ups, downs, buying, selling, crashing. Broke. He now had nothing. Not a dollar, not a penny to his name and his family gone. One mistake, in a lifetime of rule abiding.
Styler 2:
Every Saturday she saunters past the store windows and dreams. The sidewalks are bustling with frenzied shoppers. All the bakeries scents waft through the air. The store shoes are sensational in a way she could not envision on her – dainty ankle straps, glittering jewels, so expensive and outrageous that she hoped it would shock the shoppers into rebellion, into non-conformity, but they bought them anyway.
She strides past the designer clothing to jewelry. The shop girls are buzzing around their best prospects. They all have the hungry look in their eyes. No one bothers her as she looks around – too poor, unfortunate, so meager and small that she doesn’t even register on their radar as a target, maybe as a shoplifter, but not a patron.
14 More Sleeps to New York!
In exactly two weeks I will be on a plan w/ 3 of my friends to see New York. We are meeting up with 4 other people once we get there. Some details:
-Staying at Novotel hotel which is in Midtown Manhattan (over $400/night!)
-Touring only Manhattan as we will be there a mere 4 nights :-(
-I'm going to see the Broadway play "Wicked".
-We're hoping to see the New York Rangers play at Madison Square Gardens.
-Sex & the City Bus tour !
-Tours & Walking will be the bulk of our trip (Red Double Decker Buses!)
ENGLISH Narrative Modes Assignment
Assignment: to write 2 pages starring 2 adults in an unequal situation displaying all 5 narrative modes (you'd be bored to hear them). Please post comments!
He was watching “Family Guy”, an obscure cartoon comedy made for adults, very risqué. He loved it, especially that smart mouthed kid. Out of the corner of his eye he saw his wife saunter into the room. Her beauty was just as striking as it was when they first met, three years ago, but “Family Guy” is on only once a week.
“Honey?” she prodded him. Charlie pretended he hadn’t heard her, hoping she’d lose interest.
“Honey.” Dana was more insistent this time. He groaned, couldn’t it wait until the end of the show?
“Yes dear?” That was something his uncle had taught him, women rarely wanted an honest answer. He watched her gnaw at her lower lip, toy with her wedding band, glance down at her lap. He braced himself for the long talk that he was knew was coming.
“I was chatting with Cindy today. Her and Tom are going to start trying again. She asked me when we were going to expand our family?” She left that last part hanging in the air. Talks with his sister Cindy always seem to trigger these conversations. Charlie wiped his sweaty palms on the front of his jeans and in doing so missed the look of yearning on her face.
“Aw, hon you know I don’t want kids.” Wrong Answer.
“What!?” she exploded, jumped off the couch, tears spilling over. “I need a family Charlie. I’ve dreamt of having babies ever since I was a little girl. I don’t want to be old with no one to take care of us.”
He needed to diffuse this bomb. “I meant, I don’t want to have kids right now.” It had worked, Dana settled back onto the couch. What was she thinking? He’d been working out of town a lot; didn’t he deserve time with his kids? To see them grow up? He wasn’t going to be like his dad. Plus Dana was making debits out of their shared account almost daily for stuff they “needed” for this new place. How could they afford a baby right now?
“Why do you always do that?” She not so playfully punched his leg. It kind of hurt. “There’s a big difference between not wanting kids and not wanting kids right now.” Women. Did those two words really make a difference to her? He’d have to make a mental note of that.
“So if not now, when?” Her voice pierced his ears as it hit that high note. They had talked about this. Endlessly. In fact, he was pretty sure she didn’t want wailing, pooping babies right now either - a wait in line at Wal-mart always re-enforced that. Sleeping in, her favorite spur of the moment road trips, and her hair styles that always reflecting the current trends: all would fall to the wayside when baby showed up. She knew it too.
Ringing. Dana sprang up to answer the phone; a reprieve that would allow him a few moments to think, when would be a good time? There was no perfect time for kids. If they waited for that they’d wait forever and he did want to have them someday.
“…no we’re happy with our long distance carrier, thank you,” Charlie heard her rebuff the telemarketer on the kitchen line and then hang up. He saw the “Family Guy” credits stream on the screen. Damn it. He’d missed it again. Dana marched back into the room, ready for battle? How could he appease her without making a promise that would almost definitely be a mistake in their lives right now?
“I’d like to wait a few years.” He finally spit out.
“A few years? I’ll be ancient by then.” Ancient? Wonder when 27 had become ancient?
“Come on, baby.” He was pleading now. Then, desperate “What about getting a puppy? Freddy is really cute, we could get one just like Tina’s.” She wouldn’t look at him, but her mouth twitched. He knew he was on to something.
“A baby pug? Or a cairn terrier maybe? Something that doesn’t shed so that when the baby does come, it won’t be too much trouble.” He sprinkled that baby part in, trick her into thinking he wasn’t just buying time. Between house breaking and training she should be busy for at least a year. That should give him enough time to get their finances in order. But would it be enough time for their relationship? Was he ready to be a dad?
“A Maltese?” She suggested, her eyes daring him.
“Don’t they shed?” It was a weak attempt. He knew they didn’t shed. She was testing him. He got bit by a Maltese when he was five and still had the scar to prove it. Psycho dog. Wait, don’t kids bit too? He would need more than a year.
He was watching “Family Guy”, an obscure cartoon comedy made for adults, very risqué. He loved it, especially that smart mouthed kid. Out of the corner of his eye he saw his wife saunter into the room. Her beauty was just as striking as it was when they first met, three years ago, but “Family Guy” is on only once a week.
“Honey?” she prodded him. Charlie pretended he hadn’t heard her, hoping she’d lose interest.
“Honey.” Dana was more insistent this time. He groaned, couldn’t it wait until the end of the show?
“Yes dear?” That was something his uncle had taught him, women rarely wanted an honest answer. He watched her gnaw at her lower lip, toy with her wedding band, glance down at her lap. He braced himself for the long talk that he was knew was coming.
“I was chatting with Cindy today. Her and Tom are going to start trying again. She asked me when we were going to expand our family?” She left that last part hanging in the air. Talks with his sister Cindy always seem to trigger these conversations. Charlie wiped his sweaty palms on the front of his jeans and in doing so missed the look of yearning on her face.
“Aw, hon you know I don’t want kids.” Wrong Answer.
“What!?” she exploded, jumped off the couch, tears spilling over. “I need a family Charlie. I’ve dreamt of having babies ever since I was a little girl. I don’t want to be old with no one to take care of us.”
He needed to diffuse this bomb. “I meant, I don’t want to have kids right now.” It had worked, Dana settled back onto the couch. What was she thinking? He’d been working out of town a lot; didn’t he deserve time with his kids? To see them grow up? He wasn’t going to be like his dad. Plus Dana was making debits out of their shared account almost daily for stuff they “needed” for this new place. How could they afford a baby right now?
“Why do you always do that?” She not so playfully punched his leg. It kind of hurt. “There’s a big difference between not wanting kids and not wanting kids right now.” Women. Did those two words really make a difference to her? He’d have to make a mental note of that.
“So if not now, when?” Her voice pierced his ears as it hit that high note. They had talked about this. Endlessly. In fact, he was pretty sure she didn’t want wailing, pooping babies right now either - a wait in line at Wal-mart always re-enforced that. Sleeping in, her favorite spur of the moment road trips, and her hair styles that always reflecting the current trends: all would fall to the wayside when baby showed up. She knew it too.
Ringing. Dana sprang up to answer the phone; a reprieve that would allow him a few moments to think, when would be a good time? There was no perfect time for kids. If they waited for that they’d wait forever and he did want to have them someday.
“…no we’re happy with our long distance carrier, thank you,” Charlie heard her rebuff the telemarketer on the kitchen line and then hang up. He saw the “Family Guy” credits stream on the screen. Damn it. He’d missed it again. Dana marched back into the room, ready for battle? How could he appease her without making a promise that would almost definitely be a mistake in their lives right now?
“I’d like to wait a few years.” He finally spit out.
“A few years? I’ll be ancient by then.” Ancient? Wonder when 27 had become ancient?
“Come on, baby.” He was pleading now. Then, desperate “What about getting a puppy? Freddy is really cute, we could get one just like Tina’s.” She wouldn’t look at him, but her mouth twitched. He knew he was on to something.
“A baby pug? Or a cairn terrier maybe? Something that doesn’t shed so that when the baby does come, it won’t be too much trouble.” He sprinkled that baby part in, trick her into thinking he wasn’t just buying time. Between house breaking and training she should be busy for at least a year. That should give him enough time to get their finances in order. But would it be enough time for their relationship? Was he ready to be a dad?
“A Maltese?” She suggested, her eyes daring him.
“Don’t they shed?” It was a weak attempt. He knew they didn’t shed. She was testing him. He got bit by a Maltese when he was five and still had the scar to prove it. Psycho dog. Wait, don’t kids bit too? He would need more than a year.
ENGLISH Prairies Assignment
The assignment was to "write a 1/2 page about the prairies" which I think are darn ass boring so I wrote a bit of a narrative. Please enjoy & post comments if you're up to it.
The warmth of the sun was on her arm as she stared out the window. The fence lines whizzed by, occasionally punctuated by cattle grazing behind them. She grew restless in the passenger seat as they neared their destination. She was trying hard to imagine a screaming, polluting city booming among this peaceful countryside. A twitch in the low grasses caught her attention. Was that a gopher? She never understood how something so cute could be considered such a pest. Did the gophers know they were unwanted?
“Ten more minutes,” her mom broke in, grasping for conversation. The girl simply nodded at the comment and turned back to the world outside the car.
Farm living had never appealed to her: waking up early, getting dirty and sweaty. So she was surprised by how she was drawn to the glistening wheat stems; the way they sashayed in the gentle breeze, like they didn’t have a care in the world. Not like her. The ever swelling belly was a constant reminder to her, and soon, to everyone that would see it.
The warmth of the sun was on her arm as she stared out the window. The fence lines whizzed by, occasionally punctuated by cattle grazing behind them. She grew restless in the passenger seat as they neared their destination. She was trying hard to imagine a screaming, polluting city booming among this peaceful countryside. A twitch in the low grasses caught her attention. Was that a gopher? She never understood how something so cute could be considered such a pest. Did the gophers know they were unwanted?
“Ten more minutes,” her mom broke in, grasping for conversation. The girl simply nodded at the comment and turned back to the world outside the car.
Farm living had never appealed to her: waking up early, getting dirty and sweaty. So she was surprised by how she was drawn to the glistening wheat stems; the way they sashayed in the gentle breeze, like they didn’t have a care in the world. Not like her. The ever swelling belly was a constant reminder to her, and soon, to everyone that would see it.
Monday, October 02, 2006
Flash forward: 3 months later
Wow. I cannot belief how time flies! Guess that means I'm having fun? I dunno. The job is going okay. I use an unenthusiastic verb because I am not being challenged here, however I am content for the moment cuz that gives me time to do other things. Like plan my fabulous trip to New York!
Yep I'm going to New York (manhattan) in T minus 15 sleeps! I am flying there the day after my 6th year anniversary with Tyler...crazy all around. Man I'm getting old...good thing I'm starting to cross things off of the ol' Life To Do List.
Yep I'm going to New York (manhattan) in T minus 15 sleeps! I am flying there the day after my 6th year anniversary with Tyler...crazy all around. Man I'm getting old...good thing I'm starting to cross things off of the ol' Life To Do List.
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
July 4 (Day Before New Job)
Hey Everyone,
Today is really just a tester blog to make my first post. I start a new position tomorrow: Administrative Field Support, in Red Deer. I'm pretty nervous about it. It's probably the first time I am not being fuelled by a desperate need to leave my last job! Hopefully all goes well...
Until later,
Crystal
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