New York: 10 things you didn’t know about the Big Apple

As if New York City wasn’t already the number one tourist destination in the US, generating billions for the economy, the city has unveiled a new campaign to promote even more tourism. The campaign aims to reach the widest audience ever for any city program, reaching out to other cities within the US including Los Angeles, San Francisco and Boston, and also on an international level to markets including the UK, Australia, Brazil, Germany, France and Italy.

New York City’s five boroughs (Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens and Staten Island) will be highlighted through a range of colorful, promotional activities covering outdoor, print and digital advertising, as well as promotional packages from leading business partners. It certainly seems that Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s goal of 50 million visitors per year by 2012 – currently at 47.1 million in 2010 – is within grasp.

As it’s not hard to list New York’s highlights – and there are many of them, no doubt included in the promotional campaign – we thought we’d deviate from the norm and tell you a few things that you may not know about the city that never sleeps.

New York, New York…

1. New York City has ten sister cities including London, Madrid and Rome.

2. The city used to be called New Amsterdam, under Dutch rule, until it was re-claimed by the British and renamed.

3. New York City has the lowest crime rate among major American cities since 2005.

4. Buskers have to audition to play in the top subway spots in New York City! Given that over 150,000 people pass through a subway such as Times Square each day, a busker can earn a significant amount through loose change. So since 1985 the Metropolitan Transportation Authority has held auditions, and the best are given 2-week permits to perform at prime spots on the platforms – even appearing at Carnegie Hall!

5. Legend has it that Washington Square Park, in Manhattan, used to be a site for public executions in the late 18th century. People were hanged from the elm trees and Hangman’s Elm still stands in the northwest corner of the park.

6. The name ‘Big Apple’ is said to date back to 1921, when it was used by horse racing writer John J. Fitz Gerald. He heard the term around the stables of New Orleans from riders aspiring to race in New York City, and used it in his articles for the New York Morning Telegraph.

7. If you want to eat cupcakes in true Sex & the City style, tingle your tastebuds with flavors ranging from chocolate peanut butter swirl to vanilla waffle topped with maple-syrup-dipped buttermilk fried chicken or Harry Potter-inspired Butterbeer, flavored with butterscotch and sprinkled with edible gold dust. It’s all a bit of a mouthful.

8. You can be fined $50 for placing your bag on an empty seat on the subway, as using more than one seat is unlawful – whether or not the train is full.

9. New York City’s 50,000 cabbies earn over $5.5 million each day between them.

10. Almost 40% of the city’s population is foreign-born, and some 170 languages are spoken here. 

Cactus runs English courses in New York and in other cities across the US and Canada. Courses are available from beginners to advanced and from one week upwards; business English courses, academic year courses and more are also available.

For those living in New York, Cactus runs foreign language evening courses and weekend crash courses in a variety of languages and at different levels.