Adirondack Mountains and Catskills

Charmed by exhilarating activities like skiing, fishing, hunting, camping, and hiking? Satiate yourself at the famed resort destinations of Adirondack Mountains and the Catskills. Don’t miss the Adirondack Park, the biggest state park in the US.

The Finger Lakes

Excellent sightseeing options adorn this mesmerising area of 11 long thins water bodies offering a world of elating waterfront action.

Saratoga Springs

Try out your luck on horse racing or simply watch adrenalin pumping summer polo matches and harness racing. In fact, those booking airline tickets to New York during the months of July and August can treat themselves to the sight of America’s most prized horses setting the track on fire. To capture some haunting old world charm, take a stroll through one of the cities dotted with Victorian mansions.

New York State Museum

Walk backwards in time at the New York State Museum, the oldest as well as the biggest one in the country. Prepare yourself for the stunning life of Native Americans captured through stunning life like dioramas.

National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum

Check out on the legends of baseball at Cooperstown’s National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. If in the mood for some souvenir shopping, indulge yourself at the numerous memorabilia shops.

Hunter Mountain

Go skiing at the Hunter Mountain ski resort, reputed to be the snowmaking capital of the world. Choose from over 50 trails spread across three mountains.

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The image of New York in art and popular culture has long been cemented as one of timeless universality. In the world of painting and photography, among a host of other art forms, New York has been one of the central muses of the art world: from the controversy over Diego Rivera’s Man at the Crossroads mural in the Rockerfeller Center in 1936, to Jonathan Hyman’s post-9/11 photography exhibitions, art has been an important component of the shaping of New York. Amidst its host of world-renowned galleries are the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA), The Metropolitan Museum and, perhaps most interestingly, the Guggenheim Museum.

In terms of both its art and architecture, the Guggenheim is one of New York’s most interesting landmarks; as such, it’s an essential stop-off point for any culture vulture in the city. Originally established in 1937 as “The Museum of Non-Objective Painting” the Guggenheim was established with the primary aim of showcasing the work of early modernists; to this day the museum continues to maintain ongoing exhibits of the art of Wassily Kandinsky and Jackson Pollock. Its more recent exhibitions have included eclectic collections: Robert Mapplethorpe and the Classical Traditions, the work of Iraqi-born artists Zaha Hadid and an exhibition of photos showing sculptor David Smith at work.

This wide-ranging selection of exhibits simply proves that while the Guggenheim still adheres to its primary principle of showcasing early modernist art, it also goes a long way in championing post-modern art. Moreover, the Guggenheim has also played host to a distinct selection of commercial art by including seasons of motorcycle exhibitions, as well as a display of Giorgio Armani suits.

The Guggenheim is not only notable for its excellent art collections, but also for its fundamental architectural beauty. Situated at the corner of 89th Street and 5th Avenue in Manhattan, the Guggenheim museum was designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright, one of the most influential American architects of the early twentieth century, whose works also include the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo, Hollyhock House in LA and the Illinois mile-high tower in Chicago. Wright’s avant-garde design was devised for the specific purpose of making the Metropolitan Museum of Art resemble “a Protestant barn”. Looking somewhat like a coiled-up white ribbon, the building was widely reviled at the time of its establishment, but is now generally recognised as one of the defining features of New York’s diverse architectural landscape.

New York’s Guggenheim Museum is part of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, a non-profit body founded in 1937 by philanthropist Solomon R. Guggenheim and artist Hilla von Rebay. Since the foundation of this original Guggenheim Museum in New York the organisation has gone on to open up other Guggenheims across the world. Today, Guggenheim Museums can be found in Bilbao, Berlin, Venice and Las Vegas. Many cultural tourists who are intent on soaking up the delights of the art world across the globe embark on world tours visiting each Guggenheim Museum in turn. Taking advantage of air miles and reward schemes like the Hilton Honors rewards system can makes this sort of round-the-world travel easier – and less expensive – than many might think. So art fans yearning to travel will find that they can visit each Guggenheim Museum in turn without busting their bank balance.

Ellis Island didn’t receive its current name until the 1770’s when it was bought by Samuel Ellis. Before then it had been named by the Mohegan Indians, the Dutch and named after the instrument used in the hanging of Anderson the Pirate (which took place on the island).

Even after Ellis purchased the island it didn’t immediately become an immigration depot. After a few generations the Ellis family sold the island to the state of New York. New York in turn sold it to the federal government which decided it would be the location for Fort Gibson. In 1876 they began to use the land for a Navy munitions depot which was removed in 1890 because of the concern it caused New Jersey residence.

In that same year the House Committee of Immigration decided that Ellis Island should house the new immigration depot. It would replace Manhattans Castle Garden which had served thus for many years. To accommodate for the new building that was to be erected the government added three more acres on to the island by means of landfill. And within the next two years they added fourteen more acres.

Ellis Island was finally opened January 1st 1892. The first immigrant to step through its doors was a fifteen year old girl named Annie Moore. Annie was from County Cork Ireland and was traveling with her two younger brothers to meet their parents who had moved to America two years earlier. She was welcomed by several government officials and given a $10 gold coin. She is quoted as saying “I will never part with it but keep it as a pleasant memento of the occasion”. Her story has since become a famous tale of Ellis Island.

Several immigrants traveled through the facility after Annie but the original building wasn’t without its problems. Many workers pointed out that the ceiling would leak and it also became apparent that there was not enough room to house all the immigrants. More than once architects were sent to the building to check its structural integrity but both times the government received different answers. The first group of architects sent out said that the building would not last more than five to ten years. They found part of the building set on a foundation of stacked wood. Not only was the roof leaky but it could even give way if there was heavy snow. The next group of architects found there to be nothing wrong with the building. The government eventually decided to add another dormitory to the building to improve the cramped living conditions.

Before the new dormitory could be added most of the building burned down in a kitchen fire, forcing the government to rebuild (June 15th 1897). There was a competition held to choose who would be the architect to over see the project. A firm called Boring and Tilton won the contest and built the building that sits on the island to this day. The island couldn’t process immigrants during the construction so it was temporarily closed down. Read the rest of this entry »

Statue of Liberty Facts

•The sculptor of the Statue of Liberty is Frederic Auguste Bartholdi.
•He was commissioned in 1876.
•It is the tallest metal statue ever constructed.
•The Statue of Liberty stands 151 feet high and weighs 225 tons.
•The arms are 42 feet long.
•The Statue of Liberty torch is 21 feet in length.
•The index fingers of the statue are eight feet long, whereas the nose is 4 feet and 6 inches.
•The official title of the Statue of Liberty was ‘Liberty Enlightening the World’, which in French was la Liberté éclairant le monde.
Statue of Liberty History

The Statue of Liberty was dedicated on October 28, 1886 and was a monument, which was given to commemorate the centennial of the signing of the United States Declaration of Independence. Although the Statue was a gift from the French people to the American people, it was a joint effort between America and France. You may want to read on famous French people.

The pedestal on which the Statue stands was to be built by the American people, whereas the French people were responsible for the Statue and its assembly to be done in the United States. Lack of funds was a problem, which was faced by both the countries on either side of the Atlantic Ocean. Public fees, various forms of entertainment were some of the measures used in France to raise the funds required to build the Statue. On the other end, in the United States, benefit theatrical events, art exhibitions, auctions, prize fights, etc. were the methods used for fund raising. These efforts were not able to raise the required amount of funds, hence Joseph Pulitzer started criticizing the rich and the middle class people for their reluctance to give help. His efforts paid off, people did donate the required funds for the construction of the pedestal.

To build the Statue, Bartholdi sought the assistance of Alexandre Gustave Eiffel, to address the structural issues associated with designing the copper sculpture. Eiffel designed the massive iron pylon and secondary skeletal framework, due to which the Statue’s copper skin could move independently and yet stand upright. On the other hand fund raising efforts were completed in August 1885 in the United States and the construction was finished in April 1886. The site where the Statue stands was approved by the Congress on 22 February 1877, birthday of George Washington. The site on Bedloe’s Island was suggested by Bartholdi. The 12 acre island was owned by a Walloon named Isaac Bedloe, hence it was called Bedloe’s Island, but the name was changed on 3 August 1956 after a resolution was approved by President Eisenhower and the new name was given as Liberty Island. Read the rest of this entry »