New York City

I am the sound of a rumbling subway train deep underground and the cheerful honk of a yellow taxi zipping down the street. I am the happy chatter of a million voices speaking every language you can imagine. I smell like warm, salty pretzels from a street cart and fresh pizza from a corner shop. When you look up, you see my buildings, like giant fingers of stone, steel, and glass that scrape the fluffy white clouds in the sky. In my center, I have a big, green heart called Central Park, where you can run and play under the trees. I am a giant playground, a home for big ideas, and a place where anything feels possible. I am New York City.

Long, long ago, before my streets were paved and my skyscrapers were built, I was an island full of green hills and quiet forests. The Lenape people lived here, and they called me Mannahatta, which means ‘island of many hills’. They knew my rivers and my woods by heart, fishing in my waters and walking my paths. Then, in the 1600s, everything started to change. Tall ships with giant white sails sailed into my harbor. People from a country far away called the Netherlands arrived and built a small town with windmills and cobblestone streets. They named their new home New Amsterdam. A man named Peter Minuit made a deal with the Lenape, and the little town began to get bigger. On a sunny day, August 27th, 1664, English ships arrived, and my name was changed to New York. From that day on, I just kept growing. More and more people came from all over the world, sailing past my giant, green friend, the Statue of Liberty. She holds her torch high to welcome everyone, saying, ‘Bring me your dreams.’ They came looking for new homes and a chance to build something wonderful. I didn't just grow wider. I grew taller. People began building amazing skyscrapers, reaching for the sky. The most famous one, the Empire State Building, was finished on May 1st, 1931. It felt like it tickled the clouds.

Today, I am still a city buzzing with bright lights and big energy. You can see dazzling shows with singing and dancing on a street called Broadway, or you can gaze at amazing art and giant dinosaur bones in my wonderful museums. In a place called Times Square, giant screens sparkle and you can just sit and watch the whole world go by. Every single person who walks my streets adds a new word to my story. Whether you live in one of my tall buildings or are just visiting to see the sights, you are a part of me. I am a place built by dreamers from everywhere, and my greatest treasure is the beautiful mix of all their hopes and ideas. I will always be a home for dreams. What new dream will you bring to my streets one day?