3 Things That Keep NYC Alive and Kicking
The Big Apple is known as the greatest city on Earth and for many reasons. Almost like a second United States capital city, New York City has been the attraction for many immigrants to the city since the 1880s when the tired and poor huddled masses began to arrive from all over the world in search of paradise in America.
Among an influx of arrivals for many years, were good and hard-working people with many talents ready to share with their new home. Like any great city, the evolution of New York depended on its people and the beautiful variety among them, and to this day, there are three things still keeping the city alive:
- Construction
- Nightlife
- The People
No city can grow and prosper without talented construction personnel to build the dream envisioned by pioneers while trendy bars and restaurants are the lifeblood of any city that depends on tourism and leisure. But every great metropolis is held up on the shoulders of the amazing people that live there.
Steel and Glass Canyons
Erected in 1889, the Tower Building is considered NYC’s first skyscraper. Although it was only 11 stories high, it was made from a steel frame, the tough skeleton infrastructure that is still used to build massive structures today. Since then, New York City has become famous for its steel and glass canyons that are spread throughout Manhattan and beyond like arteries reaching for some common and life-sustaining goal.
Iconic structures such as The Empire State Building and The Crysler Building still stand today and were the envy of the world, beaten in size and scale only by the Twin Towers that were tragically attacked in a cowardly act of terrorism on September 11, 2001. But that didn’t stop New York from picking up the pieces and rebuilding. As well as a rebuilt One World Trade Center tower (the tallest in the city), a beautiful memorial now stands where the tragedy occurred which attracts approximately 7 million visitors per year.
Since 2001, construction has boomed in New York City with many commercial and residential projects spanning the five boroughs of Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, the Bronx, and Staten Island. New developments with national clients such as Neiman Marcus are supported by local construction engineers like Peter DiTommaso to complete projects across the city. It is this working together attitude that has facilitated the construction opportunities that have made New York City home to almost 7,000 high rise buildings and some of the most iconic projects in the world.
Catering for Everyone
Of course, all work and no play makes Jill a dull girl, so with New York being home to some of the world’s most amazing clubs, restaurants and bars mean that there is just as much fun to be had as there are employment opportunities.
Around 67 million people visit New York annually and a large portion like to sample the after-hours events of such an exuberant city, with dazzles and delights in equal measure and enough for the most discerning hedonist.
Current nightlife in New York revolves around cocktail lounges, EDM clubs with the best sound systems money can buy, and niche establishments with high-rise hot tubs and the city has been home to some of the most iconic establishments in the world. The Cotton Club, Studio 54, and The Copacabana are to name but a few, and while many niche clubs come and go, there is always something for everyone in “the city that never sleeps”.
Always Hopeful
But no great city can sustain itself without the people that live there. The streets of New York might be tough, but the people are even tougher, and no city in the world has more loyal residents than New York. Throughout the years, NYC citizens have seen unspeakable organized crime, serial killers, blackouts and riots, and the biggest peacetime attack on US soil in its 244 years as a sovereign nation.
Through it all, the people of the city have always banded together to fend off the worst of the worst and support each other. The 1977 Summer of Sam saw everyone walking each other home as David Berkowitz terrorized the boroughs while communities worked together to pick up the pieces following the looting of the same year when the power went off across four of the five boroughs.
Many famous artists, writers, and poets constantly profess the real beauty of the city underneath the stain of crime, poverty, and unrest. Alicia Keys’ iconic Empire State of Mind has all but become an anthem as it accurately describes the dichotomy of society when inhabiting such a city. All the while, poets like Emma Lazarus describe the city’s features and inspiration in comparison to ancient Greece and Rome. She writes:
‘Not like the Brazen Giant of Greek fame, with conquering limbs astride from land to land; Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand a mighty woman with a torch.’