NEW YORK

NEW YORK

New York is a state in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States New York is the 27th-most extensive, the third-most populous, and the seventh-most densely populated of the 50 United States. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east. The state has a maritime border with Rhode Island east of Long Island, as well as an international border with the Canadian provinces of Ontario to the west and north, and Quebec to the north. The state of New York is often referred to as New York State, so as to distinguish it from New York City. New York City, with a Census-estimated population of over 8.3 million in 2012, is the most populous city in the United States. it makes up over 40 percent of the population of New York State. 

Culture of the United States

The culture of the United States is primarily Western, but is influenced by Native American, African, Asian, Polynesian, and Latin American cultures. A strand of what may be described as American culture started its formation over 10,000 years ago with the migration of Paleo-Indians from Asia, as well as from Oceania and Europe, into the region that is today the continental United States. The United States of America has its own unique social and cultural characteristics such as dialect, music, arts, social habits,cuisine, and folklore. The United States of America is an ethnically and racially diverse country as a result of large-scale migration from many ethnically and racially different countries throughout its history as well as differing birth and death rates among natives, settlers, and immigrants. 

Its chief early European influences came from English, Scottish, Welsh and Irish settlers of colonial America during British rule. British culture, due to colonial ties with Britain that spread the English language, legal system and other cultural inheritances, had a formative influence. Other important influences came from other parts of Europe, especially Germany, France, and Italy. 

American culture includes both conservative and liberal elements, scientific and religious competitiveness, political, risk taking and free expression, materialist and moral elements. Despite certain consistent ideological principles (e.g. individualism, egalitarianism, and faith in freedom and democracy), American culture has a variety of expressions due to its geographical scale and demographic diversity. The flexibility of U.S. culture and its highly symbolic nature lead some researchers to categorize American culture as a mythic identity; others see it as American exceptionalism.

Traditional food

The cuisine of the United States refers to food preparation originating from the United States of America. European colonization of the Americas yielded the introduction of a number of ingredients and cooking styles to the latter. The various styles continued expanding well into the 19th and 20th centuries, proportional to the influx of immigrants from many foreign nations; such influx developed a rich diversity in food preparation throughout the country.

Fats and oils

OILS

A number of fats and oils made from animals served to cook much of the colonial foods. Many homes had a sack made of deerskin filled with bear oil for cooking, while solidified bear fat resembled shortening. Rendered pork fat made the most popular cooking medium, especially from the cooking of bacon. 

MODERN CUISINE

A restaurant dish consisting of smaller versions of three different hamburgers available in the restaurant, each with different toppings, accompanied with French fries, coleslaw, jalapeños, ketchup and sweet chili sauce.

During the Progressive Era (1890s–1920s) food production and presentation became more industrialized. Major railroads featured upscale cuisine in their dining cars. Restaurant chains emerged with standardized decore and menus, most famously the Fred Harvey restaurants along the route of the Sante Fe Railroad in the Southwest. 

TRADITIONAL SWEET WITH ICE CREAM

At the universities nutritionists and home economists taught a new scientific approach to food. During World War I the Progressives' moral advice about food conservation was emphasized in large-scale state and federal programs designed to educate housewives. Large-scale foreign aid during and after the war brought American standards to Europe. 

Newspapers and magazines ran recipe columns, aided by research by corporate kitchens (for example, General Mills, Campbell's, Kraft Foods). One characteristic of American cooking is the fusion of multiple ethnic or regional approaches into completely new cooking styles. Hamburgers and hot dogs from German cuisine, spaghetti and pizza from Italian cuisine became popular. Since the 1960s Asian cooking has played a particularly large role in American fusion cuisine. 

The colonists enjoyed butter in cooking as well, but it was rare prior to the American Revolution, as cattle were not yet plentiful. 

Music of the United States

The music of the United States reflects the country's multi-ethnic population through a diverse array of styles. It is a mixture of West African traditions on the one hand and Irish and Scottish traditions with the later addition of Mexican and Cuban elements. Among the country's most internationally-renowned genres are hip hop, blues, country, rhythm and blues, ragtime, jazz, barbershop, pop, experimental, techno, and rock and roll. The United States has the world's largest music market with a total retail value of 4,481.8 million dollars in 2012, and its music is heard around the world. Since the beginning of the 20th century, some forms of American popular music have gained a near global audience.

VIOLIN

 Much of modern popular music can trace its roots to the emergence in the late 19th century of African American blues and the growth of gospel music in the 1920s. The African American basis for popular music used elements derived from European and indigenous musics. There are also strong African roots in the music tradition to the original white settlers, such as country and bluegrass. The United States has also seen documented folk music and recorded popular music produced in the ethnic styles of the Ukrainian, Irish, Scottish, Polish, Hispanic and Jewish communities, among others.

Statue of Liberty

Statue of liberty

The island of liberty

The Statue of Liberty is 46,5 meters (151ft) tall and together with the pedestal it reaches a height of 93 meters (305ft). You can take the staircase inside the statue and walk all the way up the 354 steps to the crown from where you have a nice view over New York City.

 Central Park

Central Park is one of those places that make New York such a great place to live. The huge park, 341 hectare large (843 acres), is located in the center of Manhattan. Its design has served as an example for city parks around the world.

Central Park

The park boasts several lakes, theaters, ice rinks, fountains, tennis courts, baseball fields, many playgrounds and other facilities. It is also home to the Central Park Zoo and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Especially during the weekends, when cars are not allowed into the park, Central Park is a welcome oasis in this hectic city.

40 Wall Street

The building

In 1928, developer George Ohrstrom began amassing parcels of land so that he could realize his dream of building the world's tallest skyscraper. This commercial building was to be the headquarters for the Bank of Manhattan Trust Company and would be designed by H. Craig Severance.

Demolition and foundation-laying began in late 1929, taking just three weeks to complete - an astounding feat in itself. Motivated by the need to trump the Chrysler Building, workers completed the entire steel frame of the 72-story building in just 93 days and finished the project by May 1930, about a year after construction began.

For a brief time, Severance and partner Yasuo Matsui thought their building was the tallest in the world, until Van Alen revealed

plans for the needle-like spire atop the Chrysler Building, instead making that building the tallest.

World Trade Center

NYC

The two towers were different in height: the first one, built in 1972, reached a height of 417 meters and the second one, finished one year later measured 415 meters. The One World Trade Center was the tallest building in the world until 1974, when the Sears Tower was built in Chicago. At the time of their destruction, the Twin Towers still ranked in the top 10 of the highest buildings in the world and dominated the skyline of lower Manhattan.

SPORTS

American sports and hobbies of the 1960s were greatly influenced by the interests of youth and the establishment of television as a medium for communication. The country's baby-boomers -- children born in the years immediately following World War II -- reached an age where they were earning money to fund their hobbies and were capable of pursuing activities independently. Television introduced people of all ages to a variety of sports, particularly through the Olympic games. The 1960s was a time when old-time favorites in sports and hobbies were joined by The sport of baseball remained America's favorite pastime in the 1960's. Americans took their families out to the ball game, and children played on town fields as part of their local Little League or the Senior League, which was created for teens in 1961. The sport of bowling was enjoyed by men, women and teens who played with friends or in organized leagues. The formation of the North American Soccer League ignited an interest in soccer in the mid-1960s that led to the formation of teams at the elementary and high school levelsnew pursuits.

References :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_City
http://www.livescience.com/28945-american-culture.html
http://martinfrost.ws/htmlfiles/american_culture.html
http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/global-etiquette/usa.html
http://travel.cnn.com/explorations/eat/best-usa-travel/top-50-american-foods-513946
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuisine_of_the_United_States
http://photos.america.gov/galleries/amgov/4110/food_tradition/
http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/recipe-collections-favorites/american-recipes-00000000061159/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_of_the_United_States
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http://www.altiusdirectory.com/Arts/popular-hobbies.php