New York City has quite a colorful history that actually can trace back its original roots to the Lenape inhabitants prior to the arrival of Giovanni da Verrazzano in 1524, however then the city had not been named “New York City”. Under Dutch rule in 1625, the city was named “New Amsterdam” and later renamed “New York” in 1664, after the English took control of the area. Interestingly, New York City experienced a major leap forward in 1898 after the city consolidated the “Five Boroughs” that once divided the landscape and the peoples living there.

Quick Fact: Number One

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New York City once served as the first capitol of the United States from September 13, 1788 to 1790.

Quick Fact: Number Two

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General George Washington was inaugurated at the Federal Hall on Wall Street on April 30, 1789 to become the first President of the United States.

Quick Fact: Number Three

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It is illegal to forage for food in New York City parks without having a permit.

Quick Fact: Number Four

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In 1853, the City of New York purchased 768 acres of land that once contained old sheds left behind by colonists, pig farms, quarries and swamps. This land was added to the land that the city had already owned to create an 843-acre city oasis that was named “Central Park”.

Quick Fact: Number Five

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In 1876, the French Government gave America the Statue of Liberty in honor of America's 100th birthday celebrating the country's independence. The Statue of Liberty was designed by Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi, which her face was modeled after his mother and the body modeled after a prostitute as the story is told. Gustave Eiffel, who is most famous for building the Eiffel Tower in Paris, built the steel framework of the Statue of Liberty and the completed 305-foot statue with pedestal was fully erected in 1886 on Liberty Island outside of New York City.

Quick Fact: Number Six

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Chinatown located in the lower part of Manhattan was established in the 1870s by Chinese immigrants who decided to settle in New York City and brought their ancient traditions creating one of the largest Chinatowns in the United States. Visitors can shop until they drop at one of the hundreds of shops or stores scattered throughout the city within a city. Chinatown is chalk full of historical landmarks including a statue of Lin Ze Xu and The Church of the Transfiguration, the oldest Catholic Church building in New York City built in 1801.

Quick Fact: Number Seven

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Grand Central Station was designed by John B. Snook a world famous architect that Cornelius Vanderbilt commissioned to design the railway station in 1869. In 1902, a horrific accident occurred in the Park Avenue tunnel taking the lives of seventeen people, because the smoke from the increased steam engines traveling through created poor visibility that led to the accident. In 1910, the use of steam engine trains were outlawed and replaced with electrified railway system that is still in use today.

Quick Fact: Number Eight

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Ellis Island was originally built just off the southern tip of Manhattan on 27 ½ acres of land, just prior to the War of 1812. Later in the island's history it was used as the gateway to freedom and a new life in the United States, where more than 12 million people from around the world immigrated into the US. Now, Ellis Island is an Immigration Museum that is part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument and hosts an enormous archive of documents, photos and artifacts that tells the story of new beginnings of the men, women and children that passed through its gates, so to obtain the promise of freedom that America has offered to millions of people then and since.

Quick Fact: Number Nine

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The Empire State Building is a towering 1253 foot skyscraper that has 73 elevators and took only one year and forty-five days to build from bottom to top. The classic film King Kong made in 1933, immortalize the Empire State Building in movie icon history and since then it has been featured in dozens of films and movies that only further cements its legacy in architectural history.

Quick Fact: Number Ten

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The United Nations Headquarters is located on Manhattan's eastern border on an eighteen acre plot of land that was purchased and later donated to the United Nations by billionaire John D. Rockefeller Jr. The entire area was eventually used to build the International meeting center and is actually considered International territory that does not officially belong to the United States and is governed by the International body of the UN.

There are far too many fine Las Vegas hotel casinos to mention in one article. I've listed the casinos in the order below as you stroll from south to north on the strip. These are the ones I've visited. You will find your own pleasure palaces.

Mandalay Bay Hotel Casino

It's quite new and close to the airport. Like most things in Vegas, it's larger than life, containing a large tropical bay, complete with sandy beach. With 3,700 rooms, many restaurants, and two wedding chapels, and its own House of Blues, it's a world of its own.

Luxor Hotel Casino

Right next door is this black-glass pyramid, guarded by a huge sphinx. It has 4,400 rooms, not counting restaurants, spa, shops, and the replica of King Tut's tomb in the basement.

Excalibur Hotel Casino

For a change of pace, step along to the Excalibur Hotel Casino.

There are 4008 rooms in this huge white castle, which encompasses a complete medieval village. You want dragons, jesters and jousting? You want to take your sweetheart to the Excalibur chapel, become Henry VIII and marry your queen? You can do it here, and the marriage will be legal.

New York, New York

Let's walk past the Tropicana and the MGM Grand, and take a look at New York, New York.

Tourists from the Big Apple will feel quite at home - maybe - with the Statue of Liberty, the skyscrapers, Brooklyn Bridge, Central Park and Coney Island. You can eat New York food and watch Broadway shows in this small, exclusive (only 2035 rooms!) Hotel Casino.

Monte Carlo

Moving on, past the Aladdin, we reach the Monte Carlo Hotel and Casino. If you haven't visited the original, this will do nicely. You can visit restaurants, a spa, tennis courts. You can take the River Ride. And, of course, there's the ubiquitous wedding chapel.

Paris

See the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, the Arc de Triomphe. Almost 3000 rooms, and quite European. Much of the staff was ferried over from France when the place opened; I don't know how many are left. Don't try to drop a quarter into the more expensive slot machines. Those are $25 slugs being fed in by that (ex)-millionaire.

Bellagio

Pass beneath Bally's moving walkways and enter the Bellagio, a Florentine palace with thousands of fountains and a unique display of dancing waterspouts. Wander the gardens and gaze at the Italian villas. This impressive cathedral of a casino contains a host of restaurants, an art gallery, botanical gardens and two wedding chapels. Take in the shopping mall, the spa, and the aquatic show.

Caesar's Palace Hotel Casino

Caesar's Palace, with its ornate statues and unique design, opened in 1966. It is still one of the most spectacular sights in Las Vegas. It conjures up the grandeur of Imperial Rome, with 2,440 rooms, spa, shops, restaurants, a wedding palace and a circus. Caesar's has been a top attraction in Vegas for three generations of vacationers.

Treasure Island Hotel and Casino

Continue past the Imperial Palace, the Mirage, with its erupting volcano, past Harrah's, and you will arrive at Treasure Island. Watch the naval battle, where the British and American navy battle to destruction. Guess which navy wins. There are restaurants and shows, and two wedding chapels, plus a full-sized replica of HMS Britannica, where weddings also take place.

Venetian Resort Hotel Casino

Like to visit Venice and ride the canals on a gondola? You can do all that, amongst ornate palaces. Visit the shopping mall and the health spa, and enjoy the wax museum. The hotel has 3,000 rooms, and there are plans for building a 1,200 seat event center.

Circus Circus Hotel and Casino

Past the New Frontier, the venerable Stardust, past the Hilton, you arrive at Circus, Circus, the first major casino to cater to families. This place is a circus, a theme park carnival, a casino, and a giant hotel in one exciting package.

We're almost at the end of the strip, now. We walk past the Riviera, the venerable Sahara, built in 1952, and the Palace Station Hotel and casino. What's left?

The Stratosphere

For the grand finale, we might as well soar. The Stratosphere Hotel and Casino anchors the strip, and, at 1081 feet, is the tallest building in Las Vegas. Here, you can dine at the top of the world, and look out at the strip, the downtown lights, and the desert beyond this glittering oasis. This stop is a fitting end to our tour of the sights of Las Vegas.