EXPLORE
By Emily Munyao
A
lthough for a long time
many people considered
the origin of the term Big
Apple to be a mystery, Missouri
University of Science and Tech-
nology researchers managed to
determine its source. The term
"Apple", referred to the popular big
horse racing courses around NYC
(possibly due to the fact that horses
liked apples). Smaller tracks were
often called "bull rings". The term
was popularized for the first time by
John J. Fitz Gerald in The New York
Morning Telegraph when he men-
tioned going to the "Big Apple" as in
going to the "big time"
New York is one of the most
metropolitan cities in the world and
its size has helped shape both the
culture and the lifestyle of its inhab-
itants. Tourists can move along the
the
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busy sidewalks of Chinatown, visit
statue of liberty, enjoy ferry rides,
shop in Manhattan, among other
activities to do including an excitin g
nightlife, and so much more. New
York is definitely a must visit.
It’s also a major hub for the
fashion industry; filled with high
fashion models, designers, hosting
famous fashion shows like New
York Fashion Week, and some of
the best clothing stores and clothe
line up for both men and women
such as Calvin Klein, Prada, Gucci,
Tom Ford just to mention a few. Its
incredible architecture includes the
Empire State and Chrysler build-
ings. The Empire state building,
which is the tallest building in New
York City, was completed in 1931
during the great depression, and
stood almost empty for some time.
Today, it hosts millions of visitors a
year from across the world.
A double-decker bus tour of Man-
hattan is a good way to get a quick
orientation. The bus line tours allow
visitors to get off the bus at specific
areas that interest them and re-
board a later bus to continue their
exploration around the city. Walking
in the city is also convenient if one
is not in a hurry to go anywhere,
which is good since getting a cab
there is difficult!
Living in New York is quite expen-
sive with the cost of living being at
least 68.8% higher than the nation-
al average. Living in the city center
gets even worse, with the cost of
living double that of the national
average. This has overall contribut-
ed to the city being viewed as very
costly to live in but some people are
willing to spend a little more due to
the ease of living in a cosmopolitan
area such as New York. My overall
experience in New York was pleas-
ant and fun, I would definitely visit
the place again and capture beauti-
ful moments.
BIG APPLE
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