Chirping birds and Christmas bells in the Greatest City in the World (part 2)

Like Hong Kong, whose territory consists of the Kowloon Peninsula and the New Territories on the mainland and over 200 islands - the largest of which being Hong Kong Island and Lantau - New York City sits partially on the North American mainland with the remainder split between approximately 42 islands.

Of the five boroughs, only the Bronx is almost entirely on the mainland, besides a few islands which also form part of it. The other four boroughs are either islands, like Manhattan and Staten Island, or located on islands, like Brooklyn and Queens which are part of Long Island.

Manhattan (from Mannahata - the name given to the area by its native inhabitants, aka New York County)

You can think of Manhattan as the equivalent of Hong Kong Island. 

It is easily recognisable (certainly the most recognisable of the five boroughs!) and its skyline will look familiar to most: the skyscrapers, the setting of “Friends” and “Sex and the City” (and too many other TV shows and movies to list here!), the yellow taxis and school buses, the NYPD horse cops, the food trucks, the museums, Central Park and all the hustle and bustle of the real NYC experience!

Anyone visiting the city as a tourist will most likely spend the majority of their time in Manhattan. It is the borough that I have become most familiar with during my trips to New York. It is an exciting place to be, and will most certainly ring a few emotional bells.

Even though Manhattan is the smallest in size of the five boroughs, it is the most diverse in terms of variety of experiences.

You can walk around the vibrant Chinatown and Little Italy. 

SoHo, referring to the area south of Houston Street (not pronounced like the city in Texas - tourists beware!), has its trendy boutiques, art galleries and elegant cast-iron-facades.

The Financial District is buzzing with Wall Street professionals and features some stunning buildings from skyscrapers to the 19th-century Trinity Church.

The classic Greenwich Village feels so much like Europe and is charming with its cobblestone streets and residents sitting on the stoops of their town houses.

The West Village - the western section of Greenwich Village - is one of the most picturesque and cosy Manhattan neighbourhoods.

With its quaint and quiet streets, quirky restaurants and historical buildings, Tribeca has a special spirit…

And some amazing views…

In particular by night…

On my way to the office (I worked for a company with an office in Tribeca), I walked by a bookstore specialising in cookbooks with a cute cat sleeping (or maybe he was people watching from the window!), which was one of my favourite moments of the day…

A few miles north, the Upper East Side and the Upper West Side will awe you with the legendary charm of Manhattan buildings overlooking Central Park and their fancy doormen!

And then there is New York City's Theater District where you will find most Broadway theatres and the world famous Times Square (whose name comes from the name of the newspaper “The New York Times”).

While we were definitely disappointed by the size of the latter which looks much grander on the TV, watching a show or musical on Broadway should be on everyone’s bucket list!

Frozen, Aladdin, Chicago, Les Misérables, Anastasia, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, The Lion King, The Phantom of the Opera, The Book of Mormon…

They are like Hollywood movies with lots of special effects but on a stage… The architecture of the theatres is gorgeous as well!

Most people tend to think of Broadway strictly as the theatre district, but it is so much more! A fun fact is that with its 20 miles (33 kilometres) in length from the southern tip of Manhattan (in the Financial District) to the northernmost point (in Inwood), Broadway (meaning “wide road” in Dutch) is the fifth longest street in the world and the longest street in NYC!

Fifth Avenue, with its 6.2 miles (10 kilometres) stretching from Greenwich Village to Harlem in the northern part of Manhattan, is another of the longest streets in the world! Though it is not the longest in Manhattan (as that prize goes to Broadway), along with Champs-Élysées, La Rambla, Ginza, Orchard Road and Hollywood Boulevard, it is also one of the most famous and expensive streets, with some of the most important and recognisable shops and buildings, in the world! It has been the backdrop for thousands of films!

Brooklyn and Queens (aka the King and the Queen)

East of Manhattan across the conveniently named East River are the boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens, which are the equivalent of the Kowloon Peninsula in Hong Kong!

In NYC, crossing from one borough into another invariably requires travel over a bridge or through a tunnel, except for Brooklyn and Queens - the two boroughs that sit on the same land mass (Long Island). In certain parts of either borough, you might have a hard time distinguishing where one borough ends and the other begins. From the western shores of Brooklyn and Queens, you will get the absolute best views of Manhattan in the same way that the best views of Hong Kong Island are from Tsim Sha Tsui in Kowloon!

Brooklyn (also known as Kings County - named after King Charles II who was the ruling monarch when the colony was settled by the British) is the most populous of the NYC boroughs. If Brooklyn were to secede from the rest of NYC, it would be the third largest city in the U.S. and many New Yorkers argue that it is Manhattan’s cooler sister.

Although certain parts of Brooklyn (in close proximity to the bridge bearing the borough's name) are starting to look like Manhattan with more skyscrapers (in NYC the only way to create more space is vertically) and increased traffic, most of the borough has a unique vibe with its historic low-rise buildings, picturesque streets and unique bars.

What we loved the most was the legendary Bushwick’s street art. 

It was colorful and meaningful! 

If you are an art lover, the murals will delight you!

Queens is, geographically, the largest of the five boroughs, and is named after an actual Queen - Catherine of Braganza, wife of King Charles II. If Queens were to secede from the rest of NYC, it would be the fourth largest city in the U.S., and those with an insider's knowledge of the borough would argue that it would be the best city in the world to eat!

Some areas are peaceful with beautiful single-family houses and low-rise buildings and cute squirrels running in the surrounding gardens and parks.

One of the best known parks in the borough is Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, containing the U.S. National Tennis Center which hosts one of the grand slam tennis tournaments, Citi Field - home of the Mets baseball team, and the site of the 1939-40 and 1964-65 World's Fair.

Even in the outer boroughs, you can find the usual hustle and bustle of the city only a few steps away with some amazing cuisines from around the world in mom-and-pop shops and legit holes in the walls!

The Bronx (the only borough with the definite article in its name - the Bronx)

The borough of the Bronx (the only one of the five boroughs not primarily located on an island) has lots of nature - about a quarter of its area consists of open space - and can be compared to the New Territories of Hong Kong. You will find it to the north of Manhattan, across the Harlem River. It is best known as the home of the New York Botanical Garden, the Bronx Zoo and the world’s most famous baseball team - the New York Yankees! If this borough was ranked as a city in terms of its population, it would be the ninth biggest city in the U.S.

Staten Island (the only borough including its geographical status in its name - an island)

Finally, Staten Island is almost the same size as Hong Kong’s Lantau Island - around 57 square miles (150 square kilometres)! It is located south of Manhattan and, though it is the third largest borough, it is the least populated of the five. It is also known as the “Forgotten Borough” as many people forget it is one of the five boroughs of NYC. Perhaps, its most famous experience to visitors is the free ferry service connecting it to Manhattan.

If you are short on time when visiting New York City and do not want to board one of the touristic boats to visit Liberty Island - home to the famous Liberty Enlightening the World, commonly known as the Statue of Liberty - but still want to experience a relatively close encounter with Lady Liberty, riding the Staten Island ferry is a very efficient way to do so! The ride is free and the round trip route can be completed in approximately 90 minutes, depending on the ferry schedule.

If you ride the ferry around sunset, you will admire the Lady glowing in the golden light. 

The views of the Manhattan skyline and New York Harbour are breathtaking!

The Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, which reminded me of the Golden Gate Bridge, is also visible in the distance on the ferry ride.

We rode the ferry in winter and it was freezing cold despite our five layers of clothes, but facing the elements was worth every minute of this spectacle! We found that the light was even more amazing than in summer!

(with the kind help of my friend Wanda Rene)