New York City History

Colony, Capital, Commerce

Giovanni da Verrazzano was the first European explorer to enter New York Harbor in 1524, but usually Henry Hudson gets all the glory. After all, it was not until Hudson's great excursion to the new world ...more

Huddled Masses Yearning

New York City's great immigration tradition got off to a booming start because of potatoes–yes, potatoes. The Irish Potato Famine brought an influx of Irish immigrants who thanked their 8 Lucky ...more

Doom To Boom

Although the skyscrapers constructed in the 1940s seem to tell a different story, New York was hit hard by the Great Depression. Fortunately, the wartime and post-bellum periods led to an eventual economic ...more

Tragedy And Triumph

On September 11, 2001, great tragedy hit New York City. In the worst terrorist attack ever to occur on American soil, members of Al Qaeda flew two planes into the World Trade Center, killing nearly 3000 ...more

More Cultural Essentials in New York City

By clicking submit you agree to the terms of the Let’s Go Privacy Policy

For 52 years, we have published the world’s favorite budget travel guides, written entirely by students and updated every year. With pen and notebook in hand and a few changes of underwear stuffed in our backpacks, we spend months roaming the globe in search of travel bargains.