Intro

Hello and Welcome to this episode of the podcast, "The Mnemonic Tree", where we add a single mnemonic leaf to our Tree of Knowledge.

I’m Jans your Mnemonic Man and today's episode will be on the city affectionately known as “The Big Apple” New York City.

So, the first question is why is New York City called “The Big Apple.” Well, it apparently originated as far back as the 1920’s which referred to the prizes, known as “big apples” awarded at racecourses in and around New York City. The name did not really catch on at the time, but this changed in the 1970’s following a very successful advertising campaign to attract tourists and has been formally adopted by the city since.

But for New York apparently one nickname is not enough with many existing to help describe this thriving metropolis. Some of which include: The Empire City, The Capital of the World, The City that Never Sleeps, Gotham, The City of Dreams, Melting Pot, New Amsterdam, Concrete Jungle, The Five Boroughs, Manhattan, Metropolis, and simply The City.

European discovery of New York was by the Italian explorer Giovanni da Verrazzano in 1524. While the first land claim was by the Dutch in 1609. The Dutch assumed they had purchased it off the Indians in 1626 for 60 guilders but were soon booted out by the English who then named it in honour of the Duke of York.

Today’s mnemonic will be on the five boroughs of New York City

So, with that being said, we will begin with a summary from Wikipedia.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:View_of_Empire_State_Building_from_Rockefeller_Center_New_York_City_dllu.jp

Wikipedia Summary

New York, often called New York City[b] or simply NYC, is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each of which is coextensive with a respective county. New York is a global center of finance [10] and commerce, culture and tech,[11] entertainment and media, academics and scientific output,[12] and the arts and fashion. Home to the headquarters of the United Nations, New York is an important center for international diplomacy,[13][14] and is sometimes described as the world's most important city[15] and the capital of the world.[16][17]

With an estimated population in 2022 of 8,335,897 distributed over 300.46 square miles (778.2 km2),[4] the city is the most densely populated major city in the United States. New York has more than double the population of Los Angeles, the nation's second-most populous city.[18] New York is the geographical and demographic center of both the Northeast megalopolis and the New York metropolitan area, the largest metropolitan area in the U.S. by both population and urban area. With more than 20.1 million people in its metropolitan statistical area [19] and 23.5 million in its combined statistical area as of 2020, New York City is one of the world's most populous megacities.[20] The city and its metropolitan area are the premier gateway for legal immigration to the United States. As many as 800 languages are spoken in New York,[21] making it the most linguistically diverse city in the world. In 2021, the city was home to nearly 3.1 million residents born outside the U.S.,[18] the largest foreign-born population of any city in the world.[22]

New York City traces its origins to Fort Amsterdam and a trading post founded on the southern tip of Manhattan Island by Dutch colonists in approximately 1624. The settlement was named New Amsterdam (Dutch: Nieuw Amsterdam) in 1626 and was chartered as a city in 1653. The city came under English control in 1664 and was temporarily renamed New York after King Charles II granted the lands to his brother, the Duke of York.[23] before being permanently renamed New York in November 1674. New York City was the capital of the United States from 1785 until 1790.[24] The modern city was formed by the 1898 consolidation of its five boroughs: Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx, and Staten Island, and has been the largest U.S. city ever since.

Anchored by Wall Street in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan, New York City has been called both the world's premier financial and fintech center[25][26] and the most economically powerful city in the world.[27] As of 2022, the New York metropolitan area is the largest metropolitan economy in the world with a gross metropolitan product of over US$2.16 trillion.[7][8] If the New York metropolitan area were its own country, it would have the tenth-largest economy in the world. The city is home to the world's two largest stock exchanges by market capitalization of their listed companies: the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq. New York City is an established safe haven for global investors.[28] As of 2023, New York City is the most expensive city in the world for expatriates to live.[29] New York City is home to the highest number of billionaires, individuals of ultra-high net worth (greater than US$30 million),[30] and millionaires of any city in the world.[31]

Extracted from: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_City]

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lower_Manhattan_from_Jersey_City_November_2014_panorama_1.jpg

Mnemonic

New York City – 5 Boroughs - MQBBS

(Picture five mobs of giant kangaroos roaming the streets of New York)

1. Manhattan

2. Queens

3. Brooklyn

4. Bronx

5. Staten Island

Five Fun Facts

1. The largest collection of Art Deco buildings in America are located in the Bronx. But in terms of the most memorable and recognisable Art Deco buildings in New York City it is hard to go past the Chrysler building which was completed in 1930 and was the world’s tallest building for 11 months, and the Empire State Building which was completed a year later in 1931 and was the world’s tallest building until the first tower of the World Trade Centre surpassed it in 1970.

2. The Bronx is also home to the largest urban zoo in the United States. It covers approximately 265 acres and is home to over 700 species.

3. Staten Island has 170 parks in total. This is dwarfed by the Bronx which has a massive total of 1,700 parks which in green space makes up approximately one-quarter of the land cover.

4. Renting the space for a hot dog stand outside Central Park Zoo costs approximately $289,500 according to one merchant (At $3 per hot dog, that is 96,500 hotdogs to break-even. If you sell one per minute that would take you 201 days of an 8-hour day. Then you take weekends, public holidays, sick days, having half an hour for lunch, etc. That does not leave a lot.

So, I think to get into the business of selling hotdogs in Central Park, you’d

have to be Barking Mad!

5. Brooklyn is a popular place for beach-goers, with 30 miles of shoreline. The more popular beaches are Brighton Beach, East River State Park, and Plumb Beach.