by Lorry Patton

It has been years since I visited New York City. What I remember most is the jaywalkers, the honking yellow cabs ( more than 11,000 taxi circle the streets), the alleys jammed with freight moving in and out, the assortment of shoes in the storefront windows, the graffiti-covered subway, the street venders selling bagels and hotdogs, and the determined look on the faces of the pedestrians.

Like others before me, I have to say there is no other place on earth quite like New York City.

New York City is comprised of Brooklyn, the Bronx, Staten Island, Queens and Manhattan boroughs. It sits on the Hudson Bay on the east side of the continent, along the southernmost tip of New York state.

When most people refer to New York, they refer to Manhattan, the smallest borough in the city and home to more than 7 million people.

They cram the city's streets from morning till night - breathing, working, playing and living as only New Yorkers can. Looking at their faces is like looking at the faces of the United Nations assembly.

New Yorkers are English, Italian, Greek, German, Chinese, Hispanic, African and Jewish.