New York City or NYC is one of the most charming destinations in the world. It often features in the list of places that people across the world would want to visit. The city covers five boroughs, namely the Bronx, Staten Island, Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens.
All these boroughs have their unique features and attractions. New York is also one of the cities that has a rich history and culture. Besides all such facts that most people are aware of, there are some that you probably never knew. Let’s go through them right here:
1. The Empire State Building gets over 23 lightning strikes annually
Among the world-famous landmarks of New York City is the Empire State Building. It is visited by millions of individuals annually. Did you ever know that it is struck at least 23 times by lightning each year? Well, that’s a fact. However, the building has not suffered considerable damages owing to these bolts of lightning. It was engineered in such a way that it can withstand all such lightning strikes. An engineering marvel, indeed!
2. There are more than 50 million books in the New York Public Library
The New York Public Library is the second-largest library system in the United States. Of course, the largest library system in the country is the Library of Congress. The last count of books in the New York Public Library was 55 million. Along with such vast number of literary collections and artifacts, it has several other astonishing things. Among them are locks of hair from some of the famous writers such as Walt Whitman.
3. New York City has more than a quarter of North American bird species
There are nearly 800 bird species in the North American region. About 230 of them are found across the five boroughs of New York City. Central Park is the place where most of these bird species can be spotted. This makes the park one of the best places for bird-watchers.
4. NYC Federal Reserve Bank has the largest gold storage in the world
There are huge quantities of gold in the New York City Federal Reserve Bank. It is located in Lower Manhattan’s Financial District. The amount of gold that New York City Federal Reserve Bank holds is the world’s largest gold storage. Held within the bank are more than 7,000 tons of gold bars.
Costing about $90 billion, they are stored in a vault 80 feet below the ground. The amount of gold stored here is equal to five percent of mined gold in the world.
5. New York City houses the first underground park in the world
Located on the West Side of Manhattan is the world’s first underground park. It has not been opened to the public yet, as it hasn’t been completed owing to lack of funds. This park is called Lowline, while the elevated park located in Manhattan is called Highline.
6. The Grand Central Terminal has a ‘whispering gallery’
This is yet another astonishing fact about New York City. The Grand Central Terminal features an area called ‘whispering gallery’. This is where people can stand on opposite diagonal corners and hear the words whispered to each other.
7. The New York City Subway system is the world’s largest
Featuring 472 stations, the New York City Subway is a quick and easily accessible public transport system. It is not only the country’s largest rapid transport system but also the largest in the world. This is the lifeline of most New Yorkers. Yet another interesting fact about this subway system is that it is also the Western hemisphere’s busiest rapid transport system.