“To Europe she was America, to America she was the gateway of the earth. But to tell the story of New York would be to write a social history of the world.” The words of HG Wells sum up New York, particularly Manhattan, one of New York City’s burroughs, or suburbs if you like.

The city is made up of five burroughs separated by various waterways. Brooklyn and Queens occupy the western portion of Long Island, while Staten Island and Manhattan (the burrough most people incorrectly call New York) are their own islands. The Bronx, to the north, is attached to the New York State mainland.

New York City, the city of dreams, is on the Eastern Atlantic coast of the US at the mouth of the Hudson River, which also flanks the west side. The Harlem River is on the northern fringe of the island while the East River borders the south.

Manhattan is my favourite city in the world, narrowly pipping London and Sydney. It never sleeps, quite literally, the pace is fast, furious and ferocious and there is a constant hum mingling with non-stop police and ambulance sirens. The opportunities for everything you can imagine are there, if not at your fingertips, then at somebody else’s. All you’ve got to do is sling them a few dollars and they’ll point you in the right direction.

Part of Manhattan’s magic is that the other burroughs, all steeped in history with their own melting pot of identities, are only a few minutes away by the underground railway or yellow cab. There are more cabs in Manhattan than private cars and, along with the underground railway, cabbing is the way to go. Because of the road system and the pure bravado and lunacy of the cab drivers it is fast and efficient, if not a little dangerous and comical. It can be like a ride in a fast, reckless bumper car. The drivers steer the cab in the general direction, plant their foot, place their hand on the horn and it becomes ride ‘em cowboy.

The island city is the strangest city on earth. It is a mini planet earth with more than 37 languages spoken and more than 134 nationalities living on the tiny concrete island. Immigrants from major nations have, over the years, tended to congregate in their own ethnic areas which look and feel like their home country. There’s Spanish Harlem, Little Italy and so forth.

New Yorkers are aggressive, they have to be to get by. Despite their aggression they are some of the greatest people around and are always interested in who you are, where you come from, what you’re doing in New York and whether you’re prepared to work hard and play hard. Manhattan is the financial and media centre of the world. It is only five miles long and three miles wide with a massive population of almost nine million residents and another five million who commute daily.

They commute on and off the island via five bridges and three underground tunnels. You might say the city is a little congested. You want to see gridlock? Try Manhattan on a Friday arvo.

Manhattan was originally bought by the Dutch from its native American inhabitants for $24. Since then it has turned into a massive concrete jungle that shoots skywards. Land space is so rare that real estate agents sell air space for future building developments. Weird, but essential and true.

During winter the chill factor is outrageous as cold wind from the Atlantic hurtles down the concrete canyons at blistering speeds. In summer the heat is locked inside the canyons causing humidity that has to be felt to be believed. Only the tough survive Manhattan. One of the other five burroughs, The Bronx, is home to two of New York’s greatest landmarks, the Bronx Zoo and Yankee Stadium. Most people who move to the Bronx these days are Russian, Hispanic and Polish.

As with all New York burroughs, Staten Island has a unique character. It was originally thrown in as a prize in a sailing competition by the Duke of York, in 1687. A sailing team from Manhattan won the prize and claimed the smaller island as its own. Ever since, the residents of Staten Island have had several failed attempts at seceding from Manhattan,. That Staten Island was won as a prize, along with the original purchase of Manhattan, goes a long way towards deomonstrating the capitalistic philosophy of the US.

The Dutch were the first settlers in Brooklyn in the 1600’s when it was a large marshland. Although the Dutch shared the land with the Brits the Dutch culture dominated well into the 19th century. The Italians and Hispanics now have a large presence in Brooklyn. It is said that it is rare to find a New Yorker whose family has been living in America for more than one generation, who did not have an ancestor who lived in Brooklyn at some stage in their life.

Finally, the burrough of Queens which was named after the wife of Charles II of England. Originally, Queens was a farming community, but today it is a fast growing manufacturing area.

If you’re planning to visit New York give yourself plenty of time. It’s impossible to visit all the places to see in one burrough, even if you stayed for a month. Even then you’d only skim the surface. Take plenty of money, hide your jewellery, walk fast, look tough, hold your head up high, look people straight in the eye, and don’t be intimidated.

Apart from that, relax, it’s the city of dreams, the capital of the world.