Unit 5

Passport to Adventure

"Given New York City's cultural diversity, it has always attracted creative people." ~ Fred Wilson

Central Park is such an important part of NYC that it even has its own website! It has been called the backyard of all New Yorkers for good reason. The video below will make you want to visit.

Click each coloured tab to view information about the activity.

Environment

Smog

The biggest contributor to poor air quality in New York City has historically been emissions from vehicles and industry. Bad air quality contributes to illnesses like asthma. One of NYC's initiatives to combat this is to institute no idling signs to limit emissions when a vehicle is parked and waiting.

Soil and Land Use

Former industrial sites are still full of contaminants from previous occupants. Although chemicals can remain in the soil for many years, there is a lengthy initiative underway to clean up these lands and get them ready for reuse.

Water and Ecology

A big issue today is the current sewage system which flows the raw sewage of NYC's 8.5 million residents, plus the tourists, directly into the local waterways. Why do you think the beaches are often closed after rainstorms? I know! NYC Government is encouraging residents to use less water as well as to support efforts to restore wetlands in the region, which would function as a natural filter.

Trash

NYC produces more than 24,000 tons of solid trash PER DAY!!! But where do you put trash when you don't have any free space on your island? Why you ship it away, what else? Seventy-seven percent of the city's trash is sent to landfills in states like Pennsylvania, Ohio, Virginia, South Carolina, or even as far away as China! Fourteen percent is recycled and 10% is converted to energy. All this trash is a big expense. NYC spends around $2.3 billion dollars to dispose of it. Reduce, reuse, recycle!

Here's a little fact I was surprised to learn. Since NYC is such an old city, there are few back alleys so garbage needs to be placed curbside and out front prior to every morning. If you check out the streets of Manhattan late at night or early in the morning, you will witness the evidence of the huge amount of garbage generated.

Local Safety

Some publications are claiming that New York is America's safest large city but visitors should still use common sense to protect themselves and their property. Although NYC's crime rate per inhabitant is lower than the US national average, due to the status as the most visited city in US, petty theft against tourists is not uncommon.

Violent crimes in NYC have dropped by over 50% in the last 10 years and the FBI reports that murder rates in 2009 were the lowest since 1963 and have continually dropped since. Swindlers and thieves are skilled at identifying out-of-towners and tourists to prey upon. Don't be scared off by this; just use common sense. Tourists are advised to be aware of their surroundings, and always use licensed, reputable businesses for any services. Most hotels have security services for their guests' safety. Check with your hotel concierge to answer any questions and commendations about the neighbourhood in your travel plans prior to venturing out. The city does have rough neighbourhoods which are unadvised for tourists.

Security

World Trade Centre 9/11

On September 11, 2001, the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre killed 2977 people and subsequently enveloped the world in fear.

But has US learned from this attack to make it any safer? That's a question to be debated. It is certainly harder for terrorists to enter the US and it is certainly harder for the terrorist to get away with large terrorist acts undetected. The defenses are far stronger, but are attacks more prevalent, just on a smaller scale? These are questions to be debated.

Terrorism

There is a threat of terrorism in many countries of the world and US is certainly one of those countries that has had past incidences. Terrorist attacks could occur at any time and have included various areas. Can they be predicted? Not usually, but it is a well-known fact that past terrorist attacks have an immediate effect on future tourist travel.

Always check the Government of Canada's Travel warning website to get updated information so you can make an informed choice. The US Department of Homeland Security maintains a public alert system on terrorism to communicate information about terrorist threats.

Safety and Security