One night when I was eight years old, my family boarded a train in Erie, Pennsylvania. When we woke up, we were in New York City, the most exciting city I had ever seen and probably ever will see. As a child, I dreamed of one day living there, and now I do, in an old house near the Hudson River.

At first New York City had a different name. Back in the seventeenth century, it was called New Amsterdam. Things looked and sounded very different then.

The sounds of New York City have changed. Now over eight million people live here and almost fifty million people visit each year . . . and they make a lot of noise.

The city grew to be the largest in America. And the buildings grew, too. The Empire State Building is 102 floors tall and even has its own zip code: 10118. It’s so tall that it is struck by lightning about a hundred times a year!

The building has seventy-three elevators, and you can ride up to the eighty-sixth floor’s observation deck; on a clear day you can see New York City, across the river to New Jersey, and as far away as Connecticut.

Once you’ve checked out the view from way up high, you can go down, down, down . . . to the subway! New York’s subway is belowground and is the fastest way to get around. It’s one of the oldest subway systems in the world; it opened in 1904. It now has 468 stations, 660 miles of track, and 6,300 subway cars; millions of people ride it each day.

New York City is surrounded by water, so go for a ride on the Circle Line, which travels on the Hudson and East Rivers and sails under some of the city’s many bridges. Or take the Staten Island Ferry for a twenty-five-minute ride and see New York Harbor for free! Or take a boat to visit the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.

People have been having fun in Central Park for over 150 years! It’s one of my favorite places. Each year, more than thirty-eight million people visit, and there’s lots to do: row a boat, swim, ice-skate, play sports, ride a horse (or a bike), go fishing. That’s not all: there are twenty-one playgrounds, thirty-six bridges and arches, and 24,000 trees. The park has its own zoo, too!

Right across the street from Central Park is the American Museum of Natural History. Be sure to check out its famous dinosaurs, and don’t miss the full-size blue whale—you’ll feel like you’re under the sea.

New York even has a museum on the water: the Intrepid Sea, Air, and Space Museum, at Pier 86. There are great interactive exhibits, and almost a million people visit each year.

Hungry yet? In New York you can eat your way around the world. There are 24,000 restaurants, and thousands of food trucks for eating on the go. New York is the pizza capital of the world: the first pizzeria in the United States opened here in 1905. There are over 1,600 places that serve pizza in New York.

Time for a walk on the High Line, a park built on a historic, elevated mile-long rail line with amazing views of the city and the Hudson River. I like to walk along here in the morning when it’s quiet. Or try a walk across the magnificent Brooklyn Bridge. Wherever you walk in New York, you’ll see a great parade of people passing by.

Speaking of parades, they happen all year long in New York, but the most famous parade began in 1924. Almost three million people line the streets to watch the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Go to Seventy-Seventh Street and Central Park West the day before and watch the giant balloons being inflated.

If you are lucky enough to visit during the holidays, don’t miss the huge Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center, nearing a hundred feet high. Rent some ice skates and skate in the rink below the tree.

There’s always something special to do at night in New York—sporting events, theater, music, dance, ice shows, magic shows, fairs, festivals, and the circus. Take your pick!

New York City loves its history, but at the same time, it’s always changing. Don’t wait for the city to be finished before you come visit and see it for yourself.