The old Roman saying "See Naples and Die" is not applicable to New York. Perhaps it is more accurate to say of New York: " See New York City and Live!"
The ancient world had city-states. New York today is a city-empire. A metropolitan powerhouse setting the pace of the modern world. A mighty source of intellectual, industrial and scientific energies, of communication, of architectural and other creative innovations and achievements that have for centuries shaped the world as we know it. This is a book about its passions and its triumphs. Its downfalls and celebrations. A verbal mosaic of history, politics and lifestyle. It blends my personal experiences and countless tours around the city with knowledge gathered through dozens of books on New York's urban universe. The result is a kaleidoscopic journey through space and time, not only through New York's history, but also through its streets and cityscapes.
First published in Bulgarian in 2011, the book honored the 400th Anniversary of Henry Hudson's historic voyage to Manhattan and of the generations who made New York City a shining beacon of the modern world. This is the second expanded, revised and translated into English edition. It is organized in three chapters: The Emotion, The History and The Journey. The book ends with a small collection of urban stories I have experienced over the years, capturing places, events, characters and cityscapes in verbal imagery.