Original subtitles

NEW YORK:

\h\h\h\hA STATE RICH WITH THE STORIES OF A NATION

THAT BEGAN LONG BEFORE \h\h\hEUROPEAN EXPLORERS

DISCOVERED ITS MIGHTY RIVERS.

\h\hA LAND OF STUNNING PEAKS AND COLORFUL VALLEYS;

HOME TO WRITERS, PRESIDENTS AND PRISONERS.

IT WAS HERE WHERE A CRAFTY INVENTOR

\hFIRST BROUGHT PHOTOGRAPHY TO MILLIONS

\h\h\hAND INNOVATION HARNESSED A RAGING RIVER

\h\hTO POWER AMERICA’S FIRST CITY OF LIGHT.

\h\h\h\hON NEW YORK SOIL, REVOLUTIONARY SOLDIERS

\h\h\h\hFOUGHT TO FORGE AMERICA’S INDEPENDENCE

\h\h\hAND AN ELITE CORPS OF CADETS STILL LEARNS

\h\h\h\h\hHOW TO DEFEND THE COUNTRY’S FREEDOM.

IT’S HERE WHERE ONE OF AMERICA’S GREATEST FORTUNES

\h\hWAS BUILT ON THE FERRIES THAT PLY THESE WATERS

\h\h\hAND DARING WORKERS KEEP MANHATTAN MOVING.

AERIAL NEW YORK TELLS THE STORIES

OF THE CITY’S TALLEST SPIRES

AND THE HALLOWED GROUND \hOF ITS FALLEN TOWERS.

THIS IS THE EMPIRE STATE.

THE STORY OF NEW YORK STATE

\h\h\hBEGINS WITH AN INCREDIBLE GIFT OF NATURE.

\h\h\h\hMORE THAN 10,000 YEARS AGO, A TORRENT OF MELTING GLACIAL ICE

CARVED THROUGH UPSTATE NEW YORK AND CREATED NIAGARA FALLS.

EVERY SECOND 3,000 TONS OF WATER SURGE OVER THE FALLS,

MAKING THEM THE MOST POWERFUL \h\hIN NORTH AMERICA.

WATER HAS PLAYED A DEFINING ROLE

IN NEW YORK STATE EVER SINCE THE BEGINNING...

\h\hFROM THE BREATHTAKING POWER OF THE NIAGARA

TO THE WATERWAYS WHERE AMERICA’S EMPIRE STATE BEGAN.

LONG BEFORE ITS SKYSCRAPERS,

A NATIVE AMERICAN TRIBE \h\h\h\hCALLED THE LENAPE

USED TO HUNT AND FISH

\h\h\hON THE ISLAND AND SHORES OF MANHATTAN.

THEY CALLED IT MANNAHATTA,

MEANING "THE ISLAND OF MANY HILLS."

IT WAS ALSO AN ISLAND OF MEADOWS, ANCIENT FORESTS,

BLACK BEARS AND BALD EAGLES.

IN 1624, THE LENAPE AGREED

TO SHARE THEIR ISLAND \h\h\hWITH THE DUTCH

\hFOR AN EXCHANGE OF GOODS WORTH 60 GUILDERS,

\hOR WHAT WOULD HAVE BEEN ABOUT 24 DOLLARS AT THE TIME.

\h\h\h\hBUT THE DUTCH CONSIDERED IT A SALE

AND SOON TOOK CONTROL \h\h\hOF THE ISLAND.

SOME OF THE LENAPE’S \h\h\hANCIENT FOOTPATHS

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hHAVE BECOME NEW YORK CITY STREETS.

AND 843 ACRES OF THEIR FORMER LAND

IS NOW ONE OF \hNEW YORK CITY’S TREASURES.

\hCREATED IN 1858, CENTRAL PARK COVERS 6% OF MANHATTAN.

\hIT WAS THE FIRST LANDSCAPED PARK IN AMERICA,

BUT CREATING IT WASN’T EASY.

\h\hSOME SAY THAT IT TOOK MORE GUNPOWDER

TO BLAST AND CREATE

CENTRAL PARK’S LAKES, \h\h\hHILLS AND MEADOWS

THAN WAS USED IN THE BATTLE OF GETTYSBURG.

A UNIQUE FEATURE OF ITS DESIGN

WAS ITS SEPARATE PATHWAYS FOR HORSE DRAWN CARRIAGES

\h\h\h\hTO HELP PEOPLE QUIETLY ENJOY THE PARK.

NOW BICYCLE RICKSHAWS SHARE \hTHESE OLD CARRIAGE ROUTES

WITH NEW YORK CITY TAXIS.

THE DESIGN OF THE PARK WAS ORIGINALLY INSPIRED

\h\hBY 19th CENTURY LANDSCAPE PAINTINGS,

BUT EVER SINCE, IT’S BEEN AN INSPIRATION

FOR ARTISTS THEMSELVES.

\h\hTODAY A WORK OF ART IS RISING ON THE ROOF

OF ONE OF THE GREATEST \hMUSEUMS IN THE WORLD:

THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART.

\hTWO ARTISTS HELPED BY A TEAM OF ROCK CLIMBERS

\hARE ASSEMBLING THOUSANDS OF PIECES OF BAMBOO

\h\h\hTO CREATE A 50-FOOT-HIGH SCULPTURE CALLED "BIG BAMBOO".

ITS DESIGNED TO LOOK LIKE A CRESTING WAVE

PERCHED ABOVE \h\hCENTRAL PARK’S TREETOPS.

THIS URBAN OASIS DRAWS 25 MILLION VISITORS A YEAR,

BUT ONLY THE LUCKY ONES GET TO ENJOY VIEWS OF IT

FROM THEIR WINDOWS EVERY DAY.

THE CITY’S FIRST LUXURY \h\h\hAPARTMENT BUILDING

LIES ON THE PARK’S WEST SIDE.

\hTHE DAKOTA HAS BEEN THE HOME OF FAMOUS ARTISTS FOR DECADES,

INCLUDING DANCER RUDOLF NUREYEV,

ACTRESS LAUREN BACALL \h\h\h\hAND JOHN LENNON.

WHEN IT WAS BUILT IN 1884,

\h\hTHE DAKOTA WAS SURROUNDED BY UNDEVELOPED LAND.

NOW, IT’S FLANKED BY TALLER TOWERS

WITH EVEN MORE SPECTACULAR VIEWS OF CENTRAL PARK AND THE CITY.

\hBUILDING HIGHER AND HIGHER IS NOTHING NEW IN MANHATTAN,

BUT TRYING TO BUILD THE HIGHEST

\h\hHAS ALWAYS BEEN A RISKY PROPOSITION.

MANY OF NEW YORK’S \hTALLEST SKYSCRAPERS TODAY

\hWERE BUILT DURING A PERIOD OF FIERCE COMPETITION

BETWEEN DEVELOPERS IN THE EARLY 20th CENTURY.

40 WALL STREET, WITH ITS DISTINCTIVE COPPER ROOF,

\hWAS ONCE THE TALLEST BUILDING IN THE WORLD

WHEN IT WAS COMPLETED IN 1930,

A TITLE IT HELD FOR \h\hONLY A FEW WEEKS.

THAT’S BECAUSE WALTER CHRYSLER WAS ALREADY BUILDING

\h\hHIS OWN NOW-FAMOUS SKYSCRAPER UPTOWN AT 405 LEXINGTON AVENUE.

AFTER 40 WALL STREET \h\h\hOPENED ITS DOORS,

\h\h\h\h\hCHRYSLER HOISTED A SECRETLY BUILT SPIRE

ONTO THE TOP OF HIS BUILDING’S ART DECO CROWN,

\hTOPPING OUT 40 WALL STREET BY 120 FEET.

\hBUT CHRYSLER’S ACHIEVEMENT WAS SHORT LIVED, TOO.

LESS THAN A YEAR LATER, \hTHE NEW, EVEN HIGHER,

EMPIRE STATE BUILDING \h\h\h\hWAS COMPLETED

AFTER JUST 14 MONTHS \h\h\hOF CONSTRUCTION.

\hTHE EMPIRE STATE BUILDING HASN’T ALWAYS BEEN

THE TALLEST STRUCTURE \h\h\h\hIN MANHATTAN,

BUT IT IS AGAIN TODAY, AFTER WHAT MANY HAVE CALLED

THE GREATEST TRAGEDY IN AMERICAN HISTORY.

\hTHESE ARE THE FOOTPRINTS OF THE TWIN TOWERS.

ON SEPTEMBER 11, 2001,

CLOUDS OF ASH ENGULFED \h\h\h\hLOWER MANHATTAN

AFTER TERRORIST ATTACKS \h\h\h\h\h\hBROUGHT DOWN

THE CITY’S TALLEST BUILDINGS,

\h\h\h\h\hTHE TOWERS OF THE WORLD TRADE CENTER.

IT HAPPENED HERE AT GROUND ZERO.

\h\h\hNEARLY 3,000 PEOPLE DIED IN THE ATTACK,

INCLUDING 343 FIREFIGHTERS.

\hNOW THE FOOTPRINTS OF THE WORLD TRADE CENTER

ARE BEING TURNED INTO \h\h\hREFLECTING POOLS,

MEMORIALS TO THOSE WHO PERISHED.

AND NEW YORK CITY’S SKYLINE \hIS ABOUT TO CHANGE AGAIN.

A NEW TOWER IS RISING \h\hABOVE GROUND ZERO.

MORE THAN 1,000 WORKERS

ARE BUILDING AMERICA’S \h\h\hTALLEST SKYSCRAPER.

IT’S THE LARGEST CONSTRUCTION SITE IN THE COUNTRY.

\h\h\h\h\hONE WORLD TRADE CENTER, ALSO KNOWN AS THE FREEDOM TOWER,

WILL RISE A SYMBOLIC 1,776 FEET.

THIS CITY HAS BEEN REINVENTING ITSELF

EVER SINCE IT WAS FOUNDED.

IN THE 1960s THE EARTH EXCAVATED DURING THE CONSTRUCTION

\hOF THE ORIGINAL TWIN TOWERS WAS USED AS LANDFILL

\h\h\hTO EXTEND LOWER MANHATTAN AND ITS SHORES.

\h\h\h\hTODAY, NEW YORK CITY HAS MORE THAN 600 MILES OF COASTLINE

\h\hAND INCLUDES LAND ON DOZENS OF ISLANDS OF ALL SHAPES AND SIZES.

ONE IS THE HISTORIC \h\h\hELLIS ISLAND.

\h\h\hONLY PART OF IT ACTUALLY LIES IN NEW YORK STATE.

FROM 1892 TO 1954, \hTHIS TINY ISLAND

WAS THE GATEWAY TO AMERICA

\h\h\h\h\hFOR A STAGGERING 12 MILLION IMMIGRANTS.

\h\h\h\hIT’S BELIEVED THAT 40% OF AMERICANS CAN TRACE THEIR ROOTS

TO AT LEAST ONE ANCESTOR WHO PASSED THROUGH ELLIS ISLAND.

INSIDE THE FAMOUS GREAT HALL,

NEW ARRIVALS FROM EUROPE AND BEYOND

LINED UP TO BE INSPECTED AND PROCESSED.

IN THE ISLAND’S SINGLE \h\h\hBUSIEST YEAR, 1907,

MORE THAN A MILLION \hIMMIGRANTS ARRIVED HERE.

\h\hNOW THREE MILLION PEOPLE FROM AROUND THE WORLD

\h\hVISIT THE GREAT HALL EVERY YEAR AS TOURISTS.

\h\h\h\hBUT NOT ALL OF NEW YORK CITY’S ISLANDS

\hARE PLACES MOST WOULD WANT TO COME.

\hTHIS IS THE ONLY WAY FOR CONVICTS TO GET IN AND OUT

OF THE CITY’S LARGEST PRISON.

RIKERS ISLAND IS PRACTICALLY A BOROUGH OF ITS OWN,

COMPLETE WITH SCHOOLS, A TAILOR SHOP, BALL FIELDS, AND CHAPELS.

\h\hON SOME DAYS, THE PRISON POPULATION AT RIKERS

CAN SWELL TO NEARLY 20,000.

\h\h\hBUT THAT’S NOTHING COMPARED TO MANHATTAN.

\hEVEN THOUGH IT’S THE MOST DENSELY POPULATED

COUNTY IN AMERICA,

70% OF ITS WORKERS,

OR NEARLY A MILLION \hAND A HALF PEOPLE,

STILL LIVE SOMEWHERE ELSE.

MOST GET TO WORK VIA \h\h\hTHE EIGHT BRIDGES

THAT CONNECT MANHATTAN WITH THE BOROUGHS AND BEYOND.

THE BROOKLYN BRIDGE MAY BE MORE FAMOUS,

\h\h\hBUT ITS NEIGHBOR, THE MANHATTAN BRIDGE,

IS ONE OF THE BUSIEST.

IT LINKS BROOKLYN WITH MANHATTAN’S CHINATOWN.

THIS DOUBLE-DECKER \hSUSPENSION BRIDGE

\h\h\hDATES FROM 1909 AND CARRIES CARS AND TRUCKS ON BOTH LEVELS,

AS WELL AS FOUR NEW YORK CITY SUBWAY TRACKS.

MAINTAINING THE CITY’S BRIDGES CAN BE A DANGEROUS JOB.

\h\hONE MISSTEP AND YOU COULD END UP IN FREE-FALL.

\h\hBUT WITHOUT ITS BRIDGES AND TUNNELS,

MANHATTAN WOULD ONLY BE ACCESSIBLE BY AIR AND WATER,

JUST AS IT WAS MORE THAN 400 YEARS AGO.

THAT’S WHEN A EUROPEAN EXPLORER APPEARED ON THE HORIZON

AND SET THE STAGE FOR \hNEW YORK TO BE BORN.

NEW YORK CITY’S VERRAZANO NARROWS BRIDGE.

IT SPANS THE MOUTH \hOF NEW YORK BAY

\hAND LINKS THE BOROUGHS OF STATEN ISLAND AND BROOKLYN.

THE BRIDGE IS NAMED FOR ITALIAN EXPLORER GIOVANNI DA VERRAZANO,

\h\h\hTHE FIRST KNOWN EUROPEAN TO CHART THESE WATERS.

IN 1524, VERRAZANO ARRIVED \hAT THE MOUTH OF THE BAY,

BUT DIDN’T SAIL \hVERY FAR INSIDE.

85 YEARS LATER, IN 1609, IT WAS AN ENGLISH EXPLORER WHO DID.

\h\h\hHENRY HUDSON WAS MAPPING NEW TRADE ROUTES FOR THE DUTCH

WHEN HE DISCOVERED THE NATIVE AMERICAN ISLAND

OF MANNAHATTA.

HEARING OF THE AREA’S \h\h\hRICH RESOURCES,

DUTCH TRADERS QUICKLY FOLLOWED

AND CALLED THEIR NEW SETTLEMENT NEW AMSTERDAM.

\hBUT IN 1664, THE BRITISH CONQUERED THE AREA

AND RENAMED NEW AMSTERDAM NEW YORK.

WHEN A GROUP OF DUTCH SETTLERS ARRIVED IN 1624,

THEY LANDED ON THIS ISLAND.

THEY WERE HOPING TO TRADE FOR BEAVER PELTS

WITH THE NATIVE AMERICAN TRIBES THAT LIVED UPRIVER.

THE DUTCH CALLED THE PLACE \h"ISLAND OF NUTS"

\h\h\hBECAUSE OF ITS PLENTIFUL CHESTNUT TREES.

\hBUT THE BRITISH LATER RENAMED IT "GOVERNORS ISLAND."

\h\h\h\hREMAINS OF THE EARLIEST SETTLEMENTS HERE ARE LONG GONE,

BUT FORTS HAVE SURVIVED.

THE OLDEST ONE IS THE STAR-SHAPED FORT JAY,

WHICH LIES ON THE SITE OF EARTHWORK FORTIFICATIONS

\h\hTHAT WERE BUILT TO DEFEND NEW YORK AGAINST THE BRITISH

DURING THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION.

BUT THOSE FORTIFICATIONS WERE A MISERABLE DEFENSE,

\hAND THE BRITISH TOOK CONTROL OF THE ISLAND

AFTER THE BATTLE OF BROOKLYN \h\hIN 1776,

\hONE OF THE LARGEST BATTLES OF THE WAR.

IN THE EARLY 1900s,

\hGOVERNORS ISLAND WAS ENLARGED BY MORE THAN 100 ACRES

WITH LANDFILL FROM \hTHE CONSTRUCTION

OF NEW YORK CITY’S \hSUBWAY SYSTEM.

\hAFTER MAPPING MANNAHATTA AND THE SURROUNDING SHORES,

HENRY HUDSON SET OUT \h\hUP THIS MIGHTY WATERWAY,

WHICH WOULD LATER BEAR HIS NAME.

JUST 10 MILES NORTH OF THE CITY,

\h\h\h\hHE ARRIVED HERE AT ONE OF THE WIDEST POINTS ON THE RIVER.

IT’S CALLED TAPPAN ZEE.

\h\h\h"TAPPAN" WAS THE NAME OF A NEARBY NATIVE AMERICAN VILLAGE.

"ZEE" IS DUTCH FOR "SEA."

\hWHEN HENRY HUDSON SAW THAT THE RIVER WIDENED,

HE WAS CONVINCED THAT HE HAD FOUND A NEW PASSAGE TO ASIA.

BUT THEN THE WATERS NARROWED AGAIN JUST A FEW MILES NORTH

AND HUDSON’S SEARCH CONTINUED.

TODAY, A 3.1-MILE-LONG BRIDGE

\hCROSSES TAPPAN ZEE LINKING COMMUNITIES ON THE WEST BANK

WITH TARRYTOWN TO THE EAST.

\hIT’S THE SITE OF FAMOUS TALES OF A HEADLESS HORSEMAN

AND A MAN WHO SLEPT \h\hFOR 100 YEARS.

WRITER WASHINGTON IRVING LIVED OUT THE LAST YEARS OF HIS LIFE

HERE IN TARRYTOWN AFTER HAVING CREATED THE FAMOUS CHARACTERS

\h\h\hICHABOD CRANE AND RIP VAN WINKLE.

\h\hIN HONOR OF IRVING’S TALE, THE VILLAGE OF NORTH TARRYTOWN

\h\h\h\hRENAMED ITSELF SLEEPY HOLLOW IN 1996.

THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN BRIDGE \h\hIS GONE,

BUT THIS ONE LEADS TO \hTHE OLD DUTCH CHURCH

WHERE ICHABOD CRANE WAS CHASED BY THE GHOST IN IRVING’S TALE.

IRVING IS BURIED IN THIS CEMETERY.

IT’S ALSO THE RESTING GROUND

OF MAJOR AMERICAN INDUSTRIALISTS ANDREW CARNEGIE,

WALTER P. CHRYSLER \hAND WILLIAM ROCKEFELLER,

WHO ALL CHOSE THE BANKS \h\h\hOF THE HUDSON RIVER

AS THEIR FINAL RESTING PLACE.

BUT NOT EVERYONE ON THE HUDSON IS HERE BY CHOICE.

\hJUST SIX MILES NORTH OF TARRYTOWN

LIES THE NOTORIOUS \hSING SING PRISON.

IT’S HOME TO MORE THAN \h\h\h\h1,500 CONVICTS.

ITS NAME COMES FROM \h\h"SINCK SINCK,"

\h\h\hA NATIVE AMERICAN PHRASE THAT MEANS "A PLACE OF SMALL STONES."

\h\h\h\hCONVICT LABORERS BUILT THE PRISON’S ORIGINAL CELLBLOCK

IN 1825.

\h\hSINCE THEN SERIAL KILLERS, RUSSIAN SPIES,

AND CHARLES "LUCKY" LUCIANO,

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hWHO SOME CALLED "THE FATHER OF ORGANIZED CRIME,"

HAVE ALL DONE TIME HERE.

\h\h\hBUT SING SING ITSELF HAS A CHECKERED PAST, TOO.

EARLY PRISONERS WERE FORCED \hTO LIVE AND LABOR

IN ABSOLUTE SILENCE.

\hAND THOSE WHO BROKE THE RULES WERE BRUTALLY PUNISHED.

IT ALSO USED TO BE HOME

\h\h\hTO THE STATE’S NOTORIOUS ELECTRIC CHAIR.

\h\hIN THE 1938 FILM ANGELS WITH DIRTY FACES,

\h\h\hJAMES CAGNEY’S CHARACTER, ROCKY SULLIVAN,

WAS EXECUTED AT SING SING.

THE LAST REAL CRIMINAL TO BE PUT TO DEATH HERE

WAS A 34-YEAR-OLD CONVICT NAMED EDDIE MAYS IN 1963.

\hSINCE THEN, NEW YORK BECAME ONE OF ONLY 16 STATES

TO BAN CAPITAL PUNISHMENT,

THOUGH SING SING’S REPUTATION STILL INSPIRES FEAR.

WHEN HENRY HUDSON FIRST DISCOVERED THIS RIVER,

HE CALLED IT \h\h"THE RIVER OF MOUNTAINS."

JUST 100 MILES NORTH \h\h\hOF NEW YORK CITY

LIES ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL LANDSCAPES IN NORTH AMERICA:

A STUNNING RANGE OF PEAKS,

SPECKLED WITH FORESTS, \h\h\hRIVERS, AND LAKES.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hTHESE ARE THE CATSKILL MOUNTAINS.

AND THEY LITERALLY KEEP \h\hNEW YORK CITY ALIVE.

100% OF THE CITY’S \hDRINKING WATER

COMES FROM WATERSHEDS \h\h\hLIKE THIS ONE.

\h\h\h\hAND TO ENSURE ITS CONTINUED SUPPLY,

THE CITY HAS PURCHASED MORE THAN 100,000 ACRES OF LAND UPSTATE,

\h\hMAKING IT ONE OF THE LARGEST LANDOWNERS HERE.

\h\hWATER FROM LAKES AND STREAMS FEED INTO UNDERGROUND AQUEDUCTS

THAT CARRY FRESH DRINKING WATER DOWN TO THE CITY.

MANY LOCALS DON’T EVEN KNOW

\h\h\h\hWHERE THESE GIANT UNDERGROUND PIPES LIE.

TO THE EAST, THE HUDSON RIVER IS A LIFELINE FOR SHIPS AND BARGES

CARRYING CARGO FROM \hNEW YORK CITY TO ALBANY.

BUT ITS SEEMINGLY QUIET WATERS HOLD HIDDEN DANGERS.

MUDFLATS CAN GROUND A VESSEL,

AND ITS MILLION-DOLLAR CARGO, \hIN SECONDS.

BUT ONE OBSTACLE IN THE RIVER IS A WELCOME SIGHT TO PILOTS:

THE ESOPUS MEADOWS LIGHT.

THERE’S BEEN A LIGHTHOUSE ON THIS SPOT SINCE 1839.

THE LIGHT WAS LATER CLOSED

AFTER ICE FLOES DAMAGED \h\h\h\hITS FOUNDATION,

BUT CITIZENS BANDED TOGETHER \hTO SAVE THIS HISTORIC SITE.

TODAY, THE ESOPUS MEADOWS LIGHT

IS THE ONLY SURVIVING CLAPBOARD LIGHTHOUSE ON THE HUDSON.

A BALD EAGLE AT THE RIVER’S \hSHORE SEARCHES FOR PREY.

ONCE ON THE VERGE OF EXTINCTION,

AMERICA’S NATIONAL BIRD \h\hHAS MADE A COMEBACK.

BUT THE FISH THEY CATCH \h\h\h\h\hIN THE HUDSON

\h\hCOULD BE MORE OF A THREAT THAN FOOD.

\h\hFOR 30 YEARS, UNTIL 1977, THE GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY

\hPUMPED AS MUCH AS 1.3 MILLION POUNDS

OF TOXIC COMPOUNDS CALLED PCBs DIRECTLY INTO THE RIVER

FROM ITS MANUFACTURING PLANTS \h\hUPSTREAM.

LUCKILY, NEW YORK CITY’S WATERSHED

IN THE NEARBY CATSKILLS \h\h\h\h\hWASN’T AFFECTED.

BUT FISH, BIRDS AND OTHER SPECIES ALONG THE HUDSON

HAVE BEEN FOUND TO CONTAIN DANGEROUS LEVELS OF TOXINS

THAT COULD CAUSE CANCER \h\h\h\hIN PEOPLE, TOO.

IT’S WHY THE STATE \hBANNED FISHING

ON HUGE STRETCHES OF THE HUDSON FOR ALMOST TWO DECADES.

ENVIRONMENTALISTS AND FISHERMEN

\h\h\h\hRALLIED TO SAVE THE RIVER’S ECOSYSTEM.

\hTHEY FORMED RIVERKEEPER, WHICH GREW

INTO ONE OF THE FASTEST GROWING AND MOST SUCCESSFUL

\hENVIRONMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS OF ALL TIME.

IN 2002 THEIR WORK \hFINALLY PAID OFF.

GENERAL ELECTRIC AGREED TO DREDGE

800 OLYMPIC-SIZED SWIMMING POOLS WORTH OF PCBs FROM THE RIVER.

WORK HAS BEGUN, BUT NO ONE KNOWS HOW LONG THE CLEANUP WILL LAST,

AND IF THE RIVER WILL CONTINUE TO BE A POTENTIAL THREAT

\hTO OFFSPRING OF EAGLES LIKE THESE.

NORTH OF SING SING,

THE "BLACK KNIGHTS \hOF THE HUDSON"

ARE PREPARING FOR BATTLE

INSIDE THE OLDEST OCCUPIED \hMILITARY POST IN AMERICA.

\h\h\hWEST POINT SITS HIGH ABOVE THE RIVER,

OVERLOOKING A NARROW BEND.

\hGEORGE WASHINGTON ONCE CONSIDERED IT

\h\h\h\hTO BE THE MOST STRATEGIC MILITARY SITE

IN THE COUNTRY.

AMERICAN SOLDIERS AT WEST POINT

\hONCE CONTROLLED RIVER TRAFFIC HERE

USING A 150-FOOT-LONG IRON CHAIN

STRUNG ACROSS THE RIVER \h\h\h\hTO STOP SHIPS.

THE WEST POINT MILITARY ACADEMY WAS ESTABLISHED IN 1802

BY PRESIDENT THOMAS JEFFERSON.

CADETS COME FROM ALL 50 STATES AND CAN ONLY REGISTER

\h\h\h\hIF THEY AGREE TO ABIDE BY A STRICT FOUR-POINT HONOR CODE:

\h\hNOT TO LIE, STEAL, CHEAT, OR TOLERATE ANYONE WHO DOES.

\hCOMPETITION IS NOTHING NEW TO THE BANKS OF THE HUDSON RIVER.

ONE OF AMERICA’S WEALTHIEST \hFORTUNES WAS BUILT ON IT.

FREDERICK VANDERBILT \h\hCOMMISSIONED THIS ESTATE

IN HYDE PARK IN 1895 \h\h\h\hON 211 ACRES.

\h\hBUT THE WEALTH HE USED TO BUILD IT

CAME FROM A FORTUNE FIRST EARNED BY HIS GRANDFATHER

ON THE WATERS OF THE HUDSON.

IT WAS HERE OFF MANHATTAN

THAT AMERICA’S ONCE-RICHEST MAN, CORNELIUS VANDERBILT,

\h\hGOT HIS START AS A SMALL TIME FERRY OPERATOR.

\h\h\hHE’S SAID TO HAVE BOUGHT HIS FIRST FERRY

\h\hWITH A LOAN OF 100 DOLLARS IN 1810

AND THEN BEAT OUT HIS COMPETITORS,

\hINCLUDING HIS OWN FATHER, ONE BY ONE.

BY THE 1840s,

\hVANDERBILT WAS THE LARGEST EMPLOYER IN THE UNITED STATES

\hAND SOON BOUGHT UP RAILROADS AND SHIPPING COMPANIES

\h\h\hTHAT REACHED ALL THE WAY TO CALIFORNIA.

MODERN FERRIES STILL PLY VANDERBILT’S OLD ROUTES.

TODAY, THE STATEN ISLAND FERRY

CARRIES 21 MILLION PASSENGERS A YEAR.

\hVANDERBILT’S OLD RAIL LINE ON THE HUDSON

IS STILL IN OPERATION.

IN VANDERBILT’S DAY,

HIS TRAINS STEAMED RIGHT ALONG THE RIVER AND INTO THE CITY

\hDOWN 10th AVENUE ON STREET LEVEL TRACKS.

AT THE TIME THIS BUSY STREET WAS NICKNAMED "DEATH AVENUE"

DUE TO THE NUMBER OF \h\hTRAIN-RELATED FATALITIES.

IT’S WHY EVERY TRAIN \hTRAVELLING THROUGH THE CITY

\h\hHAD TO BE LED BY A MAN ON HORSEBACK,

TO WARN RESIDENTS OF ITS APPROACH.

\h\h\hIN THE 1930s, THE ORIGINAL TRACKS

WERE REPLACED WITH ELEVATED ONES TO INCREASE SAFETY.

NOW THEY’VE BEEN TRANSFORMED INTO "THE HIGH LINE."

IT’S A SUSPENDED RIBBON OF WALKWAYS AND NATIVE PLANTS

\h\hTHAT WEAVES ITS WAY DOWN THE CITY’S WEST SIDE.

THOUSANDS USE IT EVERY DAY.

TODAY, GREEN SPACE IN NEW YORK IS ALSO SKY HIGH.

THE SECOND TALLEST BUILDING \hIN NEW YORK CITY

IS ALSO ITS GREENEST SKYSCRAPER.

INSULATED FLOOR-TO-CEILING GLASS WALLS

AND A RAINWATER COLLECTION SYSTEM

HAVE HELPED ENABLE \hTHE BANK OF AMERICA TOWER

TO BECOME THE FIRST SKYSCRAPER IN THE WORLD

TO RECEIVE PLATINUM LEED STATUS,

\h\hTHE HIGHEST GREEN BUILDING RATING POSSIBLE TODAY.

GREEN SKYSCRAPERS ARE \h\hTHE LATEST ADDITION

TO NEW YORK’S RICH ARCHITECTURAL HERITAGE.

BUT MANY OF THE STATE’S MOST UNIQUE STRUCTURES

REQUIRE A TRIP UPSTATE.

\h\h\h\h\h\hTHE BANKS OF NEW YORK’S HUDSON RIVER

CAN BEST BE EXPLORED BY AIR.

A 2-SEATER HELICOPTER \hLIFTS OFF OVER THE VALLEY.

BELOW, THE HOUSES AND ESTATES

\h\hOF SOME OF AMERICA’S MOST ILLUSTRIOUS NAMES.

JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER, \hONCE AMERICA’S RICHEST MAN,

BUILT THIS SIX-STORY \h\hSTONE HOUSE CALLED KYKUIT

IN SLEEPY HOLLOW,

TURNING PROFITS FROM STANDARD OIL

\hINTO A PALATIAL 3,500-ACRE ESTATE.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hIT LIES ON ONE OF THE HIGHEST POINTS ON THE RIVER.

ROCKEFELLER DESIGNED MUCH OF \h\hKYKUIT’S GARDENS HIMSELF.

THE HOUSE NOW BELONGS

\h\h\hTO THE NATIONAL TRUST FOR HISTORIC PRESERVATION.

\h\h\h\hTHIS IS BELIEVED TO BE ONE OF ONLY TWO

\hDOMED OCTAGONAL RESIDENCES IN THE WORLD:

THE ARMOUR-STINER HOUSE \h\h\h\h\hIN IRVINGTON.

IN 1859, A NEW YORK FINANCIER NAMED PAUL J. ARMOUR

BUILT THIS EIGHT-SIDED \h\h\hCOUNTRY RESIDENCE.

IT WAS BELIEVED THAT AN EIGHT-SIDED HOUSE

\h\hWOULD HAVE TWICE AS MUCH SUNLIGHT IN ITS ROOMS

AS A FOUR-SIDED ONE.

LATER, A PROMINENT TEA IMPORTER NAMED JOSEPH STINER

BOUGHT THE HOUSE AND ADDED ITS MOST DISTINCTIVE FORMS:

A COLORFUL DOMED ROOF \h\h\h\h\h\hAND CUPOLA.

AFTER STINER, RESIDENTS INCLUDED A FINNISH WRITER AND A POET.

\hIN 1976 THE HOUSE HAD FALLEN INTO DISREPAIR,

\h\hAND THE NATIONAL TRUST FOR HISTORICAL PRESERVATION

STEPPED IN TO RESCUE \hIT FROM DEMOLITION.

NOW RESTORED, IT’S PART

\hOF THE HUDSON VALLEY’S UNIQUE ARCHITECTURAL HERITAGE

\h\hAND IS AS VISUALLY STUNNING FROM THE GROUND

AS IT IS FROM THE AIR.

BUT ARCHITECTS AREN’T \h\h\h\hTHE ONLY ONES

WHO HAVE MADE THEIR MARK ON THE LANDSCAPE.

THIS IS SAID TO BE ONE OF THE LARGEST WORKS OF ART

IN NORTH AMERICA.

\h\hAND THERE’S NO BETTER WAY TO ENJOY IT THAN FROM ABOVE.

IT USED TO BE AN ABANDONED BLUESTONE QUARRY

UNTIL A LOCAL SCULPTOR \h\h\h\hNAMED HARVEY FITE

BOUGHT THE SITE IN 1938.

INSPIRED BY ANCIENT MAYAN ART,

HE SET TO WORK ON A SCULPTURE \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hOPUS 40,

SINCE HE EXPECTED IT TO TAKE 40 YEARS TO COMPLETE.

\h\h\hIT’S A WORK OF PASSION AND PATIENCE.

EMPLOYING THE TECHNIQUES OF ANCIENT EGYPTIAN BUILDERS,

FITE HOISTED AND PIECED TOGETHER GIANT INDIVIDUAL SLABS

OF THE QUARRY’S BLUESTONE

TO CREATE A SCULPTURE

OF MULTI-LEVEL CURVED TERRACES AND RAMPS.

HE ALSO BUILT A HOUSE TO LIVE IN RIGHT NEXT TO THE QUARRY.

SADLY, FITE DIED HERE IN 1976 FROM AN ACCIDENTAL ROCK FALL,

\hJUST THREE YEARS SHORT OF HIS GOAL.

BUT EVEN INCOMPLETE, \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hREMAINS

ONE OF NEW YORK STATE’S \h\h\hARTISTIC TREASURES.

50 MILES TO THE SOUTHEAST,

\h\h\h\h\hANOTHER PIECE OF THE HUDSON RIVER VALLEY

HAS BEEN TRANSFORMED \h\hINTO ART SPACE.

THESE ROLLING HILLS USED TO BE FARMLAND

UNTIL HALF A MILLION \h\h\h\hCONCERT-GOERS

DESCENDED ON THEM IN AUGUST 1969

FOR WHAT’S BEEN CALLED

\h\hTHE GREATEST MUSICAL EVENT OF ALL TIME: WOODSTOCK.

PERFORMANCES BY JIMI HENDRIX,

JANIS JOPLIN AND THE GRATEFUL DEAD

DREW SO MANY CONCERT-GOERS

THAT NEW YORK STATE GOVERNOR \hNELSON ROCKEFELLER

USED THE NATIONAL GUARD TO AIRLIFT IN SUPPLIES.

\h\h35 YEARS AFTER THE HISTORIC EVENT,

THE SITE OF THE CONCERT

WAS TURNED INTO THE BETHEL WOODS CENTER FOR THE ARTS.

TODAY, ITS AMPHITHEATRE \h\hHOLDS 15,000 PEOPLE,

\h\hJUST 3% OF THE ATTENDANCE AT WOODSTOCK.

ORIGINAL WOODSTOCK MUSICIANS

\h\hINCLUDING, CROSBY, STILLS, AND NASH HAVE RETURNED TO PLAY HERE.

IN NEW YORK STATE,

FREEDOM HAS ALWAYS BEEN \h\hHARD FOUGHT AND WON.

SOME OF THE MOST IMPORTANT BATTLES

IN THE AMERICAN REVOLUTIONARY WAR

TOOK PLACE ON NEW YORK SOIL.

\h\h\hAN OBELISK IN THE TOWN OF VICTORY

CELEBRATES TWO OF THE BIGGEST.

IT WAS HERE IN THE FALL OF 1777

WHERE BRITISH FORCES SURRENDERED IN THE BATTLES OF SARATOGA.

AFTERWARDS, FRANCE FINALLY RECOGNIZED

THE INDEPENDENCE OF AMERICA AND ENTERED THE WAR AS ITS ALLY.

THREE OF THE OBELISK’S FOUR SIDES HOLD STATUES

THAT HONOR THE GENERALS THAT LED THE AMERICAN ADVANCE:

HORATIO GATES, DANIEL MORGAN AND PHILLIP SCHUYLER.

SCHUYLER LIVED NEARBY \h\hIN THIS FARMHOUSE.

DURING THE WAR, BRITISH TROOPS OCCUPIED THE SITE

\hAND BURNED HIS ORIGINAL HOUSE TO THE GROUND.

\hBUT AFTER THE WAR, SCHUYLER LATER SALVAGED WHAT HE COULD

AND REBUILT HIS FARMHOUSE IN JUST 29 DAYS.

SARATOGA LIES ON THE HUDSON RIVER.

BUT HENRY HUDSON NEVER MADE IT THIS FAR NORTH.

\hHIS LAST STOP WAS A PLACE ON THE RIVER NOW KNOWN AS ALBANY,

THE NEW YORK STATE CAPITAL.

DUTCH FUR TRADERS

\hFIRST ESTABLISHED A SETTLEMENT HERE IN 1614.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hTODAY, ALBANY IS THE SECOND OLDEST CHARTERED CITY

IN THE UNITED STATES.

AT THE CITY CENTER LIES THE EMPIRE STATE PLAZA,

HOME TO THE MORE THAN 10,000 EMPLOYEES THAT RUN THE STATE,

AS WELL AS THE STATE LIBRARY \hAND MUSEUM.

\h\hGOVERNOR NELSON ROCKEFELLER IS SAID

\h\h\h\hTO HAVE FIRST SKETCHED THE ORIGINAL PLAN FOR THE PLAZA

ON THE BACK OF A POSTCARD.

ITS TWO BILLION DOLLAR \h\h\h\h\h\h\hPRICE TAG,

MARBLE FACADE AND STARK DESIGN

HAVE DRAWN CRITICISM EVER SINCE IT WAS FINISHED IN 1979.

\hUPSTATE NEW YORK HAS LONG BEEN A POPULAR HAUNT FOR WEEKENDERS.

BUT ITS FORESTS ARE ALSO HOME

TO THOSE SEEKING MORE PERMANENT SOLITUDE.

UNLESS YOU’RE LOOKING \h\h\h\hFROM THE AIR,

\h\h\hIT WOULD BE HARD TO KNOW THAT THEY’RE EVEN HERE.

\hTHIS IS A PLACE CALLED "NEW SKETE."

THREE SEPARATE BUT UNITED COMMUNITIES

\h\h\h\hLIVE IN THIS PICTURESQUE SETTING.

\h\h\hNEW SKETE WAS ORIGINALLY STARTED IN 1966

\hWHEN A SMALL GROUP OF MONKS BROKE AWAY

FROM THE FRANCISCAN BROTHERHOOD

AND FORMED THEIR OWN MONASTERY.

\h\hTHREE YEARS LATER, EIGHT NUNS FOLLOWED,

ESTABLISHING THEIR OWN \h\h\h\h\hPRACTICE NEARBY.

\h\h\h\h\h\hLATER, A FEW MARRIED COUPLES ARRIVED

\hAND FORMED A THIRD RELIGIOUS COMMUNITY IN THE AREA.

NEW SKETE BROKE AWAY FROM THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH IN 1979

\h\hAND IS NOW PART OF THE ORTHODOX CHURCH.

\hEACH DAY REVOLVES AROUND INTENSE MONASTIC PRACTICE.

\h\h\hWITH ITS ABUNDANT FORESTS AND STREAMS,

\h\h\hFINDING SITES FOR PEACEFUL CONTEMPLATION IN NEW YORK STATE

HAS NEVER BEEN HARD.

IF HENRY HUDSON HADN’T TURNED BACK AT ALBANY IN 1609

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hAND HAD FOLLOWED THE HUDSON RIVER TO ITS SOURCE,

HE WOULD HAVE ENDED UP HERE.

\h\h\hTHIS IS THE LARGEST AREA OF PROTECTED WILDERNESS

IN THE CONTINENTAL \hUNITED STATES.

THE ADIRONDACK PARK COVERS 6.1 MILLION ACRES,

ONE FIFTH OF NEW YORK STATE.

IT’S NEARLY EIGHT TIMES THE SIZE OF CALIFORNIA’S YOSEMITE.

UNLIKE MOST MOUNTAIN RANGES,

THE ADIRONDACKS ARE NOT STRUNG OUT IN A CHAIN.

\h\hINSTEAD THEY’RE FORMED AS A GIANT DOME, 160 MILES WIDE.

THIS REGION WAS ONCE FLAT, BUT FIVE MILLION YEARS AGO,

GIANT FORCES FROM BELOW PUSHED UP ROCK AND SOIL,

\hCREATING THE ADIRONDACKS’ PEAKS AND VALLEYS.

\hTHEY’RE ALMOST AS IMPENETRABLE TODAY

AS THEY WERE 400 YEARS AGO.

THE ADIRONDACK PARK’S \h\h\hLAKES AND STREAMS

ARE SOME OF THE COUNTRY’S HIDDEN TREASURES,

BUT ONE IS WELL KNOWN \h\h\hAROUND THE WORLD.

LAKE PLACID WAS THE SITE

OF ONE OF THE GREATEST EVENTS \hIN AMERICAN SPORTS HISTORY.

\hIT WAS HERE, DURING THE WINTER OLYMPICS IN 1980,

WHEN THE U.S. HOCKEY TEAM, MADE UP LARGELY OF AMATEUR PLAYERS,

BEAT THE SOVIETS IN WHAT’S BEEN CALLED "THE MIRACLE ON ICE."

DEEP IN THESE MOUNTAINS,

\h\hTHE HEADWATERS OF THE HUDSON RIVER

WERE DISCOVERED IN 1872.

\hBUT BY THEN, IT WAS ANOTHER WATERWAY TO THE WEST

THAT WAS ABOUT TO POWER \h\hTHE CITIES AND TOWNS

OF NEW YORK STATE.

\h\hANCIENT TRAILS ONCE CROSSED THE MOHAWK RIVER VALLEY

IN UPSTATE NEW YORK.

THIS WAS THE LAND OF \h\hTHE IROQUOIS CONFEDERACY,

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hA GROUP OF NATIVE AMERICAN NATIONS

\h\hTHAT INHABITED THE VALLEY’S RICH FORESTS AND HILLS.

STRETCHING FROM THE HUDSON RIVER ALL THE WAY TO CANADA,

ITS RIVERS AND ANCIENT FOOTPATHS

BECAME A MAJOR ROUTE \h\hFOR THE FUR TRADE.

BY THE EARLY 1600s,

THE POPULARITY OF HATS \h\hMADE FROM BEAVER FUR

WERE DRIVING THE BEAVER TO NEAR EXTINCTION IN EUROPE.

FUR TRADERS SET OFF \hFOR THE NEW WORLD,

WHICH STILL HAD LARGE NUMBERS OF BEAVER,

ESPECIALLY HERE IN \hUPSTATE NEW YORK,

AND FURTHER NORTH, IN CANADA.

ACCESS TO THE MOHAWK’S RIVERS \hAND TRAILS WERE PARAMOUNT,

AND CONFLICTS OVER TRADE ROUTES FLARED AMONG THE TRIBES

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hAND BETWEEN THE BRITISH AND FRENCH.

IN 1758, A BRITISH GENERAL NAMED JOHN STANWIX

\hESTABLISHED A FORT ON THIS SITE IN WHAT IS TODAY ROME, NEW YORK.

FORT STANWIX WAS BUILT TO CONTROL

AN IMPORTANT SIX-MILE LAND ROUTE

\h\hCONNECTING THE MOHAWK RIVER AND NEARBY WOODS CREEK.

\hTHE ONEIDA HOPED THE FORT WOULD BRING PEACE

BETWEEN THEIR TRIBE \h\hAND THE PIONEERS.

\h\hBUT THE BRITISH ABANDONED FORT STANWIX

JUST THREE YEARS AFTER COMPLETION.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hAND IN 1777, AN AMERICAN REVOLUTIONARY FORCE

\hSUCCESSFULLY DEFENDED THE FORT AGAINST ATTACK

BY BRITISH AND IROQUOIS TROOPS.

HALF A CENTURY LATER, \hROME BECAME THE SITE

\h\h\hOF THE BIGGEST CONSTRUCTION PROJECT IN THE STATE’S HISTORY.

A MAN-MADE WATERWAY \hTHAT WOULD REPLACE

\h\h\hTHE MOHAWK VALLEY’S ANCIENT TRADING ROUTES

\hAND TURN FORMER TRADING POSTS INTO BOOMTOWNS.

\h\h\hTHE 363-MILE-LONG ERIE CANAL FOLLOWS NEW YORK’S MOHAWK VALLEY

AND LINKS THE HUDSON RIVER WITH A STRING OF TOWNS TO THE WEST,

ALL THE WAY TO THE PORT OF BUFFALO ON LAKE ERIE.

\h\h\hTODAY, LOCKS IN THE CANAL STILL HELP SHIPS MOVE UPRIVER,

JUST AS THEY DID ALMOST TWO CENTURIES AGO.

WHEN IT WAS FINISHED IN 1825, AFTER SEVEN YEARS OF DIGGING,

CARGO COULD TRAVEL \hON A SINGLE SHIP

FROM NEW YORK CITY TO AMERICA’S GREAT LAKES

RIGHT THROUGH THE STATE \h\h\hFOR THE FIRST TIME.

\h\hTHE GOING IS JUST AS SLOW TODAY AS IT WAS THEN,

BUT THE CANAL’S ROUTE \h\hTHROUGH THE MOHAWK VALLEY

IS AS SCENIC AS IT GETS AS IT APPROACHES ROCHESTER.

TODAY, THE ROCHESTER \h\h\hMETROPOLITAN AREA

HAS THE SECOND LARGEST \hECONOMY IN THE STATE.

\hAND PART OF THE CANAL STILL RUNS RIGHT THROUGH DOWNTOWN.

\h\h\hTHE ARRIVAL OF THIS WATERWAY IN 1820

CAUSED THE CITY’S POPULATION TO DOUBLE IN JUST TEN YEARS.

WITH MILLS TURNING OUT \h\h\h\h\h\h\hMORE FLOUR

THAN ANY OTHER PLACE IN AMERICA,

ROCHESTER BECAME AMERICA’S FIRST BOOMTOWN,

\h\hAND WAS NICKNAMED "THE YOUNG LION OF THE WEST."

EVER SINCE, THE CITY HAS BEEN KNOWN FOR ITS BROAD AVENUES,

\h\h\hELEGANT HOMES, AND FAMOUS CITIZENS.

ABOLITIONIST AND WOMEN’S RIGHTS LEADER SUSAN B. ANTHONY

LIVED IN THIS HUMBLE RED HOUSE ON 17 MADISON STREET

WHERE SHE WAS ONCE ARRESTED FOR TRYING TO VOTE

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hIN THE 1872 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION.

ANTHONY DIED HERE IN 1906,

JUST 14 YEARS BEFORE \h\hTHE 19th AMENDMENT

\hGUARANTEED WOMEN THE RIGHT TO VOTE.

ACROSS TOWN, \h\hTHESE WELL-TENDED GARDENS

ONCE BELONGED TO A MAN WHOSE NAME AND COMPANY

ARE SYNONYMOUS WITH ROCHESTER.

IN 1884,

\hLONG BEFORE HE MADE THE FORTUNE HE NEEDED TO BUILD THIS MANSION,

\h\hA SCRAPPY INVENTOR NAMED GEORGE EASTMAN

\hPATENTED THE FIRST MECHANISM THAT HELD ROLLS OF PAPER FILM.

HE AND HIS MOTHER CAME UP WITH A NEW NAME FOR THE COMPANY:

EASTMAN KODAK.

\h\hAT THE TIME, PHOTOGRAPHY REQUIRED BIG CAMERAS,

\hHEAVY GLASS PLATES, AND MESSY CHEMICALS.

KODAK FILM ROLLS AND CAMERAS

BROUGHT PICTURE TAKING \h\h\h\hTO THE MASSES,

AND HELPED TURN ROCHESTER

\h\hINTO THE IMAGING CAPITAL OF THE WORLD.

BAUSCH & LOMB AND XEROX, TWO OTHER IMAGING GIANTS,

\h\h\h\hWERE ALSO FOUNDED IN AND AROUND THE CITY.

TODAY, THE DIGITAL AGE HAS REDUCED KODAK’S FORTUNES,

BUT THE COMPANY’S HEADQUARTERS ARE STILL RIGHT IN DOWNTOWN.

THE ERIE CANAL ISN’T \h\h\hTHE ONLY WATERWAY

\h\h\h\hFLOWING INTO ROCHESTER, NEW YORK.

WATER FROM THE GENESEE RIVER

ONCE POWERED THE CITY’S MILLS.

IT’S THE LONGEST RIVER \h\h\h\h\hTHAT FLOWS NORTH

IN THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE, ON ITS WAY TO LAKE ONTARIO.

BEFORE IT ARRIVES IN ROCHESTER,

\h\h\hTHE GENESEE FLOWS THROUGH LECHTWORTH STATE PARK.

\h\hIT’S BEEN CALLED THE GRAND CANYON OF THE EAST.

IN 1852, THE ERIE RAILROAD COMPANY

BUILT A BRIDGE ACROSS THE RIVER, JUST ABOVE UPPER FALLS.

THE OLD PORTAGE BRIDGE \h\h\h\h\h\h\hWAS CALLED

\h\hTHE HIGHEST WOODEN BRIDGE IN THE WORLD,

BEFORE IT WAS DESTROYED \h\h\h\h\hBY FIRE IN 1875.

THE BRIDGE THAT REPLACED IT

IS MADE OF STEEL AND IS STILL USED BY TRAINS TODAY.

GORGES AND WATERFALLS \h\h\hLINE THE RIVER,

BUT THEY’RE NO COMPARISON

\hTO NEW YORK STATE’S MOST FAMOUS NATURAL WONDER...

NIAGARA FALLS.

THE FALLS STRADDLE THE BORDER OF THE U.S. AND CANADA,

IN THE NORTHWEST CORNER \h\h\hOF NEW YORK STATE.

THERE ARE TWO MAIN FALLS:

HORSESHOE FALLS,

\h\h\hWHICH IS PRIMARILY ON THE CANADIAN SIDE OF THE BORDER...

AND THE AMERICAN FALLS, \h\h\h\h\h\hIN NEW YORK.

WHEN GLACIAL WATERS CARVED UP THIS LAND

AND CREATED THE FALLS, THEY WERE SEVEN MILES DOWNSTREAM.

BUT OVER TIME, THE RAGING WATER HAS ERODED THE ROCK BELOW...

AND THE FALLS HAVE BEEN INCHING THEIR WAY UPRIVER EVER SINCE.

\h\hMANY A DAREDEVIL HAS BEEN TEMPTED TO TEST THEIR POWER.

THE FIRST TO SURVIVE THE FALLS

\h\h\hWAS A WOMAN NAMED ANNIE TAYLOR IN 1901.

\h\h\hON HER 63rd BIRTHDAY, SHE CLIMBED INSIDE A WOODEN BARREL

AND, CLINGING TO HER HEART-SHAPED PILLOW,

\h\hDISAPPEARED OVER THE AMERICAN FALLS.

\hTAYLOR MANAGED TO SURVIVE THE MORE THAN 70-FOOT DROP

WITH JUST A FEW BRUISES.

OTHERS HAVEN’T BEEN AS LUCKY.

WATER FROM THE FALLS \hGENERATES 280 TONS OF FORCE

ON THE ROCKS BELOW...

\h\hENOUGH TO POWER TWO GIANT HYDROELECTRIC PLANTS

THAT SIPHON WATER OFF THE RIVER.

THEY’RE THE BIGGEST \hGENERATORS OF ELECTRICITY

IN NEW YORK STATE...

\hCHURNING OUT MILLIONS OF KILOWATTS OF POWER

THAT’S SHARED BETWEEN \hTHE U.S. AND CANADA.

HARNESSING POWER FROM \h\h\hTHE NIAGARA RIVER

IS NOTHING NEW.

\hIN 1759, A FRENCHMAN NAMED DANIEL JONCAIRE

CONSTRUCTED A SMALL CANAL ABOVE THE FALLS TO RUN HIS SAWMILL.

\h\hMORE THAN A CENTURY LATER, NEW MILL OWNERS EXPANDED THE CANALS,

\h\h\h\hAND IN 1881 NIAGARA FALLS BECAME THE SITE OF THE COUNTRY’S

\h\hFIRST LARGE-SCALE HYDROELECTRIC POWER STATION.

J.P. MORGAN AND THE VANDERBILTS INVESTED,

AND ELECTRIC POWER SOON LIT UP MILLS AND TOWNS

ALL AROUND THE RIVER.

NEARBY BUFFALO, NEW YORK, BECAME THE FIRST CITY IN AMERICA

TO HAVE ELECTRIC STREETLIGHTS,

EARNING ITS NICKNAME "THE CITY OF LIGHT."

TODAY, BUFFALO IS NEW YORK STATE’S SECOND LARGEST CITY

AND MOST OF ITS POWER STILL \hCOMES FROM NIAGARA FALLS.

NEW YORK FROM THE AIR,

\hA LAND OF ANCIENT TRAILS AND RIVERS,

\h\h\hWHERE INDUSTRY FLOURISHES AND BALD EAGLES THRIVE.

\h\h\hFROM THE BATTLEFIELDS OF REVOLUTIONARY SOLDIERS,

ACROSS THE SPIRES OF THE COUNTRY’S TALLEST TOWERS,

AND WATERS THAT HAVE FUELED

\h\h\h\hONE OF AMERICA’S MOST FAMOUS FORTUNES.

TO SEE NEW YORK FROM THE AIR

IS A CHANCE TO DISCOVER \h\hITS PEOPLE, BRIDGES,

WATERWAYS, AND THE SKYSCRAPERS AND NATURAL WONDERS

THAT MAKE NEW YORK \hTHE EMPIRE STATE.