"New York City is not America. " That’s what American friends are sure to you when you arrive. "You must see Boston, visit Niagara Falls, go to Virginia, fly down to Florida, and so on; but first, of course, you will want to see New York. It is not the capital city of the United States(that is Washington, D.C. , where the President lives) or even the capital city of New York State(that is Albany), but many people call it ’the greatest city on earth’." The five parts, or boroughs, of New York City are Manhattan, Queen, Bronz, Richmond and Brooklyn. Although Manhattan is not all of New York, it is the heart of the city. It is an island, which is only about 13 miles long and 2 miles wide. From the air its shape looks like a long finger, and from the sea it’s just like the picture we all know. Those tall, straight buildings--the skyscrap- ers-packed so close together on that island of rocks are sometimes seen in the distance through a veil of early morning mist. You have imagined it so often that now it’s difficult to believe this beautiful sight is real, and unless your heart is as hard as a stone, excitement will lake it beat a little faster.Perhaps "greatest", "tallest", "longest", "biggest", "brightest", are words you will find most often in the city guide books.