. . . the name 'Manhattan' is derived from the Delaware Indian word for island, 'menatay.'

. . . the NYC Transit Authority provides about 40% of America's total mass transit level. Accordingly, it has the world's largest subway fleet, consisting of 5,917 cars and the current inventory of tokens is 90,100,000. Conversely, there are 11,787 licensed taxis, with 85 cabbie nationalities and 60 languages spoken by the various cabbies.

. . . the original hot dog was invented by Nathan Handwerker in 1900 for Nathan's Famous.

. . . the Empire State Building is one of the world's eight wonders -- and the only one built in the 20th Century.

. . . more famous Americans (1 out of 7) have been born in Brooklyn than in any other place in the US.

. . . the SoHo and TriBeCa districts get their names from their respective locations: SOuth of HOuston Street and the TRIangle BElow CAnal Street.

. . . the estimated number of visitors to NYC in 1996 was 31.3 million, while the total NYC population from the 1990 census is 7.3 million.

. . . . on average, a neon bulb in a Times Square display lasts 2 1/2 years.