What we love in New York City: A collection of videos and places we find most interesting in the city that never sleeps. New York City is iconic and with the our world played out in video daily. From the awe inspiring to the humorous, we take a hard look at each and give you best on what this town is all about. 

Blood Root Valley Park is loosely bordered by Forest Hill Road, Eastman Avenue, Manor Road, and Rockland Avenue. It is also connected to Willowbrook Park, LaTourette Park, and High Rock Park.Bloodroot Valley is also the location of the Greenbelt Nature center. The center hosts a number of inforational sessions about the park, looks at its history as well a provide insigt into the plantlife and animal species that exisit in the park. Nearby neighborhoods are Lighthouse Hill, and Willowbrook.

Blood Root Valley Park was given to the Department of Parks and Recreation in 1994 by the City of New York. This is one of the many parks that make up the Greenbelt. Blood Root Valley Park gets its name from the bloodroot plant. This is a rare plant which, on Staten…

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Sailor Snug Harbor, Staten Island SignIn 1756, the Marine Society of New York was formed. Captain Thomas Randall, a philanthropic seafarer became a member of the society, which served as a charitable organization for seamen. His prominence in the society and as a sea captain led to his son, Robert Richard Randall, getting involved in the Marine Society. In fact, he was so strongly involved that when he died in 1801, he requested in his will that after much of his money was divided and given to inheritors, the rest would be used to build a facility on his estate to be used "for the purpose of maintaining and supporting aged, decrepit and worn-out sailors."

In 1833, Randall's dream saw fruition, as Sailors' Snug Harbor opened for the purpose stated in his will. For years, the asylum…

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Seguine Mansion

In 1598, the Edict of Nantes was issued in France by King Henry IV, granting the Protestants, or Huguenots, freedom and civil rights. In 1685, this edict was revoked by King Louis XIV. At this time, he issued the Edict on Flontainbleau, which made Protestantism illegal. As a result, hundreds of thousands of Huguenots fled France to find a new residence. King Louis XIV was the monarch of New France, as well, which consisted of many of the mid-eastern states in North America, as well as much of Canada. Due to this, the Huguenots were banned from settlings there and instead settled in the Dutch New Netherland, which was encompassed by the western states of America.

In 1706, a census was taken of Staten Island's inhabitants. At this time,…

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Alice Austen House, Staten Island NYDuring the late seventeenth century and early eighteenth century, a single-room, half-timbered Dutch Colonial home was built at 2 Hylan Boulevard. From its construction up until 1775, many additions were made to the house. Between the years of 1725 and 1750, a second room was added to the house. During the years between 1750 and 1775, another addition was made to the house, giving it an L-shape.

On maps from the early 1800's, various structures were shown as being on the property. In 1844, John Haggerty Austen purchased the home. Many repairs and renovations were made to the house, including the demolition of the structures not attached to the house. The years between 1844 and 1878 saw the addition of another room, a porch, and a projecting bay…

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