Skip to footer

10 snapshots of New York from celebrated diaries

From its beginnings in the 1600s to its present-day status as teeming metropolis, New York City has always been a force of influence and culture in America. There are those who love it and those who hate it – and that's always been the case. Author Teresa Carpenter scoured numerous diaries and journals throughout history and pulled together many intriguing views of the legendary city in her book "New York Diaries." Here are 10 glimpses of New York throughout the centuries.

1. Henry Hudson

  • By Molly Driscoll, Monitor contributor

"[The natives] all came on board, one after another, in their canoes, which are made of a single hollowed tree; their weapons are bows and arrows, pointed with sharp stones, which they fasten with hard resin. They had no houses, but slept under the blue heavens, sometimes on mats of bulrushes interwoven, and sometimes on the leaves of trees."

– From English explorer Henry Hudson's diary on Sept. 5, 1609

1 of 10
You've read  of  free articles. Subscribe to continue.