New York life is centered on the 23 square miles of the island of Manhattan, which is surrounded by four other distinct city boroughs – the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island. The first European settlement on Manhattan was by the Dutch, during the 1620s. They named the city New Amsterdam. In 1664, the British took over and renamed it New York until they lost it in the 1780s and George Washington became the first President of the United States. The City that Never Sleeps is the very capital of the modern world – an ethnic and cultural melting pot and legendary cinematic backdrop that almost defies description, it offers an unrivalled fusion of people, cuisine, culture and experiences, 24 hours a day. New York has been depicted in countless films and TV shows as the real star on the celluloid. Home to the Empire State Building, Times Square, Statue of Liberty and other iconic sites, New York City is a fast-paced, globally influential center of art, culture, fashion and finance and with over 20,000 restaurants, 150 world-class museums and more than 20,000 stores, New York really does have something for everyone.