The next time you enjoy a chocolate croissant from Le Pain Quotidien on the crisp lawns of Madison Square Park, Washington Square Park, Union Square Park, or Bryant Park try to refrain from remembering the fact that these parks were used as cemeteries in the 18th and 19th centuries. In Washington Square Park alone, 20,000 New Yorkers have been buried.

1. It costs around $290,000 for a one-year hot dog stand permit in Central Park.
2. The City of New York will pay for a one-way plane ticket for any homeless person if they have an assured place to stay upon arrival.

3. Eating a New York bagel is equivalent to a half of a loaf of bread. *Sprints to SoulCycle*

4. It costs about $17,000 to take a cab from NYC to LA (as long as you are not a tourist, because then the driver would probably loop around Times Square a few times)

5. Tiny shrimp called copepods have been found in NYC’s drinking water. Finally a legitimate reason to only drink Smart Water?

6. As long as it is not being used for business purposes, women may go topless in public.

7. There is a 150-foot-hole (15 stories) on Park Avenue between 36th and 37th streets.

8. Fake buildings? Fact. Fake “buildings” are built so the space may be used for subway maintenance. The middle building in the image below, located in Brooklyn, has a fake facade.

9.There is a secret, abandoned train platform in the Waldorf Astoria hotel.

10. New York City has more people than 40 of the 50 states in the US.

11. The top of the Empire State Building has a 200-foot mast that was originally designed to dock airships. At the time, it was believed to be the vehicle of the future.

12. There is a 3,600 square-foot room covered in only loamy topsoil on the second floor of a building in SoHo, on Wooster Street. Titled, TheNew York Earth Room, this room of only dirt and rocks provides a one-of-a-kind experience in the lush lifestyle the remainder of Manhattan thrives in.

13. New York City was the first capital of the United States.

14. It's possible to sell the air above buildings in NYC for future development. Even the air in New York is expensive.

15. The borough of Brooklyn on its own would be the 4th largest city in the United States; Queens would also rank 4th nationally.

16. Over 200 languages are spoken in New York City.

17. Half of all New Yorkers speak a language other than English at home.

18. The price of a slice of pizza and the cost of a single ride on the subway has been nearly equal to each other for the past 50 years.