Sigrid seeks to answer the question "What's a borough?" In doing so, she talks about how New York City got its start, and also about the surrounding counties that played an important role in its development. In this video, you'll see 18th- and 19th-century maps of the area.

The Bronx was the first area to become part of New York City. Lying to the north and northeast of Manhattan, it was a logical addition. The quirky name of this borough has its own history.

The borough of the Bronx has gotten a bad name because of issues with poverty and crime. It's also had its share of neglect and mishandling on the part of local and state administrations. However, the Bronx also has some claims to fame, such as the Bronx zoo and botanical garden.

In the first of two parts, we look at Brooklyn's beginnings and how it came to be one of New York City's boroughs.

Sigrid talks about the different ways to get from Brooklyn to Manhattan, and about some of the characteristics of this borough. For one thing, it is more affordable than Manhattan, although by no means a cheap place to live.

Having explored the Bronx and Brooklyn, Sigrid now tells us all about Queens, which is geographically speaking the largest of the 5 boroughs of New York City.

To get from eastern Long Island to the city, travelers and commuters have to go through Queens, so this borough naturally became a very important transit hub, with Jamaica at its center. It also became crisscrossed with many expressways for vehicles.

It's time to have a look at Staten Island, the 4th borough out of 5. It looks closer to New Jersey than to the rest of New York City and has some other peculiarities.

We've finally made it to Manhattan, the smallest but most densely populated borough. When we think of New York City, Manhattan is more often than not what comes to mind. This is part 1.

In part 2 about the borough of Manhattan, Sigrid completes her overview of all 5 boroughs of New York City. She talks about some nicknames for New York City, including "the Big Apple."

After exploring the five boroughs of New York City, we move on to Princeton, New Jersey, where Sigrid gets curious about a canal built in the early 19th century.

What makes canals so special? In part 2, we explore locks. Locks are like elevators for barges and boats!

This last part about the D&R canal talks about the special bridges that were needed to cross the canal and who had to take care of them. And if you're wondering if the canal is still in use, Sigrid answers that question. There's a special tribute at the end of the video for which you might want this link.

We're back on Long Island, exploring the North Shore with an outing to a wildlife refuge on one of the necks, or small peninsulas that jut into the Long Island Sound, the body of water separating Long Island from Connecticut.

Let's look at how Long Island was formed around 20,000 years ago. It has to do with a glacier that brought plenty of material along with it and left some behind when it receded.