" The first Manhattanites didn't arrive with lofty ideals. They came--whether as farmer, tanner, prostitute, wheelwright, barmaid, brewer, or trader--because there was a hope for a better life. There was a distinct messiness to the place they created. But it was very real, and in a way, very modern. "

― Russell Shorto , The Island at the Center of the World: The Epic Story of Dutch Manhattan and the Forgotten Colony That Shaped America