One expects contrast in the New York metropolitan region—in the arts, the local ethnic cultures, the way people dress, the specialty cuisines offered by restaurants with brightly colored signs and lights at night. The high contrast between tall buildings and city parks is pleasant, but it pales when compared to the contrast between the metropolis and the wilderness that exists only 26 miles (42 km) from Times Square, in the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge and Wilderness Area.
