When someone considers a trip to New York City, they usually think of the major tourist spots such as the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty. Those sights, although timeless and truly New York, may eat up a considerable chunk of time and may not be as important to a visitor as other offerings of the city.
The first thing that should be done when planning a jaunt to NYC is to consider the mode of travel; with 3 major airports serving the area, it may make a difference which airline to utilize, if a specific airport is to be avoided or is preferred. (JFK is considered the most difficult to enter and exit, while some consider Newark too far.) With all, however, convenient ground shuttles to the midtown area are available for less than $50 US round trip. If you wish to drive, it’s important to check to see if the hotel that’s being considered offers parking, and the price. The high priced designer shops are found along 5th Ave. and throughout midtown, but areas downtown offer less expensively priced attire that may be considered trendier.
Some of the more interesting-and free-sights one should not miss would include Ground Zero, Grand Central Station, Central Park, Rockefeller Center and Trump Tower. Its incredible architecture, including the Empire State and Chrysler buildings, the thrilling performances at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, Broadway and off Broadway theaters provide unlimited cultural and aesthetic possibilities. This city of contrasts also contains the SoHo section, with its stylish art galleries, boutiques, and bistros housed in historic cast iron buildings among cobblestone streets.
The Statue of Liberty can be visited and climbed or simply viewed from the water on a tour boat cruise or from the Staten Island ferry (which is free). Ellis Island Immigration Museum, near the Statue of Liberty, conveys the experiences of our forebears as they came to the end of their perilous journey and embraced the promise of a better life in the New World.
Among the 150 museums in New York City is one of the world’s greatest: the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the largest museum in the Western Hemisphere displaying more than 100,000 works from artists such as Picasso, Monet, Matisse, and Warhol Nearby is Times Square, the brightest symbol of New York’s revitalization. Most of New York’s best known tourist attractions are concentrated in Manhattan. It has its own civic centers, cultural institutions, shopping district and residential neighborhoods. Its major attractions include: Brooklyn Botanical Gardens, The Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Aquarium for Wildlife Conservation and Coney Island. Flushing Meadow-Corona Park and Shea Stadium are major attractions.
Winter in the big apple is glorious. Crisp, sunny days light up its major attractions, basking the Statue of Liberty in a soft winter glow, glinting off the skates of the ice skaters at the Rockefeller Center and lighting up the sprinkling of snow that has stuck to the trees in Central Park.
