New York is one of the top tourist destination in USA. In other words, I would say that New York is synonym of USA. For centuries New York has been the first port of entry for people landing in America. City is full of multicultural people, food cuisine, entertainment, museums, shopping center, skyscrapers, restaurants, zoo etc. So the list is long of places to roam in the city. Before choosing New York as a tourist destination it is wise to select the spots of your interest because it’s a big city and to cover it in a single trip is not possible.
Two things to be careful while on your trip to New York is, hotel and commuting. Hotels are very expensive in the city center. However, all ranges of hotels are available but cheap or moderate hotels will be far from tourist destinations.
Renting a car could be cheaper than parking it in city, seriously I am not joking. Don’t rent a car in New York. Public transport is very effective for commuting between tourist destinations. Take a subway pass and keep going around with maps. Here is a trade off between commuting and paying for the hotel. Booking a hotel in a city has advantage of spending more time on your places of interest, roam around easily, not to worry about catching return transport to hotel, spend night easily in city. On the other hand, staying far will save money on hotels and spend it more on entertainment and site seeing.
Statue of Liberty
The Statue of Liberty was France’s gift to America. It was built in 1886 and remains a famous world symbol of freedom and one of the greatest American icons. It is the world’s largest statue and stands just less than 152 feet tall from the base to the torch, and weighs approximately 450,000 pounds.
Pre-purchasing tickets is a must during the high season and a good idea at any time of year. Tickets to go inside the statue sell out. Also, trying to buy tickets at the ferry can be fine if you know what you’re doing but tricky if you don’t, with hawkers claiming to be “official representatives” trying to sell you more expensive tickets before you can find the ticket booth.
Empire State Building
Along with the Statue of Liberty, The Empire State Building is New York’s most famous landmark. The 381 m tall, 102-storey building was the tallest in the world until the 1 World Trade Center tower rose higher 41 years later. There are actually two observatories atop the Empire State Building. The 86th Floor Observatory (1,050 feet) is reached by high speed, automatic elevators, and has both a glass-enclosed area, which is heated in winter and cooled in summer, and spacious outdoor promenades on all four sides of the Building. The 102nd Floor Observatory stands 1,250 feet above the bustling streets below. On clear days visitors can see for distances up to 80 miles, looking into the neighboring states of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Massachusetts, as well as New York.
Central Park
Central Park is the playground of New Yorker’s. This huge park in the city center is one of the things that makes New York such a beautiful city and not simply a concrete jungle. The park has many attractions within its borders and has been featured in countless TV shows and movies. Some of the places of note within this green space that visitors will probably be familiar with are Strawberry Fields, the Central Park Zoo, and the Lake, which is used for skating in winter, and paddling in summer.
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, or “The Met” as it is commonly known, was founded in 1870.
The permanent collection at the Met contains over 2 million works of art. Highlights of the collection include American decorative arts, arms and armor, costumes, Egyptian art, musical instruments, and photographs, along with much more. The Cloisters in northern Manhattan is a branch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art which focuses on the art and architecture of medieval Europe.
Rockefeller Center
Rockefeller Center is a vast entertainment and shopping complex in the middle of Manhattan, and home to NBC-TV and radio and other media. There is an outdoor skating rink which is incredibly popular in winter. At Christmas a huge tree stands out front. Inside are shops, restaurants, and an observation deck. In front of the International Building is a famous sculpture of Atlas. The centerpiece is the 70-storey RCA Building, a slender, towering structure that offers views of midtown Manhattan. If you are looking for a place to see the city skyline, try the Top of the Rock Observation Deck.The “deck” includes three floors, located on 67th, 69th, and 70th floors. There are both indoor and outdoor viewing spaces, which are open to the public day and night.
Fifth Avenue
Fifth Avenue has long had a reputation as New York’s premier shopping area. Many top end designers have their flagship stores located along this famous avenue. Cartier, Tiffany, Bergdorf-Goodman, the famous Apple Store Fifth Avenue, and of course Saks Fifth Avenue, as well as many others line the posh avenue. Even none shoppers can enjoy a walk along Fifth Avenue.
Brooklyn Bridge
The Brooklyn Bridge, completed in 1883, was the world’s first bridge to be constructed of steel. It spans the East River from Manhattan. The bridge is an American landmark that has inspired generations of poets, songwriters and painters. Engineer John Roebling conceived of the bridge in 1855 and worked out every detail from its two granite towers to its four suspended steel cables. In June 1869 while determining the Brooklyn tower site, a ferry crushed Roebling’s foot. Three weeks later, before ground had been broken, Roebling died of tetanus. Roebling’s son, Washington, picked up the reins and executed his Father’s grand plans.
Times Square
Formerly Longacre Square, Times Square was named in 1904 after the New York Times tower. The newspaper first posted current headlines along its famous moving sign, the world’s first, in 1928. Long the heart of the Theater District, Times Square fell into decay during the Depression when many theaters shut down. The city cleaned up the area by inviting corporations such as Disney to move into the area. Today, Times Square has become a much safer place, day and night, with shopping, theaters and restaurants galore, not to mention its mammoth billboards.
Wall Street
Stretching for 8 city blocks from Broadway to South Street is the world famous Wall Street. This street and the surrounding area are home to some of the most important exchanges in the world including the New York Stock Exchange, the NASDAQ, and the New York Mercantile Exchange. Also located nearby are the impressive Trinity Church and the Federal Reserve. Wall Street is a popular tourist attraction and it is common to see a large number of tourists walking around craning their necks looking up at the impressive skyscrapers.
