New York City which is commonly referred to as ‘the Big Apple’ is one of the most coveted tourist destinations in the world. Known for its unmatched allure this sprawling metropolis which is made up of five boroughs (districts) attracted nearly 48 million international and domestic tourists in 2009. Accordingly New York City is geared to cater to the needs of its many visitors as it offers them a wide array of sight-seeing, entertainment, and dining options in the form of world famous landmarks, great theater and other cultural performances and numerous diverse restaurants which serve up a smorgasbord of cuisines.
New York City is served by three major airports namely the John F Kennedy Airport (JFK) which is located in the borough of Queens, the LaGuardia Airport which is located in the New York county of Long Island and the Newark Liberty Airport which is located in the neighboring state of New Jersey. These three airports play host to a plethora of international and domestic carriers. In fact JFK airport is a major hub for American Airlines, Delta and the New York City based low cost carrier, Jet Blue Airways, while LaGuardia is an important base for various other low cost carriers like AirTran and American Eagle airways. Similarly Newark Liberty Airport functions as key hub for Continental Airlines which also operates several subsidiary airlines and recently merged with another major US carrier, United Airlines to form one of the largest airlines in terms of revenue passenger miles. These three main New York City airports are served by a plethora of trains, subway lines, taxis, shuttle buses and coaches and they all afford relatively easy access to the ‘city’ as the New York City borough of Manhattan is commonly called.
New York City is located on eastern seaboard of North America and it accordingly experiences warm, humid summers which last from May to September and cold, extremely frigid winters which extend for the remaining six months of the year. Most tourists tend to visit New York City during the summer months when the city hosts a wide array of events and festivals including the summer street fairs which are generally held over weekends all over the city. Tourists who don’t enjoy the hot, humid New York summers try and visit the city in the fall (mid- September to late October) when the weather in is cool and crisp, with day temperatures hovering around 70̊ F or 21̊ C or thereabouts and night temperatures falling to the low 60s and high 50s though some folks also enjoy a visit in the early spring when the city emerges from its long, cold, dark winters and is awash with flowering blooms.
New York City is the only city in the US which has an extensive and heavily used Mass Transit system; New Yorkers are in fact perceived to be great walkers who tend to traverse their city mainly on foot . If you plan to experience the city like a true New Yorker , then it is imperative that you pack a good pair of walking shoes in your luggage for the hard, concrete pavements of New York City can be brutal on your feet. Moreover if your planned visit to the Big Apple is during the summer months then you might want to pack cool, cotton clothes for the weather is generally steamy with temperatures in the high 70’s and mid-80s so much so it is often said that true New Yorkers flee the city in August and the city is almost entirely taken over by visiting tourists. If you choose to however visit New York City later on in the year then a light jacket is de rigueur for the fall months ,while a heavy overcoat, sweaters, hat, gloves, scarf and boots are almost essential for a visit to New York City during the grueling, bone chilling winter months when snow fall is a common occurrence.
New York City offers a wide range of attractions which are guaranteed to please all types of visitors. There are some attractions like the Empire State Building, the U.N. compound, the Statue of Liberty which are especially well known and thus attract hordes of tourists all year round. Needless to add many of these attractions are also expensive to access as they have hefty admission fees. If you wish to take in as many New York attractions as you can on your New York City visit then you would do well as to invest a package called the New York Pass which gives to access to multiple New York City attractions for one low price. The New York Pass can be purchased online even before you arrive in New York City.
However aside from the attractions offered by the New York Pass, there are several other New York City attractions which should figure in your must-do list for New York like visiting the Metropolitan Museum of Art (the Met). This grand museum which is housed in an imposing building located on 82nd Street and Fifth Avenue is perhaps New York’s premier attraction which has enchanting permanent exhibits as well as frequently changing temporary exhibits that attracts hordes of visitors, both locals and tourists all throughout the year. Yet another beloved attraction of New York City, is its iconic patch of green, Central Park which is filled with numerous landmarks like Strawberry Fields, an enclave in the park that pays tribute to the late, John Lennon, singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who used to reside in building called Dakota which lies adjacent to and overlooks the Park. Central Park is a constant hub of activity which hosts festivals like the Central Park Summer Stage and Shakespeare in the Park during the summers and ice skating on the Wollman rink during the winters. Apart from Central Park, the city also has various other worth visiting green spaces like Washington Square Park, Bryant Park and the New York Botanical Gardens which are located in the Bronx.
New York City is known for its multicultural character as this city has historically been associated with various waves of immigration; the best place to learn about this immigrant heritage of New York City is at the Tenement Museum which is located in the Lower East Side of Manhattan and provides a valuable insight into the lives of the early immigrants who came to New York City. In recent times yet another historical site has come to be firmly entrenched on any visit New York City itinerary, Ground Zero which is the site of the horrific terrorists attacks of 9/11 that killed more than 3000 residents of the city ,many of whom worked in its iconic World Trade Center Towers, the main target of the attacks.
In addition to sight-seeing, tourists who visit New York City also like to taken its many cultural offerings for the city is well known for its theater district , ‘Broadway’ and several other cultural bastions like the Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall and the Brooklyn Academy of Music which offer a wide variety of music, dance and film events that enthrall and delight the masses all throughout the year.
Aside from its reputation as a tourist magnet and a cultural and entertainment epicenter, New York City is also known for its varied culinary landscape. New York City is home to nearly 19000 eating establishments that range from high end restaurants like Per Se, Locanda Verde and Le Bernadin to small hole in the wall establishments that serve a wide range of global eats. However New York is also known for some foods which are considered to be ‘quintessentially New York’, like New York City bagels which are reputed to be ‘ the best in the world’ and can be purchased from the city’s many street vendors as well as specialty bagel stores like H&H Bagels, Ess a Bagel and Tal Bagels. Similarly renowned is New York Citys Pizza which can be enjoyed at authentic pizza joints like Lombardi’s, Grimaldi’s, Patsy’s Pizzeria and Totonno’s in New York City.
No trip to New York City can be complete without a shopping expedition and New York City which plays hosts to America’s most famous Fashion weeks has several enclaves which are known essentially as shopping districts like the stretches of Fifth and Madison Avenues that are lined with high end designer stores and the cluster of middle range stores that are located along 34th Street in Midtown Manhattan.
Yet another shopping haunt for tourists to New York City is Canal Street which is located in the heart of Manhattan’s Chinatown and is the Mecca for designer knock-offs, cheap t-shirts and other knick-knacks. Located close to Chinatown is Soho which is yet another heavily tourist trafficked shopping area that is populated with one of a kind designer boutiques, outposts of department stores like Bloomingdale’s and chic foreign imports like Topshop and Uniglo , Muji and Mango in addition to a sleek Apple Store. Soho in fact also has within its boundaries the design store of the Museum of Modern Art which offers cleverly designed products that capture the edgy style of New York City and make for perfect souvenirs from this unique and utterly captivating city.
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