Destination - New York

“One belongs to New York instantly, one belongs to it as much in five minutes as in five years.”
Tom Wolfe

“I look out the window and I see the lights and the skyline and the people on the street rushing around looking for action, love, and the world's greatest chocolate chip cookie, and my heart does a little dance.”    

Nora Ephron 

New York, there is no place quite like it.  I’ve been there a couple to times, and each time I discover something new about the city.  It is an exciting city to visit, whether it is your first visit, or you’ve been there many times.  There is always something to do.

Christmas in New York
Across from Radio City

My girlfriend and I went to New York last Christmas.  I had been there several times during the summer months, but never at that time of year.  I have to say that being there at Christmas was magical.  It really put us in a Christmas mood.  The tree at Rockefeller Center, ice skaters, Radio City Music Hall and the Rockettes Christmas show.  It was all wonderful.  * 

Whatever time of the year you decide to go to New York, there are a few things that everyone agrees you should see at least once.  If you have never been to New York before, these are the places that you should go to.  If you are a regular visitor you probably have discovered your own favorite places, some of my favorites I’ll discuss later.

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TIP - If you plan to go to most of the major attractions in New York, you should be aware that there is a charge for many of these sights. The New York Pass card might be an option for you to consider. You purchase it in advance and then use it to get into all the sights. Once you buy the pass it works like a smart card which allows you completely entry to over 70 New York tourist attractions. The more sights you see, the more money you save. The pass is then valid for the number of days that you've purchased - be it 1, 2, 3 or 7 days. It is important to note that a ‘day’ is based on a calendar day, not a 24 hour period. As well as entry into the sight the pass allows you to skip long lines at the busiest tourist attractions, so it can save you time as well. For more information on the pass, go to: www.newyorkpass.com
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Looking down from the top
of the Empire State Bldg.

Empire State Building - Tired of staring up at New York City skyscrapers? Check out the view of New York City from atop the Empire State Building.  It is the tallest building in New York City and a feat of true American accomplishment, the Empire State Building in New York City stands 1454 feet tall and is currently the 9th tallest building in the world and the 4th tallest freestanding structure in the Americas. This NY monument has 102 stories, and was the first building to ever have more than 100 stories.  You can purchase a ticket to ride to the top of the building, and get some great shots of NYC.

Statue of Liberty and Liberty Island

Statue of Liberty - The Statue of Liberty was a gift from France to the United States in honor of the friendship established during the French Revolution. The Statue of Liberty has become an American symbol of freedom and welcome to the immigrants who come to the USA looking for a better life.  You can get to the island by ferry, there is a charge for the ferry but there is no cost to go onto the 12 acre island or to go into the statue or the museum.   If you’re in the mood to break a sweat, climb the 354 stairs that wind through the inside of the statue. Your hard work will be rewarded with stunning views of New York City seen from the crown of the Statue of Liberty! Only 240 people are permitted to ascend the staircase a day so reservations are a must, and they’re definitely worth it. Not only will you fill your camera with amazing photos of NYC taken from high inside the statue, you can brag to all of your friends that you climbed to the top of the Statue of Liberty!

Ellis Island Immigration Museum - The Ellis Island Immigration Museum offers visitors a fascinating look into the immigrant experience. Interactive exhibits, walking tours and movies reveal the hardships and challenges faced by immigrants passing through Ellis Island.

Leaving NYC on the Staten
Island Ferry

Staten Island Ferry - The Staten Island Ferry is a free ferry from lower Manhattan to Staten Island, used by commuters and tourists wanting a view of the harbor and the Statue of Liberty.  If you don’t have time to actually go to Liberty Island and visit the statue up close, you can get some great views of the lady from the Staten Island Ferry.  You do have to get off on Staten Island, you can’t just ride the boat round-trip.  So you will have a short stay on Staten Island, waiting for the next ferry.  But it is a nice way to get out into the harbor, see the skyline and the statue, and it’s free.  We went late in the day while we still had good daylight, but then by the time we returned we got beautiful night skyline with all the lights.

9/11 Memorial, someone had
placed a white rose on a name

9/11 Memorial - Everyone knows what happened on 9/11/2001.  There is now a memorial where the World Trade Centers used to stand.  Where the 2 footprints of the buildings were, there are now ponds with the names of the people who died there on plaques around the ponds.  You have to make arrangements ahead of time to go to the memorial.  There is no charge, but they only allow so many in at a time, because construction is still  on-going.  It is a moving tribute to the people who lost their lives on that day.www.911memorial.org/visitor-passes

Central Park - Central Park has offered a welcome escape from the concrete jungle of New York City for over 150 years. Take a walk, a boat ride or just enjoy a picnic in Central Park and discover for yourself why Central Park is so popular.  Covering 843 acres of land, this magnificent park was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1963.  The park is known as “the heart of the city”.  You can take a walking tour, a bike tour, or a horse-drawn carriage tour of the park, or just hang out and relax.

Metropolitan Museum of Art - Over 2 million works of art from around the world and throughout history are housed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. An iconic art museum, the Met is well worth a visit.

The Museum of Modern Art - Founded in 1929 as the first museum dedicated entirely to contemporary art, the MoMA is host to an impressive collection of modern artistic efforts. From painting and sculpture to film and architecture, the Museum of Modern Art's diverse collection has something for everyone.

Inside Grand Central Station
Four corners whre you can whisper and be heard

Grand Central Terminal - Whether or not train travel is in your plans, Grand Central Terminal deserves to be one of your destinations. Since the building's revitalization 10 years ago, Grand Central has enticed visitors and locals alike, with quick bites and delicacies located in the Grand Central Market, fine cuisine in the Dining Concourse and free arts events in Vanderbilt Hall.  If you see people in the lower area standing and talking into the columns near the Oyster Bar Restaurant, they aren’t talking to themselves and probably are not talking on telephones.  The acoustics here allow you to whisper into the corner and someone standing at the opposite corner can hear you quite plainly.  During World War II it is said that spies used this corner to communicate.  We tried it and it works.  The Oyster Bar had quite good seafood also.

Times Square

Times Square - One of the most famous areas of the city.  New Years Eve everyone converges on Times Square waiting for the ball to drop at midnight.  But the rest of the year it is still a popular area.  It is full of shops and restaurants and bright signs.  It is one of the most recognizable spots in the city.  The half-price ticket booth is here, where you can purchase tickets to plays.  There is a Times Square museum where you can get a piece of paper and write down your wish.  They will keep that paper until New Year's and then it will drop from above with thousands of other wishes, at midnight.

Playbill outside Marquis Theatre

See a Broadway Play - Your in New York City, of course you have to see a play.  I can't imagine going to New York without taking in a play.  There are plays for every taste.  You can see one of the big Broadway productions, quite a few of them are musicals, but you will find some that are not.  And there are off-Broadway productions, and even off-off Broadway.  Plays can be pricey, but there is always the Arts Tix booth in Times Square, where you can get half price tickets for the day of the performance.  We used them when we were there at Christmas time, and we only waited in line for about an hour.  And we got the tickets for the show we had chosen as our first choice.  Always have a couple of back-up choices, because they could be sold out of your first choice.

Those are probably the places most people plan to see on their first trip to New York.  But for those who have already seen those sights, there is much more to New York.  There are 5 different and distinct neighborhoods (or boroughs) in New York.  Most of the sights we talked about are in Manhattan and there are lots of little neighborhoods within Manhattan, such as Soho, Little Italy, Grenwich Village, Chelsea, East Village and Battery Park, just to name a few.  The other boroughs are Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx and Staten Island.  If you take the ferry out to Staten Island then you could spend some time there instead of just turing around and coming back on the next ferry.  Visiting some of the other neighborhoods of New York will give you a different perspective on the city.

When we were there in December, my friend and I walked across the Brooklyn Bridge.  It was a wonderful walk and the views of the skyline from there were fantastic.  There is a nice park just as you get across the bridge, and Broooklyn is right there to explore.  Just walking across the bridge was a fun experience, and they have a section dedicated to walkers.

View from the High Line

Another good walk with some excellent views is walking the High Line.  The High Line is a one mile linear park built on a section of the former elevated railroad spur. It runs along the lower west side of Manhattan from Gansevoort Street & 12th Street to the Chelsea area and ends at 30th Street.  If you take this elevated park walk you will have excellent views of the water and the skyline, and when you exit in the Chelsea area you can visit Chelsea Market, which is full of fun shops and a wonderful chocolate shop - Jacques Torres Chocolates.  Chelsea Market is where the Food Network films its shows.

There is so much more to New York than I have mentioned.  There are wonderful museums to spend your days in.  You can go to the top of Rockefeller Center - known as the Top of The Rock, where you will have some wonderful views.  There is more nightlife than I could possibly go into.  Some of the best nightlife is just being in the city and watching the people, as long as you stay in populated areas and use common sense, walking the streets of New York at night is just a fun place to be.  And you can find wonderful restaurants to eat just about any kind of food you are in the mood for, and with the subway system it is easy to get around New York.  So, go to New York and have a wonderful time.

*To read about our actual Christmas in New York trip, go to the side column where Trip Reports of Trips we have Taken is and click on the New York trip.