New York
People either love it or hate it.
Either way, it is one place that everyone should visit at least once in their lives.
Chrysler Building NY from the Empire State Building
It’s a non-stop party. The night lights are amazing. Everywhere you look is familiar because you have seen it in a film or a picture – so you feel at home immediately.
The noise is incessant – car horns blaring, NYPD blue car sirens, people shouting. Smells pervade the air – street vendors selling bagels and coffee. Depending on what time of year you visit, the heat is phenomenal or the cold is painful.
In Sex and the City, Miranda once asked Carrie “Why do I think living in Manhattan is so fantastic?”
Carrie’s reply “Because it is.”
Let’s see why.
The Top Ten New York Tourist Attractions
Get a breathtaking view of Manhattan from this world famous skyscraper, located at 350 Fifth Avenue, between 33rd and 34th Streets, in midtown Manhattan.
High speed elevators take you up 1,050 feet to the 86th floor. This observatory has an area which in glass-enclosed. You can also walk out in the open air around all four sides of the building for a 360° birds eye view and binoculars are for hire up there too. This observatory is accessible for handicapped people.
For an extra $15 you can buy a ticket on arrival, to go up to the 102nd floor.
The Empire State Building is open every day of the year, from 8am to 2am, with the last elevator going up at 1.15am.
What about the queues?
The waiting lines do put a lot of people off. There are three different lines, the first for security check, the second to buy a ticket and the third, for the elevators. However, you can buy an Express Pass ticket online that gets you moved to the front of each queue.
The Statue of Liberty celebrated her 100th birthday on October 28, 1986. She was a gift from the people of France to the people of the United States in recognition of their friendship established during the American Revolution. Liberty is a worldwide symbol for freedom and democracy.
Liberty is clad in copper and it is the verdigris on this copper which gives her distinctive green color.
Visitors arrive by ferry and climb 146 steps of an internal spiral staircase to reach the top of Liberty. There are 25 windows inside her crown, giving a view of New York Harbor. Because Liberty faces Brooklyn, you don’t get a view of Manhattan, except through some small windows on the left of her crown.
The lines for tickets can exceed three hours but you can skip these by buying online in advance here.
Grand Central is located in the heart of midtown Manhattan, on 42nd Street and Park Avenue.
It has now been restored back to how it was in 1913. Grand Central is not just a transportation hub. There are five wonderful restaurants and cocktail lounges as well as 20 places to eat in the lower level, celebrating all forms of international dining. You can buy gourmet items from Grand Central Market and enjoy the fifty specialty shops that are featured on all levels.
Rockefeller Center is between 48th and 51st streets between Fifth Avenue and Sixth Avenue. It’s a complex of 19 buildings over 22 acres and was built by the Rockefeller family. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1987.
It’s most famous for its’ outdoor ice rink, Christmas tree, Top of the Rock Observation Deck, Radio City Music Hall, NBC outside broadcasts as well as numerous places to shop and dine. This variety makes it a great destination for any type of visitor at any time of year.
5. Ellis Island Immigration Museum
This fascinating museum tells the story of the thousands of immigrants who flocked to a new life in America and passed through the gateway of Ellis Island. To find out if your ancestors were among them, you can perform a free search here. To have your ancestors name inscribed on the American Immigrant Wall of Honor at Ellis Island, go here.
The Staten Island Ferry carries a staggering 20 million people a year (60,000 passengers a day not including weekend days) between St. George on Staten Island and Whitehall Street in lower Manhattan. That’s 60,000 passengers every day and that doesn’t even include weekends. Forget pricey tourist ferries, this is the way to see the Statue of Liberty and to get a great view of Manhattan – and a true taste of a New Yorker’s lifestyle.
For sailing schedules, look here.
7. American Museum of Natural History
Located at 79th Street, Central Park West, (Upper West Side), the Museum has been open to the public since 1869. It includes 25 interconnected buildings that house 46 permanent exhibition halls, research laboratories, and a world renowned library.
The collections contain over 32 million specimens, of which only a small fraction can be displayed at any given time. Check here for details of current events.
You can buy tickets online here.
8. Central Park
It is located between 59th Street (Central Park South) and 110th Street (Central Park North), and is 0.5 miles wide between Fifth Avenue and Central Park West.
Central Park is the world-famous green retreat for New Yorkers and tourists, occupying around 1.2 square miles (843 acres) of prime Manhattan land. between 59th Street (Central Park South) and 110th Street (Central Park North), and 0.5 miles (0.8 km) wide between Fifth Avenue and Central Park West. It was opened in 1859 and made a National Historic Landmark in 1963.
25 million visitors flock there every year to escape the buzz of the city, enjoy open-air theatre and concerts, visit the zoo, go skating, partake in sports or enjoy a carriage ride. Many also make a pilgrimage to the ‘Strawberry Fields’ John Lennon memorial as he was tragically shot outside the Dakota Building (located on the northwestern corner of 72nd Street and Central Park West)
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, known affectionately as The Met, is an art museum located on Museum Mile. It has a permanent collection of over two million works of art, in 19 departments. The main building houses one of the world’s largest art galleries.
Museum Mile…
…covers a section of Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, from 82nd to 104th Streets along the Upper East Side. The mile is actually two blocks longer than a mile and houses eleven museums:
- 89th St. National Academy Museum and School of Fine Arts
- 88th St. Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (The Guggenheim)
- 86th St. Neue Galerie New York
- 83rd St. Goethe-Institut New York/German Cultural Center
- 82nd St. The Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met)
- 91st St. Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, Smithsonian Institution
- 92nd St. The Jewish Museum
- 94th St . International Center of Photography
- 104th St. El Museo del Barrio
- 103rd St. Museum of the City of New York
- 110th St. The Museum for African Art (under construction)
Located in Midtown Manhattan on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues, this museum was the first dedicated to show only contemporary art. It was founded in 1929 is said to be the most influential museum of modern art in the world. The collection is huge and covers architecture and design, drawing, painting, sculpture, photography and prints as well as illustrated books and artist’s books, film, and electronic media.
Other things to see…
The list is endless but here are a few of the other most popular attractions in New York:
- Broadway theatre – see what’s on here.
- Times Square
- Shopping on Fifth Avenue and Madison Avenue
- Macy’s Department Store at 151 West 34th Street (featured in the film Miracle on 34th Street and famous for its’ Thanksgiving Parade and Christmas window displays)
- Bloomingdales at 59th Street & Lexington Avenue, (home of the ‘brown bag’)
- Greenwich Village
- Canal Steet (great for markets and bargains)
- Wall Street
- Chinatown
- United Nations Building
- Tiffany’s on Fifth Avenue and 57th Street. Amazing jewelry and where many iconic photos of Audrey Hepburn were taken for the film ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’
- Madison Square Garden – Take a tour of the World’s Most Famous Arena which is located in Manhattan on Seventh Avenue between 31st and 33rd Streets, catch a concert or watch a sporting event.
- Yankee Stadium – situated in the Bronx, home of the New York Yankees
- The Wine Regions on Long Island
- Chelsea Market – 75 9th Ave (between 15th & 16th) great eating and entertainment
- Coney Island – situated in Brooklyn
Get your tickets to New York Events.
What’s the best way to get around?
You can save a lot of time and money with a New York Pass that you buy before you travel. These passes allow you to skip lines and to save money on entry fees to over 40 of New Yorks best attractions. New York is easy to navigate as it is on a grid system with Avenues running one way and Streets running across them. Buses either run along streets or along Avenues so hop on and off until you reach your destination. Yellow cabs are everywhere and the subway is also quick and easy to navigate.
Will I see any celebrities?
It’s possible! You can check out which films and TV programs are being made in New York here.
Celebrity haunts to help you maximize your chances
- Angels & Kings 500 East 11th Street Ashlee Simpson, Tommy Hilfiger, Kate Bosworth and Josh Hartnett
- Barney’s 660 Madison Avenue Victoria Beckham, Halle Berry, and Chloe Sevigny
- Butter 415 Lafayette Street Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, Nicole Richie, Beyonce, Hilary Duff and Hayden Panettiere.
- Hotel Chelsea 222 West 23rd Street Uma Thurman, Rosario Dawson.
- Hotel Gansevoort 18 9th Avenue Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, Leonardo diCaprio, Jessica Simpson, Jay-z, Lindsay Lohan, Kelly Ripa, Nicky Hilton.
- J. Sisters 35 West 57th Street, 3rd Floor Gwyneth Paltrow, Tyra Banks, Fergie.
- Nobu 105 Hudson Street Robert De Niro, Madonna, Mariah Carey, Tom Cruise, Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet.
- Serge Normant at John Frieda Salon 825 Washington Street Sarah Jessica Parker, Julia Roberts, Julianne Moore, Renee Zellweger.
- Susan Ciminelli Day Spa 754 Fifth Avenue Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, Cindy Crawford, Jennifer Lopez, Shakira, Dita Von Teese.
Food and drink
For the best round up of what’s available in New York – and there is a lot – take a look at Time Out’s constantly updated lists of best places to eat, best ‘all you can eat’ places and best places for coffee
New York, New York…
If you’re planning a trip to New York, do some research before you go and try to plan what to go and see. One trip is only enough to scratch the surface of this vibrant and unique city beloved by so many – so it’s a great excuse to go back again…and again…and again. Enjoy!
You can book your trip and New York City Hotels from $75! from Priceline.
And don’t forget to grab your New York Hop on Hop off Pass to really get a feel for the city and find out where everything is.
Filed under: America & Canada • New York
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Wanda and Paula are friends and business partners that love to travel. We developed this website to share our experiences, what we've learned over the years and also to provide reviews on hotels, airlines, restaurants and anything else travel related.
Things to do which are not on the usual list:
Long Island Wineries:
You can visit ones on the North Fork which are very good. Raphaels is one of the best if you like your red wines. There is always the South Fork in which you also get the opportunity to go through the Hamptons which is a well known celebrity hang out area for their vacations.
The Highline:
Runs along the Western Side of the city near the Hudson River. It was a disused elevated railway which runs from West 20th Street down to Gansevoort Street. It now a small national Park that provides alternate views of the city. They also have sunbeds along the way so you can relax, read a book while overlooking the Hudson River. The added bonus is that it is free!!
Madison Square Garden:
A must for all sports junkies. To see any even here is a must do, whether it be a concert, NBA game, Ice Hockey match, etc. They also run tours through the building itself at a price.
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (NYC Annex):
It may not be the size of the main museum in Cleveland but it is truly an awesome experience. Music from all eras can be heard and performers costumes and other memorabilia is also present. They also have single performer exhibitions as well. When I was there, it was about John Lennon in NYC and it was something that would bring any fans to tears.
Yankee Stadium:
Its not the original stadium that Babe Ruth built (that was still next door, ready to be demolished) but its architecture is based on the original. It is a truly sacred home to US Baseball and its most successful and storied franchise (NY Yankees). The new stadium was used for the first time in 2009 and the Yankees celebrated it by winning the World Series. Tours are operated on a regular basis but its best to book in advance as tours do fill up quite quickly.
Chelsea Market:
One of the oldest and most unique markets in all over NY. Its not your standard market for various knick knacks, but lots of food eateries that gets very busy at lunchtime.
Coney Island (Brooklyn):
The beach side area that the locals go to. Whether they really go there is not known to be honest, but its home to the Cyclone Rollercoaster (one of the oldest in the US), Nathans Hot Dogs where they hold the annual hot dog eating competition and one lovely boardwalk. There is also a baseball team that plays out there called the Brooklyn Cyclones (a minor league team). Its definitely worth the visit.
Staten Island Ferry:
This is good if you are on a limited time schedule. The terminal is located down near Battery Park. It provides great views of the Statue of Liberty, and Lower Manhattan and the best part is, its FREE!! The overall return journey takes approximately 1 hour.
Late Show With David Letterman:
If would like to see his show and all tickets have been taken, do not despair. If you go to the Ed Sullivan Theatre (on Broadway) by 9am on the day, you can put your name down in a ticket lottery. When completing this, you enter the dates you are available to attend. They also do a quick interview, not that I think it was taken very seriously to see if you are suitable. They will not advise how many tickets are available when you sign up. Its pure luck. Tip, if you go as a couple, both complete the form and put each other down as your guest. It increases your chances. If you are successful they will call you by 2pm to go and pick up tickets. Once again, there is no charge.
Century 21 and DSW Shops:
Century 21 Department store is located opposite the World Trade Centre Site. It is a shoppers dream. Brand name clothing and merchandise at ridiculously low prices. It is crowded and somewhat crazy but rest assured you will save alot of money. The main DSW shop is located at Union Square and it is great for shoe shopping. Once again you will save a small fortune.
Museum Tips:
Always have a look at their websites before going. There are sometimes exhibitions on which could be of interest to you. Also note that alot of museums have ‘Suggested’ Admission prices. When you see this, never pay the full price. Just pay what you feel like. I usually pay about $5. The people on the door will not judge you, so dont be afraid.
Thank you so much for this information Tony. There is just so much to see and do in New York, one trip is definitely not enough.
I have been there 6 times now and still finding things to do, places to eat, etc.
My favourite place in the world!!
There lots of other things which you can enjoy in New york, i bet you would feel hard not to put those in list
cheapticket.co.uk/
New York is an amazing place and I agree with you Shawn that there is so much to see and enjoy.
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