New York City Tourism in a Blink

By: Harry Rowley
The Big Apple, the city that never sleeps, New York, New York, what a wonderful town! Call it what you will, there’s no disputing New York is one amazing place. And there’s a wealth of information available on what to do and see in New York, so I’ve selected the best bits in this essential travel guide to New York City.

More than eight million people from every nation on earth live in the Five Boroughs of Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Staten Island, and New York City is safer, cleaner, friendlier, richer and more stylish than ever before.

It goes without saying really, but a it would be crime to miss out on Central Park, whatever the length of your trip. If you are lucky, your first view will be from the air as you fly into the city, where you can really appreciate this 843-acre green oasis of peace and quiet in this vast urbania. Join the locals in a jog, some in-line skating or take a picnic and watch the world go by. There are things to do in winter when the lush green park is transformed into a white blank canvas, where ice skating and cross country skiing combine with a midnight run on New Year's Eve.

For unrivalled views and an iconic trip it’s got to be a visit to New York's skyline's most famous skyscraper – the Empire State Building. High-speed automatic elevators take you up to the 86th floor observatory 1,050 ft (320 m) high in the sky. It’s worth paying a bit more for the audio tour as there isn’t much information up top. Keep an eye on the tower at night; it might just surprise you, as the colours of the lights are changed regularly.

Take a boat out to Liberty Island in New York Harbour and pay a visit to the Statue of Liberty - the original first lady, and the ultimate symbol of New York. You would be surprised how many locals haven’t done this. To avoid lots of waiting around book your tickets ahead and try and make it in the morning when there are less people about.

Take a walk across the historic and fascinating Brooklyn Bridge. Manhattan has five major bridges linking the island to the mainland, but the Brooklyn is the most famous and really worth a visit just to take in the fantastic views of Downtown Manhattan and New York Harbour.

No trip to New York would be complete without a spot of retail therapy, and even if you haven’t the budget to cover it, just go and marvel at Saks Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdales or Macy’s, to name drop but a few. Fifth Avenue is New York City's must-see shopping destination, filled with a mix of upscale boutiques, well-known chains, and attractions such as the Rockefeller Centre and St. Patrick's Cathedral, if you can only do one shopping street in New York, make it this one.

If you’re planning a trip to New York, then you’ll probably need some help narrowing down all the things there are in this, the world’s capital – New York travel guides are the best way to do this.