Introduction
The city of skyscrapers, business capital of the world, and most exciting city in the world, New York is the ultimate metropolis. New York is the ultimate urban face of this planet, confident, gorgeous, entertaining, and a place where anything and everything is possible.

New York has everything and the energy of this living organism can give a cultural shock to any visitor coming from other parts of the world. The city is alive, vibrant, and inspiring for one and all. You can find best of the beaches, highest of skyscrapers, solitude of the forested mountains, and busiest of the suburbs all in New York, only if you have enough time. It needs a timeframe of several weeks to visit all of the tourist attractions in New York and precisely because of this the attractions in New York are also considered as 'would be' attractions.

New York is located in the South Eastern part of the state of New York. It has been divided in five different areas, Staten Island, Brooklyn, The Bronx, Queens, and Manhattan. Out of the Manhattan is the central business district not only of USA but also of the world. The city is an important port, a result of its location on Hudson River, Long Island Sound, and the Atlantic Ocean.

What to do
New Yorkers never sleeps and that is not in prints only but they mean it. Despite the fact that the space is at premium in New York, there are plenty of opportunities for golf, jogging, tennis, baseball, softball, bike riding, skating, and ice skating. Jazz, reggae, salsa, and blues continue for entire nights and the vibrancy of the nightlife is unmatched in spirit or enthusiasm. Pubs and bars remain open till the wee hours of the morning. The city hums to the tunes of trendy, daring, and fickle club scene that open and closes as the flash of a camera.

City at a Glance

Area Around 800 Km Population 7.3 m (city), 18 m (metropolitan) Language English Religion Christianity, Islam, Jews, and others Telephone Codes Manhattan 212, 646 & 917, outer boroughs 718, 347 or 917

History
Dutch were the first European settlers in Manhattan when they arrived here in 1620. Before them, the natives inhabited the land for more than 11,000 years. First European to reach this place was Giovanni da Verrazano, a Florentine explorer, who was hired by the French and reached here in 1524. In 1609, Henry Hudson, an English explorer stumbled over this place and claimed it for the Dutch East India Company. The Dutch named the city, New Amsterdam and ruled here till 1664. In 1664, British took over this settlement and New York flourished economically and geographically. They renamed the city as New York and the settlement grew in north to south direction along the island.

British withdrew from New York after intense fighting with New Yorkers in 1783, two years after the American War of Independence ended. George Washington was sworn in as the first president of USA in 1789 on the balcony of Federal Hall. The importance of New York decreased for some time before the city hit back in the 19th century. The Central Park opened in 1876 with 340 hectares of land while Statue of Liberty, most famous landmark of New York, was erected ten years later on Ellis Island. Present five boroughs of New York were incorporated in 1898 as Greater New York. Thanks to the regular influx of immigrant population and their zeal to grow, New York became center of all economic activities in USA.

Ups and Downs and highs and lows only add to the larger than life image of New York.

Weather and Best Season to Visit
Spring and fall are the most pleasant seasons to visit New York though the weather remains pleasant enough throughout the year. During spring and fall, the temperature hovers around 70º Fahrenheit making these seasons as the best tourist season. Winters in New York are unpredictable, wild, severe, and stormy. On the other hand summers lasts until September and remains hot and humid.

Attractions
The city of New York abounds in tourist attractions and it is difficult to describe each and every one of them in detail. Such is the abundance of tourist spots in New York that it can take weeks to complete the sightseeing.

Statue of Liberty
Statue of Liberty is the most known and enduring symbol of not only New York but also all of USA. The statue was completed in 1886 and unveiled by then President of USA Grover Cleveland. It is 151 ft high and modeled on the Colossus of Rhodes. You are needed to negotiate 354 steps to reach the crown of this great monument. To save yourself from the rush, start early in the morning. There is a Museum of Statue of Liberty located inside the pedestal of the statue. The statue was a gift from France to the USA and museum is a good place to know all about the statue.

Empire State Building
The best time to visit this great structure that symbolizes the epitome of skyscrapers in USA is night when it is totally lit. This uniquely built skyscraper has been canned in hundreds of Hollywood movies and it is not difficult to understand why. A journey to the observation deck on 102nd floor of Empire State Building makes for an incredible view of New York City. Empire State Building in stands 102 floor and 1454 f above the 5th avenue and 34th street.

Central Park
Central Park is not only located in the center of Manhattan but also is central to the idea of New York. This 843-acre lush green and open area marks a welcome change from the concrete jungle that most of the Manhattan has become. You'll find green meadows, big rocks, lakes, the carousel, and the Central Park Wildlife Center or zoo. Many of the city's best museums are to either side of Central Park, along 5th Avenue and Central Park West. The best choices are art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art or the Guggenheim, history and stars at the American Museum of Natural History and its Rose Center for Earth and Space.

Times Square
Times Square is not a square despite its name giving it an image of a square. The best time to visit Times Square is night, when numerous lighted signs are lighted up and creates amazing images. On a big screen over the Square, you can watch the live broadcast of news round the clock. Times Square is also the major touristy area of New York City full of restaurants and shopping arcades. There are several Broadway theaters in the area as the place is not far away from the Theater District.

Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is most famous tourist site of New York and with more than three million objects in its collection, works like a self - contained city state. It is a museum with the heritage of the world for around 5,000 years in its collections. Some of the better - known artists whose paintings have been displayed here include Monet, Renoir, Manet, Gauguin, van Gogh, Whistler, Eakins, and John Singer Sargent. Due to the enormous size of museum, it is better to target the subject of your attraction to see first before cultural fatigue sets in.

Museum of Modern Art
Museum of Modern Art houses sculptures, drawings, famous paintings, film and industrial designs, architecture, and prints from the 1880 to the present times. There is a cool gif shop where you can think of purchasing some of the souvenirs. The museum remains closed on Wednesday while it is open 10:30 am to 5:45 pm on Saturday - Tuesday and Thursday. On Fridays, the opening and closing times are 10:30 -8:15 pm. You can also enjoy the jazz series on Fridays.

Other Museums
New York is a city of museums and you can't have enough of them in one visit. Some of the good picks are Solomon R Guggenheim Museum with its distinctive spiral space, the Whitney Museum of American Art - specializing in contemporary art, American Museum of Natural History, famous for its three large dinosaur halls and a permanent collection of 50 million collections. For the couch potatoes, there is Museum of Television & Radio.

SOHO (SOuth of HOuston)
The name has been borrowed from SOuth of HOuston Street where it is located. Bordering Greenwich Village, the SOHO is a good place to shop, stroll, and eat. There are plenty of art galleries, clothing stores, and boutiques selling commodities. Transformation from a major industrial hub pre WWII to an artist's village and the hip center of the city is radical. You can have a taste of cuisine from all parts of the world that too on relatively on affordable prices.

Greenwich Village
Full of coffeehouses, bars, and theaters, Greenwich has a great atmosphere. It is the most popular neighbor of New York and a symbol world over of anything outlandish and bohemian. There are wonderful winding cobbling streets, aged town houses, and apartment buildings making it a great place to shop, walk, and dine. Try to avoid visiting the village on weekends as it becomes crowded by the out-of-towners who come here to party.

Important Festivals and Exhibitions
The city is the greatest constellation of musical, artistic, sporting, and theatrical events in the world. Rarely any week ends without an event, taking place in New York. Street performances continue almost everyday. New Year's Eve festivities at Times Square are perhaps the most awaited of all the festivals in New York. Three King's Parade is celebrated on January 5 by thousands of children in an impressive cavalcade of sheeps, camels, and donkeys. St Patrick's Day Parade is celebrated on March 17th. Other festivals include International Food Fair in mid May, Change Your Mind Day in June (discussions of Tibetan monks), and JVC Jazz Festival and Shakespeare Festival again in June. Other events include Independence Day festivities on July 4, Harlem Week in August, Caribbean Day Parade on Labor Day and New York Film Festival in September, Rockefeller Center Christmas - Tree Lighting in November.

Hotels
It is not difficult to get a hotel room in New York as the options are in plenty. There is not much difference in the quality of service offered due to slight price differentiations. Prices differ on the distance of the hotel from the Central Business District. Closer the hotel to the CBD, higher the price is the rule. Most of the hotels give free stay to the accompanying children below 18 years of age. Corporate travelers can avail the discounts offered by different hotels.

Restaurants
You can find food representing every ethnicity in this world and there are more restaurants per mile in New York than at any other place on this earth. Some of the restaurants are outstanding and some of them downright cheap. City has more than its share of pricey restaurants though there are abundant opportunities for mouth watering but moderately priced food. Indian food can be had on 6th street between 1st and 2nd Avenues on embarrassingly low prices. If you are considering a weakened dinner in a well-known restaurants, than remember to reserve your table, a month or so in advance. Otherwise you have plenty of not so famous but certainly not so less on quality restaurants.

Shopping
New York is a shopper's heaven and there are plenty of options to choose from in this heaven. Great departmental stores, charming boutiques, bargain basements, and small specialty stores are all part of this heaven. You can have an entire district devoted to a particular specialty like antiques and jewelry, buttons and sewing notions, plants. On the other hand there are some who specializes in everything that can be sold. So hold your breath and go shopping.

Travel Information
Air Travel Resources
Three major international airports serve New York with almost all the major cities in the world. John F Kennedy International Airport or JFK located 24 km from Midtown Manhattan is the most important. Other two are La Guardia in northern Queens at a distance of 13 km from the Midtown Manhattan and Newark Airport in New Jersey at a distance of 16 km from Midtown Manhattan. JFK is the busiest of all and voted third worst airport in the world recently and better to be avoided.

Land and water
Most of the buses arrive and depart from Port Authority Bus Terminal at 41st street and Eighth Avenue in the midtown Manhattan. Buses are available for almost all the major cities across USA. There are some operators operating buses to the neighboring cities also.

Pennsylvania Station is the main railway terminal and departure point for cities across USA mainly Amtrak trains. Long Island Rail Road and New Jersey Transit operate trains for neighboring cities as well as to the suburbs.

Local transport
There are regular buses from the JFK Airport to the city center. Driving your own can is not the best of the suggestions that one can give as the traffic situation is nothing less than chaotic. To compensate for that there are plenty of public transport systems in place. Hiring a car is costly in comparison to other cities in USA. The best way to move around is subways, which are fast and reliable and covers most of the city. You can get city buses 24-hours a day and they are cost effective. Ferries run from Midtown to Yankee Stadium and from Hoboken to the World Financial Center up Hudson River. Taxis are another way of getting to the place you don't know much about.