Manhattan Skyline from the Staten Island Ferry
This is your free New York City Guide! The “Big Apple” is great city to visit at any time of the year and there’s always plenty to do! It’s huge though, so plan where you stay and what time you have to make the most of it. Here are our personal recommendations to you. 
WHAT TO DO IN NEW YORK
Statue Of Liberty – She’s the icon of New York and you’ll find her just off the southern edge of Manhattan Island. You can book a trip to her island from Battery Park from the Statue Cruises website, although you can’t go up to the top of the statue at the moment because of renovation work. When this is completed, the sale of “crown tickets” will resume, but they’re always hard to come by. The cruises to the island are always busy, so if you can’t get a ticket, our advice would be to hop on board the Staten Island Ferry which is free. It will give you some great views of the NY skyline as well as taking you near the Statue. The only downside is that you have to wait for a ferry back – they are frequent though. More info, pics, links & map...
Ellis Island – Just off the southern tip of Manhattan, this island and its grand buildings were the gateway to a new life in the USA for immigrants arriving between 1892 and 1954. It’s now the national immigration musuem after being restored in the late 1980s. Many orginal features remain so you get a real taste of what it would have been like to arrive as an immigrant and we thought it was fascinating. Access to the museum and island are free, but you’ll need to pay for a joint ticket with the Statue of Liberty cruises to get you there. More info, pics, links & map...
The view of Brooklyn Bridge from Brooklyn Bridge Park
Brooklyn Bridge – You’ll see it from a distance on the ferry mentioned above, but we’d recommend you see it up close too. You can walk right the way across it from City Hall on Manhattan Island to the small park in Brooklyn. On a nice day it’s another great way to see the NY skyline. We’ve done this at night too and we felt entirely safe. More info, pics, links & map...
View from the Top of the Rock
Empire State Building –It’s on 34thSt W at the junction with 5th Ave, but you can see it almost everywhere on Manhattan Island. If you take the trip up it, be prepared for lots of elevator rides and an incredible view. It’s always busy though so be prepared to wait in line. You really feel the sense of history when you go up the Empire State Building and the art deco interior is beautiful, but if you don’t want to wait in line we’d recommend you try the Top of The Rock attraction instead (see below). More info, pics, links & map...
Rockefeller Center – This is almost a district in itself, but the highlights are the ice rink in the winter and the “Top of the Rock” observation area. Personally we preferred this to the Empire State Building as the views were better and it was much less busy. You can also take pics of the NY Skyline with the Empire State Building actually in them! More info, pics, links & map...
Radio City Music Hall – Some of the worlds biggest acts have performed here and it’s still famous for its “Rockette” dancing girls. The art deco interior is amazing and the behind the scenes tour is thoroughly recommended – we loved it. More info, pics, links & map...
Central Park – It’s absolutely huge! You won’t be able to walk all around it, so decide which bits you want to see before you go. Highlights include the mini castle, a large lake, ice skating rink, the zoo, the reservoir, sport pitches and plenty of long walks. On a Sunday, the park is full of New Yorkers enjoying their free time. It’s probably best not to visit the park after dark. More info, pics, links & map...
Flags at the United Nations
Grand Central Terminal – This has to be one of the most beautiful train stations we have ever been in. If you like impressive architecture, then you must go. It’s almost more like a stately home than a station. Downstairs there are lots of food outlets too. It’s on 42nd Street at the junction with Park Avenue. More info, pics, links & map...
Times Square – You can hardly move here on a busy day, but you have to see it! It’s most impressive at night and you’ll find it where Broadway crosses 7th Avenue at 44th and 45th Street. Just down from the square on Broadway, the authorities have widened the pavements and added seating. Grab a coffee or smoothie, take a seat and watch NYC bustle around you. More info, pics, links & map...
The United Nations – Not the most impressive of buildings, but the flags outside are certainly eye catching. It’s a building you’ll have seen many times on TV and you can do a tour inside too, although we have never done this. It’s at the East end of 42nd Street. More info, pics, links & map...
New York Public Library – It’s free to go inside and despite the movie “The Day After Tomorrow” it remains fully intact! The solid marble architecture is grand, and there are free tours available too. Strangely, you hardly see any books in the library, but if you look at the building from the adjacent Bryant Park, the narrow windows that you see are where most of the books are kept. There are also storage areas under the park itself. The library is on 42nd Street at the junction 5th Avenue. More info, tour times, pics, links & map...
Greenwich Village, New York
Bryant Park - It’s a little oasis of peace and greenery that should not be missed on a trip to New York. Take a seat on one of the little green chairs and watch the hustle and bustle around you. We really love this park – it has so much character! More info on Bryant Park, plus pics, links & map...
Greenwich Village - In this residential district of New York, you’ll find a real village feel with tree-lined streets packed with lovely townhouses and sweeping stairways. Some highlights in “The Village” include the Magnolia Bakery with its infamous cupcakes and the fictional home of Sex & The City’s Carrie Bradshaw. We think the best bits of Greenwich Village surround Greenwich Avenue, between West 14th Street and 6th Avenue. More info, pics, links & map...
SEE OUR MINI GUIDE TO SEX AND THE CITY FILMING LOCATIONS
Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum – If you love any of the things in the title, you’ll love it. It’s based around the USS Intrepid aircraft carrier on the Hudson River at the end of 48thSt West. Other highlights include a Concorde and a submarine. More info, opening times, prices, pics & map...
Union Square – This square was originally the heart of fashionable New York life and a home for political protest. Nowadays its a location for good food, from both the restaurants that surround the square and from the Farmers’ Market that’s held here several times a week. The square is also often used as an exhibition space too. You’ll find it on Broadway at 14th Street and it has it’s own subway stop too. More info, market days, pics, links & map...
South Street Seaport – This former port area on the lower east side is now a funky shopping area with restaurants and designer shops. Pier 17 was converted into a shopping complex and it also offers great views of Brooklyn and the Brooklyn Bridge. More info, pics, links & map...
New York Stock Exchange, Wall Street
Wall Street – To be honest, apart from the grand frontage of the New York Stock Exchange, there’s not a lot to see in Wall Street itself. While you’re here though, make sure you call into Trinity Church which is on Broadway at the end of Wall Street. It’s a beautiful building and there’s something quite calming about being inside too. More info, pics, links & map…
Lincoln Center – This collection of buildings is dedicated to the performing arts. It was completed in the 1960s has provided homes for the New York Philharmonic, the Metropolitan Opera, the New York State Theater and the Julliard School for the Performing Arts. We enjoyed just walking around the plaza, watching the water fountain and looking at the buildings. Lincoln Center is on Broadway at 64th Street. More info, pics, links & map…
OUR TOP TIP IN NEW YORK
We loved Central Park. It’s a great place to escape to for peace and quiet in a busy day of sight seeing. We’d recommend taking some sandwiches and heading for the first lake (parallel to 71st to 78th Streets). There are plenty of benches, seating areas, pagodas, or just grass to sit down and eat whilst watching the joggers and tourists.
MORE THINGS TO DO IN NEW YORK
One of the best ways to get the most out of your trip to New York is to take an organised tour. If you have a short amount of time in the Big Apple, consider the New York In One Day Tour which consistently gets great reviews from tourists who’ve been on it. See the latest reviews and prices in US Dollars here. You can also use New York as a base to visit other locations in the states. For instance the Niagra Falls Trip is a popular option, as is the trip to Washington DC. Another way to get the most out of New York is to consider the New York CityPass which is great value as long as you have enough time to visit lots of the attractions that are included.
GETTING AROUND NEW YORK
Don’t be scared to use the Subway. The dark stairways down to some stations can seem daunting, but it really is quite safe and most stations are manned. It’s impossible to walk everywhere in Manhattan and the Subway is a cheap and quick way to get around. Buy your tickets at the machines – they’re easy to use, but bear in mind they usually only take small denomination notes. If you really don’t want to use the Subway, opt for the busses. They follow major roads and are easy to use but they do get stuck in the traffic. There are also tour busses which run a variety of Hop-on, Hop-off routes and some include admission to popular attractions like the Empire State Building, Top of the Rock or the Statue of Liberty.
New York is served by 3 major airports – La Guardia, John F Kennedy and Newark (New Jersey). All have good public transport links to Manhattan but if you’d like a more personal option, click the Airport Transfers button to see some of the options. If you’re planning to get a taxi you can expect to pay a $45 set fee (plus tip and tolls) from JFK, up to $30 (plus tip and tolls) from LGA and up to $40 (plus tip and tolls) from Newark. Beware of anyone approaching you at the airports and offering a taxi ride – only use taxis in the official taxi hailing area. Some family members were caught out in a scam like this in August 2010 where a man in an official looking outfit approached them in the baggage hall offering a taxi ride for a fixed fee. They later realised they’d paid well over the correct price, plus the vehicle didn’t seem to be licenced and probably wasn’t insured to take fee paying passengers either! We like this free site which has more info on getting from New York City Airports.
MORE ON NEW YORK
New York hotels – Great deals from Hotels.com
More hotels in New York – Up to 30% off from Expedia.co.uk
New York In One Day Tour – An ideal tour if you’re short of time
Sex And The City Filming Locations
New York CityPass - Great value admission to major NYC attractions
NYCgo.com – Official visitor site
New York Guide Books - Amazon.co.uk
Moving to New York? NYC Movers offer a wide range of professional services including local and long distance moving, commercial moving, and residential moving.
[...] This is an extract from our free New York City Guide. [...]