New York, NY, USA
Start spreading the news, I'm leaving today. Few cities exude the same kind of energy as this bustling metropolis wedged between the Hudson River and the sandy shores of the Atlantic. The city, divided up in five boroughs—the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens and Staten Island—is the largest city in the United States and at 8.2 million people spread across an area just over 300 square miles, also the most densely populated. For over a hundred years, the Statue of Liberty has greeted immigrants as they arrive from her vantage point on Liberty Island in New York Harbor. And they’re still arriving—over a third of New York’s residents were born outside the United States, creating a wonderful mix of cultures, and some of the best dining experiences in the world.
If this is your first visit to the Big Apple, you have some must-do sights on your list. Brave the line at Empire State Building, once again the city’s tallest building, for your own When-Harry-Met-Sally-moment at the Observatory, and for a view of toy-like yellow cabs and ant-size pedestrians below. Walk, jog or paddle through Central Park, stopping at the old metrological station at Belvedere Castle and the John Lennon memorial at Strawberry Fields. Hit at least one of the city’s world-famous art museums: the massive Met (Metropolitan Museum of Art) with its two million works of art, the minimalist MoMA (Museum of Modern Art) and the swirling Guggenheim, just as famous for its architecture by Frank Lloyd Wright as for its collection. Take a ferry ride to Ellis Island for a visit to the Immigration Museum, and to Liberty Island for a closer look at the Statue of Liberty. Lose yourself on the tiny streets of Chinatown and among the many art galleries in Chelsea. When night falls over the city, try to choose between the infinite options in The City That Never Sleeps—between bars, clubs and restaurants for every age and every taste, concerts and sports events at Madison Square Garden and more refined entertainment at Carnegie Hall, and glittery Broadway shows around the neon-soaked Times Square. All together now: I want to be a part of it, New York, New York!
