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The Big Apple, The City That Never Sleeps, Gotham: whatever its name, New York City has something for every taste and every traveler.
New York is an iconic city that many of us already ‘know’ even if we’ve
never been there. Used as a back drop
for countless TV programmes and films, the sights and sounds of New York are
already familiar to us.
The possibilities for sight seeing in New York City are endless. It is made up of the five
boroughs of Queens, Brooklyn, Bronx, Staten Island and Manhattan – each one
completely different in atmosphere and look.
The city is
home to some 7.2 million people, including significant populations of Spanish,
Irish, Italian, Chinese, Russians and Jewish. This eclectic mix of the world's cultures and nationalities means you
can get absolutely anything you want, anytime. Dubbed as the city that never
sleeps, you can literally eat anytime and even when you’ve given up and turned
in for the night, the city below will still be buzzing.
You can choose to explore on foot, by famous yellow cab or by jumping on and
off the subway. But whichever you choose you’ll be blown away by this
incredible city. One minute you can be in a museum, the next marvelling at the
Statue of Liberty from the Staten Island Ferry, or relaxing on a bench in the
leafy oasis that is Central Park. New York is an exciting mix that will keep you
enthralled – where else can you see Broadway and baseball in the same day?
Most people
can only take so much and if after a few days of museums, bars, galleries and
clubs you could do with a break, then guess what? New York can provide that for
you too. There are the National Parks of Upstate New York or the beaches of
Long Island. Whatever you are searching for, you’ll find it in New York.
New York
has a humid continental climate, with cold winters and hot, moist summers. Snow and rain are common in winter. Springtime
is usually warm, and the weather heats up to temperatures of around 25-30°C by the
summer months. Most people find the best time to visit is in the autumn when
temperatures are mild, days are sunny and humidity not too high.
The average
monthly temperatures are:
|
°C |
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
Jun |
Jul |
Aug |
Sep |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
|
Day |
3 |
4 |
9 |
15 |
21 |
26 |
29 |
28 |
24 |
18 |
12 |
6 |
|
Night |
-4 |
-3 |
1 |
6 |
11 |
17 |
20 |
19 |
15 |
9 |
4 |
-1 |
Prepare for
some serious plastic bashing. New York is a shopping paradise, the toughest
choice you will have is where to start. The best shopping area has to be 5th
Avenue between 59th Street and 42nd Street. Here you will
find all the big national chain stores and best known department stores.
Other
notable areas are Madison Avenue (Designer wear), Soho (galleries and
boutiques), Greenwich Village and Upper East Side between 57th and
96th Street (exclusive designer clothes and antiques).
When it
comes to malls and department stores things are done on a huge scale. 6th
Avenue and 33rd Street is home to New York’s main shopping mall,
Manhattan Mall. You can lose yourself here in over 80 stores within the mall’s
9 floors.
The largest
department store in the world, Macy’s covers an entire block and 10 floors and
sells just about anything you can imagine (Herald Square at 34th
Street and Broadway). You can then move onto Bloomingdale’s (1000 3rd
Avenue at 59th Street) for designer clothes and gourmet foods and
Saks Fifth Avenue (611 5th Avenue at 49th Street) for
luxury fashion.
If your
budget won’t stretch that far then an hours drive north will bring you to
Woodbury Premium Outlets which houses 220 stores where you’ll find designer
names at more affordable prices.
There are
also several markets in New York. Two worth a mention are the Green Markets
which is like a farmer’s market selling anything from goat’s cheese to organic
bread. These can be found at Union Square (Monday, Wednesday, Friday and
Saturday) and Grand Army Plaza, Brooklyn (Saturday). The other is The Annex, a
popular weekend market that sells antiques, toys, jewellery and clothing (39th
Street between 9th and 10th Avenue).
New York is
the city that never sleeps and the number of clubs and bars qualify this. The
city can offer everything you could possibly want.
Music
There are
numerous venues in the city renowned for their music concerts and performances,
below are just a few of them.
It goes
without saying that with Broadway there are numerous opportunities to catch a
show (ask you hotel for details of what’s on where). Likewise with cinemas,
they are dotted throughout the city so it won’t be too difficult to find
somewhere to catch the latest Hollywood blockbuster. If you enjoy opera then
you need to head for either the New York City Opera or the Metropolitan Opera.
Sport
Nightclubs
New York is
full of clubs. To make sure you find the right kind of place for you, check the
local listings (ask your hotel for details). Below are just a few of the
popular clubs you might like to try.
There are
also several events that take place throughout the year.
When you’ve
had enough of the city life you may want to look further afield. Your hotel
will be able to provide you with details of excursions and local tour
companies, but here are a few suggestions to get you started.
The tap
water is perfectly safe in New York. Medical facilities are excellent and
consequently come with a high price tag. There is no NHS so you have to pay for
all your treatment therefore it is essential that you have medical insurance in
place before travelling.
New York
has gone a long way to clean up its image when it comes to crime. Central Park
and the subway are much safer than they were in the 80s. You can check with
your hotel concierge for any no-go areas of the city.