Sightseeing
Where do you start? The Empire State Building should be at the top of your list – literally – Central Park not far behind. If you are feeling thirsty after that, head to the Brooklyn Brewery for a beer or two or three….if in the need for some exercise again head to Central Park, where you can walk, jog or even take a bicycle tour.
If you are not content walking through the city’s many spectacular and interesting sights, take a Helicopter Flight Service sightseeing tour and see everything from a bird’s eye view. If you prefer foot, On Location tours offer Sex and the City and Gossip Girl tours while CitySightsNY offer a plethora of double decker buses where you can hop on and off at will.
Shopping
First stop has to be Barneys. The Barneys Madison Avenue flagship store is the epitome of edgy designer fashion. The lower floors house sophisticated, expensive items like Prada suits; in the upstairs Co-op department, you’ll find Habitual jeans, Miu Miu dresses, and clingy Juicy tees. Bloomingdale’s should be next on your list. Plough through “B-Way,” the aptly named, crowded main-floor arcade that feels like Times Square on Saturday, and hit the second floor for trendy, well-priced American brands. “Bloomies” also carries all the requisite big-name designer labels and houses an extensive selection of lingerie. The SoHo location caters to a younger, hipper crowd.
Of course you can’t pass up Madison Avenue. This haute strip boasts 15 blocks of celebrity designer shops, Jean-Paul, and flagship fashion house boutiques Hermès, Chanel. Kick things off at Fratelli Rossetti on 58th Street for fabulous Italian shoes, and be sure to leave some time for the grand finale at the stately Polo Store at 72nd Street.
Broadway
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts is home to the Metropolitan Opera, New York City Ballet and Jazz at Lincoln Center to name just a few. The Met is 125 years old and supports a huge opera programme with performances almost every night from summer to late spring.
Broadway’s Theatre District extends from 40th to 54th Street. Shows like The Phantom of the Opera and Chicago have been running for years, and show no signs of fatigue, while newcomers like Jersey Boys, Mamma Mia!, In the Heights, Guys and Dolls, West Side Story and Billy Elliot are doing well, as are the old favourite The Lion King and a revival of Mary Poppins.
Accommodation
By 2010, more than 20,000 newly built and renovated rooms will have been added throughout New York City, taking the hotel inventory to almost 90,000. Manhattan alone will gain over 50 hotels and close to 10,000 rooms.
There is something for every budget, and there really isn’t an ideal location to be: Manhattan is long and thin, and has many interesting districts, each with their own characteristics. So compromise – stay Midtown, which is where most hotels are, and you are within easy striking distance of everything.
Restaurants
With more than 18,000 restaurants, it is easy to find something for every taste and budget, from iconic landmarks such as Tavern on the Green to the seaside bistros of City Island. New York is one of the few places in the world where Chinese and Italian food is the real thing so get on down to Chinatown, which butts onto Little Italy, and do some serious eating.
Museums
The newly refurbished Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum has reopened and is worth a visit as is the Museum of Arts and Design featuring contemporary craft, art and design. The Metropolitan Museum of Art just east of Central Park on 5th Avenue is a must; it houses one of the world’s greatest collections.