The City that Never Sleeps. New York City (NYC) is the most populous city in the United States. *New York metropolitan area, the largest metropolitan area in the world by urban landmass.
The five boroughs – Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, The Bronx, and Staten Island – were consolidated into a single city in 1898. New York City was the capital of the United States from 1785 until 1790.
I ❤ NY (iloveny.com) is both a logo and a song that are the basis of an advertising campaign and have been used since 1977 to promote tourism in New York City.
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New York City has more than 2,000 arts and cultural organizations and more than 500 art galleries. Museum Mile (map) is the name for a section of Fifth Avenue running from 82nd to 105th streets on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. The Mile, which contains one of the densest displays of culture in the world, is actually three blocks longer than one mile (1.6 km). Ten museums occupy the length of this section of Fifth Avenue. >> *List of museums in New York City
+ Discover New York City Landmarks.
+ Discover NYC Landmarks (nyc.gov).
The Statue of Liberty (map) greeted millions of immigrants as they came to the U.S. by ship in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and is a symbol of the U.S. and its ideals of liberty and peace. As many as 800 languages are spoken in New York, making it the most linguistically diverse city in the world.
Manhattan (map) is sometimes locally known as The City, the geographically smallest and most densely populated borough, is home to Central Park (map, + New York City Department of Parks & Recreation). Manhattan’s skyline, with its many skyscrapers, is universally recognized, and the city has been home to several of the tallest buildings in the world.
Times Square (map) is the brightly illuminated hub of the Broadway Theater District (broadway.org), one of the world’s busiest pedestrian intersections, and a major center of the world’s entertainment industry.
The Queens Night Market (map) in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park attracts more than ten thousand people nightly to sample food from more than 85 countries.
The George Washington Bridge (map) is the world’s busiest motor vehicle bridge. The Verrazano-Narrows Bridge (map) is the longest suspension bridge in the Americas and one of the world’s longest. The *Brooklyn Bridge (map) is an icon of the city itself.
A general word of advice on sightseeing in New York.
Tourists often spend their entire vacation in New York standing in line (or as New Yorkers say, “on line”). This is often unnecessary; there are usually alternatives.
For example, one can choose to avoid the Empire State Building during the day (it is open, and much quieter, late, until 2AM), skip the Statue of Liberty in favor of the Staten Island Ferry, and stay away from the Guggenheim on Monday (it is one of the only museums open that day).
Also, there is no reason to stand in line for a Broadway show if you already have a ticket with an assigned seat. If you prefer, get a drink nearby and come back closer to curtain time, when you can walk right in.
The lines for bus tours can be absurd because tourists all seem to have exactly the same itinerary – which is get on a bus in the morning in Times Square, get off for the Statue of Liberty, and finish on the East Side in the afternoon.
Why not go downtown in the morning, and save Midtown for the afternoon? You will thank yourself for avoiding the crowds.
Also, understand that buses are the slowest way to go crosstown in Midtown Manhattan during peak hours, and taxis are not much better. You are often better off on foot. Additionally, New York rush hour (especially in Manhattan) puts much of the city in gridlock – all subway lines and roads will be much busier from 4:30pm to 6:30pm.
New York’s Village Halloween Parade. Each Halloween (October 31) at 7PM. Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. The morning of each Thanksgiving on Central Park West. St. Patrick’s Day Parade. The largest St. Paddy’s parade in the world! Route is up 5th Ave from 44th Street to 86th Street and lasts from 11AM to about 2:30. Labor Day (aka West Indian Day Parade or New York Caribbean Carnival) is an annual celebration held in Crown Heights, Brooklyn.
CityMapper – NYC | The ultimate transport app and technology for mobility in cities.
+ Getting Around (nycgo.com) • Public Transportation • Information about taxis (nyc.gov)
Despite a reputation for being dirty, the subway, which operates 24 hours a day, is the fastest and best way to travel around four boroughs of the city; it hasn’t reached Staten Island, which is served by a separate railway.
BUS > Port Authority Bus Terminal. GoToBus.com – Intercity buses. Trailways. Greyhound Bus Lines • Bolt Bus • Megabus • Chinatown buses. (*Long-distance bus travel in the United States)
RAIL > Those starting from a nearby suburb can reach NYC by NJ Transit • Long Island Rail Road • Metro-North Railroad. Amtrak also offers comfortable, convenient service to NYC from cities near and far.
AIRPORTS > John F. Kennedy International Airport • LaGuardia Airport. Transit between airports NYC Airporter
WATERWAYS > NYC Ferry (wiki) / NY Waterway (wiki) / Staten Island Ferry (wiki) + The New York State Canal System.