Best things to do in New York
Find out more about those top places in New York
Welcome to New York City, one of America’s most visited mega cities. Like most mega cities, it is incredibly fast paced and a bit chaotic but it is one of the most exciting places to be in at any time of the year because it is a city that never stops.
Constantly changing with new attractions sprouting up at a quick rate, its attractions are very numerous and might take more than one visit to explore them all. Home to the Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building and Brooklyn Bridge there is no denying that New York is a delightful place to visit.
-
Statue of Liberty
Without a shadow of doubt, the Statue of Liberty can be considered a symbol to not only New York city but to America as a whole. Located on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, the neoclassical sculpture was presented by France as a gift to the United States of America symbolizing all what the nation stood for. Designed by famous French Sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi the statue holds a torch over her head and has an inscription which says “JULY IV MDCCLXXVI” the date of the U.S. Declaration of Independence. At the base of the Statue of Liberty is a broken shackle which depicted the country’s recent abolition of slavery.
-
Empire State Building
Considered one of the most famous buildings in America, the Empire State Building is one of those buildings that seems to be loved by everybody. Its name derived from “Empire State” which is the nickname of New York – it is a 102-story Art Deco skyscraper that stands at a height of 1,454 feet (443.18 m) with its antenna crowning it at the top. The building is mostly used for commercial purposes (office spaces) but it has an outdoor and indoor observation deck on the 86th floor where visitors can get to have a panoramic view of the city.
-
Times Square
With its countless billboards and advertisements, Times Square garden is often said to be the best description of how life is in New York City. Referred to as “The Center of the Universe” and “The crossroads of the World”, it is the busiest part of the city and the location of the Broadway Theater Districts. The best way to experience Times Square, is to walk around while exploring its various attractions while taking in its fascinating advertisement signs.
-
National 9/11 Memorial and Museum
Built to commemorate the September 11, 2001, attacks, that led to the death of more than two thousand people and the World Trade Center Car bombing on February 26,1993. The memorial and museum are located on the grounds of the Twin Towers (destroyed during the attack), and was inaugurated on the tenth anniversary of the incident. Its Museum features collections of artifacts, oral and video recording and more than 40,000 images - while its memorial has two reflecting pools with bronze panels that has the names of those who died during the attacks inscribed on them.
-
American Museum of Natural History
There are quite a number of museums that can be visited in New York, with each of them focused on different parts of America’s history such as arts, space and wars. The American Museum of Natural History located on the Upper West side of Manhattan focuses on exploring human cultures, the natural world and the known Universe. Considered the largest natural history museum in the world it consists of 45 permanent exhibition halls and 28 interconnected buildings including a library and a planetarium.
-
Staten Island Ferry
One of the many traditions of tourists in New York city is to go on the Staten Island Ferry which runs through New York City Boroughs of Manhattan and Staten Island. The Ferry system which was one of the major means of transportation has slowly gone unfashionable and the Staten Island ferry is one of the few remaining ones. The journey itself is just 25 minutes but it gives visitors a lovely new view of the city.
-
Brooklyn Bridge
Famous for being the world’s first steel-wire suspension bridge, the Brooklyn Bridge connects Manhattan and Brooklyn by passing over the East River. Initially called the “East River Bridge” and “New York and Brooklyn Bridge”, its construction started in 1869 before it was completed fourteen years later in 1883. Shortly after the construction the Showman P.T. Barnum led a parade of 21 elephants across the bridge to cease doubts about the structural integrity of the bridge.
-
Central Park
New York city might be recognized as the busiest city in the world and often gives the impression of being solely about the “business life”, but there are still several places to go for a bit of calmness. One of those places is Central Park - the idea for the park and several others began between 1821-1855 when the city’s population nearly quadrupled, there was a need to create spaces where people could escape from the city chaos. Central Park is the fifth largest park in New York with about 843 acres, it features gardens, a lake, a reservoir among other attractions.
