New York City: You Can Make it Here
Economy Alert!! Skip rising gas prices in this public transportation-friendly city.
Being in New York City is like being in no other place in the world. The size of the buildings, the number of people, and the never-ending party atmosphere around every corner in a neighborhood restaurant or ‘corporate-suit’ bar—New York is almost as much as a state of mind as it is a big city in a state.
Consider this. Millions of people call New York home, and these people are as diverse and unique as any you will ever meet. From blues singers at the subway station to frequent movie-star sightings, this is a place where one could never get bored if he or she tried.
Many of our ancestors got their start in the United States right on the shores of the city itself. Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty: The great, glistening city beckoned the immigrants of yesterday in much the same way it calls the tourists and city-dwellers of today.
The city is ripe with history and history in the making. While the events of Sept. 11, 2001, which demolished the World Trade Center, shook New York to its core, the populace responded resiliently. Tall buildings that speak of promise and new growth stand as shimmering beacons to the fallen towers.
One traveler review states that you could spend weeks in New York and still barely scratch the surface, but there are some key attractions–and some pleasures–that you won't want to miss. These include the different ethnic neighborhoods like lower Manhattan's Chinatown and the traditionally Jewish Lower East Side and the more artsy concentrations of SoHo, TriBeCa and the East and West Villages. Then there is the celebrated architecture of corporate Manhattan, with the skyscrapers in downtown and midtown.
Not to be outdone are the museums. Not just the Metropolitan and MoMA, but countless other smaller collections that afford weeks of happy wandering. In between sights, you can eat just about anything, at any time, cooked in any style; you can drink in any kind of company; and sit through any number of obscure movies. The more established arts – dance, theater, and music–are superbly catered for and New York's clubs are as varied and exciting as you might expect. And for the avid consumer, the choice of shops is vast, almost numbingly exhaustive, in this heartland of the great capitalist dream.
City Resources
The ‘Authentic’ Guide to NYC
This is the insider view of the best restaurants, nightclubs, shopping, the hot new gallery in Chelsea or Soho, or a particular opera at the MET—that and so much more. Click here first!
Guide to New York
This is a very cool and interesting site that works as your own personal tour guide around the Big Apple.
The New York Nation
This site's newspaper-style layout offers public transportation schedules, as well as daily news and hot places to be when you’re in the big city.
New York Times News Service/Syndicate
Each day, this site delivers columns, special features, news and more thanr 300 articles from the New York Times and other partner news organizations.
New York City News on the Net
This daily newspaper offers local information about weather, business, sports and world news, too.
The New Yorker
This is a national favorite. Week after week, The New Yorker keeps its readers current with in-depth reporting, the best in prose, poetry and the visual arts and its cartoons.
New York City Opera
Affordable, cultural, diverse, educational. The New York City Opera has for years been a sanctuary for American opera. The work of American composers has comprised approximately one third of the company's repertory over the years. Nurturing American operatic expression, shaping an American aesthetic, City Opera has adopted several homegrown works as signature pieces.
Statue of Liberty
With a torch and a book in her hands, Lady Liberty has welcomed immigrants and visitors for more than a century. There’s nothing quite like visiting this iconic statue and getting an inside tour, and breathtaking view of New York City and its harbor, which can be seen from the restored observation deck.
Central Park
Smack dab in the middle of Manhattan is the legendary Central Park. Whether you're a jogger, walker, rollerblader or cyclist, this is your special haven of nature in the big city. For years, lovers have met at Bethseda Fountain on Bethseda Terrace. Other fascinations include the mysterious Belvedere Castle. The Delacorte Theater shows plays in the park during the summer. And, kids of all ages will enjoy the charming zoo and the restored carousel.
St. Patrick’s Cathedral
Across from Rockefeller Center on Fifth Avenue is the largest cathedral in the United States—St. Patrick’s. Renowned for its massive size and beautiful architecture this is definitely a must-see.
Empire State Building
In 1931, the Empire State Building was the tallest building in the United States. While no longer the tallest, it still stands as one of the most impressive structures among New York City's skyscrapers and lights.
Times Square
The nation knows it as the best American city to spend New Year’s Eve, where a huge street party counts down to midnight at Times Tower where a glittering ball drops in the heart of the Theater District. Times Square is robust with popular stores, restaurants and lights.
Greenwich Village
The Village is alive with a variety of funky shopping and nightlife including jazz, rock and dance clubs, restaurants, bars and cafes. By the early 1900s, the Village was the center of radical thinking in the United States. Famous reformers, artists and intellectuals all gathered here...and many still do.
Sports are huge in New York City. Here’s a sampling of the teams to cheer for when you’re in the Big Apple:
New York Yankees
New York Giants
New York Jets
New York Mets
New York Knicks
New York Islanders
Metropolitan Museum of Art
With more than 1.5 million square-feet of exhibition space, The Met is not to be missed. European paintings on display include works by Monet, Degas, Van Gogh and Vermeer. The Egyptian gallery is astonishing. Plus, Asian art, sculpture, armory and photography are just a few of the many collections you can enjoy at the museum.
American Museum of Natural Art
As the largest Natural History Museum in the world, you can find artifacts, displays and exhibits, all geared to the explanation of the natural world. As would be expected, the visit begins with dinosaurs. Other points of interest include an impressive collection of gemstones, the Hall of Human Biology and Evolution, the Hall of Meteorites and a Butterfly Conservatory.
New York Public Library
Considered 'the library of libraries,' this massive collection of mankind’s stories and treasures come alive with a free-admission visit. As they say at the library, the only thing you need to bring here is your sense of curiosity.
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