Best Things To Do In New York
Comprising of five boroughs – Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, Staten Island and The Bronx, New York City is home to the world’s most fascinating attractions. No matter what your interests may be, you’ll find something that brings you to life in the city that never sleeps.
To help you get a better feel of vibrant NYC, we’ve compiled a guide packed with a cross-section of things to do in the city that’s considered to be the cultural capital of the world.
1. Marvel The Empire State Building
I don’t know about you, but every time I see a picture of the Empire State Building, I think of the original King Kong movie – Fay Wray being clutched by the besieged beast. If you want a bird’s eye view of the city without any drama, then this marvel of Manhattan standing at 380m is the place to be. And just like many top attractions in NYC, there are heaps of operators providing tours.
2. Rent A Bike At Central Park
Just because we may be taking it easy during a visit to New York, it doesn’t mean that we should miss out on a bike ride through the most famous park in the world. And if you’ve just come from the Empire State Building, it’s easy to make your way over to Central Park. But as this haven for burnt-out city slickers is so huge, it’s a good idea to use one of the bike rental services to get around.
3. Visit Madame Tussauds
Although there are many Madame Tussauds dotted throughout the globe, this popular tourist attraction on 42nd Street, Times Square is one of the grandest. With its multiple levels featuring famous people including sport stars, actors and politicians, spending a few hours here is not only possible but an absolute joy. If you are quite well known though, you may want to go in disguise to avoid becoming a display.
4. Feast On A Food Tour
OK, NYC is one of the best cities in the world for food and there are many great restaurants and cool cafes and bars to frequent by yourself in New York. But if you want to enjoy a food tasting experience that’s more concentrated than your last espresso, then you should book up a food tour in the city. Luckily for fans of fare from around the globe, NYC is a melting pot not just of different cultures but the dishes synonymous of the nations the many ethnic groups come from.
5. Pay Homage – National 9/11 Memorial & Museum
Anyone interested in how people can come together during shocking circumstances should add this shrine to their must-visit list. The many tributes to the people who lost their lives here including brave firefighters and police officers – the moving plaques and tear-jerking images make for a very powerful experience.
6. Cruise The Statue Of Liberty
If you’ve spent hours stuck in traffic in downtown New York, what better way to recuperate than with a cruise around the Statue of Liberty? Put your feet up, get your travel camera out and start enjoying the skyline views of Lower Manhattan. Nothing is more emblematic than the entrance to New York’s harbor, taking in the same sights that thousands of hopeful immigrants had a century or so before.
7. Buy, Buy, Buy On Wall Street
True. Souvenir shopping is both expensive and tiring at the best of times. But if you’re planning to head down to Wall Street in Lower Manhattan to learn how stockbrokers made famous by Hollywood made their fortunes, booking a Wall Street Experience tour may be just the ticket.
8. Take In A Show
Waltzing down to the ‘Theatre District’ in Midtown Manhattan to take in a show is an experience you really don’t want to miss. Whether you’re into musicals or not, a night out at one of the 41 theatres with over 500 seats is a must. ‘Aladdin’ is one of the more popular shows featured in ‘Broadway’ along with ‘The Cher Show’.
9. Hop On And Off
As many of your friends will be hopping mad they weren’t invited to your tour of New York, it seems quite fitting to fit in a hop on and hop off bus tour in NYC. And although other forms of public transport are reasonable in price and comfort, this is certainly one of the more fun ways to get around the city.
10. Dance In Queens
With the dance music scene very much alive in New York City, trance-music tourists looking for dancefloors will have plenty of opportunities to dance till they drop. Whether you plan to hit the nightlife on your first day or you’re going to leave the best part till last, it pays to do a spot of research on the trendiest clubs to let your hair down in.
