NEW YORK CITY

Is there any city on Earth that is more iconic than New York City?  How many movies have we watched where the glittering skyline is eating up the background?  As America’s iconic metropolis, New York is a global city woven together by the patchwork of American history, commerce, trade, fashion, and pop culture.

START SPEADING THE NEWS

Consisting of five boroughs, New York City, or just New York as we all know it, is the most populous city in the United States and ranks among the most populated cities and urban areas on the planet.  The fabric of New York is not the glamourous lights or skyscrapers stretching up as high as the eye can see.  It’s the people.  New York has the highest foreign-born population of any other city.  It’s the place where dreams are made and the epicenter of historic immigration of America.

The city has a history of always being something “new.”  Originally inhabited by the Algonquins, explorers attempting to find shortcuts to the Orient by the Northwest Passage claimed New York.  The city has been called New Angoulême (by the French), the territory of New Netherlands (by the Dutch), New Amsterdam (again by the Dutch), New Orange (by the English) after William III, Prince of Orange, and then finally New York in 1664. New York was named after the brother of King Charles II, James of York, who later became King James II.  After a consolidation of the five boroughs in 1888, New York City stands similarly today.

Always a center of trading due to its deep harbor, New York grew in population and importance through the 17^th and 18^th centuries.  During the American Revolutionary War, New York became a battleground and was occupied by British forces until the close of the war in 1783.  During the early days of the United States of America, New York was the capital of the newly formed republic prior to moving to Washington, D.C.  New York grew in population and remained the financial center of the young country.  The city became a mecca of immigration in the coming century.  The Statue of Liberty was gifted to the US by France in 1886 and remains an iconic symbol of past generations traveling to America by boat and viewing the statue sitting proudly in New York Harbor.

During the 20^th century, New York grew to become the world’s first “megacity” as the most populous city in the world.  In the decades since, other global cities have surpassed New York’s numbers but not its importance on the world stage.  New York stands in the global spotlight as the headquarters of the United Nations, as a financial capital, fashion capital, art capital, and a city that represents the American Dream.

The 21^st century began with the events of 911.  In the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, the city rallied and exhibited the dogged determination of survival and rebuilt itself on the ashes of tragedy.  The world watched in horror of a tragic day but found the resilience of New Yorkers unmatched in the face of terrorism.  Twenty-five years later, New York embraces the newness of its name embracing growth and constantly reinventing itself as time passes.

I’M LEAVING TODAY

I did a little research for this article and had to Google just how many people travel to New York each year.  The projected number for 2025 was 68.1 million.  That’s a greater number than most of the populations of countries.  Wow. 

New York is situated in the northeastern United States.  The NYC area has three international airports – Newark, JFK, and LaGuardia – with estimates of 3,000 flights per day with domestic and international flights.  New York is connected by rail and the city has an extensive transit system including buses and a subway.

Can I drive to New York?  Yes.  Should I?  No.  The city is very walkable and has taxis everywhere.  Ride shares are also abundant.  If you are comfortable enough to ride the public transportation (i.e., subway and bus), make sure you study the mass transit maps before embarking.  New York has a lot of people with very little space.  Parking is scarce and you could end up spending vast amount for parking at hotels, etc.

Hop On/Hop Off Bus.  By days four and five, we were exhausted.  While it may feel quicker to walk, New York is deceptively big.  In five days, we walked thirty-two miles.  We finally got smart on our last two days and got tickets for the hop on/hop off bus.  It was a step saver and allowed us to explore different parts of the city.

Pedicabs/Rickshaws.  We rode two and it was equally one of the worst experiences and best experiences of the trip.  One night, we were exhausted and had about a mile back to our hotel in Times Square.  We got a rickshaw.  It was so lovely riding through the streets with music playing and lights flashing.  Our biker did twists and turns in the street and took us around to see Fifth Avenue and Madison Avenue before circling back to our hotel.  When we got out to settle up, we figured out why he took the long way – it was $11.99.  Not for the ride but by the minute.  Do the math and then imagine, in proportion, how upset we were.  We paid.  Most expensive ride I’ve ever taken.  This is apparently a big scam in NY so be warned.  Now let me tell you about the best experience we had on an NYC rickshaw.  Last day there.  Central Park.  Lines of carriages and pedicabs shouting off prices.  We talked to one of the gentlemen and told him we did not want to be taken for a ride – literally – again.  He was so kind and told us that there are reputable services.  He pulled out his contact information, website information, and quoted us a very reasonable flat rate.  This was our favorite tour of the trip.  Our rickshaw driver knew every crook and cranny of the park and let us take pictures while he explained.  Long of the short – do your homework before you jump into a pedicab.

I WANT TO BE A PART OF IT

Trying to narrow down a list of what to do in New York is impossible.  I spent five days there around Christmas and feel like I could go back for another two weeks and still find things to do and see.  Here is my highlight list of what I’ve done already:

9/11 Memorial and Museum.  On September 11, 2001, the world changed in 102 minutes.  After years of proposals and cleanup, the World Trade Center footprint was redesigned to preserve the memory of that tragic day as well as to inspire the hope of rebuilding with the construction of One World Trade Center.  You can visit this hallowed ground or go on a tour.  We chose the tour to learn about the layout, memorial, history, and rebuilding.  The museum itself is powerful.  Plan to spend a minimum of two hours.  Be warned – you will be affected.  I held it together until we got to the wall decorated with blue panels.  When our guide explained to us the significance of the art instillation – Trying to Remember the Color of the Sky – it broke me.  Remembering that cloudless fall day and the perfection of the blue skies that morning is a memory that stays with me almost twenty-five years later.  The art piece has 2,983 panels of different shades of blue.  In the museum, you will also see artifacts, pieces of the building, and a tribute to all that lost their lives that day.

One World Trade.  As the tallest building in North America, the observatory of One World Trade is amazing.  The entrance was very structured and elevator shoots you up to the sky in seconds.  You can see the entire city, Statue of Liberty, New Jersey, and more from the top and I would highly recommend visiting.

Christmas Markets.  We visited Bryant Park which was equally beautiful and engaging with the multiple stalls.  Food.  Shopping.  Crafts.  Christmas magic.  Check to all of the above.  Next time I go….I would visit other markets around the city.  We found a small market at the Columbus Circle entrance of Central Park that I wish we’d spent more time visiting.

Radio City Music Hall and the Rockettes.  Yes.  Turning the corner and seeing the iconic marquee was exciting.  Entering the building and seeing the show unfold was a masterpiece.  Very enjoyable and would recommend.

Rockefeller Center.  How many times have you seen the giant Christmas tree at Rockefeller center lit up in its rainbow lights towering above the ice rink?  Is it worth visiting?  Absolutely.  Is it crowded?  Yes.  Was it so crowded that I felt like I was a middle linebacker for the Bears that had to push and pull my way through?  A lady never tells.  Should you brave the crowds to visit.?  Yes, I think it’s one of the best experiences, especially at Christmas.

Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island.  Before you go, do some research.  Apparently, there are a lot of scams and street vendors selling tickets to nowhere.  Purchase tickets online, in advance, either from Statue City Cruises or from reputable travel sites like Viator or GetYourGuide.  We chose the pedestal tour which allowed us to go into the pedestal anchoring the statue.  If you want to go up into the crown, I would suggest going to the National Park Website and getting tickets months in advance as there are limited tickets each day.  Here is the part no one told us – there will be lines.  Everywhere, there are lines.  Even with advanced tickets, there was a line to check in.  There was a line to get through security.  There was a line to get onto the boat.  There was a line to get off the boat.  There was a line to the bathroom, to the food court, to the gift shop, and then a line to get back onto the boat and a line to get off the boat.  Our tickets were for 1:00 o’clock and we did not have time to go to Ellis Island because we spent most of our time in line.  Should you go?  Yes.  I would stand in line for hours to be able to see one of America’s greatest monuments.  Next time I go….book early in the day so you have time to see everything.  That’s my only regret.

Observation Decks.  There are many.  For the iconic, try the Empire State Building.  For the ingenuity, I suggest One World Trade.  For the modern, I would suggest the Summit at One Vanderbilt.  There are also the Chrysler Building and Top of the Rock.  Do your homework and plan ahead.  We saw One World Trade during the day and did the Summit at One Vanderbilt at night.  Next time I go…I’m going to plan for Top of the Rock at sunset when all the buildings are lit up with the golden skies of sunset.

Central Park.  Whether it be Elf, Home Alone 2, When Harry Met Sally…, Enchanted, The Avengers, all these movies were filmed at different locations in Central Park.  Do you want to see the Boathouse restaurant where Carrie Bradshaw fell into the water?  Yep, it’s there.  The fountain where the opening for Friends was filmed?  You’ll see that, too.  On top of the iconic pop culture sites, there is the raw beauty of the park juxtaposed against the towering buildings lining its boundaries. 

Everything else.  Times Square, Wall Street, Battery Park.  Grand Central Station.  The list is too long and we enjoyed it all.  The city truly never sleeps and there are endless things to do.

NEXT TIME I GO…

Will I go back?  Most definitely. 

What will I do the next time?   I would go back at Christmas in a heartbeat.  If you go to Christmas, wander through the streets, and walk away not feeling the Christmas Spirit?  I don’t know what to tell you because the city is an explosion of lights and merriment.  The two downsides to New York at Christmas are the crowds and the cold.  One tip….bring warm waterproof shoes.  Traipsing through the snow is one thing but the melt is icky and unavoidable around crosswalks.  I would also want to go to NYC in the spring (to see the cherry blossoms in Central Park) and in the fall (to see the change in colors.  Here is what I would love to do the next time I go….

o   Museums.  We did not visit any museums other than the 9/11 Memorial and Museum.  We will absolutely go back for that as well as the museum at Ellis Island, MOMA, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Natural History, and others.

o   Brooklyn and the other boroughs.  There is so much of the city we didn’t see and I’d like to experience the other boroughs to see what I love about them.

o   Visit the New York Botanical Gardens.

o   Visit Chelsea Market.

o   Explore some of the neighborhoods for food and shopping like SOHO.

o   Go see a play on Broadway.

o   There are so many things I could list and look forward to every one of them.

o   I think the last thing I want to do is to be more deliberate about food.  The choices are overwhelming.  I’m a big fan of food tours and would likely book one just to get a better sense of local favorites.  While I had excellent food while there, I would like to learn a little more about the history and go to some of the iconic restaurants.  Katz Delicatessen, I’m talking to you.

If you have any insider tips or suggestions, please feel free to leave a comment as I would love to learn more about everyone else’s experiences and wish lists when they go.