I would recommend staying at least seven days in New York City if you really want to enjoy what it has to offer the tourist. Probably one of the first stops will be the Empire State Building and whilst it may be on every tourists list, that doesn’t mean it is not worth it, especially the view from the top. Superior views are available from another famous landmark, the Rockefeller Centre when the weather is good. Another famous landmark, the Statue of Liberty cannot be seen properly unless it is from the river; however delays can be long here so if you are on a tight schedule, stop off at Ellis Island and view the statue from there.
The Staten Island ferry can still be traveled on without cost and can offer excellent photo opportunities of the Manhattan skyline and the Statue of Liberty; this is also a great place to spend some time enjoying the talents of local (almost professional) street entertainers. However, no seven day trip to New York would be complete now without a visit to where the World Trade Center Towers once stood not that long ago. There is certainly a strange atmosphere to the whole place. For those who love to shop there is of course the famous Tiffany’s and Broadway plus some fantastic old discount warehouses, worth a look down on the Lower East Side.
Bloomingdales is another famous store (for the wealthy) to look around but it is Maceys, who will give 11 percent discount on production of a tourist card where most people will head for. At the time of writing the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum was closed for refurbishment but should be open by the fall of 2008; well worth looking in if you are around at that time of the grand re-opening. The highlight of this museum is the USS Intrepid, a World War Two aircraft carrier which houses the likes of the supersonic plane Concorde, not to mention a number of submarines. Although it is actually free to enter, the NY City Police Museum is funded by donations from visitors (five dollars is the recommended amount); especially for those people in love with the crime side of New York City!
Another museum is the Lower East Side Tenement Museum which focuses on the appalling conditions experienced by the immigrants back in 1864. On Central Park is the fascinating Museum of the City of New York with millions of objects for researchers but for tourists, an ever changing program of exhibitions showing the past, present and future of the Big Apple. Once again, admission to this wonderfully grand building is free but a donation of at least nine dollars is expected. As I am sure you can imagine if you have been on a trip to any major capital city, there is far more to see and do than a short stay or even a seven day trip to New York can accomplish.
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Tags: new york city vacation
