Some people ask me which are the best things to see in New York City.
Having been there for quite some time it is actually hard to pick up the best ever, especially considering I was there working and not as a tourist, but I will try to answer.
1. You can not miss the skyline. You can see it from different points of view. If you are lucky you can see it from above the city, either if your plane make a tour around Manhattan while you are landing or if you make a tour with an helicopter, but I warn you the second choice is really expensive. You can also have a great look of the skyline from the Empire State Building or the Top of the Rocks. I went on the Empire and it was actually amazing, but most people say the second one is better. You have a better view of Central Park and you can see the Empire, which obviously you can not see if you are on the top of it, right? Remember to go up before the sunset to have the most romantic view ever. Another nice way to see the skyline is from the Brooklyin Bridge or from the Queens: absolutely lovely.
2. My favourite place in New York is Central Park. You are right in the middle of the Big Apple and you don’t even realise it. Its lakes and ponds makes you think you are in the middle of a dream and only the buildings at the edge of the park let you remember you are in New York City.
3. I think Lady Liberty is actually overrated but I guess you should see it somehow. I did not take the tour around the Statue. When I first landed in La Guardia – the city airport – I could barely see it right in front of Manhattan and I noticed how small it is if compared to the Financial District buildings, so I choose not to go. What I suggest is to see it from Battery Park, downtown Manhattan. It is a little far but you can see it really well and, again, you can have a really romantic view of it when the sun goes down.
4. Do not miss the Rockefeller Center, especially if you are visiting the city in winter. You will find people ice-skating and a huuuuge wonderful Christmas Tree.
5. No matter if you like arts or if you do not. You must see at least one of the most important museums, which are: the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the MoMA and the Guggenhaim museum. In the first one you can get in with a dollar since the price is only suggested. You can visit MoMA for free on Friday after 4pm while the Guggenhaim is $18 pretty much for everyone. If you do love animals and nature as much as I do you will love the American Museum of Natural History where you can see “Rexy”, the lovely T-Rex we discovered in “Night at the museum” with Ben Stiller.
6. I almost forgot! You can not leave NYC without visiting Times Square. It is the essence of the city: lights, people, music, colours. It is the symbol of the “city that never sleeps”. Broadway theatres are all over the area, as well as some of the most important shops and restaurants. You must visit it, but if you are hungry you better move to another area. All Manhattan areas are quite expensive but Times Square is the most touristic one and, obviously, the most expensive (I paid 75 dollars for two hamburgers and 2 cocktails!).
These are some of the activities I think NO ONE should miss in the Big Apple. Of course there are many more attractions to see and enjoy all over the city, depending on tastes, money and time, but I think you can not come back if you haven’t seen – at least – these few things!
Wandering and wondering 