NEW YORK
Area: Cities
Country: United States of America


Location:
On the NE coast, 190 mls SW of Boston, 215 mls NE of Washington. Airports: Manhattan is 8 mls W of La Guardia, 20 mls NW of JFK International and 16 mls E of Newark International.

Telephone code from UK:
1 212

Website:
http://www.nycvisit.com

Position:
The city comprises 5 boroughs: Brooklyn and Queens occupy the SW tip of Long Island; the Bronx to the N is the only borough on the mainland; Staten Island to the S is in New York Bay; Manhattan is the central island at the mouth of the Hudson River. All are joined by road/rail bridges and tunnels as well as ferries. The terrain in "tourist" Manhattan is low-lying and generally flat.

Description:
New York is the most engaging of cities. It is a tribute to freedom and money yet rubs shoulders with poverty and neglect. It exudes energy and dynamism and is totally fascinating; even in the devastated area which was the World Trade Center and is now known as Ground Zero, the mood is decidedly up-beat and forward-looking. The city's architecture is stunning, from modern megalithic skyscrapers to old "brownstone" (sandstone) tenements. The 5 boroughs of New York City cover 300 sq mls and have a combined population of just over 8 million. However, most major sights and attractions are in Manhattan. Most hotels are here and nearly all visitors head straight for and stay on this island, which measures 13» mls by a maximum of 2­ mls, has a resident population of 1» million and receives about 35 million visitors a year. Manhattan divides into 4 distinct areas: Downtown, S of 14th Street; Midtown, between 14th Street and Central Park; Uptown consists of the areas either side of Central Park, beyond which lies Harlem & N Manhattan. Streets mainly follow a grid pattern, with "Avenues" running the length of the island; "Streets" run from side to side. The S tip uses names for both and the grid pattern vanishes. Most hotels covered are in Midtown so Times Square, centre of the theatre district, has been used as the central reference point. The Empire State Building and much mainstream shopping is here, too, but most of the character and history is found in Downtown. Here are the trendy areas of Greenwich Village, East Village, SoHo and TriBeCa, as well as untrendy but fascinating Little Italy and Chinatown. The latter separates upmarket Wall Street and the financial district from the seedy Lower East Side. Uptown Manhattan is distinctly upmarket, while Harlem & N Manhattan is distinctly not. Before visiting this "must-do" destination, read up about it in a guide book or tourist office literature. Planning will pay huge dividends on a short visit.

Suitability:
One of the great cities, and therefore great tourist destinations, of the world. It is not cheap and the anti-tipping brigade may not enjoy it, as 15_20% is expected _ almost to the point of being obligatory _ in restaurants, bars, hotels, taxis, etc. However, service is usually exemplary.

Accommodation:
Over 230 hotels with 66,000 rooms. Our coverage is restricted to Manhattan hotels (mainly in Midtown) plus a few near the airports. The majority are 4- or 5-star category, world-class and expensive. Mid-range hotels are rare, good-quality ones rarer and cheap ones nonexistent. Local taxes increase quoted rates by 20_25% depending on category.

Shopping:
Paradise for credit-card holders, with 10,000 shops and stores and some bargains to be had. Different areas of the city specialise in certain types of shop or goods. Designer boutiques, fashion houses and department stores like Bloomingdale's, Saks, Barney's and Macy's (reputedly the world's largest department store) are mainly in Midtown; bargain clothing in Lower East Side. South Street Seaport is a Covent Garden-type area with shopping malls and souvenir outlets. FAO Schwarz is the world's largest toy store, while Warner Brothers (Bugs Bunny etc), Disney and Coca-Cola have merchandise outlets.

Beach:
Rockaway Beach in Queens; Brooklyn has Brighton Beach, Manhattan Beach and world-famous Coney Island, with remnants of its once-great amusement complex.

Entertainments:
Daytime: Empire State Building and "Skyride", a film simulating a flight over and through the city's attractions, gives a good overview of sights; viewing platforms in the building offer real views. Central Park (840 acres) is a popular place for walking, cycling, rollerblading, horse-drawn cab rides or visiting the small zoo. Over 150 museums and 400 art galleries. Statue of Liberty (on an island in New York Bay); neighbouring Ellis Island Immigration Museum is more interesting. Farther afield, Yankee Stadium, Botanical Gardens and zoo in Bronx, aquarium in Brooklyn. Nightlife: over 100 discos and nightclubs. Musicals, plays, shows in 35 Broadway theatres and 300 "Off-Broadway" venues. Reviews, comedy clubs and strip shows. Concerts, ballet, opera. Recordings for TV shows.

Eating:
18,000 eateries, from African to Vietnamese. Huge variety of styles and prices, from exorbitant international restaurants to cheap "street food" from corner stalls. Delicatessens and coffee bars often found within other shops. The tap water, from the Catskill Mountains, is pure and tasty.

Public-transport:
A fast 656-ml underground system (the "Subway"), with 468 stations, operates on a flat-fare basis. Tokens (gradually being superseded by the more economical swipe cards) are purchased at most (but not all) stations and newspaper stands. The tokens are not accepted at every station or on buses, so swipe cards are much the best option. The system is fairly complex and maps in stations a rarity, so getting a subway plan before travel is advisable. Despite its reputation, subway travel does not usually present a security risk except perhaps late at night. Buses are modern, frequent and operate on the same flat-fare basis as the subway, except that the fare can be paid in cash (exact money only in coins _ no notes accepted) or with a subway swipe card. Requesting a "transfer" ticket, when paying, permits a change of bus at no extra charge and gives access to any point on the network. Again, a map of the system is available and essential. Taxis (the famous "Yellow Cabs") are plentiful and metered. However, the driver may not always speak English or know where your destination is. A tip is essential, and payment with notes over $10 will cause problems. The Ferry to Staten Island is a bargain (free for foot passengers) and is the cheapest way of seeing the Statue of Liberty up close while avoiding the inevitable crowds and queues there.

Local-excursions:
All the major sights and many minor ones can be seen on organised tours by any of the following methods of transport: walking, coach, (mock) trolley bus, London double-decker bus, helicopter, boat or catamaran. Tours last from 20 mins to 2 days.