World City Guide

Mini Guide of New York

City Overview

New York is a city of superlatives. Besides being a world financial centre, the urban island of Manhattan teems with world-renowned restaurants, architectural masterpieces and venerable art institutions that make it one the world’s greatest cultural cities. Its hectic pace and its alluring promise of ‘if you can make it here, you can make it anywhere,’ draw visitors and new residents from all over the world, who come in search of a piece of this American pie.

New York has always been a city of the world and its multinational, multicultural inhabitants (who speak over 80 languages) infuse its concrete canyons with a buzz that is every bit as energising and electrifying as that depicted in countless films and TV programmes. With over 20,000 eclectic restaurants, 150 world-class museums and more than 10,000 stores brimming with brand names and bargains from across the globe, New York really does have something for everyone. Away from the mayhem of the 24-hour urban hustle and bustle, New York also boasts the bucolic oasis of Central Park and the breezy park-lined Hudson River. It also acts as jumping off point for the ritzy beach towns of Long Island. However, the epicentre of New York life always has been and still very much is the island of Manhattan, which is surrounded by four other distinct city boroughs (the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island) all of which have their own character and attractions.

New York’s location at the confluence of the Hudson River, Long Island and the Atlantic Ocean reflects the city’s importance as a port and as the disembarkation point for millions of immigrants to the USA. The first European settlement on Manhattan was by the Dutch, during the 1620s. They named the city New Amsterdam. In 1664, the British took over and renamed it New York. The settlement rapidly flourished, expanding from south to north along the island. Mass immigration in the 19th and early 20th centuries saw the emergence of distinct ethnic quarters, with the island of Manhattan rapidly developing into a unique cultural melting pot housing an entire world within its 58sq km (23sq miles). The cultural diversity stemming from the city’s rich history contributes to its importance as a multicultural capital.

Today, New York’s focus is on its more recent history – the events of 11 September 2001. The ramifications and aftershocks of the terrorist destruction of the city’s two tallest buildings (symbols of New York’s confidence and success) still permeate many levels of life. Determination to overcome America’s worst ever terrorist attack is felt throughout the city, in plans for memorialising the World Trade Center towers, the completion of the huge Time Warner Center, and the revitalising nearby neighbourhoods. The event has done little to dent the appeal and vitality of the city. In fact, the world seems to have largely rallied around New York and, since the attack, tourists have tended to come not only for the shops, the theatre and the museums, but also for new and thoughtful reasons.

New York is an excellent place to visit at any time of year, although it is particularly pleasant during the spring and fall, when temperatures hover around 21ºC (70ºF). New York winters tend to be unpredictable, although cold temperatures bring less snow here than to other nearby cities, while summers are hot and muggy, often lasting until September.

Getting There By Air

The three airports serving New York City (John F Kennedy International, La Guardia and Newark International Airport) are operated by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (tel: (212) 435 7000; website: www.panynj.gov). Passengers should plan to arrive for international flights at least two-and-a-half hours before take off. Ground transportation information for these airports is available from the port authority (tel: (800) 247 7433) daily 0800–1800.

John F Kennedy Airport (JFK)
Tel: (718) 244 4444. Fax: (718) 244 3536.
Website: www.kennedyairport.com

Situated in Queens, 24km (15 miles) southeast of central Manhattan, JFK is New York’s busiest airport, handling almost 30 million passengers a year, travelling to destinations worldwide.

Major airlines: JFK services 76 airlines. National airlines include American Airlines (tel: (800) 433 7300; website: www.aa.com) and United Airlines (tel: (800) 241 6522; website: www.united.com), which both operate international and domestic flights. Primarily domestic national airlines include Delta (tel: (800) 221 1212; website: www.delta-air.com) and Northwest Airlines (tel: (800) 225 2525; website: www.nwa.com). From JFK International, carriers fly worldwide and include Aeromexico, Air Canada, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Continental, Lufthansa, Pakistan International Airlines, Qantas, Saudi Arabian Airlines, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways and Virgin Atlantic.

Airport facilities: Facilities include banks, bureaux de change, ATMs, bars, refreshments, restaurants, post offices, shops, duty-free boutiques and all major car hires, including Avis, Budget, Dollar, Hertz and National. Hotel reservations are available in Terminals 1, 4 and 7 by Accommodations Plus, Inc. (tel: (800) 733-7666) and in Terminal 3 by Megan Services (tel: (800) 441-1115) for a US$5 charge. There are also red-jacketed, multi-lingual Customer Service Representatives to help passengers with any questions they may have and, to transport passengers from terminal to terminal, a free Air Train which runs every 2 to 4 minutes from 0600 to 2300 and every 8 minutes between 2300 and 0600.

Business facilities: All terminals have telex and ATMs. All except Terminal 6 have money exchanges. The Radisson Hotel JFK (tel: (718) 322 2300 or (800) 333 3333 for reservations; website: www.radissonjfk.com), situated in the airport, has conference space accommodating from ten to 400 delegates, as well as meeting and function rooms. The multi-lingual staff is on hand to help with sales and catering. A concierge service is also available, as is audio-visual hire and services. There is also a 24-hour business centre. Business-class lounges are provided by the airlines in all terminals. The lounges offer private showers, a cocktail service and snacks, meeting space, telephones, modem ports and some business facilities.

Transport to the city: Air Ride (tel: (800) 247 7433, website: www.panynj.gov) provides information on ground transportation to and from JFK and parking lot information. The Air Train (see above) also connects with Long Island Rail Road and with New York Rapid Transit subways (NYCT) to the Howard Beach subway station. From there, the connection with the MTA ‘A’ train (tel: (718) 330 1234; website: www.mta.info/nyct) costs US$2 and takes approximately 90 minutes to central Manhattan, stopping at a number of stations with further connections on the way. New York Airport Service (tel: (718) 875 8200; website: www.nyairportservice.com) express bus operates a direct service to the Port Authority Bus Terminal or Grand Central Station, with single tickets costing US$15. Buses depart JFK every 15–30 minutes, daily 0615–2310 (journey time – 45–90 minutes, depending on traffic). The Super Shuttle Manhattan (tel: (212) 258 3826; website: www.supershuttle.com), available on demand 24 hours a day, is a shared door-to-door minibus service that travels anywhere between 23rd and 96th Streets. Prices range from US$13–US$22. Taxis to Manhattan are a flat rate US$45, plus tolls and tips.

La Guardia International (LGA)
Tel: (718) 533 3400. Fax: (718) 533 3421.
Website: www.laguardiaairport.com

The airport is located in Queens, 13km (eight miles) east of central Manhattan. La Guardia International handles approximately 22 million passengers a year, although almost all flights are domestic.

Major airlines: 16 airlines fly out of LGA. Major US carriers with their own terminals at La Guardia include Delta Airlines (tel: (800) 221 1212; website: www.delta-air.com) and US Airways (tel: (800) 428 4322; website: www.usairways.com). Other carriers include Air Canada, ATA, Canjet, Colgan, Comair, Continental Airlines, Frontier, Midwest, Northwest, Song, Spirit and United.

Airport facilities: Facilities include ATMs, money exchange, child care, bars, restaurants, shops, duty-free boutiques and car hire from Avis, Budget, Dollar, Hertz and National. A free shuttle service helps visitors to get to each of the five terminals. There are also red-jacketed, multi-lingual Customer Service Representatives to help travellers with information and directions.

Business facilities: Modem connections, conference space and fully equipped workstations are available at Laptop Lane (tel: (718) 424 1301; fax: (718) 397 2357; website: www.wayport.net/laptoplane), in the main terminal, lower level Marketplace.

Transport to the city: Air Ride (tel: (800) 247 7433; website: www.panynj.gov) provides information on ground transportation and parking. Public transport is available on the MTA (tel: (718) 330 1234) bus M60, which intersects with all subway lines as it crosses to the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The bus operates daily 0450–0100 and a single fare is US$2, plus an additional US$2 for the subway (journey time – approximately 1 hour). An express bus service, with departures from La Guardia International every 30 minutes daily 0700–2300, is provided by New York Airport Service (tel: (718) 875 8200; website: www.nyairportservice.com), travelling to the Port Authority Bus Terminal or Grand Central Station (journey time – 40–50 minutes). A single fare is US$12. Other shuttle services are also available. The Delta Water Shuttle (tel: (800) 533 3779 or 5935) operates a ferry service from the Marine Air Terminal to 34th Street on the East River or to Pier 11 on Wall Street in downtown Manhattan (journey time – 30–45 minutes, cost US$15). Services operate Monday to Friday 0745–1830. Metered taxis to Manhattan cost around US$20–30, plus tolls and tips.

Newark International Airport (EWR)
Tel: (973) 961 6000 or (888) 397 4636. Fax: (973) 961 6259.
Website: www.newarkairport.com

The airport is located in New Jersey, 27km (16 miles) southwest of central Manhattan. It handles just under 29 million passengers a year, travelling to domestic and international destinations.

Major airlines: 47 domestic and international airlines use EWR, including Continental (tel: (800) 523 3273; website: www.flycontinental.com), which operates both domestic and international flights from Newark International. Other carriers include Air Canada, America West, British Airways, Delta, EVA Air, Lufthansa, Northwest, SAS and Virgin Atlantic.

Airport facilities: The airport has extensive facilities, including banks, a barber, duty-free and other shops, restaurants, bars and coffee shops, a nursery and car hire from Avis, Budget, Dollar, Hertz and National.

Business facilities: Telex, ATMs and currency exchanges are located in each terminal. Business-class lounges are provided by the airlines in all terminals. Facilities include showers, a cocktail service and snacks, meeting space, telephones, modem ports and some business facilities.

Transport to the city: Air Ride (tel: (800) 247 7433, website: www.panynj.gov) is an information provider for ground transportation and parking. The NJ Transit Airtrain service (tel: (973) 762 5100 or (888)397 4636; website: www.njtransit.com) connects Newark International to Penn Station in Manhattan via New Jersey Transit. Trains run weekdays from 0500–0200 and weekends from 0600-0200 (journey time – 58 minutes), with single tickets costing US$11.55. Olympia Airport Express (tel: (212) 964 6233 or (877) 863 9275; website: www.olympiabus.com) offers bus services to Penn Station, Port Authority Bus Terminal, Grand Central Station and several Midtown hotels for US$12. Buses run every 15–30 minutes daily 0600–0200, weekends from 0500-0130 (journey time – 30–60 minutes). Taxis to Manhattan cost approximately US$40–US$75, plus tolls and tip.

Approximate flight times to New York: From London is 7 hours and 45 minutes; from Los Angeles is 6 hours; from Toronto is 1 hour and 30 minutes; and from Sydney is 21 hours.

Arrival/departure tax: Taxes are included in the price of a ticket.

Getting There By Water

There is no port for international passenger services, although many commuter ferry services operate locally in and around New York. The many terminals include Lincoln Harbor, Hoboken, Harborside, Liberty Harbor and Liberty Landing on the Hudson River, St George on Staten Island, Hunters Point in Queens and West 38th Street, Pier 11 and South Ferry on Manhattan. Most ferry terminals have restaurants or snack bars nearby, with passenger facilities limited to ticket sales counters, public telephones and the occasional vending machine.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (tel: (212) 435 7000; website: www.panynj.gov) provides online information.

Ferry services: The Staten Island Ferry (tel: (718) 727 2508; website: www.siferry.com, free) operates from Whitehall terminal in Battery Park, in downtown New York, travelling out past the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island to its destination of Staten Island every half an hour (every 20 minutes during rush hour), daily 24 hours. There are a variety of ferry operators, including New York Waterway (tel: (800) 53 FERRY or 533 3779 or (800) 693 6933; website: www.nywaterway.com), which provides services between Manhattan and the other boroughs, as well as to New Jersey, and TNT Hydrolines (tel: (732) 872 2628 or (800) BOAT RIDE or 2628 7433; website: www.seastreak.com).

Transport to the city: Ferry terminals are in or near major transportation centres of the city and are linked to subway and bus lines.

Getting There By Road

The general rule for numbering on US freeways and interstates is that the odd numbers go north–south and the even numbers go east–west over their whole length, although at any single, localised point this may seem different. Driving in America is on the right and the speed limit is 48kph (30mph) in the city, 80kph (50mph) outside the city limits and 105kph (65mph) on freeways. Speed limits are clearly indicated along highways and are strictly enforced, with heavy fines imposed. Driving visitors should note that it is illegal to pass a school bus with flashing red lights. It has stopped to unload its passengers and all vehicles must stop until the bus has moved back into the traffic stream. Right turn on red is not permitted in New York City. Seatbelts must be worn (both front and rear) and drivers must carry their driving licence. Drink-driving laws are very strict and punishments severe. A blood alcohol level of 0.10% is illegal and drivers will be considered drunk and unable to drive.

The minimum driving age is 16 years. An International Driving Permit is recommended, although it is not legally required and a full national driving licence is accepted. All travellers intending to drive in the USA are strongly advised to acquire supplementary insurance. A yellow ‘non-resident, interstate liability insurance card’, which acts as evidence of financial responsibility, is available through motor insurance agents.

The American Automobile Association – AAA (tel: (212) 468 2600) provides further information and roadside assistance to members.

Emergency breakdown service:
AAA (800) AAA HELP or (800) 222 4357.

Routes to the city: Travel to Manhattan from New Jersey, Philadelphia and Washington DC is across the George Washington Bridge or through the Lincoln or Holland Tunnels. The Verrazano–Narrows Bridge connects Brooklyn with Staten Island. Queensborough Bridge links Manhattan and Queens. The Triborough Bridge leads to upstate New York, while the New England Thruway and Bruckner Expressway lead to New England in Boston.

Approximate driving times to New York: From Philadelphia – 2 hours; Boston – 4 hours; Washington DC – 5 hours.

Coach services: The Port Authority Bus Terminal, 628 Eighth Avenue at 40th Street (tel: (212) 564 8484; website: www.panynj.gov/tbt/pabmain.HTM), handles long-distance and regional buses, as well as buses to the airports. Greyhound (tel: (800) 229 9424; website: www.greyhound.com) operates bus services that link New York City to points throughout the USA and into Canada and Mexico. Direct services include Washington DC, Chicago, New Orleans, Orlando and Montreal.

Getting There By Rail

New York City’s rail services are primarily operated by Amtrak (tel: (215) 349 2152 or (800) 872 7245; website: www.amtrak.com). New high-speed services on the Eastern seaboard are a viable alternative to air travel on shorter routes, such as to Boston and Washington, DC. The city has two main stations. Grand Central Station, 42nd Street and Park Avenue, is the terminus for Metro-North Railroad (tel: (212) 340 3000; website: www.mta.nyc.ny.us/mnr), with services to upstate New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. Pennsylvania Station, referred to locally as Penn Station, 34th Street and Sixth Avenue, serves both Amtrak and the Long Island Railroad (tel: (718) 217 5477; website: www.mta.ncy.ny.us/lirr).

Penn Station and Grand Central Station both have ATMs, bars, cafés, waiting rooms, shops and taxi ranks and are very well equipped. Grand Central Station, in aesthetic terms, is a model of station regeneration and undoubtedly the city’s most impressive transport hub. Penn Station, on the other hand, is a bit sketchy and institutional, without many comfortable waiting areas. Plans to remodel the station as a glorious and airy iron-and-glass structure in the Farley Building, directly across from the current station on Eighth Avenue, are underway by architectural firm Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, but as yet, nothing has been done. When it comes to be, the new building will be the station’s third incarnation. The original building, designed by McKim, Mead and White and opened in 1910, was thoughtlessly demolished in the 1964 to make way for the present-day Madison Square Garden. This is cited as one of the city’s greatest mistakes; the building that currently stands in its place is a poor substitute.

Rail travel tends to be expensive, although a number of rail passes are available to visitors from overseas. There is no central rail information number for national rail travel and all enquires should be directed to the relevant provider.

Rail services: Amtrak offers frequent shuttles to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (journey time – 1 hour 30 minutes); Washington, DC (journey time – 3 hours); and Boston, Massachusetts (journey time – under 4 hours). There are services to Atlanta, Georgia; Baltimore, Maryland; Chicago, Illinois; New Orleans, Louisiana; and Miami, Florida. Trains also go to Toronto and Montreal in Canada.

Transport to the city: Both stations are centrally located on Manhattan.

Getting Around

Public Transport
Public transport in New York is run by the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA), New York City Transit (tel: (718) 330 1234; website www.mta.nyc.ny.us). Services are cheaper and more efficient than the number of private companies also operating in the city.

New York’s subway is fast, air conditioned, cheap and much safer than it used to be, although it is still best avoided late at night (after 2300). The vast network of 24 routes, identified by letters or by numbers, serves almost 500 stations throughout Manhattan, the Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens. Staten Island is served by the small-scale MTA Staten Island Railway (tel: (718) 966 SIRT or 966 7478), operating 24 hours a day. Although central Manhattan stations are typically passable, platforms are not always comfortable in terms of temperature or condition. Entrance is gained from a subway MetroCard or token (although tokens are not accepted at all entrances), for a flat fare of US$2, available at subway stations and newsagents. Services operate 24 hours; on average, subway trains run every 2 to 5 minutes during rush hour (every 10 to 15 minutes during off-peak times and every 20 minutes daily 0000–0500).

Bus services are extensive and bus stops are located on street corners approximately every two or three blocks. Bus fare costs US$2, paid with a MetroCard, subway token or exact change. If you buy the ticket aboard the bus, you will get a transfer that cannot be used on the subway without paying an additional charge. Buses operate 24 hours daily.

There are three kinds of MetroCard passes. Unlimited Ride MetroCards, costing US$21 or US$70, are valid for seven or 30 days respectively and expire at midnight on the final day of validity. The one-day unlimited-ride Fun Pass costs US$7 and is valid until 0300 the following day. Pay-Per-Ride MetroCards offer 12 rides for the price of ten and are available in US$10 or US$20 increments – free transfers to connecting bus or subway routes is included if used within two hours. All passes are available for purchase at subway stations and newsagents.

Taxis
A trip to New York is not complete without a ride in one of the city’s famous yellow cabs. Taxis are governed by the Taxi and Limousine Commission (tel: (212) NYC TAXI or 692 8294 or 676 1000; website: www.ci.nyc.ny.us/html/tlc) and are hailed on the curb, preferably at intersections. Drivers are required to take passengers to any destination within the five boroughs of New York City or Nassau County, Westchester County and Newark Airport. Passengers should provide drivers with the street address and with the nearest cross streets of their destination (for example: ‘Fifth Avenue, between 22nd Street and 23rd Street’). Fare begins at US$2.50 plus US$1 extra for each additional person, then increases 40 cents, every fifth of a mile or 90 seconds of waiting time, plus tolls (if any) and a 10–15% tip. There is a US$0.50 surcharge for trips between 2000 and 0600. In the event that there is a problem with the ride, passengers should note the driver’s six-digit license number (located on the roof of the taxi, on the exterior of both passenger doors, on the dashboard and printed on the receipt) and report it to the Taxi and Limousine Commission.

Private car services, unlike taxis, can be called directly and offer point-to-point pre-arranged transport for a fixed rate throughout the five boroughs and beyond. The cost is comparable to that of a metered taxi trip and may be confirmed before pickup. Car services are particularly handy in the outer boroughs, where taxi service is unavailable for trips into Manhattan, or when pre-arranged transport is needed. There are numerous car service companies and hotel concierges can recommend a reliable one.

Limousines
Limousines can be hired from numerous companies throughout the city, including Affordable New York Limousine (tel: (888) 888 6569 or (516) 897 7605; website: www.affordablenewyorklimousine.com), Chris Limousines (tel: (718) 356 3232 or (800) 542 1584; website: www.chrislimousines.com), and Executive Town Car (tel: (516) 538 8551 or (800) 716 2799; website: www.exectownlimo.com). Hourly rates start from around US$70 plus 20% gratuity.

Driving in the City
Driving in Manhattan is not recommended to visitors. The traffic is horrendous and the quintessential New York City experience is to be stuck in traffic. Add to that the impatient drivers and exorbitant parking fees – approximately US$30 per day. Street parking is elusive. The business and entertainment areas get particularly congested and the fast pace can prove intimidating for tourists. In the unfortunate event of having a car in New York, visitors might want to inquire with their hotel about reasonable local parking and plan to use public transport instead of driving. Drivers should avoid parking on the street, as there are restrictive rules, rampant ticketing and a danger of theft.

Car Hire
A valid national driving licence is required for driving in New York, although an International Driving Permit is required by some car hire firms. Minimum third-party insurance is required and drivers must be at least 25 years old. Branches are located throughout the five boroughs.

Major providers include Alamo (tel: (800) 327 9633; website: www.alamo.com), Avis (tel: (800) 331 1212; website: www.avis.com), Budget (tel: (800) 527 0700; website: www.budget.com), Dollar (tel: (800) 800 4000; website: www.dollar.com), Enterprise (tel: (800) 261 7731; website: www.enterprise.com), Hertz (tel: (800) 654 3131; website: www.hertz.com) and National (tel: (800) 227 7368; website: www.nationalcar.com). Prices start from about US$53 a day and US$252 per week plus tax for standard hire car.

Bicycle Hire
Many New Yorkers brave the traffic on bicycles, however, this is not recommended to visitors. Nevertheless, there are 40km (25 miles) of bike paths around the city, where no motorised vehicles are allowed. Cycling around one of New York’s parks is also a safe and pleasant option. Central Park Bicycle Tours/Rentals (tel: (212) 541 8759; website: www.centralparkbiketour.com) offers individual bicycle hire for US$35 a day, as well as a leisurely two-hour guided bike tour of Central Park, costing US$35 (summer only), including bicycle hire. Much like a walking tour service provider, Bike the Big Apple (tel: (201) 837 1133; website: www.toursbybike.com) offers a range of interesting thematic bike tours for short and longer distances. Tour rates start at around US$59, including bike and helmet hire.

Business

Business Profile
New York’s economy was already contracting before the attacks of September 2001, due to the US recession. Although offices were quickly reopened in new buildings and the stock markets were reopened within a week, the confidence and sense of security in the city’s financial district were irreversibly damaged. The benchmark Dow Jones and NASDAQ stock indices both suffered major falls in the weeks after 11 September 2001. Under the presidency of George W. Bush, the nation’s economy has been substantially weakened and New York City companies continue to use downsizing as a way to stay afloat, laying off hundreds of thousands of workers and outsourcing jobs to foreign countries. As of August 2004, the city’s unemployment rate stood at 5.5%, a decrease of 0.07% from a year ago and a little lower than the national rate of 5.8%.

Despite the American economy’s recent downturn, New York City remains an international capital of the business world, with nearly 25% of all non-American businesses having headquarters in the city. However, as New York also remains an expensive place in which to do business, this has begun to shift, with businesses moving to the city’s borders and New Jersey. Most major global business players still have a strong presence here (including American Express, Barclays and KPMG) and New York boasts the world’s biggest stock exchange, located on Manhattan’s Wall Street. Nearly half a million people are employed in banking, real estate and insurance, although the city is also a major international player in the fields of fashion, media and advertising. The real growth industry in New York, over the last three decades, and since the brilliant and phenomenally successful ‘Big Apple’ marketing campaign of the early 1970s, is tourism. In the wake of the September 2001 attacks, however, visitor levels sunk, although Times Square now teems again and it is predicted that 2004 tourist spending will top US$15.1 billion.

Business Etiquette
While on business in New York, normal business courtesies should be observed, although New Yorkers are less formal than Europeans and usually use first names. Both men and women in finance usually wear suits; in other industries, attire might be much less formal. Punctuality for business meetings and appointments is naturally expected. Business hours are officially weekdays, 0900–1730, although an extended working day is very common in certain sectors and it is not unusual for people to be working well into the night or over the weekend. Business meetings frequently take place over breakfast, brunch and lunch. For lunch meetings, alcohol, in moderation, is acceptable.

Sightseeing

Sightseeing Overview
Most tourists end up spending the majority of their trip on Manhattan and this is where most of the recognisable attractions are located. The remaining four boroughs are primarily residential (the Bronx to the north, Queens to the east, Brooklyn to the southeast and Staten Island to the southwest) although there is a sprinkling of worthwhile attractions located in them all, which will reward the visitor with time to explore. Almost completely flat and, for the most part, arranged on an easily navigable grid system, Manhattan itself is very easy to walk around, with the excellent subway system handy for the longer hops between attractions. Avenues run north–south and streets run east–west just with a few neighbourhood exceptions. Fifth Avenue is the city centre and the starting point and zero for all addresses (i.e. addresses increase the farther they are from Fifth).

The city is packed with things to do and places to see – each street and neighbourhood offers its own varied sights and flavours. The top attractions, like the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building, are renowned throughout the world, but there are enough less heralded places to fill weeks of sightseeing.

Manhattan has several distinct areas that are worth wandering around, from the ritzy shopping and residential districts uptown, to the financial district of downtown, taking in the villages in between. SoHo (which got its name because it is south of Houston Street) is famous for its art galleries and shopping opportunities. Greenwich Village traditionally contains a literary and gay community and has the quaint bookstores and cafés to go with it. The young-and-hip East Village retains its edgy atmosphere, which is reflected in its quirky shops, record stores, nightclubs and drinking spots. Historical Lower East Side, once an immigrant neighbourhood, is now filled with boutiques and vintage shops, nightclubs and restaurants. Chelsea, with warehouse conversions mingling with more cutting-edge art galleries, is another gay-friendly neighbourhood. Away from the city, Long Island and a number of city beaches provide an escape on hot and humid summer days.

Tourist Information
NYC & Company – Convention and Visitors Bureau
810 Seventh Avenue, between 52nd and 53rd Streets
Tel: (212) 484 1200. Fax: (212) 246 6310.
Website: www.nycvisit.com or www.nyc.com
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 0830-1800, Sat and Sun 0900-1700.

Times Square Visitors Center
1560 Broadway, Suite 800, between 46th and 47th Streets
Tel: (212) 768 1560. Fax: (212) 768 0233.
E-mail: questions@timessquarebid.org
Website: www.timessquarebid.org or www.timessquarealliance.org
Opening hours: Daily 0800-2000.

Passes
The City Pass (tel: (208) 787 4300 or (888) 330 5008; e-mail: info@citypass.com; website: www.citypass.com) offers a combined ticket to selected New York attractions, including the American Museum of Natural History, the Empire State Building Observatory & NY Skyride, Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum, Guggenheim Museum, the Museum of Modern Art (currently honoured at MoMA QNS) and Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises. The pass costs US$48 (US$34 for children), is valid for nine days and is available for purchase at any of the attractions or online, at the above address.

Key Attractions

The Statue of Liberty
The ultimate symbol of the American Dream, Lady Liberty, standing majestically over New York Harbour, is probably the most famous landmark in America. The people of France donated the statue to the United States in 1886, to commemorate the alliance of the two countries during the American Revolution. It was the first sight of the New World to be seen by the 12 million immigrants who passed through Ellis Island, the country’s principal immigration centre in the early and mid 20th century. The site has just reopened after an extensive renovation and the crown and torch are no longer accessible to visitors. Instead there are ranger-guided Promenade Tours through the lobby and around the outside and guided Observatory Tours which includes the first tour and a visit to the pedestrian observation platform.

Liberty Island, New York Harbour
Tel: (866) STATUE4 or (866) 782 8834.
E-mail: stli_info@nps.gov
Website: www.nps.gov/stli
Transport: Circle Line Statue of Liberty Ferry (tel: (212) 269 5755) from South Ferry at Battery Park to Liberty and Ellis islands; free 24-hour Staten Island Ferry (tel: (718) 815 2628) from Battery Park.
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 0930-1700, Sat and Sun 0900-1730.
Admission: Free but there are only a limited number of tickets. They are available at ferry ticket offices, by calling ahead or booking online at www.statuereservations.com.

Ellis Island Immigration Museum
The relatives of over 40% of families living in the United States of America passed through this historical immigration station, which operated from 1892 to 1954. Now a national monument and museum, the Ellis Island Immigration Museum has over 30 galleries related to the American immigrant experience. Tours educate visitors about how ‘undesirables’ were weeded out and separated from their families in the Registry Room, after month-long ordeals on often over-crowded boats. For a US$5 fee, visitors can search the Ellis Island archives by computer in the popular American Family Immigration Center for information on their ancestors.

Ellis Island, New York Harbor
Tel: (212) 363 3206.
E-mail: moreinfo@ellisisland.com
Website: www.ellisisland.com
Transport: Circle Line Statue of Liberty Ferry (tel: (212) 269 5755) from South Ferry at Battery Park to Liberty and Ellis islands (costing US$10 for a round trip).
Opening hours: Daily 0830-1850.
Admission: Free.

World Trade Center – Ground Zero
In early 2003, the city selected Memory Foundations as an architectural design, by Studio Daniel Libeskind, to replace the 110-storey towers and surrounding buildings at the site of the former World Trade Center. The new structure will integrate portions of a remaining slurry wall (strong enough to hold back the Hudson River). A slightly recessed public space, known as the bathtub, will provide the setting for a memorial and a museum. North of this area, a 541-metre (1,776ft) spire, the ‘Gardens of the World’, will grace the skyline. Although the complex’s very existence will memorialise the tragedy that occurred here in 2001, each year on 11 September, the sun will shine without a shadow on the Wedge of Light piazza. The Lower Manhattan Development Corporation – LMDC (see below) can provide more information on the decision and design.

The viewing platforms that once allowed visitors to pay tribute at the former World Trade at Liberty Street, Center site, dubbed Ground Zero, are no longer in place. Right now the fenced viewing area at Liberty Street and Broadway highlights a pictorial history of the site and allows observation during ongoing work.

Lower Manhattan (on the west side)
Tel: (212) 962 2300. Fax: (212) 962 2431/33 (LMDC).
Website: www.renewnyc.com
Transport: Subway 1 or 9 to Chambers Street or subway E to WTC/Chambers.
Opening hours: Daily 24 hours.
Admission: Free.

Brooklyn Bridge
Dubbed the eighth wonder of the world when it was completed after 30-years of construction in 1883, John Augustus Roebling’s design remains a masterful feat of engineering. One of the world’s first steel wire suspension bridges (and at one time one of the world’s longest) links Manhattan to Brooklyn, over the East River. The bridge’s mile-long wooden promenade is open to pedestrians and cyclists and offers stunning views of the city.

Park Row
Transport: Subway 4, 5 or 6 to Brooklyn Bridge or City Hall.
Opening hours: Daily 24 hours.
Admission: Free.

Empire State Building
Immortalised by Hollywood cinema (from King Kong and Fay Wray to Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan) this stunning skyscraper is now once again the city’s tallest building. Completed in 1931, the 102-storey Empire State Building is a wonderful example of Art Deco period architecture and the observatories on the 86th and 102nd floors offer magical and spectacular views of the city; the 86th floor deck is open air. Each night, the top 31 storeys are illuminated with a colour that reflects the season or holiday. The New York Skyride, on the second floor, features a video and a motion-simulator ride around and above NYC’s attractions.

350 Fifth Avenue at East 34th Street
Tel: (212) 736 3100. Fax: (212) 947 1360.
Website: www.esbnyc.com; Skyride: www.skyride.com
Transport: Subway B, D, F, N, R, Q or W to 34th Street.
Opening hours: Daily 0930-2400, last elevator ascends at 2315. For security reasons, all visitors must use the main entrance on Fifth Avenue between 33rd & 34th Streets.
Admission: US$12, New York Skyride and Observatory combo US$24, (concessions available).

Rockefeller Center
Built in 1932-40, the Rockefeller Center is a masterpiece of urban design. The best approach is from the Channel Gardens, opposite Saks on Fifth Avenue (a popular lunchtime haunt flanked with shops and services) to arrive at the focal point of the complex, the sunken plaza, used as an ice-skating rink in winter and an open-air restaurant in summer. Behind this, the sumptuous GE building dominates the scene with its Art Deco ambience both inside and out. The Rockefeller Center is home to NBC, Radio City Music Hall and Christie's Auction House. NBC tours, lasting one-and-a-half-hour, are available and points of interest include the Today Show studio, the skating rink, the Prometheus and Atlas statues and the Channel Gardens.

Fifth Avenue, 47th Street to 52nd Street
Tel: (212) 332 6868 or 632 3975.
Website: www.rockefellercenter.com
Transport: Subway B, D, F, N, Q, R, 1 and 9 to Rockefeller Center.
Admission: Tour US$10, combo NBC US$21 .

Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), 11 West 53rd Street, between Fifth Street and Sixth Street, houses the most important modern art collection in the USA, covering a variety of media from the late 19th and 20th centuries, with impressive touring exhibitions. The museum, which has been undergoing a massive regeneration project to add much needed extra exhibition space (now 125,000 sq feet), has just reopened. Some of the most prominent features of architect Taniguchi’s redesign include a lobby that connects 53rd and 54th streets; an atrium that soars 110 feet above street level; and innovative glass curtain walls that provide views of the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Sculpture Garden and the vibrant midtown surroundings. The new MoMA also features a new gallery devoted to contemporary art and another for new media. Building materials such as glass, granite and aluminum add to the building’s elegance, and natural light plays a greater role than ever before in the visitor’s experience.

33rd Street at Queens Boulevard, Long Island City
Tel: (212) 708 9400.
E-mail: info@moma.org
Website: www.moma.org
Transport: Subway 7 to 33rd Street, Queens.
Opening hours: Sat-Mon and Thurs 1000-1700, Fri 1000-1745 (extended during some shows).
Admission: US$20 (concessions available), free Friday evenings (1600-2000).

Solomon R Guggenheim Museum
The Guggenheim Museum, a seven-storey conical building designed by US master architect Frank Lloyd Wright, is worth visiting if only for the building alone. Opened in 1959, its design represented a new way to view art and was a radical departure from other institutions of its kind. Visitors ascend to the top floor via escalator and descend at their own pace on a continuous, circular ramp. The open rotunda makes it possible to see many levels and exhibits simultaneously. The Guggenheim’s acclaimed collection consists of late 19th- and 20th-century art works, many of which came from the private collection of Solomon’s niece, Peggy Guggenheim.

1071 Fifth Avenue, at 89th Street
Tel: (212) 423 3500.
E-mail: visitorinfo@guggenheim.org
Website: www.guggenheim.org
Transport: Subway 4, 5 or 6 to 86th Street.
Opening hours: Sat-Wed 1000-1745, Fri and 1000-2000.
Admission: US$15; concessions available; patrons may pay what they wish Fri 1600–1800.

Metropolitan Museum of Art
‘The Met,’ a most cherished New York institution, is home to more than two million works of art. It opened in 1870 with a modest collection of 174 European paintings and has grown to be the largest art museum in the western hemisphere. Now its collected works span 5,000 years of culture and the museum is home to some 2,500 of the finest paintings which include Vermeers, Rembrandts, Impressionists and Post-Impressionists as well as Renaissance, African, Asian, and Islamic art. It is believed that its 36,000 pieces of Egyptian art is the greatest outside of Cairo. It is impossible to see everything in the museum in one visit, and because of its popularity, the Met can get extremely crowded on weekends.

1000 Fifth Avenue, at 82nd Street
Tel: (212) 535 7710.
Website: www.metmuseum.org
Transport: Subway 4, 5 or 6 to 86th Street.
Opening hours: Tues-Sun 0930-1730, Fri and Sat 0930-2100.
Admission: US$12 is suggested.

Central Park
New York’s famous green lung, Central Park, is a magnificent city sanctuary situated in the centre of Manhattan. Designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, it opened in 1876 and now offers numerous recreational and cultural outlets. The Belvedere Castle (a stone castle built on Vista Rock in the middle of the park at the 79th Street Transverse) offers excellent views from its lookout, while the Shakespeare Garden, just west of the castle, contains flowers and herbs mentioned in the Bard’s plays. The Central Park Conservancy offers various free walking tours of the park. There is also a theatre and sports facilities, including tennis courts, ice rinks and lakes, in addition to the celebrated Central Park Wildlife Center. Considered to be one of the world’s most appealing small zoos, the latter has exhibits for each of the world’s major environments and houses smaller animals, such as monkeys and penguins. The Tisch Children’s Zoo, across East 65th Street, is a hands-on animal garden where petting domestic animals, such as goats and pigs, is permitted. The beautifully landscaped Central Garden and Sea Lion Pool is flanked on three sides by a glass-roofed colonnade, making it accessible even in wet weather. It is considered unwise to visit Central Park after dark, except for events such as ice skating, carriage rides or Summerstage (see Special Events).

From 59th Street to 110th Street
Tel: (212) 310 6600 or 360 2726 (walking tours hot line).
E-mail: contact@centralparknyc.org or tours@centralparknyc.org
Website: www.centralparknyc.org
Transport: Subway N or R to Fifth Avenue; or bus 4, 5 or 6 to 59th Street.
Opening hours: Daily 24 hours (park); daily 1000-1630 (visitor centre).
Admission: Free.

Belvedere Castle
Mid-Park at 79th Street.
Tel: (212) 772 0210.
Opening hours: Tues-Sun 0900-1700 (Apr-Oct); 1000-1600 (Nov-Mar).
Admission: Free.

Central Park Wildlife Centre
830 Fifth Avenue and East 64th Street
Tel: (212) 439 6500.
Website: www.wcs.org/zoos
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 1000-1700, Sat, Sun and holidays 1000-1730 (5 Apr-26 Oct); daily 1000-1630 (27 Oct-4 Apr).
Admission: US$6 (concessions available).

Further Distractions

American Museum of the Moving Image
A target destination for serious film buffs, the American Museum of the Moving Image is dedicated to film, television, video and interactive media. Attractions and facilities include classic movies screened daily in the Tut’s Fever Movie Palace; feature films shown at weekends in the Riklis Theater and interactive exhibitions, including a working film set and film editing demonstrations. There is a free Insider Hour Tour every Saturday and Sunday at 1400.

35th Avenue, at 36th Street, Astoria, Queens
Tel: (718) 784 0077 or 4520.
Website: www.ammi.org
Transport: Subway N to Broadway, R or G to Steinway Street.
Opening hours: Wed-Thurs 1200-1700, Fri 1200-2000, Sat and Sun 1100-1830.
Admission: US$10, admission to galleries, movies extra. Free on Fri. (concessions available).

Bryant Park
Bryant Park, behind the New York Public Library, is reminiscent of Paris, with gravel pathways, green folding chairs and a manicured lawn. It is extremely popular during summer, especially as it offers free outdoor concerts and comedy shows. During Fashion Week, tents concealing the hallowed runways are set up for the seasonal haute couture fashion shows.

Between 40th Street and 42nd Street and Fifth Avenue and Sixth Avenue
Tel: (212) 768 4242.
E-mail: bprc@urbanmgt.com
Website: www.bryantpark.org
Transport: Subway B, D, F, V and 7 to 42nd Street.
Opening hours: Daily 0700-1900 (Nov-Apr); Mon-Fri 0700-2300, Sat and Sun 0700-2000 (May, Sep and Oct); Mon-Fri 0700-2300, Sat and Sun 0700-2100 (Jun-Aug).
Admission: Free.

New York Public Library
The opulent, 1911 beaux arts design is a national landmark. Two marble lions grace its Fifth Avenue entrance that lead from the bronze front doors to the magnificent, marble Astor Hall. The library houses six million books, 12 million manuscripts and 2.8 million pictures. Visitors may tour the impressive reading rooms and literary exhibitions.

Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street
Tel: (212) 930 0830 or 0800.
Website: www.nypl.org
Opening hours: Tues-Wed 1100-1930 Thurs-Sat 1000-1800.
Admission: Free.

Grand Central Terminal
Visitors to New York should take the opportunity to tour Grand Central Terminal, familiar to many as Grand Central Station. Situated in Midtown, just one block east of Bryant Park, the world’s largest railroad station has historical and architectural importance and the celestial ceiling is remarkable. Free tours take place every Wednesday and Friday at 1230. The Wednesday tour is run by the Municipal Arts Society and departs from the information booth of the Grand Concourse, while the Friday tour, run by the Grand Central Partnership, meets in front of the Phillip Morris/Whitney Museum on 42nd Street. The station also boasts a fine dining concourse and a number of retail opportunities, including the Grand Central Market.

42nd Street, at Park Avenue
Tel: (212) 935 3960 (Wednesday tour) or 697 1245 (Friday tour) or 340 2210 (event hotline).
Website: www.grandcentralterminal.com or www.newyorkled.com/grandcentral.htm
Transport: MTA Metro–North Railroad; subway 4, 5, 6, 7 and S; bus 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 42, 98, 101 and 102.
Opening hours: Daily 0530-0130.
Admission: Free.

Dia Center
The Dia Center is dedicated to large-scale, long-term, single-artist projects. The most famous is Dan Graham’s site-specific glass installation on the roof, which reflects and distorts the surrounding views of Manhattan. Photographs of the bookshop have appeared in many design magazines. Closed for renovations until 2006.

548 West 22nd Street, between Tenth Avenue and 11th Avenue
Tel: (212) 989 5566. Fax: (212) 989 4055.
Website: www.diacenter.org
Transport: Subway C or E to 23rd Street.
Opening hours: Wed-Sun 1200-1800.
Admission: US$6 (concessions available).

Museum of Sex
It is a bit out there, but this unique venue seeks to present history, evolutions and cultural significance of human sexuality as well as examining contemporary attitudes toward permissible and taboo pleasures. Ongoing exhibits include the 'Spotlight on the Permanent Collection', featuring many of the nearly 10,000 items in the museum's permanent collections, and 'Stags, Smokers and Blue Movies', a retrospective on American pornographic films, dating from the early 1900s to the present day.

233 Fifth Avenue at 27th Street
Tel: (212) 689 6337 or (866) MOSEXTIX or 667 3984 (for tickets). Fax: (212) 689 6337.
E-mail: info@museumofsex.com
Website: www.museumofsex.com
Transport: Subway N or R to 26th Street (Broadway); 6 to 28th Street (Park Avenue), Bus M2, M3, M5 (Fifth Avenue).
Opening hours: Sun-Fri 1100-1830, Sat 1100-2000.
Admission: $14.50 (concessions available).

The Jewish Museum
Housed in a graystone 1908 mansion is one of the world’s largest collections of Judaica. The two-floor permanent exhibition, ‘Culture and Community: The Jewish Journey,’ traces the history of Judaism with artwork, ceremonial objects, interactive screens and audio. Special art presentations, like the recent Modigliani art exhibit, focus on Jewish art and history. Located across from Central Park on the ‘Museum Mile.’

1109 Fifth Avenue at 92nd Street
Tel: (212) 423 3200.
Website: www.thejewishmuseum.org
Transport: Bus M1, M2, M3, or M4 to 92nd Street or Subway 4, 5, 6 to Lexington Avenue, IRT to 86th Street.
Open hours: Sun-Wed 1100-1745, Thurs 1100-2000, Fri 1100-1500.
Admission: US$10.

Tours of the City

Walking Tours
New York’s streets were made for walking. In fact walking is the best way for visitors to really explore the city. There are numerous guided tour operators, including Big Onion Walking Tours (tel: (212) 439 1090; fax: (718) 499 0023; e-mail: info@bigonion.com; website: www.bigonion.com), who, for over a decade, have offered entertaining, informative and contemporary tours of New York’s historic districts and ethnic neighbourhoods. Tours last approximately two hours and prices start at US$12 (concessions are available). Departure points vary depending on the tour – these are clearly listed on the website. The self-guided, audio tour, Walkin’ Broadway (tel: (866) NYC BWAY (692 2929) or (212) 997 5004; email: info@walkinbroadway.com; website: www.walkinbroadway.com, let you explore the stories and secrets of Broadway while hearing snippets of great musicals. Before long, participants find themselves singing and dancing from one theatre to the next. Purchase tickets (price US$14) and start at Colony Music, 1619 Broadway at 49th Street.

Bus Tours
Gray Line New York Tours (tel: (212) 445 0848 or (800) 669 0051; e-mail: graylinenewyork@coachusa.com; website: www.graylinenewyork.com or www.newyorksightseeing.com) offers closed- and open-top double-decker bus tours, calling at numerous stops around the city in a two- to three-hour loop. The Essential New York Tour offers a 40-stop hop-off hop-on tour of Manhattan for US$72 (concessions are available). Tickets are valid for 48 hours. Gray Line also offers tours of Harlem and Brooklyn. Buses depart from Grey Line Visitors Center at 777 8th Avenue (between 47th and 48th Streets).

Boat Tours
Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises (tel: (212) 563 3200; e-mail: infocl@circleline.com; website: www.circleline42.com) is the only cruise line that circles Manhattan Island, with a three-hour narrated Full Island Cruise, departing from Pier 83 on 42nd Street on the Hudson River and costing US$26. Other options include the two-hour Semi-Circle Cruise, costing US$22 , the evening two-hour Harbor Lights Cruise, costing US$22 (Mar-Nov), or the Liberty Cruise Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty for US$18 (May-Oct). At both Pier 83 and Pier 16, South Street Seaport, adventurers can take a spin on the ‘Beast’ speed boat for a 30-minute thrill ride, costing US$16.

Other Tours
Big Apple Greeters (tel: (212) 669 8159/2896; fax: (212) 669 3685; e-mail: information@bigapplegreeter.org; website: www.bigapplegreeter.org), is a free service sponsored by NYC & Company. A knowledgeable, native New Yorker will escort two to six people who are travelling together to special places such as neighbourhoods, sites or ‘off the beaten path’ destinations. Free public transportation is provided. Reservations and schedule must be confirmed in advance.

Gray Line New York Tours (tel: (212) 397 2600 or (800) 669 0051; website: www.graylinenewyork.com) conducts over two dozen different sightseeing trips by different modes of transport. The 10-minute helicopter tour, A Bird’s Eye View, costs US$138 and allows visitors to see the Empire State Building, the Chrysler and Central Park from above. Helicopter flights depart from the West 30th Street heliport.

Scene on TV Tours (tel: (212) 209 3370; website: www.sceneontv.com) operates bus tours of the sites of America’s top TV shows, including Sex and the City and Sopranos. Other tours include Central Park Movie Tour and Manhattan TV and Movie Tour. Prices range from US$15-35 and tours last from two to three and a half hours. Booking is essential for all tours and meeting points vary depending on the tour taken; hotel pick up and drop off is not available.

Excursions

For a Half Day

Coney Island: Located just a 45-minute subway ride from Manhattan (on subway B, D, F or N to Stillwell Avenue), in south Brooklyn, Coney Island (tel: (718) 372 5159; website: www.coneyisland.com) is a popular haunt for New Yorkers and tourists alike, because of its stretch of beach and historical amusement parks. Major attractions include the New York Aquarium, Surf Avenue and West Eighth Street (tel: (718) 265 3474; website: www.nyaquarium.com), located halfway to Brighton Beach. The Aquarium is open daily 1000-1630. Its Aquatheatre is home to dolphins and sea lions, the Sea Cliffs Exhibition features walrus, penguins and giant Pacific octopus, while Discovery Cove is an interactive entertainment complex for children. Entrance is US$11 (concessions available). Coney Island’s amusement area comprises several amusement parks, featuring the Cyclone Roller Coaster and the Wonder Wheel, the tallest Ferris wheel in the world. Many visitors partake of a Nathan’s Famous hot dog on the boardwalk – a seaside treat for generations.

For a Whole Day

Long Island: Situated to the east of New York City, Long Island stretches for 190km (118 miles) into the Atlantic. Coastal parts of residential Long Island have some of the world’s most beautiful white-sand beaches and are popular with New Yorkers and tourists alike for weekend retreats. The north and south shores differ greatly. The south shore is fringed by almost continuous sandy shores, including such public beaches as Jones Beach and gay-oriented Fire Island National Seashore (website: www.nps.gov/fiis), a ferry ride away. Meanwhile, the north shore is more immediately beautiful; its cliffs topped with luxurious mansions, estates, farms and excellent ‘ma and pa’ wineries (i.e. small family businesses). The Hamptons combines the attractions of the well-to-do, such as shops and top restaurants, with wooded nature reserves filled with sand dunes and pristine stretches of accessible beach. A bicycle trip to The End, a nickname for the bohemian village of Montauk at the island’s eastern reach, could well be the pinnacle of a long summer weekend spent in a cottage or inn.

The quickest way to reach Long Island is via the Long Island Railroad from Penn Station, although numerous bus services cover most destinations. Parking permits for Long Island’s beaches are issued only to local residents. The Long Island Convention and Visitors Bureau, 330 Vanderbilt Motor Parkway (tel: (631) 951 3900; fax: (631) 951 3439; website: www.licvb.com) can provide further information.

Sport

Boasting some of the USA’s top sports teams, acres of parkland and beaches and state-of-the-art sports complexes, New York is a sports hotbed, offering the very best in spectator sports and a comprehensive array of activities for lovers of the great outdoors. The city’s best indoor participant sports venue is the ultra-modern Chelsea Piers Sports & Entertainment Complex, a 12-hectare (30-acre) facility situated on four beautifully restored early 20th-century piers at 23rd Street at West Side Highway, on the Hudson River. The complex has everything from a rock-climbing wall to an inline skating rink.

Visitors interested in tickets to the top sporting events in the city should book in advance, as seasonal sell-outs are not uncommon. Ticketmaster (tel: (212) 307 7171; website: www.ticketmaster.com) is the best and most recognised way for one to purchase a ticket to a New York sporting event.

With two Major League teams, the baseball season, which runs from April to October, attracts huge crowds to two major stadiums in the area. Shea Stadium, 123–01 Roosevelt Avenue, Flushing, Queens (tel: (718) 507 METS or 6387 or TIXX or 8499 for tickets which cost US$5-53), is home to the New York Mets (website: www.mets.com). The New York Yankees (website: www.yankees.com), the most successful baseball team in US history, can be found at Yankee Stadium, East 161st Street and River Avenue, in the Bronx (tel: (718) 293 6000, tickets from US$8-70).

The local basketball season runs from October to April. Madison Square Garden, Seventh Avenue, between 31st Street and 33rd Street, Manhattan (tel: (212) 465 6741; website: www.thegarden.com), is the home of the celebrated New York Knickerbockers, or Knicks (website: www.nba.com/knicks, tickets range from US$10-2,200), as well as New York Liberty (website: www.wnba.com/liberty, tickets from US$8-229.50), the popular women’s team.

American football teams from New York include the Giants (tel: (201) 935 8222; website: www.giants.com) and New York Jets (tel: (516) 560 8200; website: www.newyorkjets.com). The American football season kicks off in September. These two leading teams now play in New Jersey, at the Giants Stadium, in the Meadowlands Sports Complex (tel: (201) 935 3900/8500; website: www.meadowlands.com). Tickets sell out well in advance and there are long waiting lists.

Ice hockey is also hugely popular and the National Hockey League (NHL) teams include the local New York Rangers (website: www.newyorkrangers.com). The team plays at Madison Square Garden (see above). Other local teams include New York Islanders (tel: (800) 883 ISLES or (800) 8834 7537; website: www.newyorkislanders.com, tickets US$25-140), whose home ground is the Nassau Coliseum, 1255 Hempstead Turnpike, Uniondale (tel: (516) 794 9303; website: www.nassaucoliseum.com), and New Jersey Devils (website: www.newjerseydevils.com), who play at the Meadowlands Sports Complex (tel: (201) 935 3900/8500; website: www.meadowlands.com).

The Arthur Ashe Stadium, Flushing Meadows, Queens, hosts the US Open Tennis Championships (website: www.usta.com), which takes place in late August to early September, featuring some of the world’s top seeded players. For tickets (US$22-94) call 866 OPEN TIX (673 6849).

Beaches: There are several beaches in New York City, such as Coney Island, Brighton Beach and Manhattan Beach. The best beaches for tanning and swimming, however, are located on Long Island (see Excursions).

Bowling: Bowlmor Lanes, 110 University Place, between 12th Street and 13th Street (tel: (212) 255 8188), is Manhattan’s premier bowling centre with 42 lanes and an atmosphere of 1950s kitsch. The venue, which serves pricey cocktails, becomes a veritable nightclub on some evenings, when it is open until the wee hours, with a DJ and glow-in-dark bowling on offer.

Fitness Centres: The Sports Center at Chelsea Piers, Pier 60, 23rd Street (tel: (212) 336 6000; website: www.chelseapiers.com), is a 14,000 sq metre (150,000 sq foot) adult sports and fitness club. Facilities include an indoor track and swimming pool, sundecks, basketball courts, an indoor sand volleyball court, boxing ring, rock climbing wall and gym. Day membership passes cost US$50 and allows access to all facilities.

Golf: The Black Course at Bethpage State Park, 99 Quaker Meeting House Road, Farmingdale (tel: (516) 249 0700), was the first public golf course to host the US Open. It is located just east of the city, on Long Island. Play costs approximately US$62 plus a US$3 reservation fee, depending upon the course chosen. Clearview Golf Club, 202-12 Willets Point Boulevard (tel: (718) 225 4653), is open to the public for US$33 for 18 holes (weekdays after 1300) and US$43 (weekends after 1300). The Golf Club at Chelsea Piers, Pier 59, 23rd Street (tel: (212) 336 6400; website: www.chelseapiers.com), is America’s most high-tech super range. There is a 200-yard fairway, all-weather driving range, putting green and a full-service Golf Academy. A session on the driving range starts at US$20 and prices rise with the number of balls used in session. American Golf (website: www.americangolf.com) allows online booking of tee times.

Horseracing: New Yorkers love the races and the main racetracks include Aqueduct Racetrack, Ozone Park, Queens (tel: (718) 641 4700; website: www.aqueduct-racetrack.com), and Meadowlands Racetrack, East Rutherford (tel: (201) 935 8500; website: www.meadowlands.com).

Running: New York Road Runners Club, 9 East 89th Street, between Madison Avenue and Fifth Avenue (tel: (212) 860 4455; website: www.nyrr.org), are the organisers of the NYC Marathon and promote the sport through races, events and publications.

Sailing: Surfside Marina at Chelsea Piers, Pier 62 (tel: (212) 336 7873; website: www.chelseapiers.com/marina), is the city’s largest marina, featuring a sailing school as well as boats for dinner cruising and deep-sea fishing.

Skating/Ice Skating: The Roller Rinks at Chelsea Piers, Pier 62, 23rd Street (tel: (212) 336 6200; website: www.chelseapiers.com), has two indoor ice skating rinks, two outdoor in-line/roller skating rinks and a skate park. There are two outdoor ice skating rinks with skate hire in Central Park, 59th Street to 110th Street, and one in the Rockefeller Center, Fifth Avenue, 47th Street to 52nd Street (see Sightseeing).

Tennis: The tennis courts at Central Park, located at 93rd Street (tel: (212) 280 0206), are open to the public during the summer. Riverside Park, just off the Hudson River, has 10 clay courts located at 96th Street and 10 hard courts on 119th Street (tel: 212 496 2006, cost US$5 per hour).

Shopping

A city famous for its sartorial elegance and Bohemian chic, New York is a shopper’s paradise, hawking everything from the very latest designer fashions to flea market bargains in addition to foods and goods from every corner of the globe. Clothing is not taxed in New York and the bargains have got even better of late, as the US recession has led to widespread discounting on everything from electrical goods to designer fashion.

The smartest shops are located on Madison Avenue, where most top designers have flagship stores. Nearby, Fifth Avenue is a magnet for the label conscious and well heeled. Standing at one of the most famous corners in Manhattan, Tiffany & Co, 727 Fifth Avenue, is an icon of the American Dream. The seven-level mall at the new Time Warner Center at Columbus Circle houses a variety of upscale shops including Hugo Boss, Armani, Coach, Cole Hahn and Bose. Famous department stores include Saks Fifth Avenue, 611 Fifth Avenue, Macy’s, Herald Square, Bloomingdales, 1000 Third Avenue, at 59th Street, and Barney’s New York, 660 Madison Avenue, at 61st Street, which is the trendiest of this retail crop. Both Macy’s and Bloomingdales now offer free ‘personal shoppers’ on request, to help navigate their huge ranges. The famous Ladies’ Mile, which, a century ago, was the epicentre of uptown fashion, with department stores stretching from 14th Street for a mile along Sixth Avenue, is now a major discount centre. However, the spectacular Victorian buildings have been restored and stores such as Bed Bath and Beyond, Old Navy Clothing Co, Barnes & Noble and Filene’s Basement have spearheaded a revival of the historic shopping strip.

SoHo is the most European of New York’s neighbourhoods, with high-end clothing outlets and shoe stores, make-up and beauty salons, art galleries and antiques shops, as well as modern furniture showrooms. The East Village and the Lower East Side harbour street fashion and cutting-edge young designers, with vintage shops, music stores intermingling with designer boutiques and eclectic outlets. Discount shops selling authentic American goods, such as Levi’s, are located throughout the city, particularly along Broadway, between Houston Street and 14th Street.

There are numerous markets to appeal to bargain hunters. The Annex Flea Market, known as the 26th Street Flea Market, on Sixth Avenue, made famous by Andy Warhol, is open on Saturday and Sunday from dawn to dusk. The best bargains are vintage clothing and fine linens. Along Broadway and around Soho, there are also street vendors that hawk anything from artwork to clothing and knockoffs of famous purse designers such as Burberry, Louis Vuitton and Kate Spade. Many ‘green markets’, selling locally grown produce, freshly caught fish, home-made desserts and breads, are located around the city, the most central of which is at Union Square, opening on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday from 0800-1800.

Shopping hours depend on the neighbourhood. Business areas, such as Wall Street, open as early as 0800, while shops in areas such as SoHo and East Village open late at 1100. Many stay open until at least 1900. Department stores are open 1000-1800 and 1200-1700 Sunday.

In New York, everything but life’s most basic necessities is taxable and the sales tax of 8.625% on all consumer goods (apart from clothes under US$110) is one of the highest in the country. Visitors to New York are unable to claim a tax refund for goods purchased.

Culture

From the bright lights of Broadway to the revered stages at the Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall, from the high kicks of the Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall to the cutting-edge works performed at BAM, New York City continues to be one of the most diverse and heavily textured urban cultural centres in the world. As author Tom Wolfe wrote: ‘Culture just seems to be in the air, like part of the weather.’

The principal entertainment districts are the Theater District in the Broadway/42nd Street/Times Square area and the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts on the Upper West Side. Most Broadway theatres are located in the blocks just east or west of Broadway, between 41st Street and 53rd Street. Off- and Off-Off-Broadway theatres are sprinkled throughout Manhattan, with a concentration in the East and West Villages, Chelsea and several in the 40s and 50s west of the Broadway theatre district. The Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, 70 Lincoln Center Plaza, Columbus Avenue at 64th Street (tel: (212) 875 5000; website: www.lincolncenter.org), is America’s first and largest performing arts complex, containing many venues. It is also the home of the Metropolitan Opera (website: www.metopera.org), the New York City Opera (website: www.nycopera.com), the New York City Ballet (website: www.nycballet.com), and the New York Philharmonic (website: www.newyorkphilharmonic.org), among others.

New York continues to grow and, as well as these established attractions, offers something new each day. Times Square is one of the prominent areas to receive attention. Madame Tussaud’s wax museum, 234 West 42nd Street (tel: (800) 246 8872; website: www.nycwax.com), which includes a movie complex, the New Amsterdam Theater, 214 West 42nd Street, owned by Disney, as well as a number of similar renovations of historic theatres – such as the New Victory Theatre, 209 West 42nd Street (tel: (646) 223 3020; website: www.newvictory.org) and the Academy/Apollo (see Theatre below) – have ensured that New York remains the cultural capital of the USA.

Tickets are available for purchase through Telecharge (tel: (212) 239 6200/5258 or (800) 545 2559; website: www.telecharge.com), which handles Broadway, Off-Broadway and some concerts. Ticketmaster (tel: (212) 307 7171; website: www.ticketmaster.com), also offers Broadway and Off-Broadway, as well as tickets to Madison Square Garden and Radio City. Reduced-priced tickets of up to half-price plus a US$3 surcharge for same-day Broadway and Off-Broadway are available for purchase at the TKTS booth, 47th Street and Broadway (open hours: Mon-Sat 1500-2000, also Wed and Sat 1000-1400, Sun 1100-1930) and at the TKTS booth at South Street Seaport (open hours: Mon-Sat 1100-1800; website for both locations: www.tdf.org/programs/tkts), open daily 1500–2000 for evening performances, 1000–1400 for Wednesday and Saturday matinees and 1200–1830 for all Sunday performances. Cash or travellers checks only.

Information on cultural events in the city is available online (website: www.nycvisit.com or www.whatsonwhen.com). Time Out New York (website: www.timeoutny.com) also is a good source of information published weekly and sold at newsagents and kiosks for US$2.99.

Music: The Avery Fisher Hall, in the Lincoln Center, 70 Lincoln Center Plaza, Columbus Avenue at 64th Street (tel: (212) 875 5030; website: www.lincolncenter.org), is the permanent home of the New York Philharmonic (tel: (212) 875 5709; website: www.newyorkphilharmonic.org) and a temporary one to visiting orchestras and soloists. Tickets for the New York Philharmonic cost approximately US$15–50. The new Time Warner Building is the home of Jazz at Lincoln Center, 33 West 60th Street, 11th Floor (tel: (212) 258 9800; website: www.jalc.org). Though its 1,100-seat Fredrick P. Rose Hall, 600-seat performance atrium, and 140 seat jazz café has been designed specifically as a jazz venue, it can also accommodate other art forms.

Avery Fisher also hosts the very popular annual Mostly Mozart festival (tel: (212) 875 5030) in August. The Alice Tully Hall, also in the Lincoln Center (tel: (212) 875 5050; website: www.lincolncenter.org), is a smaller venue for chamber orchestras, string quartets and instrumentalists. The greatest names from all schools of music, from Tchaikovsky and Toscanini to Gershwin and Billie Holiday, have performed at Carnegie Hall, 154 West 57th Street, at Seventh Avenue (tel: (212) 247 7800; website: www.carnegiehall.org), which boasts an astonishing and eclectic repertoire at moderate prices. Other leading venues that draw the world’s top performers include Kaufman Concert Hall, 129 East 67th Street (tel: (212) 501 3330; website: www.ekcc.org), and Lehman Center for the Performing Arts, 250 Bedford Park Boulevard West, Bronx (tel: (718) 960 8833; website: www.lehmancenter.org).

Known as the Met, the Metropolitan Opera House, in the Lincoln Center (tel: (212) 362 6000; website: www.lincolncenter.org), is New York’s premiere opera venue and home to the Metropolitan Opera (website: www.metopera.org), from September to late April. The New York State Theater, also in Lincoln Center (tel: (212) 870 5570; website: www.lincolncenter.org), is where the New York City Opera (tel: (212) 870 5630; website: www.nycopera.com) perform. Its wide and adventurous program varies wildly in quality (sometimes startlingly innovative, occasionally mediocre) but seats go for less than half the Met’s prices. Other venues include the Julliard School, 155 West 65th Street, at Broadway (tel: (212) 799 5000; website: www.juilliard.edu), where talented students perform with a famous conductor, usually for low prices.

Theatre: Theatre venues in the city are referred to as Broadway, Off-Broadway or Off-Off-Broadway – groupings that represent a descending order of ticket price, production polish, elegance and comfort and an ascending order of innovation, experimentation, and theatre for the sake of art rather than cash. Off-Broadway is still the place for theatre punters to see the works of the world’s most innovative playwrights – social and political drama, satire, ethnic plays and repertory ... in short, anything that Broadway would not consider a guaranteed money spinner. Lower operating costs also mean that Off-Broadway often serves as a forum to try out what sometimes ends up as a big Broadway production. Off-Off-Broadway is New York’s fringe. Unlike Off-Broadway, Off-Off doesn’t have to use professional actors and shows range from shoestring productions of the classics to outrageous and experimental performance art.

The National Actors Theatre, at Pace University at Spruce Street (tickets tel: (212) 239 6280; website: www.nationalactorstheatre.com), presents the classics on Broadway, while Manhattan Theatre Club performs at the Biltmore Theatre, 261 West 47th Street, and Stages I and II at City Center, 131 West 55th Street (tel: (212) 581 1212; website: www.mtc-nyc.org), produces some of the finest new plays in American theatre. Other theatre groups include Walt Disney Theatrical Productions, 1450 Broadway, Suite 300 (tel: (212) 827 5412; website: www.disney.go.com/disneyonbroadway), which brings the magic of Disney to life on the Broadway stage. For a more ethnic flavour, Harlem’s Apollo Theatre, 253 West 125th Street (tel: (212) 531 5300; website: www.apollotheatre.com), has celebrated the legacy and culture of African-American music and entertainment since 1934.

Dance: New York has five major ballet companies as well as dozens of contemporary troupes and the official dance season runs from September to January and April to June. Metropolitan Opera House, in the Lincoln Center (tel: (212) 362 6000; website: www.lincolncenter.org), is the home of the renowned American Ballet Theater (tel: (212) 477 3030; website: www.abt.org), which performs the classics from early May into July. New York State Theater, also in the Lincoln Center (tel: (212) 870 5570; website: www.lincolncenter.org), is home to the revered New York City Ballet (website: www.nycballet.com), which performs more contemporary ballet for a nine-week season each spring.

Universally known as BAM, Brooklyn Academy of Music, 30 Lafayette Street, between Flatbush Avenue and Fulton Street, Brooklyn (tel: (718) 636 4100; website: www.bam.org), is America’s oldest performing arts academy and one of the busiest and most daring producers in New York. During autumn, BAM’s Next Wave Festival showcases the hottest international attractions in avant-garde dance and music. Winter brings visiting artists, while, each spring, BAM hosts the annual DanceAfrica Festival, America’s largest showcase for African and African-American dance and culture.

The most eminent and celebrated troupes in modern dance perform at City Center, 131 West 55th Street, between Sixth Avenue and Seventh Avenue (tel: (212) 581 1212; website: www.citycenter.org). Big-name companies include Merce Cunningham Dance Company (website: www.merce.org), Paul Taylor Dance Company (website: www.ptdc.org), Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (website: www.alvinailey.org), Joffrey Ballet (tel: (212) 254 8520; website: www.joffreyballetschool.com) and Dance Theater of Harlem (tel: (212) 690 2800; website: www.dancetheatreofharlem.com). Merce Cunningham Studio, 55 Bethune St at Washington St (tel: (212) 691 9751; website: www.merce.org/studio.html), the home of the Merce Cunningham Dance Company, stages performances by emerging modern choreographers.

Film: A movie centre second only to Tinseltown itself, New York has hundreds of modern cinema complexes and arthouse cinemas. Cinemas worth visiting include Loews Lincoln Square, Broadway at 68th Street (tel: (212) 336 5000 (recorded information) or (212) 336 5020; website: www.enjoytheshow.com), which is more a theme park than a multiplex, and The Ziegfeld, 141 West 54th Street, between Sixth Avenue and Seventh Avenue (tel: (908) 918 2000; website: www.clearviewcinemas.com), which often holds glitzy premieres and is the grandest picture palace in town – once home to the Ziegfeld Follies. Arthouse movies are screened at Angelika Film Centre, 18 West Houston Street (tel: (212) 995 2000), Lincoln Plaza Cinemas, 1886 Broadway (tel: (212) 757 2280), and Quad Cinema, 34 West Street, between Fifth Avenue and Sixth Avenue (tel: (212) 255 8800; website: www.quadcinema.com). General information, show times and advanced tickets are available from Moviefone (tel: (212) 777 FILM or 777 3456).

New York has been portrayed through celluloid in a number of ways, ranging from the ridiculous yet enduring images of King Kong, swinging from the Empire State Building, in the 1933 classic starring Fay Wray, to the psychological horrors of Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver (1976). In the latter, Robert De Niro plays the part of a mentally isolated New York cabbie and Vietnam vet, driven to violence by the decadence of the city. It is New York decadence of a slightly different nature that Alan Rudolph explores in Mrs Parker and the Vicious Circle (1994), which looks at New York literary life and society during the 1920s. More recently, films shot in NYC have included One Fine Day (1996), The Mirror Has Two Faces (1996), Everyone Says I Love You (1996), The Devil’s Advocate (1997), Gangs of New York (2002), Spiderman 1 and 2 (2002 and 2004 respectively) and The Day After Tomorrow (2004).

Cultural Events: New York’s biggest antiques event, Manhattan Antiques and Collectibles Triple Pier Expo, is held at three piers on the Hudson River, in February. The annual harbinger of spring, the New York Flower Show, is held on piers 90 and 93, 51st Street and 12th Avenue, in March. Meanwhile, Art Expo New York, the world’s largest show of popular art, features a wide range of works from paintings and sculpture to posters and decorative arts, at the Javits Convention Centre, also in March. Ninth Avenue International Food Festival is a gastronomic feast of a street fair in May, with live bands and hundreds of food stalls selling a wide assortment of ethnic and junk food. Summerstage, a festival of free or low-cost concerts in Central Park, features world music, pop, folk and jazz artists throughout the summer.

Literary Notes: The vibrant city of New York has spawned some of America’s most celebrated writers and provided the backdrop and inspiration for countless best-selling novels and hit movies. Washington Square, at Fifth Avenue and Waverley Place, was home to the 19th-century aristocracy and provided the inspiration for the classic study of the American upper classes, Washington Square (1881), by New Yorker Henry James. Bohemian Greenwich Village has long been the favoured haunt of America’s literati. The Chelsea Hotel, on West 23rd Street, is something of a writers’ emporium. Here Arthur Miller penned After the Fall (1964) and William Burroughs worked on Naked Lunch (1959). New Yorker Arthur Miller is celebrated as America’s greatest living playwright, whose numerous works have delighted Broadway and international audiences for decades. His knowledge of the Brooklyn waterfront helped to form his characters in his play A View From the Bridge (1955) and powerful reflections upon his home town are revealed in The Price (1968).

New York’s most famous contemporary novelist is Paul Auster, who won international acclaim for The New York Trilogy (1987), a book comprising three novellas (City of Glass, Ghosts and The Locked Room) all set in New York. Edwin G. Burrows and Mike Wallace’s Gotham (2001) is one of the most illuminating and readable histories of New York. One of the most striking works from the flurry of post-11 September 2001 publications is September 11: A Testimony (2001), assembled by press agency Reuters, with some of the most dramatic World Trade Center photographic images.

Nightlife

The cliché, ‘the city that never sleeps’, really rings true in New York and especially in Manhattan. This small island buzzes with nocturnal activity, from bustling neighbourhood bars to swank cocktail lounges and ultra hip nightclubs, where some of the world’s best DJs entertain the city’s ‘beautiful people’.

Home to Broadway, the once louche Times Square is enjoying a renaissance, with American theme restaurants, bars and cinemas attracting a huge tourist crowd. The East Village, from 14th Street to Houston (pronounced how-ston), east of Broadway, is famous for its local bars that stay open late and its small live music clubs, such as the renowned CBGB, a live music venue frequented by a young rock-and-roll set. The Lower East Side, an up-and-coming neighbourhood that borders the East Village at Houston and stretches south to Chinatown at Canal, offers a similar nightlife scene and vibe.

SoHo is the hip capital, with its chic nightclubs attracting artists, models and media types. The gay scene is centred around the bars of the West Village, which also offers a lively mix of jazz clubs. Gramercy, in the 20s on the east side, is the ‘new SoHo’ with velvet-rope cocktail lounges. Upmarket tastes are also catered for in the sophisticated lounges, clubs and cocktail bars in Midtown and the Upper East and Upper West Sides.

Entrance fees to some of the smarter nightclubs can be pricey and is cash only. The hippest clubs employ strict dress codes, only allowing the cool and the beautiful to break through the velvet ropes. The normal club closing time is 0400, although many venues are open all night. An ever-changing crop of ‘after-hours’ places offer entertainment until sunrise, however, alcohol cannot legally be served between 0400 and 0800 or after 2400 on Sunday. The minimum drinking age is 21 and checking of photo ID is mandatory. The average price of a beer is US$5–7, while the average price of a cocktail is US$10. A tip of US$1–2 is expected per drink.

Time Out New York (website: www.timeoutny.com, but you must be a subscriber to use the service online, US$19.95 per year) is a very good source of nightlife event information, published weekly and sold at newsagents and kiosks for US$2.99. A good online nightlife and restaurant guide is City Search (website: http://newyork.citysearch.com).

Bars: New York has a massive range of bars, with everything from neighbourhood dives and lively Irish pubs to slick jet-set haunts with DJs and dimly lit, cocktail lounges. Hip bars include Max Fish, 178 Ludlow Street, Lower East Side, which fills with a young, T-shirt-and-jeans crowd and the newly remodelled Serena, 222 West 23rd Street, Chelsea, a subterranean lounge in the cool and legendary Chelsea Hotel, as well as favourite of the ‘beautiful people.’ Double Happiness, 173 Mott Street, Chinatown, draws a funky 20-something clientele. At Hogs & Heifers, 859 Washington Street, West Village, on which the mediocre film Coyote Ugly (2000) was based, patrons toss their bra on the wall with all the others.

A more sophisticated lounge, the Campbell Apartment, Grand Central Station, Midtown, is hidden away in this busy rail terminal, serving top-class cocktails and first-rate Martinis. The refined, clubby bar in the Oak Room at the Algonquin Hotel, 59 West 44th Street, Midtown West, is known for its literary origins. For old-time New York, there is Chumley’s, 86 Bedford Street, West Village, or the White Horse Tavern, 567 Hudson Street, West Village.

Casinos: Gambling is illegal in New York State.

Clubs: The New York clubbing scene is notoriously fickle. These days popular cabarets include Joe’s Pub, 424 Lafayette Street (between Fourth and Astor in the East Village), which gets raves. Don’t Tell Mama, 343 West 46th Street, is open until 0400 and features up-and-coming-performers, and at Rose’s Turn, 55 Grove Street Greenwich Village, even the bartenders and waitstaff perform.

Comedy: New York’s leading comedy venues, featuring top-line comedians, include Caroline's on Broadway, 1626 Broadway, The Comedy Cellar, 117 McDougal Street, and Gotham Comedy Club, 34 West 22nd Street – dubbed the ‘best comedy club in Manhattan.’ Owned by comedian Rodney Dangerfield, Dangerfield’s, 1118 First Avenue, has received rave reviews for 35 years. More off-kilter comedy is on offer at Surf Reality, 172 Allen Street.

Live Music: The famous Madison Square Garden, Seventh Avenue between 31st Street and 33rd Street, Manhattan (website: www.thegarden.com), plays host to a number of rock and pop heavies, from Britney Spears to U2. CBGBs, 315 Bowery, between First Street and Second Street (website: www.cbgb.com), the king of American underground rock venues, was there to provide the stage for new bands such as the Ramones and Blondie during the 1970s. It does the same for similar acts today.

New York is also home to numerous jazz clubs, including The Blue Note, 131 West Third Street, and the Iridium, 1650 Broadway, which both reel in the best American and international jazz musicians.

City Statistics

Location: New York State (NY).
Country dialling code: 1 (plus area codes 201, 212, 516, 646 or 718).
Population: 8 million (city); 14.4 million (metropolitan area).
Ethnic mix: 21% black, 44 % white, 26% Hispanic, 9% other.
Religion: New York has one of the most religiously diverse populations in the world – figures are constantly changing as the city continues to spiritually evolve.
Time zone: GMT - 5 (GMT - 4 from first Sunday in April to Saturday before last Sunday in October).
Electricity: 110-120 volts, 60Hz; round two-pin plugs are standard.
Average January temp: 0°C (32°F).
Average July temp: 25°C (77°F).
Annual rainfall: 1,200mm (47.3 inches).

Special Events

Winter Restaurant Week, many of the city’s best restaurants set low fixed-price menus corresponding to the year, Jan, various venues
Manhattan Antiques and Collectibles Triple Pier Expo, Feb, Hudson River
Chinese New Year, new lunar year celebrations, early Feb, Chinatown
Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, more than 2,500 champion dogs compete (website: www.westminsterkennelclub.org), 14-15 Feb, Madison Square Garden
New York Flower Show, 15-17 Apr, Hofstra University Arena, Hempstead
Art Expo New York, 3-6 Mar, Javits Convention Centre
St Patrick’s Day Parade, Irish-American parade, 17 Mar, Fifth Avenue
Macy’s Flower Show, Apr, Macy’s department store, Herald Square
Tartan Day, 10,000 pipers and drummers march through city streets in celebration of Scotland, 2 Apr, Manhattan
Cherry Blossom Festival, the first signs of New York spring (website: www.bbg.org), mid-Apr, Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Washington Avenue
Ninth Avenue International Food Festival, culinary street fair, begins 21 May, Ninth Avenue
DanceAfrica Festival, African and African-American dance festival, 31 May-7 Jun, Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM)
Fleet Week, a nautical festival hosted by the Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum (website: www.intrepidmuseum.org), Memorial Day weekend, 24-31 May, Hudson Harbor
Summerstage, free outdoor concerts, May–Aug, Central Park
Summer Restaurant Week, many of the city’s best restaurants set low fixed-price menus corresponding to the year
Heritage of Pride, annual lesbian and gay pride march, ending in street festival and dance party, 19-26 Jun, upper Fifth Avenue to the Village
Mermaid Parade, the city’s most informal and most lively parade with a nautical theme (website: www.coneyislandusa.com), 25 Jun, Coney Island
Fourth of July, annual firework display in celebration of American Independence, 4 Jul, over the East River
Mostly Mozart, music festival, 20 Aug-31 Jan 2005, Avery Fisher Hall
Bryant Park, free outdoor classic films (website: www.bryantpark.org), Aug, Bryant Park, 42nd Street
Feast of San Gennaro, extravaganza of eating, drinking and merry-making, for 11 days starting the second Thurs in Sep, Mulberry Street in Little Italy (for exact days, check website: www.sangennaro.org)
Greenwich Village Halloween Parade, exuberant fancy dress procession, 31 Oct, along Sixth Avenue
Next Wave Festival, avant-garde dance and music festival, early Oct–Jan, Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM)
New York City Marathon, 7 Nov 2004 and 6 Nov 2005 , starts in Staten Island, finishes in Central Park
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, New York institution featuring huge hot-air balloons in the shape of cartoon characters, such as Snoopy, the Pink Panther and Betty Boop, Thanksgiving Day, Nov, 145 Street to 34th Street
New Year’s Eve, street party, 31 Dec, Times Square

Cost of Living

One-litre bottle of mineral water: US$1.69
33cl bottle of beer: US$1.50
Financial Times newspaper: US$1
36-exposure colour film: US$7
City-centre bus ticket: US$2
Adult football ticket: US$65-85
Three-course meal with wine/beer: From US$40

1 American Dollar (US$1) = £0.57; C$1.16; A$1.31; ¬0.83
Currency conversion rates as of October 2005