new york travel | Recreation and entertainment

The problem with visiting New York is knowing where to begin, but even if you don’t immediately rush off to view the world-famous sights and icons of this most dynamic of cities, just being there is enough. The wonder of New York is in the energy and the diversity that emanates from its densely packed, multi-cultural population. The city vibrates with colliding cultures, languages and nuances; here high-life and low-life rub shoulders, and whoever you are and whatever your taste, there will be something to amuse and stimulate you 24-hours a day.
Whether lolling on a bench in leafy Central Park, watching the world go by from a French bistro in Soho, gazing up at ‘Lady Liberty’ from the deck of the Staten Island Ferry, most visitors will feel they’ve done it all before, simply because New York is so familiar to anyone who has ever seen a movie or watched television. There is something special however in actually seeing the familiar landmarks and experiencing the pulse of the clich?d, but true, ‘city that never sleeps’.
New York City is made up of five boroughs - Staten Island, The Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan, but many visitors never leave Manhattan. There is a lot packed into this tiny area: the 24-hour pasta restaurants of Little Italy and the bustling sidewalks of Chinatown, the jazz clubs of Greenwich Village and the theatres of Broadway; and of course the iconic sights of the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building and Times Square.
New York has been described as the best three-day city in the world, and that’s about right. After a frenzy of museums, galleries, bars and clubs, some visitors are ready for a break. Fortunately there’s a lot of choice, from the National Parks of Upstate New York, to the beaches of Long Island or simply the leafy oasis of Central Park. Whatever you’re after, New York is ready and waiting to bewitch, bother and bewilder.

NEW YORK CITY ATTRACTION VIDEO

Liberty Island Video Guide

The Statue of Liberty was dedicated on October 28, 1886. The people of France gave the Statue to the people of the United States over one hundred years ago in recognition of the friendship established during the American Revolution. French sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi was commissioned to design a sculpture with the year 1876 in mind for completion, to commemorate the centennial of the American Declaration of Independence.
The Statue was a joint effort between America and France. It was agreed that the French were responsible for the Statue and its assembly in the United States, and the United States was responsible for building the pedestal. France raised the funds to build the statue, but the United States found it difficult to pay for the pedestal. Tabloid newspaper publisher Joseph Pulitzer used his publication to help raise donations to build it. He collected change from schoolchildren and accused the city’s richest residents of being cheap and unpatriotic. Pulitzer raised over $102,000 in five months, enough to finance the 154-foot-high concrete-and-granite pedestal.

Central Park Video Guide

In 1857, the City owned about 770 acres between Fifth and Eighth avenues, from 59th to 106th Street (within the next five years to be extended to 110th Street), sparsely settled by squatters, and supporting such unsavory enterprises as slaughterhouses and associated glue works. The City employed some 500 laborers under the direction of the Chief Engineer, Egbert L. Viele, and a rather nebulous plan was being followed in the attempt to convert a dismal and barren region with outcroppings of jagged rocks into a verdant retreat. This situation looked rather hopeless when Frederick Law Olmsted, who bad been a successful scientific farmer, a topographical engineer, and had an inherent interest in landscaping, applied for the position of Superintendent. After some vicissitudes he was given the assignment, mostly because the name of Washington Irving (an invited consultant to the Board of Commissioners of Central Park) appeared among his papers. Olmsted’s duties were to act as executive officer for the Engineer with respect to the laborers, and to have charge of the police force in the park. Obviously his powers respecting the design were limited.

Grand Central Terminal Video Guide

Right in the heart of Manhattan, the Grand Central Terminal has a truly appropriate name. Although sometimes referred to as Grand Central Station, it really is a terminal since all train lines terminate or originate here. As so many other things in New York, the size of the Grand Central is the first thing to note. Entering through one of the side entrances, it is easy to walk for a long time without any train in sight. Restaurants, shopping malls, all clean and seemingly new, after the restoration works in the 1990s.
The Grand Central Terminal was built in 1913, in the golden age of railways and way before airline travel overtook railways as the main means of transportation. Although unfortunately the outside of the station was completely covered when I last visited, the grandness of the design can still be appreciated from hints sticking through the scaffolding. It overpowers you once you step inside. This railway station is in fact so big that there are actually tours to give visitors a guided impression of its grandeur.

Times Squar Video Guide

Named after the New York Times, which moved here in 1924, Times Square is a vibrant, neon-lit area in the heart of the Theater District. Once populated by peep shows and sex shops, it has undergone a complete image overhaul. Hotels, office towers and commercial businesses have sprung up. Disney has moved in, as well as Conde Nast. Megastores and theme restaurants have also set up shop. Times Square remains the city’s favorite venue for New Year’s Eve, where a huge street party…

St.Patrick Cathedral Video Guide

This gothic style structure was designed by James Renwick, built from 1858 to 1874.

Metropolitan Museum of Art Video Guide

Any visitor to New York should spend at least a couple of hours at this vast museum. Designed by Richard Morris Hunt in 1895, it has more than 1.5 million square feet of exhibition space. European paintings on display include works by Monet, Degas, Van Gogh, Cezanne, Titian and Vermeer. The Egyptian gallery is unparalleled. Asian art, sculpture, armory, and photography also vie for your attention. During warm weather, the open-air roof garden displays contemporary sculpture

Greenwich Village Video Guide

The zigzagging streets and charming brownstones of the Greenwich Village have a far more laid back atmosphere than most neighborhoods in the city. The center of New York’s gay and student communities lies here, with a variety of funky shopping and nightlife including jazz, rock and dance clubs, restaurants, bars and cafes. By the early 1900s, the Village had fully established itself as the center of radical thinking in the United States.

New York Yankees Video Guide