Being a twenty four hour city, a visitor may find that a short vacation in New York just isn’t enough time to take in everything it has to offer. One of the most important places to see is the Empire State Building, it has a facade that is famous around the world. Although, if it is views you are after then it is the Rockefeller Centre that you want to visit and at just over 820 feet, you will only be disappointed if the weather is bad so you may need to plan for this one. Possibly equal to The State Building is The Statue of Liberty but owing to delays with the ferry trips it might be worth viewing this ‘beautiful lady’ (and an inspiration to many) from Ellis Island.
Thankfully, the Staten Island ferry is free and provides some great views of the Lower Manhattan skyline and the Statue of Liberty, there are always a good number of professional standard street performers to watch. If you are spending a short vacation in New York you’ve got to see the site where the World Trade Center Towers stood, something that changed all our lives. The area where they stood is surprisingly large plus the emptiness feels strange and if you like taking photographs, you may be disappointed here because it just doesn’t feel right. For those who love to shop there is of course the famous Tiffany’s and Broadway plus some fantastic old discount warehouses worth a look down on the Lower East Side.
Of course you must not miss out Maceys where there is always a sale on or the very expensive Bloomingdales. Unfortunately, the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum will be closed until late 2008, well worth looking in if your around at that time of the grand re-opening. There is a great deal there with the focus on the USS Intrepid, a Second World War aircraft carrier but Concorde is also there and many other interesting vessels, including a submarine. Although it is actually free to enter, the NY City Police Museum is funded by donations from visitors (five dollars is the recommended amount), all sorts of items are on display here and it’s a great place for souvenirs.
After that why not visit the Lower East Side Tenement Museum as it’s a time capsule of migrant New York built in 1864 and was a grim home for waves of immigrants - it’s what made America great (and appalling for a time). There is more history in the City of New York Museum on Central Park which holds exhibitions of the past, present and future. The building’s pretty grand and the shop sells quality souvenirs and while admission to this venue is free, a nine dollar donation is recommended. There is a huge amount to see and do in this city and if you are staying anything less than a short vacation in New York, you will hardly scratch the surface!
