New York: The City That Doesn’t Sleep

Hands down, New York is the one magical city whose spirit you must explore and savor, at least for once in your lifetime. Nicknamed the Big Apple, one can never finish it off with the simple visit in just a few days.

How can one finish off such a string of theater hits at Broadway, all of them already enthroned in the pantheon of classic hits? How do you finish off such tours at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), the One World Observatory, the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum, the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island tours, a tour at Madame Tussaud New York, or at Ripley’s Believe It or Not?

How can one savor a Yankee game, amble across the famous New York Central Park, visit American Museum of Natural History, New York movie and TV sites (used as sets of famous movies), the Lion King, Saturday Night Live exhibition, a Cirque de Soleil show, among so many other things to see and do?

Maybe, we can mention a handful of them.

A Walking Tour

Like every one would ask, where does one begin exploring New York? For first time visitors, one needs to ask help from experts.  There are some favorite city tours on foot along some of the city’s important districts.

An important part of New York is its Financial District. This is the oldest district within Manhattan. Actually, Wall Street was literally a wall that separates the northern edge of New Amsterdam from the attacks of Native Americans.

The walk explores the history of the district from the American Revolution all the way to today’s market crashes. It ends up at the site where the old World Trade Center was.

Boat Cruises

There are several boat cruises that you can take to view Manhattan from the Hudson River. There are famous landmarks that can be mesmerizing viewed from the river front. This includes One World Trade Center, the Statue of Liberty and the Brooklyn Bridge.

Check out the other cruises to see what other sights you want to see. Some tours have other offerings that go with the night-time sight-seeing tours (vantage viewing decks, some drinks during the cruise, maybe some musical entertainment on the side).

Bus Tours

Some city tours are best done on top of tourist buses that feature the city’s electric nature after dark. These double-deckers goes through the city’s illuminated streets showcasing the many famous landmarks around (Times Square, Empire State Building, etc.)

The tours run across the East River into Brooklyn where Manhattan is seen from across the river, all in its lighted magic.

Empire State Building observatory

This observatory housed on the 86th floor of another famous city landmark is an all-time tourist favorite from people all over the world. Of course, the biggest reason is the panoramic view it affords the visitor about New York.

Visitors can see a sweeping vista of Brooklyn, Queens, even New Jersey and other adjacent Manhattan districts. Today’s tickets now include a handheld audio-visual multimedia tour (available in English and 7 major world languages). The famous observation binoculars are all coin-operated (quarters only).

New York, just like the song, makes you want to be a part of it all.