New York
New York is the largest city in the United States and is made up of five different boroughs that are all large enough to be called cities in their own right. Each of these boroughs has their own districts that each represents a different flavour of NYC or the Big Apple as New York is often referred to as.
Due to its massive size and notable part of American culture, New York is considered the epicentre of fashion, media, food, culture, finance, and trade in the United States. It also has one of the most famous skylines in the world, which is dominated by the Empire State Building.
Each of the five boroughs of New York City is known for its own attractions and sites with Manhattan taking the cake as the commercial capital of the US, as well as many upscale neighbourhoods. Brooklyn is known for its musical and cultural scene, with many aspiring artists and of course for the historical Coney Island.
Queens is found along the river and is where both of the major New York airports are located as well as the Mets baseball team and Chinatown.
On the other side of New York is The Bronx which is known for the very large Bronx Zoo and the Yankees baseball team, as well as plenty of inner city neighbourhoods. The last borough is Staten Island, which is closer to the New Jersey shore and is known for its upper class suburban feel.
New York is historically one of the most important cities in the world, as well as influential with many of the largest corporations in the world controlling their companies from New York. In fact, even the United Nations has its headquarters in New York, which brings many of the world’s most influential leaders to the city on a regular basis.
The climate of New York fluctuates seasonally with hot humid summers and extremely cold winters that involve a heavy amount of precipitation. Due to the fact that snowstorms are a frequent fact of life in New York during the winter, the spring and summer months are the best time to visit.
Most of New York is laid out in a grid making it easier to get around the city once you catch on to the flow of the numbered streets. Walking is the best way to get around in New York due to the congestion, although the public transportation subway option is also a pretty cheap way to travel the city. It is not colour coded but instead numerically numbered which requires travellers to pay close attention to their route.
New York has an abundance of landmarks and cultural icons to see during a visit so plan carefully because even on a long holiday there is a good chance you will still miss some of the top things to see and do. Some sites to make sure you see during a holiday include Times Square, Central Park, Rockefeller Plaza, the Empire State Building, and the Lincoln Centre.
