ShermansTravel.com

Spotlight

New York City

Attractions

No matter where you choose to start, you'll find there's more to see and do in New York City than can be done in a lifetime. If you're short on time, an organized city tour can make a great introduction and certainly, the narrated double-decker bus tours (Gray Line; 777 Eighth Ave. btwn 47th & 48th sts.; 8.30am–8.30pm; $34-$109; www.newyorksightseeing.com) that careen around town and the harbor cruises (Circle Line; Pier 83 at 42nd St. on the Hudson River; schedules vary; $19-$29; www.circleline.com) that circumnavigate the island of Manhattan are always a hit. But some of the best and funkiest tours cover the ground on foot. Our top picks include Big Onion Walking Tours ($15; www.bigonion.com), focused on historic districts and special themes; NoshWalks ($33; www.noshwalks.com), which offers tips on eating your way through the Big Apple; and On Location Tours ($15-$40; www.sceneontv.com), which lets you check out where your favorite shows have been shot, from Friends to Sex in the City to The Sopranos. The city's tourism board, NYC & Company (810 Seventh Ave. btwn 52nd and 53rd sts.; 212/484-1200 or 800/692-4843; www.nycvisit.com) carries comprehensive visitor info, including discount coupons to popular shows and attractions.

Midtown
Midtown is the energized epicenter of Manhattan’s bustle and buzz. Many of the attractions, restaurants, hotels, and retail businesses of interest to visitors are located in this largest neighborhood of Manhattan, which is also its commercial heart. It stretches from about 30th to 59th streets between the East and the Hudson Rivers, with Fifth Avenue dividing city streets into east and west. Kick off a tour of the area – and get a great overview of the city – with a morning visit (arrive early to beat the lines) to the Empire State Building (350 Fifth Ave. btwn 33rd & 34th sts.; daily 8am-12am, last elevator goes up at 11.15pm; $16; www.esbnyc.com). At 102 floors, the Empire State Building is, unfortunately, once again the tallest building in New York City (following the World Trade Center attacks); its observatory is open for spectacular views day and night. The Morgan Library and Museum (225 Madison Ave. at 36th St.; Tue-Thu 10.30am-5pm, Fri 10.30am-9pm, Sat 10am-6pm, Sun 11am-6pm; $12, free Fri 7-9pm; www.themorgan.org) is nearby and boasts one of the world's greatest collections of original literary and musical works, including three Gutenberg Bibles, Dickens and Twain manuscripts, and original scores of Mozart and Beethoven. Also in the vicinity, monumental Grand Central Terminal (42nd St. at Park Ave.; 5.30am-1am; free; www.grandcentralterminal.com) is a Beaux-Arts beauty with a splendid concourse (be sure to look up at the stellar – and we mean it literally – mural painted on the ceiling) positively thronged with commuters at rush hour – making it a great place to truly feel the city's pulse.

Heading back west on 42nd Street to Fifth Avenue, you'll stumble upon the lovely Beaux-Arts facade of the New York Public Library (Fifth Ave. at 42nd St.; Mon-Wed 9am-9pm, Thur-Sat 10am-6pm; free; www.nypl.org), flanked by its two famous marble lion sculptures, named Patience and Fortitude. While many content themselves with an exterior view, the majestic third-floor reading rooms are worth venturning inside to admire; the Rose Main Reading Room in particular is a splendid wood-paneled space with lofty ceilings and soothing frescoes. Meanwhile, behind the library lies Bryant Park (btwn Fifth & Sixth aves. and 40th & 42nd Sts; www.bryantpark.org), one of the city's loveliest green spaces; it's a great spot to take a break and watch the New York world go by.

In sharp contrast to the quietude of Bryant Park, Times Square (42nd St. at juncture of Bdwy & Seventh Ave.; www.timessquare.com), a few short blocks away, is an over-the-top sensory experience, with a cluster of chain shops, restaurants, and tawdry attractions competing for your attention. Steer clear of the tourist traps and just spend some time ogling the astonishing spectacle of it all. If you can, plan to visit at night, when the lights shine their brightest and the buzz of Broadway is in the air, thanks to grand old theaters that line the surrounding streets (see Nightlife, below, for more information).

The northern reaches of Midtown finds prestigious venues like Carnegie Hall (154 W. 57th St. btwn Sixth & Seventh aves.; 212/247-7800; www.carnegiehall.org) and Radio City Music Hall (1260 Sixth Ave. at 50th St.; 212/307-7171; www.radiocity.com), as well as the 1930s art deco-inspired Rockefeller Center (Fifth Ave. between 47th & 51st sts.; 212/332-6868; www.rockefellercenter.com), a complex of corporate offices, shops, restaurants, and attractions; check out the view from the Top of the Rock observatory (30 Rockefeller Plaza; 8am-12am, last elevator goes up at 11pm; $17.50; www.topoftherocknyc.com), take the NBC Studio Tour (30 Rockefeller Plaza; every 30 mins Mon-Thu 8.30am-5.30pm, Fri-Sat 8.30am-5.30pm, Sun 9.30am-4.30pm; $18.50; www.nbcuniversalstore.com), wave outside the Today show studio window, and in winter, check out the famous Christmas tree and take a spin on the ice rink below. Across Fifth Avenue, don't miss St. Patrick's Cathedral (Fifth Ave. at E. 50th St.; 212/753-2261; www.stpatrickscathedral.org), the famed Roman Catholic cathedral known for its stunning stained-glassed windows and Virgin Mary (Pieta) statue that's three times larger than the one at St. Peter's in Rome.

After some window shopping on Fifth Avenue (see Shopping), head to the recently refurbished Museum of Modern Art (11 W. 53 St. btwn. Fifth & Sixth aves.; 212/708-9400; Sat-Mon, Wed-Thu 10.30am-5.30pm, Fri 10.30am-8pm; $20; www.moma.org). Better known as MoMA, the museum boasts a fantastic exhibition space that provides a forum for its vast collection of art, representing all of the biggies of the late 19th century to the present.

Upper East Side
Much of the Upper East Side consists oftony residential quarters – elegant rows of town houses and posh residents, but for tourists, the neighborhood's tour de force is Museum Mile, claiming no less than nine stupendous cultural institutions. Here, you can visit the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (1071 Fifth Ave. at E. 89th St.; Sat-Wed 10am-5.45pm, Fri 10am-7.45pm; $18; www.guggenheim.org), with its ever-changing and much-anticipated exhibitions, as well as a permanent collection that includes Picasso, Kandinsky, and an array of French Impressionists. Nearby, The Metropolitan Museum of Art (1000 Fifth Ave. at E. 82nd St.; Sun, Tue-Thu 9.30am-5.30pm, Fri-Sat 9.30am-9pm; $20 suggested donation; www.metmuseum.org), or simply, "The Met," is the star of the New York museum scene. The collection spans ancient to 20th-century works and the museum also hosts special exhibitions throughout the year. Other notable area museums include the Whitney Museum of American Art (945 Madison Ave. at E. 75th St; Wed, Thu, Sat, Sun 11am-6pm, Fri 1pm-9pm; $15, Fri 6-9pm, pay-what-you-wish; www.whitney.org), the home of the famous Whitney Biennial and frequent rotating exhibits in addition to an American art collection spanning the 20th century and what's transpired of the 21st. The Frick Collection (1 E. 70th St., btwn Madison and Fifth Aves.; Tue-Sat 10am-6pm, Sun 11am-5pm; $15, Sun 11am-1pm pay-what-you-wish; www.frick.org), is a smaller, lovely fine arts destination not only for its collection but for the splendid 18th-century mansion it occupies.

Central Park
The lungs of New York City, Central Park covers 843 acres between Fifth Avenue and Central Park West, from 59th to 110th Streets. It is full of treasures awaiting discovery: some favorite spots include the gorgeous, lakeside Bethesda Fountain, situated just steps from The Loeb Boat House, where rowboats (mid-April-Oct, daily 9.30am-5.30pm; $10 first hour) and bicycles ($9-15 per hour) are available for hire. Beatles' fans will also want to make the pilgrimage to Strawberry Fields, a memorial garden in tribute to John Lennon. The park is also crammed with kid-pleasers, including 21 playgrounds, a nice, easily manageable little zoo, a carousel, and a marionette theater. Visitor can pick up a map ($4) and request information about tours and special events at the Dairy Visitor Center (mid-park at 65th St.; Tue-Sun 10am-5pm; www.centralparknyc.org).

Upper West Side & Morningside Heights
Bordering the western edge of Central Park, the Upper West Side is a residential neighborhood that houses several top attractions. The Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (Broadway btwn 62nd & 66th Sts.; 212/875-5000; www.lincolncenter.org)is the go-to spot for classical, contemporary, and innovative symphony, dance, jazz, opera, film, and theater. It's the permanent home for several New York companies, including the Metropolitan Opera, the New York City Ballet, and the New York Philharmonic Orchestra.

The American Museum of Natural History (Central Park West at W. 79th St.; daily 10am-5.45 pm; $14; www.amnh.org) is another star attraction, featuring huge dinosaur skeletons and the four-story Hayden Planetarium. If the kids need to burn off some steam head to Riverside Park (72nd to 158th Sts. on the Hudson River) – the Hudson River here is lined by the 4-mile long haven with picturesque views and biking, blading, and jogging paths.

Morningside Heights is worth a venture, where you can explore the campus of Columbia University (116th St. & Broadway; 212/854-1754; www.columbia.edu), as well as the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine (1047 Amsterdam Ave. at 112th St.; Mon-Sat 7am-6pm, Sun 7am-7pm, Cathedral closes at 6pm on Sun. in July & Aug; www.stjohndivine.org), the world's largest gothic cathedral – still under construction, it's been a work-in-progress since 1892.

Lower Manhattan & the Statue of Liberty
Any visitor's agenda for the Big Apple should include a visit to the Statue of Liberty (212/363-3200; hours vary seasonally; free with ferry fare; www.nps.gov/stli); get to the ferry terminal (Battery Park; 866/782-8834; $11.50; www.circlelinedowntown.com) in Battery Park nice and early before the lines get too long. Ferry fare also includes a stop at Ellis Island (212/363-3200; hours vary seasonally; free with ferry fare; www.nps.gov/elis), where between 1892 and 1954, 12 million immigrants passed through New York Harbor. Take a turn at the computers to see if you can find members of your family.

If you want to get out on the harbor but save a few bucks in the process, consider the Staten Island Ferry (Whitehall Ferry Terminal; 718/727-2508; free; www.siferry.com) – affording great skyline, Brooklyn Bridge, and Statue of Liberty views both day and night. You'll cross the harbor to Staten Island, and can then catch another ferry back to downtown. Best of all? It's free (plus, there are dirt-cheap beers on sale at the snack bar onboard).

Back on dry land, walk to Wall Street, home to the New York Stock Exchange (11 Wall St. at Broad St.; no public access permitted inside; www.nyse.com) and the heart of the Financial District. History buffs shouldn't miss Federal Hall National Memorial (26 Wall St. at Broad St.; free; www.nps.gov/feha), situated where George Washington took his oath as America's first president, or nearby Fraunces Tavern (54 Pearl St. at Broad St; Tue-Fri 12pm-5pm, Sat 10am-5pm; $4; www.frauncestavernmuseum.org), a favorite haunt for the Revolutionary-era Sons of Liberty – you can still dine there today. Next, pay your respects with a stop at Ground Zero (bordered by Church, Barclay, Liberty, and West Sts.) to take in the enormity of what happened at the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.

Walking over the late 19th-century the Gothic-inspired Brooklyn Bridge is an awe-inspiring journey with phenomenal views of Manhattan, best enjoyed if start your walk on the Brooklyn side of the bridge (just hop the subway a stop to the Brooklyn side of the river). Upon descending from the Brooklyn Bridge, you'll find yourself in the city's Civic Center, with City Hall and its lovely park straight ahead, and the majestic court buildings around Foley Square just to the north.

Chinatown, Little Italy, & Lower East Side
Chinatown is certainly one of New York's more colorful neighborhoods, where a lively combination of sights, smells, and sounds combine old and new worlds seamlessly. It's a great place to stop for authentic, inexpensive Chinese cuisine and to stroll through traditional herbal-medicine stores, fish markets, or unusual souvenir and knock-off shops, especially on Canal Street.

Every expanding Chinatown has nearly swallowed up neighboring Little Italy, but some nostalgic pockets of this part of the city remain, mostly centered on Mulberry Street (look for the flag of Italy) are some great Italian restaurants here where you can mangia the night away.

The Lower East Side is experiencing a hipster renaissance, with an influx of hot new nightspots and restaurants opening regularly, but hit up Katz's Delicatessen (205 E. Houston St. at Ludlow St.; 212/254-2246; www.katzdeli.com), for a taste of the classic Lower East Side (see Restaurants). The five-story building that houses the Lower East Side Tenement Museum (97 Orchard St.; Tue-Fri 1.20pm-4.45pm, Sat-Sun 11am-5pm, access by guided tours only, tours leave every 40 min; $15; www.tenement.org), meanwhile, recreates the experiences of poor immigrants who came through Ellis Island in the late-19th and early 20th century.

TriBeCa & SoHo
When the cost of living in SoHo became too expensive for the starving artists, they quickly claimed TriBeCa (Triangle Below Canal) as their new home, converting warehouses into loft apartments and galleries.Big-name restaurants followed (think Nobu & Tribeca Grill) as did the Tribeca Film Festival (held every spring) and now it is one of the hippest 'hoods in the city. One of the city's quirkiest attractions is the Trapeze School New York (Hudson River Park on West St. btwn piers 34 & 26; 917/797-1872; classes from $47; www.trapezeschool.com).Set in beautiful Hudson River Park, it's an extraordinary experience, even if you don't plan to run off to the circus.

Lively SoHo (South of Houston Street), meanwhile, is bursting at the seams with hundreds of art galleries, restaurants, and boutiques in an area that is equivalent to just a quarter of a square mile. If shopping is your game, SoHo is the place to play (see Shopping).

Greenwich Village & the East Village
Greenwich Village is one of Manhattan's oldest neighborhoods, and one of the city's best for just about everything from shopping to dining to people watching. The funkier, edgier precincts of the East Village, meanwhile, host some great music clubs and quirky bars and shops.

While there's not much in the way of typical tourist attractions, just strolling Greenwich Village - also known as the West Village or the Village - is a pleasure in itself. The quarter's townhouses, private courtyards, and cobblestone streets recall haunts of famous resident writers from Poe to Twain, artists from Rockwell to Pollock, and high-profile hippies and Beats like Ginsberg and Kerouac. Washington Square Park (South end of Fifth Ave. at Waverly Pl. btwn MacDougal & University Pl.) with its prominent arch is a fantastic place to encounter a Venice Beach-like atmosphere – a tribute to the area's anything-goes attitude. It is also a major community for gays and lesbians, particularly around Christopher Street.

The action in the East Village is centered on St. Marks Place and shopping strips like 9th Street, and extends into Alphabet City (named for avenues A, B, C, and D). It is a popular spot to head in search of excellent ethnic restaurants, record stores, eccentric shops, tattoo parlors, unique bars, and even its trademark punk-rock clubs. Tompkins Square Park (btwn Aves. A & B and E. 10th & E. 7th Sts.) with its towering elm trees and lively dog park is a great spot to kick back and imagine the luminaries who used to hang here - legendary jazz saxophonist Charlie "Bird" Parker lived north of here in the 1950s at 151 Avenue B, while famed Beat-poet Allen Ginsberg was in residence just a few blocks down (170 E. 2nd St. btwn Aves. A & B).

Chelsea, Meatpacking District & Union Square
North of the Village, the trendy and largely gay community of Chelsea provides a one-stop fix for gallery-goers, sports enthusiasts (thanks to the fantastic Chelsea Piers complex), and scenester night owls as a result of its adjacent and ever-more trendy Meatpacking District.

To tap into New York's contemporary art market, center your efforts on the three blocks with Chelsea's greatest concentration of galleries on 22nd, 24th, and 25th streets between Tenth and Eleventh avenues. Then, for a change of pace, check out where chic New Yorkers go to work out and unwind at the Chelsea Piers (23rd St. & the Hudson River; 212/336-6666; www.chelseapiers.com) sports complex on the banks of the Hudson – aside from a health club and spa, it hosts a slew of sporting activities from bowling to ice skating and rock climbing to putting on the driving range, all open to the public.

At Chelsea's and the Village's far west side, the Meatpacking District is home to rave-review restaurants and hot new nightspots. The neighborhood has transformed itself from a wholesale butchery district to the epicenter of the city's scene – still a meat market, in some sense, where the city's young and hip come to flutter eyelashes and flirt the night away.

Moving east from Chelsea, the Union Square area (see Shopping) is a major hub of commercial and civic activity, situated north of 14th Street and dissecting bustling Broadway with its three-block stretch of park area. The square has historically served as the setting for rallies and other community gatherings, and is also the site of the city's premier Greenmarket (a farmer's market à la Manhattan), held several days a week (Mon, Wed, Fri, & Sat 8am-6pm).

Further Afield
Harlem has enjoyed a renaissance in recent years, attracting new restaurants, shops, nightspots, and even the offices of former president Bill Clinton. Saunter by some of the best-preserved brownstones in the city, sample savory soul food (we like Sylvia's Restaurant of Harlem; www.sylviassoulfood.com), or experience firsthand its great music venues and spirited Sunday gospel (try the Gothic-style Abyssinian Baptist, www.abyssinian.org). Its main shopping drag is 125th Street, where national chains like Disney and Old Navy mix with African hair braider salons and one-off record and book shops – it is also the site of famed concert venue, the Apollo Theater (253 W. 125th St. btwn Seventh Ave. & Frederick Douglas Blvd.; 212/531-5300; www.apollotheater.com).

Take a trek to Manhattan's northernmost reaches at The Cloisters (Fort Tryon Park; Nov-Feb, Tue-Sun 9.30am-4.45pm, Mar-Oct 9.30am-5.15pm; $20 suggested donation; www.metmuseum.org), the seat of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's medieval art collection, in Fort Tryon Park. The Middle Ages practically come alive at this picturesque complex overlooking the Hudson River.

If after all this you think you'll actually have time or energy to take trips outside Manhattan, there are certainly some worthwhile excursions. Keep in mind that some of the city's most interesting ethnic pockets of restaurants and shops are found in its outer boroughs, especially Queens and Brooklyn, with neighborhoods settled by immigrants from around the globe. Many amazing off-the-beaten-track museums are in areas other than Manhattan: the Brooklyn Museum of Art (200 Eastern Pkwy., Brooklyn; Sat-Sun 11am-6pm, Wed-Fri 10am-5pm, first Sat of month has late opening 11am-11pm; $8 suggested donation; www.brooklynmuseum.org), the Museum of the Moving Image (35 Ave. at 36 St., Astoria; Wed-Thu 11am-5pm, Fri 11am-8pm, Sat-Sun 11am-6.30pm; $10, free after 4pm on Fri; www.movingimage.us) in Queens, and Staten Island's Jacques Marchais Museum of Tibetan Art (338 Lighthouse Ave., Staten Island; Wed-Sun 1pm-5pm; $5; www.tibetanmuseum.org) all rank high on our list.

The Bronx Zoo (Bronx River Pkwy. at Fordham Rd., Bronx; Apr-Oct, Mon-Fri 10am-5pm, Sat-Sun 10am-5.30pm, Nov-Mar 10am-4.30pm; $14; www.bronxzoo.com) is well worth a subway ride for the enormous range it offers, from the Butterfly Garden to the 6.5-acre Congo Gorilla Forest and Tiger Mountain exhibit. The world-famous Coney Island (W. 8th St. at Surf Ave., Brooklyn; www.coneyisland.com) amusement park in Brooklyn is another advisable trek (particularly in summer), with its vintage honky-tonk boardwalk, Nathan's original hot dog stand, and rides that include the nearly 80-year-old Cyclone roller coaster.

Sports fans may also want to head out to Shea Stadium (123-01 Roosevelt Ave.; 718/507-6387; www.mets.com) to meet the Amazin' Mets out on their home turf in Flushing, Queens, or to catch a game at the house that Ruth built at Yankee Stadium (E. 161st St. at River Ave.; 718/293-4300; www.yankees.com) in the Bronx. Both stadiums are scheduled to be demolished, and replaced with newer incarnations in 2009.