Go on a trip before you travel. Virtual Manhattan

There are few places that are that are so ever present in collective memories as Manhattan. It is the most filmed city in the world and immediately recognised. The vivid colours of Times Square, the theatres of 42nd Street, Fifth Avenue, Central Park, the Rockefeller Centre, Wall Street, the hubbub of Chinatown and the State Island Ferry, everything is recognisable in New York. You will love it…but you will love even more what you have yet to find out about it.

A good exercise to prepare for your trip would be to know what the city is like even before you visit it. Watch the film "Manhattan" (Woody Allen, 1979). It is recognised by critics as one of the best films of this New Yorker Film Director and one of the best cinematographic productions of the 70’s.

If your trip is going to coincide with the basketball season, you won’t want to miss one of the New York Nicks matches. It is the local team and not to be confused with the New York Mets, that have their central base outside of Manhattan. Madison Square Garden, the Nicks Stadium, is a spectacle in itself. Don’t miss the opportunity to visit.

Before starting out on your journey, buy your entrance tickets via internet at NBA.com.. It shows you view of the pitch from the seat you have purchased. The day of the match you will have to collect your ticket from the ticket stall in the stadium, and you will need to present proof of purchase, the credit card used for the transaction and your passport.

If it isn’t the basketball season then you will still have the opportunity to visit Madison Square Garden: it is also a venue for many concerts and other big shows. Look for detailed information on the official site: TheGarden.com.

If it is the theatre season and you had thought about visiting Broadway, then do so! Even if you do not speak English as you can always go to a musical whose story line you are already familiar with; Tarzan, Beauty and the Beast, the Phantom of the Opera have all been on Broadway for years.

You can buy your tickets for Broadway via the official web page of each particular theatre. However take heed of a word of warning, some prices may not be suited to everyone’s budget. You can also get entrance tickets en TCKT´s (they have a kiosk in the middle of Times Square, so its easy enough to find, you can sometimes get tickets for 50% less compared to the box office prices, however it is the tickets on sale are normally for shows on that same day.