What to do and visit in Manhattan

Everything

Don’t worry, even trip that only lasts three or four days is enough to get to know New York, although it is a better idea to go for at least seven days in order to cover all of Manhattan at your leisure which is worth taking the time to do.

We recommend that you purchase the City Pass . It is a card that gives you access to six of the main tourist attractions of New York.

1) The Empire State Building Observatory.

2) The Circle Line boat cruises

3) The Natural History Museum

4) The Guggenheim Museum

5) El Museum of Modern Art -MOMA-

6) The Metropolitan Art Museum

The pass is 65$ plus taxes, which means you save about 50% of the official ticket office price. Furthermore, the CITY PASS also has the added advantage of not having to queue at the ticket office only once in the entrance queue, which makes your visit quicker. It is valid for 7 days from the day when you visit your first tourist attraction. It is ideal for first time visitors.

On the interactive map that we have included in this web site, some of the places that we consider to be more interesting, for various reasons, are highlighted. Two of them have been visited by the team at nyc-travelguide.com or by people who collaborate with us. The photographs are our own. If you prefer to visit a map prepared by specialists then the official web page of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency of the United States is recommended.

We have mentioned all we can about New York, so we won’t try to reiterate information that we have already given you, however we will try to point out added details that you may not be aware of.

For example, the Natural History Museum, you need at least a week to be able to see all of it. You may also want to know that there is a direct entrance from the Metro. You can access it from the line B, the orange line and line C, the blue line. The stop is called after the Museum so it is easy to recognise and practical it is raining on the day you choose to visit. The rest of the information that you need to know is at your disposal once inside the Museum, in Park Avenue (Central Park West), between 77th and 81st Street, it really is worthwhile to cover all its halls and galleries.

The Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum is very entertaining. It is found at the end of 46th Street in Dock 86. It is really and aircraft carrier used by the United States Navy during the Second World War. Inside there are flight simulators, projection screens and various activities. It is a great mistake not to visit the deck where on display there are various aeroplanes used in the war. When you leave the aircraft carrier you have still to visit an authentic Concorde and a submarine. Outside you will find the official Museum Shop where you can purchase various curious articles that perhaps would make an original present for someone at home.

Next to the Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum you can take the Circle Line, a boat cruise that will take you on a trip around Manhattan. You will see the Sky-Line of Manhattan from the Hudson River. There are various journeys. If you choose to do the return journey on the boat cruise you will be able to see the Yankees Stadium from the East side.

To the South of Manhattan, at number 33 Liberty Street, you can find the Federal Reserve Bank of New York . Here is where they store the biggest gold reserve in the State and along with Fort Knox, the biggest gold reserve of the United States. It is supposedly 30% of the whole of the gold reserve in the world. You can do a tour that lasts approximately sixty minutes. There are various interactive machines that allow you recreate the North American finance system and you will see a film which explains how they make dollars and what happens to the dollars that are removed from circulation. The tour allows you to familiarise yourself with the inside of the building and get to know how one of the largest economies in the world works. You will, at one point, have the gold bars within your reach and learn about the security measures. The tour is free but you must reserve it beforehand via internet.

If you have the chance, take the Ferry to Staten Island . It isn’t to visit the island but just to experience the Ferry. From the deck you can see, quite close at hand, the Statue of Liberty, on Liberty Island and enjoy a pleasant ferry journey that, you may not realise, has featured in many cinematographic productions. The journey is free.

At anytime of the day, but especial at the first hours at the morning, Dunkin-Donuts, it will make you feel like an authentic New Yorker.

Visit the NY Public Library , on the Fifth Avenue; you can get a user card straight away. The Library staff will take a digital photograph and give you your library ticket there and then. With this you can take advantage of some of the exclusive services for registered users. There is, amongst other things, free internet access, for limited periods of time which allows everyone to access the service.

Another option to get free access to Internet is to visit the central office of Times Square Alliance, which is obviously found in Times Square. It is a tourist information centre, with hundreds of free maps and plans, transport information, theatre productions, and lots of other activities. Once you have gained access you will find computers to your right which are for the use of visiting tourists and are free.

Probably, the most famous book shop in New York is Barnes & Noble. It doesn’t just sell books, but stationery, games, DVD’s, computer accessories and other products. It is a good place to choose a present. We recommend that you visit one of their stores; you can also buy things via their web site. Be careful with what you purchase as not all DVD’s are compatible in Europe.

A less well known book shop is Bauman Rare Books . Perhaps you would like to visit it, if so you will find it in Madison Avenue, number 535, between 54th and 55th Street. On the subject of book shops, don’t miss a visit to Strand Books-Store, in the South. They sell second hand books in huge quantities and at very good prices.

Tourists do not often visit Harlem on their first visit to New York. One option is to hire a guide to take you there. Your hotel will inform you how to go about this. However, you can go directly to calle 125, it is well worth a visit. There are many shops here and it is very crowded and it is as good as the centre of Manhattan. At number 55 West, are located the offices of Bill Clinton’s private company, the Ex-President of the United States. At 253 West you can find the mythical New York Apollo Theater and at 666 West the legendary Cotton Club. All of this is in the located in 125th Street, furthermore it has its own Tube Station with many different lines.