I have a love affair with him. “He” is strong, powerful, successful, all-consuming, always interesting and incredibly handsome… Yes, I am talking about the city of New York. And I am sure I am not the only one who was completely taken away by the charms of this city – you either love it or hate it, there is no way in between, but for sure the city does not leave you cold. The so called “global power city”, the most populous city in USA and one the most populous urban agglomerations in the world, is a centre of fashion, art, technology, education, research, entertainment, commerce, finance and media, so it has a very strong influence on the whole world. A as setting to countless American movies and TV show it also strongly represents the idea of “American Dream” and everybody wants to get a taste of the city for at least once in their life. For everyone who will be lucky enough to visit, I wanted to describe some of my top 10 things to do in New York City and hopefully you will enjoy them as much as I did.
Top 10 things to do in New York City
Top 10 Things to do in New York City – Tip 1 – Meatpacking District
A trendy area stretching from Gansevoort Street to West 14th Street and from the Hudson River to Hudson Street, is a very popular place to be in New York City today. Its beginnings go back into the 18th century when it started to develop industrially, all the way to the 80’s the area was famous for its open air markets and pork and veal meatpacking plants. In the 70’s some of the first underground gay clubs appeared and the activity in the area started changing into a night club and leather stores scene. Today the meatpacking district is famous for its countless fabulous bars and restaurants, with a great atmosphere, especially in the summer when there’s tables in the streets and music and delicious food scents coming from every corner. Definitely a place to go for all the trendy-spot-lovers.
Top 10 Things to do in New York City – Tip 2 – The High Line
The High Line is a public park right above the Meatpacking district part of Manhattan, which used to be a freight rail line. The rail line was built around 25 feet above the ground and once it was elevated it was discussed to be demolished, but people were in favour to preserve this historical monument and keep it for the enjoyment of the public. I absolutely loved this place, it is really beautifully arranged and it’s such a special feeling to walk lifted above the ground and enjoy the view of the New York streets and Hudson river from the birds’ perspective. It is maybe not such a famous New York sight, but an absolute must-see in my opinion.
Top 10 Things to do in New York City – Tip 3 – Bryant Park
Bryant Park is a great scenic location in the centre of Manhattan, only steps away from the New York Public Library and Fifth Avenue it is a great spot to stop by for thousands of tourists and residents living nearby. It is very close to Times Square and Broadway as well. In the summer it is a wonderful spot to have a drink in the refreshing shadows, watch a movie in the free public cinema or enjoy countless concerts and show taking place there. In the winter they even offer the ice skating ring at The Pond, in the fall it is a sight for the eyes with wonderful fall-colored trees, which makes it a great place to be at any time of the year.
Top 10 Things to do in New York City – Tip 4 – Times Square & Broadway
Times Square famous by its flashing billboards and advertisements, commonly named as “The Centre of the Universe”, which is not that far from the truth, since there is not many people who haven’t heard of it. It is not a place in New York to spend hours at, since it’s mostly very crowded and full of traffic, but you cannot go to New York and not see the atmosphere of this vibrant place. The best way for me to see Times Square was from the Broadway theatre rising up right above the square with a perfect view on it in the nighttime. Broadway theatres are right around the corners of the Times Square and are hosts of the world’s most famous musical and dance shows. I saw the Lion King which has been playing there for years already and after the show I couldn’t stop looking at the streets full of life and people from the second story of the theatre with a huge window offering the most amazing spot to observe the place.
Top 10 Things to do in New York City – Tip 5 – Chrysler Building
The fourth tallest building in New York in Art Deco style is one of the America’s favourite architectural sights. With its classy, elegant look rising above the New York streets, makes it a perfect sight to see. It offers a wonderful 360 degree sight of the Manhattan and that’s why it’s a popular spot for tourists to get a better view of the city. It is one of the first buildings to have been built with an extended amount of metal on the interior part and this is what gives it an even more special look besides of the design. Also the interior is a remarkable mixture of Moroccan marble walls, sienna-colored floor and onyx, blue marble and steel compositions. A great place to visit – so New York! 🙂
10 things to do in New York City
Top 10 Things to do in New York City – Tip 6 – Financial District
The financial district part of Manhattan is one of my absolute favourite parts of the city. From the rooftop bars there is a wonderful view of the Statue of Liberty and Staten Island. The best part is the close vicinity to the Park and the jogging part right on the riverside of the Hudson river, where there’s people jogging and walking ever day. There’s benches all along the riverbank with a gorgeous view of Jersey City of New Jersey on the other side of the river. This part of town is peaceful and surprisingly quiet considering there is tens of thousands of people nearby all the time. If I was ever to live in New York City, this would definitely be my pick.
Top 10 Things to do in New York City – Tip 7 – Trinity Church
The beautiful historical church, near the intersection of Wall Street and Broadway is a beautiful and unexpected sight while walking the streets of Wall Street. It looks like a scene from the movie with its picturesque graveyard behind the church. The history of this Episcopal church goes back to the Colonial era of New York and it survived the attack of the World Trade Centre in 2001 – it is very close to the memorial place. Beautiful sight for everyone who loves a peaceful and yet super movie-like scene.
Top 10 Things to do in New York City – Tip 8 – Baked by Melissa cupcake shop
I know this might sounds weird amongst all the other “real” NYC sights, but these cupcakes are so cute, delicious and so super New York-ish I simply think of them each time I think of New York. They only have shops in New York, but they are all over the city – my favourite one is the one in Wall Street area, because it’s located on a typical New-York-looking street with a magnificent view of the new World Trade Centre Tower, which looks completely futuristic and it’s very near the Trinity church, mentioned before, so It’s a great part of town to walk in. And those cupcakes are seriously to do for and in a one-bite-size.
Top 10 Things to do in New York City – Tip 9 – SO-HO
SO-HO is a great shopping and dinning area part of Manhattan, with all of the best and luxurious fashion brands available. Since I am an enthusiastic foodie I always appreciate great new spots to go have amazing meals, SO-HO was one of my beloved places to go explore the dinning gems it offers. There’s always a lot of events going on there – art exhibitions, concerts, sample sales – never a dull moment is SO-HO.
Top 10 Things to do in New York City – Tip 10 – Central Park
And last but not least – there is Central Park, the green heart of the Big Apple, that makes you forget you are in the middle of a huge concrete jungle with thousands of cars and millions of people. The park has great roads arranged inside suitable for walks, bicycling, roller skating and it really makes you feel like you are in the nature out of town – when you go more towards the centre of the park even the noise of the New York streets somehow disappears and you can hear the birds chirping and relax on a blanket in the beautiful park’s lawns like hundreds of people. I had a brunch in the French bistro inside of the park and it was an absolute great experience, a real relaxation from the quick tempo of the city’s busy streets.