Have a Truly Unique NYC Experience
New York City offers so much to see and do, which means planning your trip to the Big Apple can be quite the stressful undertaking. Even if you think you have it all figured out, all your planning will go out the window when you first step onto the busy streets and are arrested by all of the sights, smells, noises and people.
Talk about overwhelming!
Keep in mind that you’ll never be able to check off everything in just one trip, even if you decide to go sleepless in New York, as custom goes. It’s okay to save some things for your inevitable return to the big city.
Compounding the problem is the fact that most people are only in New York for a few days. For example, the city often tops lists of destinations for girls weekend getaways, so if you’re trying to pack all the best into a few days, you’re going to need to narrow things down a little.
If you want to make the most of your time here, these are the things to do in New York City that need to be at the top of your list!
Visit the Empire State Building Late at Night
The Big Apple’s most iconic landmark is a definite must-visit, but the best way to experience it is by going late at night. Save it for the grand finale at the end of a long day and you’ll avoid wasting precious hours standing in line.
Plus you’ll get to see the dazzling lights of the city’s illuminated skyline.
The Empire State Building is open until 2 a.m. every night, with the last elevator going up at 1:15 a.m. If you’re able to go between 9 p.m. and 1 a.m. on a Thursday, Friday or Saturday, you can enjoy listening to the sounds of a live saxophonist while soaking up the view.
Take a Walk Through Central Park
If you want to experience authentic New York City life, take a stroll through Central Park. You never know who you’ll spot, as locals, including celebrities, enjoy spending time here too.
If you want to do more than just walk, you can rent a boat at the Loeb Boathouse and paddle around, check out the Central Park Zoo or explore the park on two wheels, pedaling to sights like Belvedere Castle and Strawberry Fields. Taking a bike tour is one of the most popular New York City tours you can take and will certainly enrich your experience in Central Park.
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Explore the Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Met is the largest museum in the Western Hemisphere and offers enough to keep visitors busy for days. Its collection includes more than 2 million works of art that spans the entire world from antiquity to the present.
Some of its highlights include the Egyptian Collection that features the tomb of Perneb, circa 2,440 BC, and the Temple of Dendur, built by the Roman Emperor Augustus in 15 BC.
Spectacular European paintings include masterpieces by the likes of Vermeer, Botticelli and Rembrandt.
Take in the Bright Lights of Times Square
Times Square is the cinematic epicenter of New York City tourism, and a must to experience after dark when it comes to life with all of its twinkling neon lights. It’s one of the most exciting, colorful places you’ll ever see, particularly around midnight.
As this is also the home of Broadway and the American theater industry with more than three dozen Broadway theaters hosting some of the most outstanding shows in the city, you might want to catch a live show first and then take in the scene at Times Square.
Shop ’til You Drop
Many visitors come to New York just for the shopping — and Fifth Avenue is considered a paradise for shoppers, offering some of the best on the planet. Even if you don’t have the cash to spend, window shopping can be fascinating, too.
If you’re on a budget and actually want to buy something, head to one of the world’s greatest flea markets, the Brooklyn Flea, hosted at Fort Greene on Saturdays and Williamsburg on Sundays.
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See the Statue of Liberty and Walk in the Footsteps of Immigrants at Ellis Island
The first glimpse of America for millions of immigrants was the Statue of Liberty, and as visitors approach it via the ferry from Battery Park, they often experience the same sense of wonder.
At the adjacent Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration, you can walk in the footsteps of the millions of immigrants that arrived. Here you can learn about their adventure to a new life in the United States through artifacts, taped oral histories, photographs and more.
You can also search the database, poring over the more than 20 million passenger records to see if you have an ancestor that came through Ellis Island in the late 19th and early 20th century.
Visit the 9/11 Memorial
Paying your respects to those who died in the 9/11 attacks is a sobering but memorable experience. Located on the site where the Twin Towers once stood, it features 30-foot waterfalls and reflecting pools that measure nearly an acre in size.
At the edge of the pools are bronze panels that are inscribed with the names of the nearly 3,000 people who died at the World Trade Center site, the Pentagon and in Pennsylvania’s Flight 93 crash.
A memorial museum tells the story of that fateful day through artifacts, archives, narratives and displays.
While the museum has an admission fee, the outdoor memorial is completely free, making this an accessible point of interest for those visiting New York City on a budget.
For an even more staggering view of Ground Zero, take a helicopter tour of New York — seeing the memorial from the air certainly adds to the emotional impact.