If you visit New York City this year, you might set up the trip so you see and experience the things that most interest you. Maybe that means checking out a Broadway show or visiting museums. You might also see your favourite sports team or eat in some of the city’s best restaurants.
Whether you take a New York City helicopter tour with Brooklyn Bridge views or you strike out on foot, you should absolutely see certain sights. You can’t have the quintessential New York experience until you do.
Must-see sights in New York City
The Brooklyn Bridge
You can take a helicopter tour that includes the Brooklyn Bridge, or you can walk across it. If you walk, you will experience an amazing view. You can see Brooklyn, Manhattan, Staten Island, and the Statue of Liberty all at once.
It takes about half an hour to walk from one side of this glorious bridge to the other. You might also walk across the Manhattan Bridge, but it’s probably not so iconic. You see the Brooklyn Bridge on many postcards and shirts, and now, you’re standing on this impressive structure.
You will feel the wind whip past you, and it gets quite chilly in the winter. In the summer, though, the stiff breeze should refresh you.
Sometimes, you’ll come across performers on the bridge. You might find a man with a python or a monkey. Other times you’ll encounter mimes or jugglers.
You can go from Brooklyn into Manhattan or vice versa. If you go from Brooklyn into Manhattan, you’re right around Chinatown and Little Italy.
You can sit down at one of the eateries in Little Italy and have some delicious homemade pasta, or you might haggle with the vendors if you go shopping in Chinatown. You can get some knockoff Gucci bags or a fake Rolex.
If you go from Manhattan into Brooklyn, you’ll end up in another pleasant neighbourhood. You will find many quaint little shops and cafes. You can sit and have an espresso or get a souvenir you can cherish always.
The Empire State Building
If you check out the Empire State Building, you can look up at this massive structure that just keeps rising higher and higher above you. You can watch the people hurrying by all around you. You can always tell which ones live and work there and which ones come from out of town.
If you enter the building, you can try walking up the stairs, but you’ll probably exhaust yourself before you make it all the way up. It can take nearly an hour to get to the top that way.
Instead, you can take the elevator up to the observation deck. You are almost at the very top there, and you can look down at the tiny people scurrying by like ants. They look that small.
You can feel like King Kong before the airplanes shoot you down. If you don’t like heights, though, you might skip this option.
Central Park
Central Park should get your attention as well. It has gorgeous areas scattered throughout it. You can enter through Columbus Circle and see the famous statue. If you’re there around Christmas, you can visit the holiday market.
You can get a hot chocolate and check out some artwork and crafts. You might buy something for yourself or a family member who has a birthday coming up. You should also keep your eyes open, as celebrities frequent the holiday market all the time.
If you enter the park, you can venture into the Sheep Meadow or the Ramble. You can find athletic fields where enthusiastic amateurs play baseball, football, soccer, and other sports.
You can find little hidden pockets of greenery. You can clamber up onto the rocks and look out across the whole park.
You can feel like Kevin McCallister in Home Alone 2. Just like Kevin, though, you might encounter some of the city’s homeless population. Some have mental problems, so you should probably give with a wide berth.
Times Square
If you’re in Midtown, then you must visit Times Square. This is the city’s beating heart. You will find more people here than in a small town’s entire population, especially on the weekends.
You can go into the M&Ms store and find every conceivable kind of merchandise you could want. You can get the candies themselves, but also bookbags, shirts, socks, and anything else you can imagine, all with the iconic candies on them.
You can visit the stores that sell cameras, electronics, luggage, and other random items. You can get souvenirs at rock-bottom prices. You can buy sunglasses from the vendors on every street corner. You can even haggle with them and sometimes get cheaper prices.
You can get a huge pizza slice at Sbarros or eat at the Olive Garden with the massive neon sign in front of it. You can marvel at all of the Broadway signs advertising the musicals and plays.
Madison Square Garden
You can visit Madison Square Garden next. You can walk there from Times Square in just a few minutes if the sidewalk isn’t too congested.
When you look at the sign reading Madison Square Garden, it should thrill you if you’re a sports fan. This is truly the world’s most famous arena.
Looking at that sign, you can easily imagine Willis Reed jogging onto the court and helping the Knicks win a championship. You might remember all the boxing and wrestling events that have taken place there over the years.
You can enter the Garden if there’s an event going on that interests you. You no longer need a ticket scalper’s services. You can purchase a ticket on your smartphone and enter this famous venue just as easily that way.
The memorable sights all around New York City should dazzle you. You can spend all day looking at some of them, but you’ll still have many more to see the next time you’re in town.
Featured image: Redd F/Unsplash
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