Six Great Places To Visit In New York City
Central Park:Get away from the traffic and fumes of the streets and instead enjoy the outdoor pleasures of the 843 acre Central Park. People jogging or on bikes can be seen every day making use of the park"s extensive facilities. You can enjoy a ride on the Friedsam Memorial Carousel and visit the Belvedere Castle. Young and old will enjoy the Central Park Wildlife Centre and a ticket from here will get you in free to the Tisch Children"s Zoo. Inline skating can be enjoyed all year round in the Wollman Rink whereas ice skating is possible only in the winter. It"s possible to rent a boat or race mini yachts at the Conservatory Water. After touring the wonderful six acres of the Conservatory Garden you can, depending upon the weather, sunbathe on the Great Lawn behind the Met.
Staten Island Ferry:
The Staten Island Ferry is a beautiful way to see the New York Skyline and major landmarks. The Statue of Liberty is the first sight after the ferry leaves Manhattan. Both the Verrazano Narrows Bridge and the Brooklyn Bridge can be seen as part of the extensive panorama visible during this trip. Extra welcome is the fact that there is no charge for this trip.
Empire State Building:
Amongst the world"s skyscrapers the Empire State Building is one of the most immediately recognisable. At the time of its opening in 1931 it had cost $41 million to build. It was one of the most quickly built skyscrapers, taking less than a year to be completed. You can go up to the 86th or 102nd floors to the observation decks. If the visibility is good, you can see for 80 miles. If you want a cup of coffee or a snack, you can find plenty of shops and bars inside the building. There is also a thrilling simulated helicopter ride called New York Skyride which will give you a virtual trip around the Big Apple.
Metropolitan Museum of Art:
The locals refer to this world renowned museum as the Met. It is the home to over 2 million works of art. Pieces by world renowned artists abound. You will be able to browse through a variety of different pieces in all genres, time periods and styles. In a separate building you will find the Cloisters - a place you should not miss. It has one of the most extensive medieval art collections. You can take guided tours or meander around this huge museum on your own. The admission cost includes the Cloisters as well as the Met.
Statue of Liberty:
The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island are must sees when you visit New York City. You will be in awe of the 450,000 pound gift from France. Go to the island by the ferry and then take a guided tour. The history of the statue and facts about it will be provided by them. There are lots of exhibits and concession stands in the base of the statue. Don"t miss the opportunity of seeing wonderful views of the harbour and city from the observation deck. You can also take a Lady Liberty New York Helicopter tour.
American Museum of Natural History:
The American Museum of Natural History is one of only a few of similar size in the world. There are 42 separate exhibit halls with hands-on interactive displays in this enormous place. Anyone interested in dinosaurs will be delighted at the number and variety of fossils on view here. This is a place for the entire family and it will educate and entertain you for hours.
New York City is busy and active whether during the day or at night. You will always find something to do, no matter what time of day or night it is. If you want to start exploring this city, make use of the user-friendly public transport system. You might enjoy hiring a car instead. If spending a substantial period of time in New York - for example on business - you may be better off trying to find a short-term contract hire company to provide a vehicle to get you around. Be cautious though! There are often severe penalty clauses in the contract hire lease agreement; early termination, for example, can oblige you to pay as much as 70% of the remaining rental. This is when you would need to look at your car gap policy to see if it includes contract hire gap insurance. You don"t want to be out of pocket if something should happen to write-off your vehicle. In the crazy bustle that is NYC there are 75,000 car accidents every year, so take good care!