Why is New York so famous? After all, the weather is terrible, the city is overcrowded, and even the buildings are second to many others elsewhere. The cigar-shaped strip of land called Manhattan is difficult to access with bridges crowded with cars, streets clogged with buses and taxis. But, oh, that city. What combination of […]

It’s rare to find an oasis of calm in frenetic New York City. The lights of Broadway, the zooming taxis, and the throngs of people all suggest what New York is: a bustling, modern metropolis. Even lush Central Park is abuzz with skaters, Frisbee tossers, and the odd car crossing from east to west. But […]

At 38 stories, the CBS Building in New York isn’t anywhere near the tallest. Its location at 52nd St and 6th Avenue isn’t special. Even its design and construction were not – as buildings go – controversial. But, for what it offers both inside and out, CBS is a destination of choice for visitors of […]

Geographically, New York City is divided into five boroughs or districts: Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, Staten Island, and the Bronx. Interestingly, each houses a botanical garden, and deciding which is the best is an exercise we leave to experts. But for the visitor wanting only to experience the quiet, lush beauty of the extraordinary settings no […]

Whether you’re looking for great jazz, comedy, booze, coffee, or just plain wild, New York’s clubs are among the best in the world. All decors, price ranges, ambiance, and kinds of acts are here in abundance. Uptown, downtown, mid-town, and Greenwich or East Side, West Side, and even a few in Brooklyn – they dot […]

Nearly 40 million tourists from around the world visit New York City every year. What they find is a bustling metropolis, dense with museums, parks, theaters, shops, famous buildings, and inhabitants as diverse as themselves. Far from its sometimes mythical image, New York is one of the safest large cities for tourists anywhere on the […]

Manhattan, ‘Capital’ of New York City On a slender island crammed with taxis, buses, people, and buildings a long string of innovators has managed to create both a major business center and a tourist paradise. All within easy reach by subway, bus, or taxi. Close to the southern tip of the island is the famed […]

Beginning the day at Madison Square Park, on Madison and 23rd is just about the most peaceful start possible in this beehive of a city. Tree-lined, two centuries old, and surrounded by a quiet neighborhood, the five-acre park makes for the perfect place to have an outdoor brunch. Just six blocks up are the architectural […]

Completed in 1868, Prospect Park is Frederick Law Olmstead’s second masterpiece – and easily the rival of his first, Central Park. Located in Brooklyn, the 526 acres (2.1 square km) public park contains within its borders more things to see and do than many large cities. The entrance at Grand Army Plaza alone is worth […]

Welcome to the ‘city within a city’ – Rockefeller Center. Begun in the 1930s, partially as an antidote to the effects of the Depression, the 19 building complex sits on 11 acres between 48th and 52nd Streets and between 5th and 6th Avenues. But those mundane facts give no hint of the excitement to be […]