Destination: New York City, United States
Saturday, February 21st, 2009
New York City, a symbol of Liberty, and one of the most iconic destinations in the world. Subject of many romance, horror, thriller, action and comedy movies. Site of many popular television shows such as Sex and the City, Friends, and Seinfeld.
The city was once called New Amsterdam as it was originally founded under Dutch control in 1624. Then after British colonisation in 1664, it was called New York. The modern New York is made up of Upper West Side, Soho, Greenwich village, Little Italy, Chinatown, Harlem, Bronx, Brooklyn, and Queens. Each little district is like a small cultural hub in itself and each has its own unique qualities.
New York city was also once host to the famous Twin Towers world trade centers, and now there is a Ground Zero site dedicated to the events on September 11th. If you go on the Ground Zero Workshop Tour, you will be able to have an educational and respectful experience via video, images and guided tours explaining the rescue efforts after the 9/11 attacks. New York city is also the headquarters of the United Nations and Wall Street, the financial capital of the world.
One of the most classic romance films which features a New York city architectural monument may be An Affair to Remember, starring Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr, where they agree to meet at the top of the Empire State Building. The same tradition would then be repeated decades later in the popular film Sleepless in Seattle, starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. During which time and since, many lovers, families, students and tourists have enjoyed visiting the Empire State Building and basking in the glory of the city that never sleeps.
Other widely recognised buildings which exist in New York include: Trump Tower, Rockefeller Centre, Carnegie Hall and Radio City Music Hall. The two greatest department stores, Saks Fifth Avenue, Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s are also New York and world shopping icons.
The greatest icon of New York City, however, is the Statue of Liberty, and there is a free Staten Island ferry which takes you there daily.
The popular culture references are almost infinite when it comes to a particular New York tourist or local attraction. For example, one may choose to enjoy a helicopter tour over the city, and see what the view is like for anyone on a reality TV show which provides a helicopter ride over New York as one of the prizes of its weekly challenges.
There is even a Central Park movie sites tour, which allows you to re-live all the magical memories from your favourite classic Hollywood flicks. Central Park is the hub of New York city living, and is a total of 341 hectares. And if central park isn’t enough for the most particular movie buffs out there, try the Showbiz Insiders Tour.
In terms of Broadway shows, well, New York is the world epicentre. Choose from Mama Mia, Chicago, Mary Poppins, Phantom of the Opera, The Lion King, The Little Mermaid, and much, much more! The quality of New York stage theatre is the best in the world, as all the world’s best dancers and actors flock to New York in search of center-stage glory. Tickets can be purcahsed from the TKTS outlets in Times Square or at Getaroom.com.au.
For more musical fun – and this is for the hard core rockers – there’s a New York City Original Rock and Roll Walking Tour, which takes you to the favourite places of some of the world’s most legendary rockers. From Led Zeppelin’s favourite place to perform, to Madonna’s first New York city apartment. This tour will open your eyes to what life must have been like for the rising rock stars.
Of course, New York city is not only famous for rock and roll. Many Hip-Hop and R & B stars grew up from the streets of New York and became world-wide music sensations. Now you can learn even more about the history and rise of Hip-Hop by joining a New York Hip-Hop Tour. It’s a four hour experience taking you through to the birthplaces of Hip-Hop: Manhattan, Harlem and the Bronx. There’s also a Rapper’s Tour in Queens which explains how rap is an art form, not just a fad.
For a more soothing music experience, you obviously have to visit a jazz bar in New York – any jazz bar. Live music is possibly one of the best experiences to be stumbling upon in New York, and what’s great is that it pops up often. Even when it doesn’t, jazz clubs are almost as abundant as MacDonalds in New York, and each has its own unique sense of musical sensuality. It’s a must-do experience not to be missed.
NBC studios is also headquartered in New York city, and provides an informative studio tour which explains the television stations growth from a small radio station to one of the world’s most recognised and widely-viewed television stations. There is also a general TV and Movie Sites Tour which takes you to the places where they filmed such popular shows as Friends, Will & Grace, the Cosby Show, and movies such as Devil Wears Prada, Men in Black and Ghostbusters.
For the sporting fans, of course, New York is home to many major basketball (Knicks), baseball (the Yankees and Mets) and football (Giants and Jets) league games, as well as other popular sports. Bike ride tours are also available, for those who love to mix exercise with sightseeing. Others who come to New York specifically for the iconic red bus hop-on, hop-off adventure, then, well, there are heaps of variations of the hop-on, hop-off tours. You could mix in a visit to the Empire State Building, or add in a good dose of shopping. There is also a heritage hop-on, hop-off, for the most enthusiastic history buffs.
One of the best features of New York city life is that it is filled with art and culture. For excellent family fun, visit the Museum of Natural History – setting of the popular children’s film, Night at the Museum starring Ben Stiller. Other great museums and galleries to visit include The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Museum of Modern Art and the Guggenheim Museum.
For the Fashionistas and fans of such shows as Sex and the City, New York city is a must-visit shopping destination. It is so magical to be following in the footsteps of your favourite characters Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte and Samantha in a Sex and the City Hotspots Tour. And to add the cherry on top, join the SoHo and NoLita Shopping tour, two of the most hip and popular fashion districts in New York city.
New Years Eve in New York city may be one of the biggest celebrations that the city is host to. And aside from the cliched lining up in the middle of Times Square, many other luxurious options are also available, such as a romantic dinner cruise around New York harbour. Other popular cruises available include the Harbour Lights Cruise and the Twilight Cruise.
New York city is an ever-evolving buzz of commerce, entertainment, sport, art, culture, fashion and more. There is always something new to discover upon each re-visit, and many people become enchanted with the energy and spirit of the city and never want to leave! There is obviously a reason why so many movies, television shows, books and other events have all been based on and in New York city, and it’s truly a city that wouldn’t sleep if given the choice, because there is simply too much fun to be had at all hours of its days.
- Nicole Chiu
