Are you flying to New York soon and want to make sure you don't miss a thing and have all the places you need to see on your checklist before you go? If so, this article is for you. In it, you'll find the 10 must-see places on a trip to New York. Of course, don't hesitate to leave a comment to this article to share your opinions on this list and possibly to add others that you feel absolutely must be on this list. I don't really like making lists of this nature, but a lot of people ask me what they absolutely shouldn't miss when coming to New York. Here's my answer!
1 - The Statue of Liberty: the very symbol of New York. If you don't have a lot of time or money to devote to this visit, you can - preferably when the weather's fine - take the Staten Island Ferry, which - free of charge - will take you right past the site for some great photos.
2. Central Park : the park is so vast that exploring it all in a single day is virtually impossible. To see as much as possible, as quickly as possible: enter at 85th Street on the east side and head south, ending up at 59th Street. Total walking time: just over 2 hours, if you take your time and slalom a bit.
Find out more: What to see and do in Central ParK?
3. The Met (Metropolitan Museum) : one of the richest museums in the world. It has over 2 million pieces in its reserves! Admission is a little expensive, but remember that this is a suggested donation. There's nothing to stop you giving less (from $1 to $5, for example), especially if you're visiting in large numbers. Remember, too, that payment to the MET entitles you (on the day) to free entry to the Cloisters.
4. The High-Line: the equivalent of the Promenade Plantée in Paris. When the weather's fine, this is the place to stroll without encountering a single car in the middle of Manhattan, and to take great photos from excellent vantage points.
5. The Brooklyn Bridge: almost two kilometers long, this bridge links Manhattan to Brooklyn. Allow a good hour to cross it, taking your time and taking the occasional photo. Start from Brooklyn. You'll always have a view of Manhattan.
6. The streets of Manhattan: It's on the streets of New York that you can best soak up the spirit of the city. Grab a coffee in one of the delis and let yourself be carried away by the flow of passers-by and the noise of the streets. Feeling a little hungry? Then turn to one of the street vendors on every corner for a hot dog (order one "with everything", i.e. with mustard, ketchup, cabbage and relish).
7. Times Square: you could say that New York is alive 24 hours a day, but Times Square is 200% alive! Whatever the time of day or night, there's always something going on. It's the place to be for shopping, dining and entertainment, and it's also a great place to take photos. Admittedly, over the past year, the place has been undergoing renovation work and is losing some of its charm, but as the result should be even more beautiful than it was, it's worth giving the town hall the right to take its time. Other local attractions include M&M's and Madame Tussaud's.
8. Get out of Manhattan: There's more to Manhattan than meets the eye, even though - and understandably so - you'll be spending most of your time there. Why not take a tour of the other boroughs, even if only briefly? In the Bronx, why not head to Arthur Avenue, one of the last remaining typical Italian neighborhoods in New York (much more so than Little Italy). Queens, Brooklyn and Staten Island are also well worth a visit.
9. September 11, 2001 Memorial: This is the place to visit when visiting donwtown. Admission is subject to payment of a fee, which is left to the discretion of participants. The two huge basins here give an idea of the scale of the destruction wrought by the attacks.
10. Going to New York without stopping off at Wall Street is unthinkable. There's certainly not a lot to do in the area, except of course to see the famous Taurus, take some great photos of the stock exchange and possibly visit the Fraunces Tavern Museum and the Museum of American Finance.
As you can see, the list of things not to miss is extensive, but it's only a minimum. Allow at least 3 to 4 days if you want to see the places mentioned in this list (if you don't want to rush through them, of course).
