The Top 5 Reasons to Visit Manhattan

[Jessica Berry]

 

The Big Apple is one of the world's most visited cities - more than 14 million each year - for very good reasons, including its energy and its attractions. So many of them, in fact, that it would take thousands of words to cover them all. But if you're coming to New York City for the first time, there are a handful of iconic musts that need to be on your bucket list, and here are five of them, all in the borough of Manhattan (the "outer boroughs" of Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens, and Staten Island have their own stars, but few of them are world famous):

Its Magnificent Museums

This city prides itself for being home to some of the world’s best museums, and most or all of the hundred or so here are worthy of visiting. But you can only fit so many into one visit, so here are the absolute musts: the Metropolitan Museum of Art (aka the Met), the American Museum of Natural History and its adjacent Hayden Planetarium, the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), and if you're traveling with kids, the Children’s Museum of Manhattan (for many more, including specialized museums, click here).

Its Statue of Liberty

Inaugurated in 1886, located on 12-acre Liberty Island in New York Harbor, a ferry ride away from Lower Manhattan's Battery Park City, the  Liberty Enlightening the World will leave you in awe once you get up close to her, and going up to her crown (important note: you'll have to climb 216 steps, and reserve in advance) affords you some magnificent views out over the harbor and city. Another caveat: especially during the summer peak season. be ready to wait in line, both at the ferry and when you get to the statue itself.

Its Empire State Building

At 102 stories, this 89-year-old NYC Art Deco icon.on Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan attracts just about every first-timer, above all for its spectacular city views from three observatories on the 80th, 86th, and 102nd floors. One of the lower floors is also home to Skyride, a flight-simulation attraction that "flies" you over various NYC tourist attraction, with narration by actor Kevin Bacon. There tend to be long lines for the observatory elevators, but if you're willing to pay extra you can skip them.

Its Gorgeous Green Spaces

New Yorkers are often busy and on the go, so that's why they especially appreciate its parks to slow down and even kick back. Top choices include Bryant Park behind the New York Public Library main branch in Midtown; Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village at the foot of Fifth Avenue; the High Line, a fabulously converted elevated train line in the lower West Side neighborhood of Chelsea; Riverside Park on the Upper West Side; Hudson River Park stretching from the Battery at the southern tip of Manhattan up to 59th Street. But the mother of them all is Central Park, 843 acres from 59th up to 110th Street. Besides hills, meadows, and woods, there's a fine zoo, an ice-skating/roller-sking rink, a nature center, an antique carousel, and an outdoor theater (home to among other things the " Shakespeare in the Park"  series).

Its Thrilling Theatre Scene

There are more than a hundred shows - musicals, plays, multimedia, interactive, cabarets, black box, and many other types - from the mainstream commercial fare of Broadway to alternative (and less expensive) small theaters of "Off Off Broadway." There are perennial favorites like Phantom of the Opera, The Lion King, and more recently Hamilton, but the avant-garde fare at venues like La MaMa E.T.C. in the East Village and Dixon Place on the Lower East Side. There's enough going on every season to bring some visitors back annually just to go to the theater! 

Planning a vacation in New York City? Before booking your flights, check airfares at CompareandFly.com.