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Exotic Car Rentals and New York City Travel Guide
New York is, above all, a tourist’s city. The certified center of practically
everything and anything, NYC provides luxury car rental travelers with the ultimate
big city escape. From posh hotels to gourmet restaurants, New York City is the place
to be for endless excitement and activity. Known throughout the country and around
the world as a multi-faceted island of adventure, New York City has something for
everyone combining charming townhouses with glistening skyscrapers; designer stores
with dusty second hand shops. New York City is far more than your luxury car rental
vacation destination thanks to a unique blend of high-class entertainment and multicultural
events. Luxury car rental travelers from all walks of life are sure to enjoy the
sights and sounds of NYC so go ahead – invite the whole family! Business or pleasure
– it just doesn’t matter! New York City is THE top vacation destination for movers
and shakers of all ages, so don’t delay; book your first-class ticket to NYC today
and get ready for the vacation of a lifetime!
World-Class Attractions
 With
a population of nearly 8 million people, New York City is truly a zoo of human interaction
and entertainment. Nearly 60 community districts and hundreds of cultural organizations
illustrate NYC’s amazing diversity, highlighting the importance of brotherly love
and neighborly care. Image Luxury Car Rentals is proud to be a part of this culturally
vibrant community, and encourages travelers of all ages to get out and explore the
city’s vibrant mix of uptown class and downtown comfort! From the skyscrapers of
Wall Street to the brownstones of Staten Island, New York City offers travelers
an endless array of possibility and excitement. Must-see attractions in New York
City include Broadway, the Statue of Liberty, Yankee Stadium and the Empire State
Building.
Prestigious Accommodations
From spa resorts to corporate kingdoms, New York City has everything you need
to make your upcoming dream vacation a guaranteed reality! Five-star hotels and
stunning skyline suites are just the beginning in the city that never sleeps – but
come on now, what did you expect!? Valet luxury car rental parking, fine-dining
room service and sumptuous in-house amenities are just the beginning here in NYC,
so grab a friend and get ready to live like royalty! Nothing is ever too much in
this elaborate city of sparkle and flare… especially when you’re driving a first-class
luxury car rental! First impressions are everything in a town like New York, so
why not spoil yourself a little during your upcoming getaway! Posh Manhattan hotels
provide luxury car rental travelers with an added touch of elegance so don’t delay
– call and reserve your ultimate luxury suite now!
Mouthwatering Meals
Tantalizing tastes and sultry smells are all a prominent part of New York City’s
world-class dining scene, so be sure to hustle up a hefty appetite before heading
out on your upcoming Image Luxury Car Rental vacation! From succulent steaks and
steamy shrimp to rich ragouts and creamy chowders, New York City has the perfect
menu for practically any palate. Whether you’re looking for international sensations
or American traditions, the Big Apple is bound to have the perfect dish for everyone
in your upcoming Image Luxury Car Rental group. The selection is endless here in
NYC, thanks to the city’s diverse multi-cultural make-up and extraordinary ethnic
mixes.
A city of unpredictable fun and spontaneous excitement, NYC is the place to be
for practically any event or celebration. From romantic getaways with a sweetheart
and family vacations with the kids, to corporate mergers and executive meetings,
New York City has everything you need to spice up your upcoming luxury car rental
getaway. Potential New York City travelers are encouraged to start their vacation
of right by browsing Image Rent-A-Car’s online luxury car rental showroom – home
to some of New York City’s most sought after vehicles! Nothing says New York like
a classy luxury car rental, so call, click or come in to see what our Image can
do for you!
The Greater New York area is full of attractions
for all ages. New York City – the so-called Big Apple, America’s largest city and
home of the Statue of Liberty National Monument – reigns as capital of the world,
an economic powerhouse with the most diverse selection of entertainment, museums
and restaurants imaginable. Destruction of the World Trade Center has altered New
York City’s skyline, but not its indestructible spirit, and visitors from everywhere
continue flocking to the “city that never sleeps" -- even when it’s dark. In synch
with New York City accommodations, fitting any budget and taste, New York City also
boasts a restaurant to fit every palate and pocketbook, from mom and pop delis and
pasta places to five-star bastions of exclusivity. Manhattan and
Staten
Island are islands; Queens and Brooklyn
are on the western tip of Long Island. So, of New York City’s five boroughs, only
the Bronx is part of the mainland. Yet, there is an island that‘s part of the Bronx
and yet feels like a New England fishing village: City Island, a marine-related
community with fishing, boating, restaurants and snack bars. For the record, Manhattan
has no Main Street, although there is a Main Street in each of the other boroughs
and on Roosevelt Island.
 Why
is New York City called the Big Apple? In the 1920s, John Fitzgerald, a sportswriter
for the Morning Telegraph overheard stable hands in New Orleans refer to NYC's racetracks
as "the Big Apple" so he named his column "Around the Big Apple." A decade later,
jazz musicians adopted (and adapted) the term in reference to New York City, especially
Harlem, as the world’s jazz capital. As lore goes, there are many apples on the
tree of success, but when you pick New York City, you pick the Big Apple.
Below is a list of some suggested things to do and see in the New York Metropolitan
Area, with links to more details when available.
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American Museum of Natural History
- The American Museum of Natural History, in Midtown Manhattan, offers permanent
and changing exhibits covering Asian, American Indian, Pacific islanders, South
American, Aztec and Mayan cultures. It also features one of the world’s largest
fossils displays, including a Tyrannosaurus Rex and Apatosaurus, plus other
exhibits ranging from human body to animals and minerals.
Central Park West at 79th Street. (212) 769-5100
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- Apollo Theater
- A major entertainment landmark, Harlem's Apollo Theater was originally known
as Hurtig & Seamon's New (Burlesque) Theater, with vaudeville and burlesque
for white audiences. In 1934, Frank Schiffman, a white entrepreneur, started
showcasing leading black entertainers for mixed audiences, putting the Apollo
forever on the map. Legends such as Billie Holiday, Duke Ellington, and Dinah
Washington played the Apollo, where amateur nights jump-started careers for
Pearl Bailey, James Brown, and Gladys Knight. Wednesday is amateur night. Back-stage
tours, in groups of up to 20
take place daily, linking past, present and future. Gift shop merchandise includes
vintage Apollo items.
253 West 125th Street, near Frederick Douglass Boulevard. (212) 749-5838
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- Bronx Magnetism
- As for the Bronx, some say how Swede it is, since it was settled in 1639
and named for the Swedish settler Jonas Bronck. More than 60 landmarks and historic
districts are in the Bronx, including the Edgar Allen Poe Cottage on the Grand
Concourse and the Van Cortlandt Mansion and Museum in Van Cortlandt Park. Wave
Hill, a former private estate once home to Mark Twain and Theodore Roosevelt,
among others, has spectacular views overlooking the Hudson River and New Jersey’s
soaring 500-foot cliffs, the Palisades. Its 28-acres, given to the city for
use as a public garden, also has wooded paths, herb and flower gardens, and
benches for contemplation. The Bronx Zoo/Wildlife Conservation Park show cases
more than 600 species indoor in indoor/outdoor environments.
Bronx Zoo, Fordham Road, off the Bronx River Parkway. (718) 367-1010
Edgar Allen Poe Cottage, Poe Park, 2460 Grand Concourse. (718) 881-8900
Van Cortlandt Mansion and Museum, Broadway at 246th Street, Van Cortlandt Park,
Riverdale. (718) 543-3344
Wave Hill, 675 West 252nd Street. (718) 549-3200
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Brooklyn Children’s Museum
- Open since 1899, Brooklyn Children’s Museum is the world’s first for youngsters,
with nearly 27,000 cultural objects and natural history specimens. The Museum's
first home was in Adams Building, a Victorian mansion in Brooklyn’s
Bedford Park, in 1923 renamed Brower
Park. Parlor rooms and halls held exhibits, with workshops and a library upstairs.
Youngsters were encouraged to participate, not just look. Driving force Anna
Billings Gallup becoming curator in 1904, and invented ways for children to
use the Museum. During the 1930s Depression, federal WPA workers made improvements,
while the Museum expanded its take-home program, now called the Portable Collections.
After WWII, the BCM helped children prepare for the "space age." By 1967, the
expanded BCM’s Adams and Smith mansions were deemed beyond repair. Temporary
space, called “The Muse,” in a renovated pool hall and auto showroom opened
in 1968, leading to experiments with dance and music classes. In 1977, BCM's
Brower Park building opened on the Smith mansion site with other building structures
recycled into the architecture. Visitors enter through a trolley kiosk from
the 1900's. A "People Tube" -- a huge sewer pipe -- connects four exhibit floors,
and a corn oil tank serves as "The Tank" -- an amphitheater.
45 Brooklyn Avenue, at St. Marks Avenue. (718) 735-4400
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Bryant Park
- A park since 1842, Bryant Park’s midtown location – one block from Times
Square – is a big lunch hour destination in warm weather, typically hosting
more than 5,000 workers on a football field-sized lawn. Amenities include a
French-style carousel (mid-park on 40th Street), chess tables, free yoga classes,
25,000 varieties of flowers, and free wireless access. Bryant Park provides
multiple venues for year-round events and gatherings. Six flower beds border
Bryant Park’s lawn to the north and south—three on the shady south side and
three on the sunny north. Along the northern and southern sides are twin promenades
bordered by London plane trees (Platanus acerifolia), the same species found
at the Jardin des Tuileries in Paris, and contributing to Bryant Park’s European
aura.
Behind New York Public Library between 40th and 42nd streets.
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Carnegie Hall
- Since Walter Damrosch conducted the first "Young People's Concert" in 1891,
Carnegie Hall has taught all ages about music. Each season includes concerts
for families, workshops for teachers and musicians, programs for students and
schools, and free concerts in NYC neighborhoods. One-hour backstage tours, (212)
903-9765, detail the story of Andrew and Louise Carnegie and how the Hall was
saved from demolition in 1960. Carnegie's century-long performance tradition
showcased artists from Tchaikovsky to Mahler, from Horowitz to Callas to Bernstein,
Judy Garland and
the
Beatles. Gift shop merchandise strikes
a chord celebrating the Hall's 111-year-plus history.
Corner of 57th Street and Seventh Avenue. (212) 247-7800
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Central Park
- Designed in 1858 by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, envisioning
a wooded urban oasis from treeless, rocky terrain and stagnant swampland, Central
Park is New York City’s backyard -- a place where people of all social and ethnic
backgrounds mingle. The 843-acre Central Park, covering six percent of Manhattan,
has more than 26,000 trees, 58 miles of scenic paths, and nearly 9,000 benches
on 843 acres. Attracting 25 million people a year, it also houses the
Central Park Zoo and Wildlife Center, lakes, boathouse, sports facilities
and entertainment. Four visitor centers are: Belvedere Castle, a 19th century
stone castle and home to the Henry Luce Nature Observatory; The Dairy Visitor
Center and Gift Shop, in a Victorian building with a reference library; Charles
A. Dana Discovery Center, with hands-on exhibits; and North Meadow Recreation
center, with indoor/outdoor climbing walls, basketball and handball courts.
At least eight different free, volunteer-led
walking
tours are sponsored by the Central
Park Conservancy, (212) 360-2726.
Belvedere Castle, mid-park at 79th Street. (212) 772-0210
The Dairy at Central Park, Mid-Park at 65th Street. (212) 794-6567
Charles A. Dana Discovery Center, 110th Street and Lenox Avenue. (212) 860-1370
North Meadow Recreation Center, mid-park at 97th Street. (212) 348-4867
- Cheapies and Freebies
- New York City has hundreds of no-cost or low-cost pleasures from concerts,
plays, and museums to TV show tapings, and tours throughout the five boroughs.
For a start on cheapies and freebies, drop by NYC’s Official Visitor Information
Center at 810 Seventh Avenue at 53rd Street, the City Hall Park Visitor Information
Kiosk downtown at the southern tip of City Hall Park, or the Harlem Visitor
Information Kiosk uptown at the State Office Building plaza at 163 West 125th
Street and Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard. Awaiting are hundreds of brochures
and expert, multilingual visitor counselors to advise on all things New York.
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- Chelsea Piers
- Saved from being paved over by a failed highway project, historic Chelsea
Piers has emerged into a $120 million privately financed 30-plus acre
waterfront sports-entertainment complex
housing a golf driving range, ice- and roller-skating, bowling, and a health
club. With the
Statue of Liberty National Monument as part
of the panorama, four once-neglected piers – 59, 60, 61, and 62 – also have
shops and restaurants. Luxury liners of yesteryear once departed from the Piers
amid hoopla and champagne. In 1910, the Chelsea Piers debuted with speeches
noting eight-years of construction after three decades of talk. In 1907, even
before the Piers were done, the Lusitania and Mauretania docked there. For the
next 50 years, Chelsea Piers was the city's premier passenger ship terminal,
an embarkation point for WWI and WWII soldiers, and finally, a cargo terminal.
Obsolescence struck with jets and container ships requiring facilities Manhattan
could never provide. Redevelopment of the four surviving Chelsea Piers brings
to mind the days when the famed White Star and
Cunard
lines, with as many as 20 stacks
in view, prepared to sail. As the high and mighty disembarked, so did immigrants
from steerage below, by 1910 arriving daily by the thousands. Most ships came
first to Chelsea Piers, before transferring to ferries bound for Ellis Island
and freedom.
Golf Club, Pier 59. (212) 336-6400
Sports Center, Pier 60. (212) 336-6000
Sky Rink, Ice Hockey, Pier 61. (212) 336-6100
Roller Rink, Field House, Pier 62. (212) 336-6500, (212) 336-6200
- Chinatown and Civic Center
- In Lower Manhattan adjacent to the Civic Center, New York City's Chinatown,
a packed neighborhood still growing rapidly, is the largest Chinatown in the
U.S., with the largest concentration of Chinese in the western hemisphere! Both
a
tourist
attraction and the home of the majority
of Chinese New Yorkers, Chinatown has hundreds of restaurants (especially on
Mott, Pell and Doyers streets), booming fruit and fish markets, and shops for
knickknacks and sweets on winding, crowded streets. The Civic Center, anchored
by City Hall, is a landmark building which has been the seat of City government
for 186 years. The Museum of Chinese in the Americas (MoCa) has exhibits of
national scope.
Museum of Chinese in the Americas, 70 Mulberry Street at Bayard. (212) 619-4785
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Chrysler Building
- Built for auto tycoon Walter Chrysler in “Style Moderne,” the building exemplifies
the machine age in architecture, symbolic of 1920s New York. In the summer of
1929, Chrysler was battling Wall Street’s Bank of Manhattan Trust Company for
the title of world's tallest building. In spring, 1930, just when it looked
like the bank would prevail for the coveted title, Chrysler’s crew jacked a
needle-thin spire through the top of the crown to claim the title of world's
tallest at 1,046 feet. Since Chrysler wanted not only the world's tallest structure,
but also a bold structure, he decorated his skyscraper with hubcaps, mudguards,
and hood ornaments, just like his cars, hoping such a distinctive building would
make his car company a household name. The Chrysler Building is now recognized
as New York City's greatest display of Art Deco, characterized by sharp angular
or zigzag surface forms and ornaments. Four months after completion of the Chrysler
Building, the new
Empire State Building claimed title of the
world’s tallest.
405 Lexington Avenue. The Cloisters The Cloisters, in upper Manhattan, is a branch of the
Metropolitan Museum of Art including parts
of five French cloisters, a Romanesque chapel, and gardens.
Fort Tryton Park. (212) 937-3700.
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Cooper-Hewitt -
National Design Museum
- Housed in the Andrew Carnegie mansion and considered the design authority
of the United States,
Cooper-Hewitt - National Design Museum, a part
of the Smithsonian Institution, is the nation’s only museum devoted exclusively
to historic and contemporary design. Holdings encompass diverse, comprehensive
collections of design works, tracing history of design through more than 250,000
objects spanning 23 centuries from the Han Dynasty (200 B.C.) to the present.
Special strengths of the library include a 6,500-volume rare book collection
and a world's fair collection containing more than 1,000 items from guides to
ephemera.
Corner of Fifth Avenue and 91st Street. (212) 839-8351.
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- Ellis Island
- Lower Manhattan’s Ellis Island, point of entry to millions of immigrants
from 1892 to 1924, has exhibits relating the history of the processing station.
Among immigrants passing through and going on to illustrious careers are: Irving
Berlin, musician, arrived in 1893 from Russia; Marcus Garvey, politician, arrived
1916 from Jamaica; Bob Hope, comedian, arrived in 1908 from England; Knute Rockne,
football coach, arrived in 1893 from
Norway; and the von Trapp family
of "Sound of Music" fame, arrived in 1938 from Austria.
New York Harbor, near
Statue of Liberty National Monument. (212)
269-5755.
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Empire State Building
- Midtown’s famed Empire State Building, at 1,454 feet tall, was built in
1931 in Art Deco style with 2 million square feet of office space and an observation
tower on the 102nd floor. Construction took one year and 45 days including Sundays
and holidays with 7 million man hours. The cost ($24,718,000) was halved by
onset of the Depression, with the total cost ending at $40,948,900, including
land. The observation area is open 365 days from 9:30 a.m. to midnight, with
the last elevator heading up at 11:15 p.m.
350 Fifth Avenue at 34th Street. (212) 736-3100
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- Fashion Flair
- Informing and inspiring clothes horses, New York’s Fashion Institute of
Technology (FIT) shows off thousands of designer costumes, accessories, fabrics
and the work of renowned fashion photographers in the Institute’s free museum.
Dedicated to documentation of fashion and style for all levels of society, the
museum interprets design from magnificent Balenciagas to sturdy denim within
social and cultural contexts. For a fashion update, Macy’s group tour, at $10
per person, discusses the history of the world’s largest department store, from
1857 beginnings to its status today with more than two million square feet of
selling space.
Fashion Institute of Technology, Seventh Avenue at 27th Street. (212) 217-5800
Macy’s, 151 West 34th Street, Visitor Center on 34th Street Balcony. (212) 695-4400
- Flatiron Building
- The triangular shape of the Flatiron Building (an early skyscraper) produced
wind currents that made women’s skirts billow, spurring police to create the
term “23 skiddoo” when shooing away gawkers assembling for the show. The building
apex, just six feet wide, expands into a limestone wedge adorned with Gothic
and Renaissance details of Greek faces and terra cotta flowers.
175 Fifth Avenue, between 22nd and 23rd streets.
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- Grant’s Tomb
- Ulysses S. Grant, Civil War general and two-term U.S. president, rests beside
his wife Julia in the largest mausoleum in the U.S. The two grand sarcophagi
are modeled after Napoleon's tomb in Les Invalides in Paris. The white granite
mausoleum overlooking the Hudson River and Riverside park was completed in 1897,
and also displays Grant memorabilia and Civil War artifacts. More than one million
people attended the parade and dedication ceremony of Grant's Tomb, on April
27, 1897. Admission is free.
122nd Street and Riverside Drive. (212) 666-1640
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- Green-Wood Cemetery
- Brooklyn’s Green-Wood Cemetery, an “outdoor museum” filled with extraordinary
works of sculpture and architecture, is home to graves of national figures including
musical great Leonard Bernstein, artist Louis Comfort Tiffany, newspaperman
Horace Greeley and William “Bill the Butcher” Poole, the 19th-century gang leader
depicted in Martin Scorsese’s film Gangs of New York. The cemetery conducts
regular public tours year-round for $10. Self-guided walking tours are also
available.
500 25th Street, Brooklyn. (718) 788-7850
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Greenwich
Village
- Lower Manhattan’s Greenwich Villages, east, central, and west, are long
the focal point of New York's artistic and literary life, and a popular visitor
attraction with lively street activity in and around historic Washington Square.
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Ground Zero Museum Workshop
- Daily interactive, hands-on tours of the future site of the Ground Zero
Museum, located about an 8-minute cab or subway ride from the Ground Zero site,
including the Gary Marlon Suson collection of photographs illustrating recovery
efforts, and artifacts recovered from the remains of the 9/11 attack, are given
every day in English, French, Spanish and Italian, located in Manhattan's Meat
Packing District. Tours are 90 minutes in length, and advance purchase of tickets
is required.
420 West 14th Street, 2nd Floor (between 9th Avenue and Washington Street),
Manhattan. (212) 209-3370
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- Inside CNN
- Tracing the history of journalism and the CNN news gathering process with
insight on how control rooms operate, Inside CNN provides guided 45-minute tours
departing every 10 minutes, at the Time Warner Center.
10 Columbus Circle, near southwest corner of Central Park, between West 58th
and 60th Streets. (866) 4-CNN-NYC.
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Jacques Marchais Museum of Tibetan Art
- Built to resemble a small Himalayan Temple, the Jacques Marchais Museum
of Tibetan Art is one of only two Himalayan-style, monastery buildings in the
Western world and is the only one in the U.S. An intricate altar within this
little known treasure was blessed by H.H. the Dalai Lama in 1991. The museum
collection includes Tsong Khapa (1357-1410) in unbaked, painted clay from the
14th century and Shakyamuni Buddha, in gilded metal alloy from 18th century
China. Also on grounds are meditation gardens, and a pond for lotus and fish.
The museum’s gift shop stocks items handmade by Tibetans living in exile, along
with fine art reproductions, jewelry, mysterious ritual objects, unusual books,
sacred music CDs, incense and many exotic, one-of-a-kind items. Events and programs
throughout the year include the annual Tibetan Rug Bazaar, a Walking Meditation
Series, and a Tibetan Festival with henna body painting. In a residential neighborhood,
museum parking is limited and visitors are asked to guard against blocking driveways.
Hours throughout the year are Wednesday to Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. Admission
is free for members, $5 for adults, and $3 for seniors/students.
338 Lighthouse Avenue, Staten Island. (718) 987-3500
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- Jewish Museum
- The Jewish Museum, in Upper Manhattan, is the largest such museum in the
world outside Israel, with exhibitions covering 4,000 years of Jewish art, history
and culture.
1109 Fifth Avenue at 92nd Street. (212) 423-3200
- Little Italy
- Little Italy in Lower Manhattan, and the place to buy Italian cheeses, sausages
and breads, is an excellent place for immersion into Old World atmosphere. In
summer, al fresco dining on Mulberry Street is reminiscent of an evening in
Naples or Rome.
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Long Island Vineland Tour
- Tour the vineyards and taste the wines produced at the east end of Long
Island, in limousines and party buses with a variety of packages available.
111 Albany Avenue, Freeport. (718) 946-3868
- Madame Tussauds New York
- In Times Square, Madame Tussauds provides schmooze opportunity with famed
personas, where visitors can stand beside life-like replicas of A-listers, icons,
world leaders, and politicians. Interactive action includes Sing for Simon on
American Idol and Chamber of Horrors, Madame’s scariest exhibit.
234 West 42nd Street, between Seventh and Eighth avenues. (212) 512-9600, (800)
246-8872
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Madison Square Garden
- Madison Square Garden, on Seventh Avenue between 31st and 33rd streets,
has long been the venue for things memorable, from the NFL Draft, CBS Television's
Fall Premiere, Con Edison's Shareholder Meetings, Product Launches for Intel,
presidential birthday fetes including when Marilyn Monroe sang happy birthday
to JFK, and religious conferences. The
Madison Square Garden Theater is home to the
timeless holiday classic, A Christmas Carol.
4 Pennsylvania Plaza, New York. (212) 307-7171
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Metropolitan Museum of Art
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art, one of the world’s great museums, features
Egyptian, Greek and Roman art collections, as well as European and Oriental
paintings and sculptures, antiques, plus other art forms from around the globe.
Fifth Avenue and 81st Street. (212) 570-3711
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- Museum of American Financial History
- Tracing growth, opportunity and entrepreneurship, the Museum of Financial
History, showcases Wall Street activity, the role of capital markets as engines
of progress, and American business achievements. The Museum occupies the site
of Alexander Hamilton's law office and the former headquarters of John D. Rockefeller's
Standard Oil Company, directly opposite the famous "Charging Bull" statue. Collection
items include ticker tape from the 1929 crash, a working model stock ticker,
and the earliest photograph of Wall Street. As the 35th affiliate of the Smithsonian
Institution, the museum’s message is how a democratic free market economy creates
growth and opportunity -- the story of the American dream. The Museum serves
as a good starting point for visits to the Financial District.
28 Broadway. (212) 908-4609
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- Museum of Modern Art
- The Museum of Modern Art in Midtown Manhattan displays 20th century paintings,
sculptures, drawings, and more.
11 West 53rd Street. (212) 708-9480
- New York Boat Brunch Cruises
- On Sundays from noon to 2 p.m., mid-July through October, The 85-foot Festiva,
accommodating up to 100, does New Orleans-style Sunday brunch cruises to George
Washington Bridge. Brunch, catered by Sylvia’s Restaurant of Harlem, includes
one complimentary beverage, plus fried chicken, baked ham, collards, macaroni
and cheese, and more. Cost: $50 for adults, $25 for under age 7. Other cruise
charter options are available.
79th Street Boat Basin, A-dock, New York, New York. (212) 496-8625 or (888)
755-BOAT.
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- New York Botanical Garden and
Brooklyn Botanic Garden
- The New York Botanical Garden is home to the nation’s largest Victorian
glasshouse, the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, a New York City landmark that has
showcased NYBG’s distinguished tropical, Mediterranean, and desert plant collections
since 1902. At the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, tours, concerts, dance performances,
and symposia are always on the roster, as well as special one-time events featuring
elements of the Garden at their peak. Each spring, BBG celebrates the flowering
of the Japanese cherry trees with our annual Sakura Matsuri (Cherry Blossom
Festival), and each fall is spiced up with a multicultural Chile Pepper Fiesta!
New York Botanical Garden, 200th Street and Southern Boulevard. (718) 817-8700
Brooklyn Botanic Garden, 1000 Washington Avenue.
(718) 623-7200
- New York City Police Museum
- From Colonial beginnings to official establishment in 1845 to the present,
the New York City Police Museum, in historic Lower Manhattan, captures the rich
history of the New York Police Department (NYPD), providing abundant insider
glimpses. Permanent exhibits include turn-of-the-century mug shots, photos of
notorious criminals and “tools of the trade,” a display of police vehicles,
and a model of a jail cell. The museum also pays tribute to every NYPD officer
killed in the line of duty throughout departmental history.
100 Old Slip. (212) 480-3100
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- The New York Public Library
- Origins of the New York Public Library, housing more than six million volumes,
date to when one-time governor Samuel J. Tilden (1814-1886) bequeathed most
of his fortune -- about $2.4 million -- to establish and maintain a free library
and reading room. New York already had the Astor and Lenox libraries, the Astor
created through John Jacob Astor (1763-1848), a German immigrant who became
the wealthiest man in America and left $400,000 for a reference library. James
Lenox left his personal collection of rare books (including the first Gutenberg
Bible to come to the New World), but it was intended for bibliophiles and scholars.
By 1892, both the Astor and Lenox libraries were in financial straits, and a
plan was devised to consolidate Astor, Lenox, and Tilden resources to form The
New York Public Library. The system now includes 85 libraries, with collections
totaling 6.6 million items, providing free information on a scale unmatched
by any other institution. In 1995, The New York Public Library celebrated the
centennial of its founding. One-hour building tours of the landmark facility
begin at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m, with groups of 10 or more by appointment..
42nd Street and Fifth Avenue. (212) 930-0800.
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- New York Skyride
- New York Skyride, in Midtown Manhattan, consists of two 40-seat big screen
flight simulator theaters, featuring a wild ride over Manhattan's skyline.
Empire State Building, second floor. (212) 279-9777
- New York Stock Exchange
- Lower Manhattan’s New York Stock has a visitor's gallery and self-guided
tours. A tree outside symbolizes the buttonwood where traders once gathered
to exchange stocks.
20 Broad Street. (212) 656-3000.
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Radio City Music Hall
- Upon the 1929 market crash, John D. Rockefeller, Jr. held a $91 million,
24-year lease on a midtown Manhattan tract in the “speakeasy belt" with plans
dashed for a new Metropolitan
Opera House. Rockefeller boldly decided to build an entire complex
targeting commercial tenants, although Manhattan was awash in vacancy and despair.
Partnering with fledgling Radio Corporation of America, whose NBC radio and
RKO studios boomed despite bad times, Rockefeller also brought in S.L. "Roxy"
Rothafel, a theatrical genius using razzle-dazzle décor to revive struggling
theaters across America. Resulting was a theater unlike any other within the
"Radio City" part of the
Rockefeller Center complex. Radio City Music
Hall, a palace for the people with quality entertainment at ordinary prices,
has since attracted more than 300 million for shows, movies, and special events.
It still looms large, and over 75 years its Radio City Rockettes have kicked
their way into icon status. The restored Music Hall reflects original grandeur
of opening night, 1932, with behind-the-scenes upgrades. Stage Door Tour guests
explore the Great Stage and its ‘30s vintage hydraulic system. See Roxy’s renowned
private suite with 12-feet high gold leaf ceilings, and meet a Rockette. One-hour
walking tours depart from the Music Hall lobby.
1260 Avenue of the Americas, Sixth Avenue and 50th Street. (212) 307-7171
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Rockefeller Center
- Rockefeller Center, with 24 acres of underground shops, changed the form
of Midtown Manhattan, becoming one of the most successful urban planning projects
in history. The vast project provided thousands of jobs during the Depression
and restored the image of New York as the premier American city. Rockefeller
Center is an art deco marvel consisting of 19 commercial buildings covering
11 acres from 49th to 52nd Streets, Fifth to Seventh Avenues. Thirty Rockefeller
Plaza, the RCA headquarters, was the largest and first built, and stands as
the centerpiece, and now General Electric’s initials brighten the rooftop for
the home of NBC. Hour-long studio tours include production areas of various
TV shows. The NBC Store also has souvenirs from shows such as "The Tonight Show
with Jay Leno," "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" and "Saturday Night Live."
Bounded by Fifth Avenue, 48th Street, Sevenue Avenue and West 51st Street. (212)
664-4000
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- St. Patrick’s Cathedral
- St. Patrick's Cathedral, one of the nation’s largest houses of worship,
is in Midtown Manhattan with seating for 2,400, and a pipe organ with more than
7,380 pipes. Fifth Avenue at 50th Street. (212) 753-2261
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Shea Stadium
- Home of the New York Mets, Queen’s Shea Stadium was originally to be called
Flushing Meadow Park. It ended up named after William Alfred Shea, an attorney
instrumental in acquiring a new team after the departure of the Giants and Dodgers.
Proximity to LaGuardia Airport makes Shea Stadium the noisiest outdoor ballpark
in the Majors. Site selection was done in winter, according to lore, when flight
paths were different than during baseball season. When a Met hits a homer at
Shea, a red Big Apple rises out of a black top hat, although some say it looks
more like a big kettle.
123-01 Roosevelt Avenue. (718) 507-METS
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SoHo and TriBeCa
- Within a quarter of a square mile, SoHo has roughly 250 art galleries, four
museums, nearly 200 restaurants, and 100 stores. Blocks south of Houston (pronounced
HOW-ston) and north of Canal streets are home to the city's largest concentration
of cast-iron fronted buildings, built as warehouses and manufacturing spaces,
but converted to living spaces, called lofts, for artists and sculptors who
appreciated the larger spaces. These 19th-century architectural gems (often
Victorian Gothic, Italianiate, and neo-Grecian), prized by preservationists,
are now home to the better-heeled. When SoHo became too upscale for starving
artists, many moved further downtown to another then half-abandoned industrial
district, TriBeCa (the Triangle Below Canal), which has since become a hot destination,
most notably for dining. One TriBeCa frontrunner, actor Robert De Niro, has
lived and worked in the neighborhood for some 20 years.
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South Street Seaport
- Experience New York’s salty maritime history at the South Street Seaport,
boasting a museum and numerous shops and restaurants. Browsing is free; museum
admission is $5 for adults and free for children under 12.
South Street Historic District near Water and Beekman Streets. (212) 748-8600
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Staten Island Ferry
- For Manhattan skyline spectacle, take the Staten Island Ferry from New York
harbor. The ferry runs 24 hours a day and is free at all times. (Vehicle fare
is $3.) Big facelifts set for 2004 wrap-up are underway at the St. George and
Whitehall Ferry Terminals, to serve more than 65,000 daily riders with enhanced
dining and an outdoor promenade easing pedestrian access between Bay Street
and the terminal.
St. George Ferry Terminal at Richmond Terrace, Staten Island. (718) 815-BOAT
Whitehall Ferry Terminal at Whitehall and South
Streets in Lower Manhattan. (718) 815-BOAT
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Statue of Liberty National Monument
- The Statue of Liberty National Monument, measuring 151 feet on a 154-foot
pedestal (with a 35-foot waist and an 8-foot index finger), is the tallest statue
of modern times. France presented the 450,000-pound Lady Liberty to the U.S.
in 1884, commemorating the alliance of the two countries during the American
Revolution. It features the American Museum of Immigration.
Upper New York Bay on Liberty Island. (212) 363-3200.
- Teddy Roosevelt’s Birthplace National Historic Site
- He remains the only U.S. president born in New York City, yet locals and
visitors alike often unknowingly walk past the brownstone where Theodore Roosevelt,
26th president of the U.S., was born Oct. 27, 1858. His father’s success as
an importer/exporter meant the house where a frail yet bright Teddy lived until
age 14 had gas lighting, sumptuous furnishings, and a backyard stretching all
the way to 19th Street. The four-story house is filled with Roosevelt family
furniture including T.R.’s child-sized chair by the library fireplace. Roosevelt,
growing up to become a strapping colonel of the Rough Riders, declined to buy
his birth home when plans were announced to raze it in 1916 for a commercial
building. In 1919, the year of Roosevelt’s death, the Women’s Roosevelt Memorial
Association acquired the site, demolished the new building, and reconstructed
his home as a memorial. Period rooms of the narrow, dark Victorian house are
restored to reflect their 1865-1872 appearance. The National Park Service offers
tours.
28 East 20th Street, New York City. (212) 260-1616
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Times Square Visitors Center
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Times Square draws approximately 37 million
visitors spending up to $16.4 billion annually. The Times Square Visitors Center,
in the restored landmark Embassy Movie Theatre, is steps from more than 5,000
businesses with 250,000 employees, and from world-renowned landmarks and tourist
attractions. Times Square is surrounded by 45 Broadway theaters, drawing 11.6
million people annually and generating tickets sales of more than $588 million.
Times Square is also the hub of New York’s hospitality industry, surrounded
by 28 hotels, accounting for one-fifth of all New York City hotel rooms. Free
walking tours depart from the Visitors Center every Friday at noon, rain or
shine.
Times Square Visitors Center, 1560 Broadway,
between 46th and 47th streets.
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- Tribute – A Celebration of New York City
- Tribute is a performance of the never-ending symphony that is New York life.
In the heart of Tribute is the Remember Experience viewed in one of two custom-built
high definition projection theaters. Visitors also can walk around the floating
multimedia screens and explore artwork from the underground and emerging artists
gallery. The Remember Experience itself celebrates the beauty and vitality of
a city undeterred by tragedy. Remember, speaking from shadows of two fallen
giants, dares telling the New York story as never before told. Featured are
a September 11th Memorial Hall, a café overlooking historic Bowling Green Park,
and a gift shop.
24 Broadway, New York City. (212) 952-1000
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United Nations Headquarters
- United Nations Headquarters, in Midtown Manhattan, offers one-hour tours
departing from the
United Nations Public Lobby daily covering
the Secretariat Building, the domed General Assembly Building, Conference Building
and the Hammarskjold Library. The name "United Nations," coined by President
Franklin D. Roosevelt, was first used in the "Declaration by United Nations"
of Jan. 1. 1942, during WW11, when representatives of 26 nations pledged to
continue fighting together against the Axis Powers. United Nations Day is celebrated
annually on Oct. 24.
First Avenue and 46th Street. (212) 963-7700
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Yankee Stadium
- Yankee Stadium, known as the house in the Bronx that Babe Ruth built, opened
in 1923 for a capacity of 58,000, and was the first ballpark large enough to
be called a stadium. Bleachers in right center field are sometimes called Ruthville.
161st Street and River Avenue. (718) 293-6000.
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