Exciting Things To Do in New York City
Enjoy Your Vacation in New York City

New York City is bigger than life. It's a fascinating place to vacation with exciting things to do. Here you'll find the best of the best, the biggest of all, and more of everything. New York City is so large people fall back on numbers to describe it. The longest subway system, the biggest museum, the tallest buildings, the largest city in the United States. You can just assume that almost everything is New York City is super-sized. Here are some of the exciting things to do in New York City.

1. How New York City Came to Be
2. Surprising Facts About New York City
3. Things To Do: Tours of New York City
4. Things To Do in New York City: Central Park
5. Things To Do in New York City: Lincoln Center
6. Things To Do In New York City: Professional Sports
7. Things To Do In New York City: Special Events
8. Things To Do In New York City: Broadway Theater
9. Things To Do In New York City: Six Exciting Museums
10. Things To Do In New York City: Shopping
11. Things To Do In New York City: World Trade Memorial
12. Things To Do In New York City: Empire State Building
13. Things To Do In New York City: Statue of Liberty
14. Things To Do In New York City: Ellis Island
15. Interactive Google Map of Things To Do In New York City

There's lots of exciting things to do in New York City. New York City brings you the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, the Metropolitan Museum, the United Nations, Times Square, Fifth Avenue shopping, Central Park, Broadway theater, the Lincoln Center, professional sports and cuisine from around the world. It's the center of finance, culture, fashion and entertainment. People call it the City That Never Sleeps, the Capital of the World, Gotham, and the Big Apple. New York, New York, it's a wonderful town.

How New York City Came to Be

New York City, one of the oldest cities in the United States, and our first capital city, covers 300 square miles and 9 million people. It is divided into five unique boroughs, Manhattan, Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island. But the Island of Manhattan is the best place to start a vacation.

The neighborhoods of Manhattan each have a unique personality and style. They are Harlem, Upper East Side, East Side, Upper West Side, West Side, Heights, Midtown, Gramercy Park, East Village, Chinatown, Little Italy, Lower East Side, Lower Manhattan and The Battery, SoHo, TriBeCa, Greenwich Village, Chelsea, Midtown West and the Theater district. An interactive Google map is at the bottom of this article.

The city began in 1624 when the Dutch bought a piece of Manhattan Island from the Manates Indian tribe for trinkets worth $25. At this time it was called New Amsterdam. But the area was also previous claimed by Great Britain. The Treaty of Paris in 1763 ended the French and Indian Wars, and recognized the British claim to the North American territories. They named the city and state for the 17th century Duke of York, who became King James II of England.

Manhattan has a natural harbor on the Hudson River, and from there to the Atlantic Ocean. Trade and commerce helped the city grow. New York City has been the gateway for immigration. The population is famous for its diversity and is called the melting pot of the world. Today, over 36% of the people are foreign-born and 90 languages beside English are spoken here.

Surprising Facts About New York City

Since 2005, the city has the lowest crime rate among the 25 largest U.S. cities, In 2005, three out of five Manhattan residents were college graduates and one out of four had advanced degrees. That makes it one of the highest-educated American cities.

Unlike every other major city in the United States, public transit is the city's most popular method of transportation. Most New Yorkers commute to work using mass transit, subways, commuter rail network, and buses. The New York City Subway is the largest rapid transit system in the world, with 468 stations and 24-hour operations.

New Yorkers are some of the fittest people in the United States, probably because all the walking they do keeps them in shape.

New York is the most energy-efficient major city in the United States. That's because many people commute to work by public transit, many more walk, and 120,000 ride bikes.

The New York Public Library has the largest collection of any public library system in the country,

Only four major cities in the United States have drinking water that is naturally pure and doesn't require water treatment purification. New York City is one of them. Its drinking water comes from the Catskill Mountains watershed.

Although New York City is as far north as Chicago, it has a warmer, humid subtropical climate, thanks to the Atlantic Ocean. New York City has an average of 234 days with some sunshine. The average winter temperature in January is just 32 degrees, but there are extremes of cold weather and, typically, 24 inches of snow each year.

Things To Do: Tours of New York City

Take a guided tour of the city to enjoy the spectacular buildings. Look up at the huge Gothic details on the 1913 Woolworth Building. Marvel at the 1930 Art Deco style Chrysler Building with design details from the Chrysler automobile. It is possibly New York's finest building. You'll see the Seagram Building, the Flatiron Building, St. Patrick's Cathedral, St. Paul's Chapel where George Washington worshipped, Trinity Church, Wall Street, the impressive U.S. Customs House, and Federal Hall where the Stamp Act was signed. Everywhere you look, elegant brownstone row houses, churches, and office buildings have unusual friezes, carvings and decoration.

Relax and take a cruise around Manhattan for an exciting tour to see some memorable landmarks, plus 3 rivers, 5 boroughs, 7 major bridges and a skyline that takes your breath away.

Things To Do in New York City: Central Park

Central Park is 843 green acres right in the center of Manhattan, an oasis among the skyscrapers, and one of the largest urban parks in the world. Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux created the park entirely from scratch. Here stressed New Yorkers unwind among the landscaped gardens, lakes, bridges, trails, bridal paths, sports fields and playgrounds. In addition to the famous Central Park zoo and the summer productions of Shakespeare in the Park, Central Park has a reservoir, outdoor theater, nature center at Belvedere Castle, Marionette Theatre and Carousel. Strawberry Fields is an area of the park across from The Dakota dedicated to John Lennon. Every year on October 9, fans gather to celebrate his birthday.

Things To Do in New York City: Lincoln Center

The Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts is the largest performing arts center in the United States. As the home for 12 arts organizations, something is always happening here, the symphony orchestra, Metropolitan Opera, ballet, repertory theater, jazz, chamber music, and film.

Things To Do In New York City: Professional Sports

Take in a game while you're here. New York has teams in the four major professional sports leagues. There are two professional baseball teams, the Yankees and the Mets; two professional football teams, the Jets and the Giants; in professional basketball, the New York Knicks; and in professional hockey, the New York Rangers.

Things To Do In New York City: Special Events

Special events are scheduled year-round. There's the New York City Marathon, the largest marathon in the world. The U.S. Tennis Open in Queens is the fourth and final event of the Grand Slam tennis tournaments. Boxing events like the Amateur Boxing Golden Gloves are held at Madison Square Garden. In the summer months, there are free performances in Central Park at Summerstage and 1,200 free concerts, dance, and theater events across all five boroughs. Other famous events are the Halloween Parade in Greenwich Village, the Tribeca Film Festival, Macy's Parade, and St. Patrick's Day Parade. Throughout winter, you can ice skate at Rockefeller Center and Central Park.

Here are more things to do in New York CitySample New York street food and the finest haute cuisine restaurants. And you can try some of the world's cuisines at thousands of international restaurants. Ride in a horse-drawn carriage. Before your visit, arrange for tickets to your favorite live television show. Take a tour of Radio City Music Hall, NBC Studios or Carnegie Hall. You'll see movies shooting on location around the city.

Things To Do In New York City: Broadway Theater

Broadway represents live theater and the Great White Way. It is the city's number one tourist attraction. Over a third of the tourists come to Manhattan to see a theater show. The theater district is mostly between Broadway and Eighth Avenue. 39 Broadway theaters, and a host of off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway stages are here to entertain you. Half-price theater tickets are available for the same day at the TKTS booth at the north end of Times Square and at the TKTS booth at South Street Seaport. Theater listings are published in the New York Times or the New Yorker magazine.

"Culture just seems to be in the air, like part of the weather." writer Tom Wolfe

Things To Do In New York City: Six Exciting Museums

Museum Mile along Fifth Avenue on the Upper East side is a premier center for art, where each museum is the best of its kind in America. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Frick Collection, the Guggenheim Museum, the National Academy of Design, the Jewish Museum, Neue Gallery, el Museo del Barrio and the Whitney Museum on Madison Avenue are each remarkable in their own way.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art is a national treasure of more than two million works of art, famous American and European paintings, sculpture, decorative arts, ancient cultures, armor and clothing. The Greeks, the Romans, Near and Far East, Egypt, and works of art covering 5,000 years engage visitors from around the world. There is also a rooftop sculpture garden with a view of Central Park. If you only have time for one museum, make it the Met.

The Guggenheim was designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright. With spiral ramp and slanted walls, it is one of the greatest buildings of the twentieth century. Browse and enjoy the stellar collection of early 20th century art.

The Museum of Modern Art, called MoMA, includes paintings by modern masters like Vincent van Gogh, Claude Monet and Jackson Pollock. This is indisputably the world’s foremost museum of modern art.

Cloisters Museum in northern Manhattan is the branch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art devoted to medieval art and architecture. You'll see 5,000 works of art, including magnificent sculpture, illuminated manuscripts, stained glass, and the celebrated Unicorn Tapestries. The beautiful gardens re-create plant, flower, and herb gardens of the Middle Ages.

The American Museum of Natural History on the Upper West Side is, once again, the largest in the world. Everyone enjoys the dinosaurs and African mammals. There's an IMAX, a Space Show, and a live Butterfly Conservatory in winter. The popular movie Night at the Museum was filmed here.

Things To Do In New York City: Shopping

Fifth Avenue means fashion and shopping. No trip to Manhattan would be complete without some serious shopping. Fifth Avenue can be a very expensive shopping experience with famous stores like Saks, Gucci, Chanel, Ferragamo, Coach, Luis Vuitton, Fendi, Armani, Vera Wang. and the list goes on. You'll be rubbing shoulders with the rich and the famous who show up here. Bloomingdale’s at 59th and Lexington, Macy's Herald Square, and the Manhattan Mall at Greeley Square are other popular shopping destinations.

Things To Do In New York City: World Trade Memorial

The World Trade Memorial at Ground Zero commemorates the attack of September 11, 2001, when terrorists hijackers flew two jet airplanes into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center. Spend a quiet moment at this moving tribute to the nearly 3,000 who died and the heroic people who saved lives.

Things To Do In New York City: Empire State Building

The Empire State Building is a famous landmark, the third tallest skyscraper in the Americas, and for forty years was the world's tallest building. Built in 1931 as an Art Decor feature, it was based on the earlier Carew Tower in Cincinnati, Ohio, designed by the same architect. About 21,000 people work in the building. Did you know that the spire on top was originally used as a mooring mast and depot for dirigibles? Visit the observation decks on the 86th floor and the 102nd floor for spectacular views. You may enjoy the motion simulator theater on the 2nd floor which gives you a 25-minute aerial film tour around the city.

Things To Do In New York City: Statue of Liberty

The Statue of Liberty is an icon of the United States. Take the ferry out to Liberty Island in New York Harbor. You can go inside part of the statue, visit the small museum and take photos. The statue was a gift from the people of France to commemorate the centennial of the Declaration of Independence.

Poet Irma Lazarus expressed it best
"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free ...
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

Things To Do In New York City: Ellis Island

Ellis Island was the check-in point for immigrants arriving at this country. The facility operated from 1892 to 1954, and processed 12 million immigrants. Perhaps your ancestors passed through these doors. Because 2% of the immigrants were denied admission, it was known as "The Island of Tears." Today Ellis Island houses a museum.

Interactive Google Map of Things To Do In New York City

To Zoom In, Double-Click Your Left Mouse Button
To Zoom Out, Double-Click Your Right Mouse Button
To Move Around, Click on the Map and Drag It

I hope you have an exciting vacation in New York City.
I wish you a very happy day.

Jeff, Vacation Welcome

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