Plan For Seven Days In New York City
A common complaint when visiting new cities is the lack of time to see all the most interesting places so you will need to plan for seven days in New York if you intend to see what she has to offer. One of the most important places to see is the Empire State Building; it has a facade that is famous around the world. Some people swear that it is better to visit the top floor of the Rockefeller Center but you really do need a clear day to fully appreciate the view. Most people’s first proper view of the Statue of Liberty is from a tour boat but increasing numbers of people often mean it is better to land at Ellis Island.
Fortunately, the Staten Island ferry is still free and can provide great views of the Statue of Liberty; there are always a good number of professional standard street performers to watch. However, no seven day trip to New York would be complete now without a visit to where the World Trade Center Towers once stood not that long ago. The area where they stood is surprisingly large plus the emptiness feels strange and if you like taking photographs, you may be disappointed here because it just doesn’t feel right. For those who love to shop there is of course the famous Tiffany’s and Broadway plus some fantastic old discount warehouses worth a look down on the Lower East Side.
If you’re up for more discount shopping then you need to get to Maceys and have your tourist discount card handy as it can save you eleven percent after which a trip to Bloomingdales would be in order. An excellent tourist location is the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum which is likely to be closed until the end of 2008; if you’re going to be there next year it will be a worthwhile place to see. There is a great deal there with the focus on the USS Intrepid, a Second World War aircraft carrier but Concorde is also there and many other interesting vessels, including a submarine. The real New York City Police Museum is open for visitors and whilst admission is free; donations are expected of around five dollars to help with running it; because it’s about New York’s finest (and some not so fine), it has some really excellent NYPD souvenirs.
Another museum is the Lower East Side Tenement Museum which focuses on the appalling conditions experienced by the immigrants back in 1864. On Central Park is the fascinating Museum of the City of New York with millions of objects for researchers but for tourists, an ever-changing program of exhibitions showing the past, present and future of the Big Apple. The venue is also free but relies on donations and souvenirs to survive; generally visitors provide a donation of approximately 9 dollars. As I am sure you can imagine if you have been on a trip to any major capital city, there is far more to see and do than a short stay or even a seven day trip to New York can accomplish.
