New York. Everyone knows about it, everyone has their own opinion of it, but here's mine:

I've been to New York about 8 times now, and I'm due to be going again for a long weekend in 2 weeks time as a sort of post-21st birthday celebration.

I think New York is definitely a city to be enjoyed either on your own or with a close friend - someone with whom you share interests. Because it's so big, if you're not wanting to do the same things, you will be spending an awful lot of time doing something you don't want to.

New York is a lot like London in its range of cultures, shops, restaurants etc. I guess I'm a bit biased at this point because I live in London so I've got used to it, but I think the thing that sets New York apart from London is that it has a more metropolis-like feeling to it, and it oozes style in abundance.

London seems to have a more anti-style than conventional style - we have Camden Town, they have Greenwich Village and SoHo. The type of shops are very similar, but the type of people there are a world apart.

Camden has goths, punks, rockers, indie-kids, tourists. Greenwich Village has a lot of stylishly-dressed people frequenting a lot of coffee shops and jazz bars.


It would be impossible to go into all the things you can see and do in New York, but I'll give you a little selection of the things I've done which I would recommend to others:

Empire State Building - well you have to really after Sleepless in Seattle.

Rainbow Room restaurant - can see the Empire state building from here. It's in the Rockerfeller Centre. In Sleepless in Seattle this is where she is having the drinks with her fiance. Very nice bar/restaurant, but it's a bit pricey!

Statue of Liberty - take the Ellis Island Ferry to get over there, and can have a wander round. The option I've always taken, although maybe this time I'll go for
the former, is to take the Circle Line boat trip that goes all around Manhattan and gives you a great view of the statue.

Guggenheim Museum - There are several Guggenheim museums all around the world, and the thing common to all of them is the quality of modern art they contain. The Guggenheim New York is an exceptionally striking piece of architecture as it is virtually undescribable. It is like a stumpy cylinder, that is larger at the top, and inside there is a spiral walkway going around the outside wall and creeping up slowly. Definitely worth a visit.

World Trade Centre - the two twin towers you always see in films. They are a masterpiece of modern architecture. Towering above the cityscape you can look out and see around. Try to go on a day which is clear as New York quite often has a cloud of smog over it. There is also an *excellent* restaurant at the top of one of the towers called Windows on the World. You get an incredible view whilst dining, but beware - it's extremely expensive, but the food is GREAT.

United Nations - While it may just look like a building, it is in fact on international territory. When you step into the grounds, you leave the United States! Inside there is a good tour you can take, and it's interesting to see that despite the west's ban on ivory trading etc, they display an absolutely incredibly carved ivory piece that was a gift from China. To their credit, anyone hiding it away would be stupid as it's one of the most intricately detailed pieces of art I've seen.

Sak's 5th Avenue, Macy's, Bloomingdales etc etc. - all the major shops you've heard of in the films and many you haven't. They're worth paying a visit. Think Harrods meets Selfriges meets a much bigger building.

Broadway - Have to take a walk down broadway and look at the lights, sounds and theatres.

Central Park - it's huge, and you're quite likely to spot a celebrity
jogging, walking their dog or just walking. Sting's New York digs are just off Central Park in a nice building about 1/3 of the way up on the west side. Don't forget to have a look at the Zoo and the Ice rink.

Tavern on the Green - a nice restaurant in Central park that serves good food in a congenial atmosphere.

Horse and carriages - go to the south east side of Central Park and you'll see loads of carriages. They aren't particularly cheap, but they do give you a nice way of seeing the south side of Central Park if you can spare the cash.


One final thing - it is a total myth that if you go to New York that you will be mugged. I was like that the first time I went, but I haven't seen any kind of street violence when I've been there. There are police officers on pretty much every street corner, so you feel pretty safe.

Hope you've found this of use.

Ken