Brandon Presser - Lonely Planet New York City

Welcome to New York City

As for New York City, it is a place apart. There is not its match in any other country in the world. Pearl S Buck

From the chorus lines of Broadway down to the grungy cabarets of the Village, its practically impossible to swing a dance belt without hitting a comedy club, jazz lounge or offbeat theater. And beyond the scope of live acts lurks an electric world of art and artifact housed in world-class museums of encyclopedic proportions and up-and-coming galleries showcasing relevant creators. So set your expectations as high as the skyscrapers and youll quickly uncover myriad brilliant moments of sensory overload far beyond the twinkling lights of NYCs poster child, Times Square.

The Big Apple is, more than anything else, a wildly diverse urban ecosystem, and theres no better way to access the citys cornucopia of cultures than through the dinner plate. NYCs eating scene is a parade of superlatives culminating in a constellation of Michelin stars. From the Caribbean kitchens in Harlem to modern iterations of new American comfort cuisine downtown, New York offers endless opportunities to stamp your palates passport.

With topics that trend faster than a Twitter feed, New York City always seems to have its finger on the pulse, making it one of the most progressive and innovative pinpoints on the globe. In this land of perpendicular gridiron you can get anything at anytime, from the latest couture from the Parisian runways to the most ergonomic lounge chairs from the design ateliers of Tokyo. Sand passes through the hourglass much faster here change is constantly afoot, as locals hunt down the latest and greatest with alacrity only to shift gears the following week in search of the next big hit. They dont call it a New York Minute for nothin!

One hundred years ago the torch-wielding icon, clad in copper greens, welcomed the tired, poor, and huddled masses she was quite the sight for sore eyes after a long journey from the other end of the globe. Today, Lady Liberty stands guard over a modern set of human pursuits. New York has become so much more than a gateway to opportunity its a city of triumph, a capital of exploration and experimentation; its a place where one is truly free to be themselves. So come as you are, shed your apprehensions, let it all hang out and join the fray.

Brooklyn Bridge ()
CHRISTOPHER GROENHOUT / LONELY PLANET IMAGES

Why I Love New York City

By Brandon Presser, Author

I used to have a theory about New York City: you could easily tell the difference between a tourist and local because tourists always look up. And I can safely say after a decade of experiences both as a tourist and a local that my half-baked hypothesis was indeed terribly wrong. For you see, the City simply never ceases to amaze, and after all this time I still find myself staring skyward with awe.

My favorite spot? Standing on south side of 14th St looking uptown along Irving Pl the Chrysler Building, with its gilded crown, waves hello from a distance every time I pass by.

For more about our authors, see .

New York Citys Top 16

Central Park ( )

London has Hyde Park. Paris has the Bois de Boulogne. And New York City has Central Park. One of the worlds most renowned green spaces, it checks in with 843 acres of rolling meadows, boulder-studded outcrops, elm-lined walkways, manicured European-style gardens, a lake and a reservoir not to mention an outdoor theater, a memorial to John Lennon, an idyllic waterside eatery (the Loeb Boathouse) and one very famous statue of Alice in Wonderland. The big challenge? Figuring out where to begin.

Upper West Side & Central Park

JEAN-PIERRE LESCOURRET / LONELY PLANET IMAGES

Skyscrapers ( )

Ah, the skyscraper mankinds phallic homage to human progress. New York City has plenty of em in every shape and size, from the imposingly elegant Chrysler Building (). And while staring into the citys infinite abyss of twinkling lights from atop a skyscraper ranks high on everyones to-do list, we often prefer those quintessential New York moments down on the street when the crown of a soaring spire winks hello amid honking taxis in the early evening.

Midtown

EMPIRE STATE BUILDING
HUW JONES / LONELY PLANET IMAGES

Broadway Shows ( )

Only Londons West End can rival Midtowns Theater District; a sea of premieres, revivals, smash hits and flops. Stretching from 40th St to 54th St, between Sixth and Eighth Aves, this is NYCs Dream Factory a place where romance, betrayal, murder and triumph come with dazzling costumes and stirring scores. Yet, the district is more than just the wicked vaudevillians of Chicago, or the in-tune wildlife of The Lion King, with enough off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway drama both new and classic to please the highest of theater brows.

Midtown