New York City, USA

Compiled by FatPassport's travel experts

One of the world’s most exciting cities
New York City, USA

Likes: Museums, food, and architecture
Dislikes: Relatively expensive
Many Travelers? Huge Tourist Crowds

Mention New York City to someone who has never been there, and a look of envy with flash across their face. Regarded as one of the most popular cities in the world, it is also one of the most exciting. It’s here that you’ll find the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, the Brooklyn Bridge, Wall Street, and tragically, Ground Zero. If travelers are not coming for the sights, then they will come for theatre, jazz clubs, museums, nightlife, shopping, and fantastic food.

New York is generally quite expensive for hotels and meals, but if one is willing to search for smaller hotels in fringe areas or youth hostels on the Upper West Side, and look for the neighborhood diners for value meals, then visitors of all budgets can make it work. If you are looking for luxury then this is your place.

Allow at least four days to explore the city as there are so many places to see and things to do. Museums exist not only in Manhattan, but in the nearby boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens. A trip to NYC is not complete without the boat trip to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, or taking the Circle Island tour. The Metropolitan Museum of Art is world-renowned, and depending on your level of interest in art, can take from a few hours to a day or more. The Cloisters is located up in the Bronx and perfect for those interested in medieval art, and the view of the Hudson River is fantastic. There are so many different kinds of museums in NYC that even the locals have not seen them all. Museum junkies can easily spend a week or two exploring, and there are guides that will direct you to each of them.

New York City is wonderful for adults and families alike. Kids will enjoy seeing the major landmarks that they've heard about or seen on TV, can take advantage of the areas good zoos, and will love a visit to famed toy store FAO Schwarz.

Public transportation is easy and affordable ($2 per ride with free transfer between bus and subway lines at this time). Buses are clean and are a good way to “see” the city, but subways are faster. Note that subways mostly travel from north to south while buses travel north, south, east, and west.

The people of New York are on-the-go, but most are friendly enough and will try to help a traveler if you can slow them down.

The summer months can be very uncomfortable because of the heat and humidity. Most places are air conditioned, but walking around outside in the heat can be miserable. In the winter months, the opposite is true when temperatures are freezing and strong winds can make it seem colder. The best months to visit are May and October, though the city is also wonderfully atmospheric around Christmas.

Like most large cities, NYC has some rough areas, but the areas in which travelers are primarily interested are safe. Keep watch over your valuables, and avoid wandering around alone at night, and you should be fine.

---

Always something to do
New York City, USA

Likes: Great public transportation
Dislikes: Tons of people everywhere
Many Travelers? Huge Tourist Crowds

A group of friends and I decided to go to New York City over the 4th of July to see the Yankees play the Red Sox, visit the many museums in town and grab some New York style pizza.

The game was in the original Yankee Stadium (which has sadly been demolished now) against the Boston Red Sox (my team). Being in the same stadium where greats like Babe Ruth and Joe DiMaggio played is awesome and the two teams on the field both featured numerous Hall of Fame players. There was a long rain delay in the middle of the game, but in the end the Red Sox won behind Beckett's pitching and a Lowell home run.

If you visit New York City make sure to hit up the many museums in town. The Met is of course the main draw with it's numerous world-famous paintings on display. Also check out the National Sports Museum and the Museum of Natural History (where Night at the Museum was filmed). The costs are reasonable (or free) but make sure to give yourself plenty of time. These places are huge.

Lastly we had the famous New York pizza. It tastes fantastic and with the sheer enormity of the slice you have to fold it for logistic purposes. The weather was beautiful. The public transportation system made for inexpensive travel around town. I recommend everyone make the trip.

A FatPassport member submitted this review as their subjective opinion. This review is not an opinion of FatPassport.

I want to live here! fascinating city
New York City, USA

Likes: times square, broadway, everything
Dislikes: liked it all, a little chilly
Many Travelers? Some

This city is amazing! They don't call it the city that never sleeps for nothing:) There is SO much to do and you can't take it all in, in a very short amount of time!

It was my 2nd visit, the other being June 2007, so I was a little familiar with the city and Times Square area. I am still overwhelmed and in awe of this city!

I'd love to live there. Lots of great entertainment, food and just plain fun!!

A FatPassport member submitted this review as their subjective opinion. This review is not an opinion of FatPassport.