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GARY'S GUIDE:
What to see in
NEW YORK, NEW YORK!
A Resident's View of Sights and Sounds in the Big Apple
For Tourists & Visitors from Abroad (and the USA)
Being a New Yorker
There is no way this Gary's Guide to New York City and surrounding area will come close to a genuine Guide Book, or online guides like The New York Convention & Visitors Bureau New York City Guide in cooperation with CitySearch: New York City,, or CitySpin's New York referenced in the Quickguide New York, or New York's Official City Guide. Rather, the intention of this guide is to include some personal favorites, from sights to restaurants to entertainment, which are strongly recommended to any visitor in the City of New York, and the Northeastern United States. It also includes some hints and tips of how to get around New York City and the surrounding communities, with a dash of historical reference.
In the Beginning, New Amsterdam
The City of New York was first settled by the Dutch in the early 1600s. Yes, there is that story about the Dutch Settlers buying Manhattan Island for $24 from the Native Americans but we'll let that pass. Anyway, the Dutch settled on the lower part of Manhattan Island, south of what is now Wall Street, calling their new home New Amsterdam. There were also Dutch settlements on Long Island in what is now Brooklyn. The name "Manhattan" is a Native American word; "Brooklyn" is derived from the Dutch words for "Broken Land"; "The Bronx" is derived from what people said when visiting the owners of a vast farm up north--"we're going to visit the Broncks". Eventually, the English arrived, and changed the name of New Amsterdam to New York. The Long Island Dutch settlements kept their names, and many Brooklyn neighborhoods still retain their Dutch origins: Brooklyn Heights, Flatbush, New Utrecht, Flatlands, Bedford-Stuyvesant, Bushwick, Boerum Hill, etc.
After the Brooklyn Bridge was completed in 1883, commerce between the City of New York and the City of Brooklyn grew so rapidly, it became evident that the two cities should join as one, thus the City of Greater New York was formed on 1 January 1898. Many Brooklynites now rue the day, but the Five Boroughs are joined to form the most populous city in the United States of America.
The City of New York Today
As New York City grew, it incorporated many Manhattan communities, such as Greenwich Village. It became evident that civic planning was needed, so the grid system evolved, and its implementation makes it very easy to get around Manhattan today. The other boroughs are a bit different, but that will be discussed a bit later.
First, a brief geography and terminology lesson for Manhattan: "Downtown" is south; "Uptown" is north; "Midtown", the business district, is in the middle; "the East Side" is anything east Fifth Avenue; and "the West Side" is anything west of Fifth Avenue. "Downtown Brooklyn" refers to the civic, business, and shopping district of Brooklyn closest to Downtown Manhattan, coincidentally the original Dutch settlement in Brooklyn.
Since the City began downtown, lower Manhattan has narrow, winding streets, but above 14th Street, everything becomes very regular. Avenues run north-south; streets east-west. For the most part, both are numbered, but there are exceptions. Through Midtown Manhattan (42nd Street) starting from the East River, the Avenues are First, Second, Third, Lexington, Park, Madison, Fifth, Sixth (a.k.a. Avenue of the Americas), Seventh, Eighth, Ninth, Tenth, Eleventh, and Twelfth, the latter running along the Hudson River. To remember those three named Avenues, just think of LET'S PLAY MARBLES (L-P-M, L for Lexington, P for Park, M for Madison). Broadway, the longest Avenue, winds from the southern tip of Manhattan to the northern tip and across the Harlem River into the Bronx. On its way up, it crosses several other Avenues, but more on that later. Fourth Avenue does exist, but it is very short, and at East 14th Street turns into Park Avenue South, which becomes Park Avenue at East 34th Street. South of East 14th Street, where Manhattan bulges a bit to the east, you have, from First Avenue east: Avenue A, Avenue B, Avenue C, and Avenue D. This area is known as "Alphabet City" for obvious reasons. North of East 57th Street, the island bulges a bit again, and you have Sutton Place/York Avenue, and north of East 79th Street, add East End Avenue. In the middle of Manhattan, Central Park stops Sixth and Seventh Avenues, but they continue as Lenox Avenue/Malcom X Boulevard and Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Boulevard, respectively, north of Central Park North. On the West Side, the Avenues all change names north of West 59th Street. Eighth Avenue becomes Central Park West, which becomes Frederick Douglass Boulevard north of West 110th Street. Ninth Avenue becomes Columbus Avenue. Tenth Avenue becomes Amsterdam Avenue. Eleventh Avenue becomes West End Avenue. Twelfth Avenue becomes the Henry Hudson Parkway. At West 72nd Street, add the glamourous Riverside Drive west of West End Avenue, before the Henry Hudson Parkway.
In many respects, the Bronx is just a mainland extension of Manhattan. The myriad of bridges which cross the narrow Harlem River continue many Manhattan Avenues and Streets into the Bronx, where the numbering scheme remains. The lowest numbered street in the Bronx is East 132nd Street! The grid system also exists to various extents in the other three boroughs; however, since they grew from independent communities, being physically much larger than Manhattan, unusual and irregular junctions formed where old towns and neighborhoods met. As a result, several major thoroughfares wind through Brooklyn much the same way Broadway goes up Manhattan. Flatbush Avenue and Kings Highway are excellent examples. Queens is even more individualistic--you still address mail to the old town names like Astoria, Flushing, Hollis, and Jackson Heights. Staten Island is a mystery to most City residents, save those who live there!
Although Brooklyn is famous for its diverse neighborhoods, and the distinctiveness of the people who come from each one, Manhattan, too, has neighboroods. Most are defined by function (commercial v. residential). Lower Manhattan is mainly the Financial District. TriBeCa, the TRIangle BElow CAnal Street, which is the triangle on the southeastern tip of Manhattan formed by Canal Street, Broadway, and the East River. SoHo is south of Houston (pronounced HOW-ston) Street. The Lower East Side encompasses Alphabet City, Chinatown, and Little Italy. Midtown, the East Side, and the West Side refer to the business and residential districts between 34th Street and 59th Street. The Upper East Side and the Upper West Side refer to the residential neighborhoods on either side of Central Park. North of Central Park to about West 180th Street you have Harlem, Manhattanville, and East Harlem, ethnically rich and diverse neighborhoods, with large African-American and Hispanic populations. North of 180th Street are Washington Heights and Inwood, also strong ethnic neighborhoods, with Irish-American and Italian-American populations.
The City of New York comprises five counties, which are known as boroughs: New York County (Manhattan), Kings County (Brooklyn), Queens County, Richmond County (Staten Island), and Bronx County. The Bronx is the only part of New York City which is on the mainland United States. Manhattan and Staten Island are islands, and Brooklyn and Queens are two of the four counties in Long Island. The only "true" river which runs through New York City is the Hudson River, which separates the Bronx and Manhattan from New Jersey. The Harlem River, separating the Bronx from Manhattan, the East River, separating the Bronx and Manhattan from Queens and Brooklyn, and the Arthur Kill, separating Staten Island from New Jersey, are technically straits. The Hudson and East Rivers flow into the Upper New York Bay. The Bay narrows at The Narrows, which separates Brooklyn from Staten Island. South of the Narrows is the Lower New York Bay, which opens onto the Atlantic Ocean. Newton Creek, the Bronx River, the Gowanus Canal, are just a few of the smaller waterways which can be found in New York City.
The City That Never Sleeps
New York City, like London, Paris, Washington, DC, and San Francisco, is exciting, vibrant, and it caters to pedestrians and commuters. Once in Midtown Manhattan, it is very easy just to walk around to see the many sights. When tired of walking, there are many public transportation alternatives, thanks to the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA).
- The Subway.
The largest subway/metro system in the World, the first subway line
was completed in 1904. There were elevated rail lines before, but the Blizzard of 1888 brought
the elevated system to a halt, so the rails went underground. It is large, and while much
cleaner and safer now than it was years ago, it can be dirty and a late-night haven for the
homeless, but it runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365-days a year, and it will get you
there easier and faster than most alternatives, especially midday. Make sure you understand
the difference between express and local stations, and which lines service which stations at
various times during the day and night. Although all stations are serviced, not all lines run
at all times--some trains have extended service during rush-hours whereas others cease running totally
after midnight (e.g. the A-Train is express most of the day, but operates as a local when the
C-Train stops running late-nights). Track work may divert some trains to other lines and close
some platforms (e.g. downtown local platform may not be in use, but uptown platform is open). Listen
to all announcements, and read any emergency signs posted in token booths or in the subway
station, usually printed on 8.5 x 11 inch posters with a red bar across the top. The cost of
a ride is $1.50. You can purchase either a token (a coin used only on the Mass Transit system
of New York City), or a
MetroCard.
There are several MetroCard variations which offer a discount:
- Purchase a MetroCard for $15 or more, and you get a bonus 10% (a $20 MetroCard purchase will actually put $22 on the MetroCard). You can continue to add more money to this version of the MetroCard until its expiration date.
- A 7-day Unlimited Ride MetroCard is only $17 for a full week of unlimited rides (take more than 13 rides in 7 days and it is worth the purchase).
- A One-Day FunPass MetroCard costs $4 for a day of unlimited rides (take more than 3 rides in a day, and it is worth the purchase).
- NYC Buses. An extremely extensive network of buses crisscrosses all NYC boroughs; however, very few go from one borough to another. Manhattan bus lines are prefixed with an "M", Brooklyn with a "B", Bronx with a "Bx", etc. Remember, buses are subject to the traffic conditions on the streets, and there are even express and local buses, so beware! The fare on all NYC Buses is also $1.50, and EXACT FARE is required. You may use coins, tokens, or the MetroCard, but no dollar bills. There is a free transfer between buses and subways if you use a MetroCard, and change from one to the other within 2 hours (another reason most New Yorkers have switched from tokens to MetroCards).
- Port Authority Trans-Hudson (PATH) tubes. A subway-like system connecting Manhattan to several New Jersey cities (Newark, Hoboken, and Journal Square). Fare is $1.50. An interesting alternative to the subway, since the PATH services the same stations as the subway along Sixth Avenue from Greenwich Village to West 33rd Street. If nothing else, PATH can take you to the large Newport Center Mall, located at the Newport/Pavonia PATH station in New Jersey.
- NYC Taxis, a division of The Taxi & Limousine Commission. Gone are the old beloved "Checkered" cabs, the big cars that looked like bubbles, but the sleek yellow fleet is required to take you wherever you wish to go. Unless you are in an airport, a hotel, or a rail station, you never queue for a cab. Just raise your arm on any street, and look for the Yellow Cab with a light on. Would not recommend anything BUT a Yellow Cab. There are loads of limousine services, but you pay the price, and cabs are expensive enough as it is. You can view the latest taxi rates online. Just getting into one costs $2.00, and you are charged by the fifth of a mile, and if stuck in traffic, by the waiting time, in 30-cent increments. There is a 50-cent surcharge between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m., and you are expected to tip the cabbie.
- Other transport. Other modes of transportation, such as commuter rail lines (Long Island Railroad (LIRR), MetroNorth Railroad, NJ Transit, AMTRAK), and bus lines will take you OUT of New York City, and are discussed in a later section (Being an Escapist from New York City).
Being a Tourist
Start in the Heart
In December 1977, several friends from Princeton gathered in New York to celebrate our friend Ann's and my birthdays. After the festivities, we rode a NYC bus down to Fifth Avenue and West 59th Street, and embarked on one of the most memorable walks I have ever taken, stopping at every expensive shop and historic site along the way. I cannot think of a better way to begin a trip to Manhattan than by starting at the glamorous heart of Midtown Manhattan. Many of the places cited are covered in more detail in a separate section. Do not hesitate to enter more shops and sights than listed.
Start at Manhattan's Grand Army Plaza, Fifth Avenue, stretching from West 58th to West 60th Streets, at the southeast corner of Central Park. Notice the renovated gold-plated statues, and water fountain with Venus atop. Across from the fountain, walk into the lobby of the Plaza Hotel, set back from Fifth Avenue, on Central Park South (West 59th Street). Make sure you see the Palm Court, Oak Room, the Grand Ballroom, and other notable places inside. Exit, cross Fifth Avenue to the F.A.O. Schwartz toy store in the General Motors Building.
Exit, walk down Fifth Avenue to 57th Street, one of the most expensive crossroads in the World, passing Bergdorf Goodman's and other stores. Northwest corner is Bergdorf's, northeast corner used to be the Warner Brothers Studio Store, southeast corner is Tiffany's, and the southwest corner is the Crown Building, which contains several fashionable boutiques. Looking down East 57th Street, you will see 590 Madison Avenue, the IBM Building, on the corner of East 57th Street and Madison Avenue. Enter Tiffany's and make sure you see the display of the Tiffany Diamond. Exit, walk down the block to Trump Tower. Enter and admire the Atrium. Exit and return to Fifth Avenue.
Across from Trump Tower, on the southeast corner of Fifth Avenue and East 56th Street is the Steuben Glass Building. Enter and view the ground floor display of amazing glass works. Exit, cross Fifth Avenue and walk down one block to West 55th Street and Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church, a beautiful brownstone structure. Exit, continue down Fifth Avenue to West 53rd Street and St. Thomas Episcopal Church. Enter and view the amazing carved wall behind the altar. Exit, and observe the equally spectacular carvings outside. Across West 53rd Street is the Tishman Building at 666 Fifth Avenue. Further down West 53rd Street is The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA).
Continue walking down Fifth Avenue to East 52nd Street to Cartier's. Enter and admire jewelry not many of us can afford. Exit, continue down Fifth Avenue past the Olympic Building to St. Patrick's Cathedral between East 50th and 51st Streets. Enter and view the chapels and windows. High Mass is said several times a day, so you may enter during a service. Be sure to walk around the entire Cathedral, especially to the Lady Chapel behind the High Altar. Exit back onto Fifth Avenue. Across Fifth Avenue is one of the buildings for Rockefeller Center. The statue depicts Atlas supporting the World.
Continue down Fifth Avenue to Saks Fifth Avenue, one of the most elegant department stores in New York City. Enter and browse. The prices are high, but not beyond reason. Exit, and cross Fifth Avenue to the Rockefeller Center Promenade, leading to the Restaurant/Rink Area. The golden statue depicts Prometheus bringing Fire to man from the old mythological story. Continuing, cross Rockefeller Plaza (a small avenue) and enter 30 Rockefeller Plaza, formerly the RCA Building, now known as the GE Building. Walk through the lobby of this spectacular Art Deco building and exit onto Sixth Avenue/Avenue of the Americas. Notice Radio City Music Hall, home of the kick-lining Rockettes.
Continue the walk down Sixth Avenue, passing the new towers of Rockefeller Center to West 47th Street. Turn left (EAST) down West 47th Street, passing 47th Street Photo, one of New York's notable electronics discount stores, and the many shops of The Diamond District. Most shops close at 2 p.m. on Fridays, and remain closed on Saturdays, so the merchants may celebrate the Sabbath. Many of the shops are owned and/or operated by members of the Hasidim, an Orthodox branch of Judaism. Continue walking east on West 47th Street to return to Fifth Avenue.
Continue down Fifth Avenue, passing the Barnes & Noble Book Store and many other shops, to the northeast corner of East 43rd Street and Fifth Avenue. From here, you will be able to see the tallest towers in New York City: the Chrysler Building down East 43rd Street, just beyond Grand Central Terminal, and the Empire State Building peeking out from the architecturally uninteresting Republic National Bank Tower. Prior to September 11th, 2001, the World Trade Center was visible in the distance down Fifth Avenue, making this corner one of the most unique in New York City.
Continue walking down Fifth Avenue to the New York Public Library at West 42nd Street. Note the two massive lion statues which guard the entrance. They are bedecked with huge wreaths during the Christmas Holiday season, and during the 2000 World Series between the New York Mets and the New York Yankees (the first "Subway Series" in 44 years), each lion sported a baseball cap from each Team.
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This concludes the suggested walking tour, but feel free to continue south, east, west, or back north, for you never know what you will find around a corner in the City of New York!
On the Waterfront
Since Manhattan is an island, there are many water-related things to do in the City of New York.
- Circle Line, Piers 83 & 84, West 43rd Street at the Hudson River, Manhattan. Three-hour tour circling Manhattan Island. Great views of the skyscrapers and ever single bridge crossing the Hudson, East, and Harlem Rivers. You will discover a tremendous amount about New York City even native New Yorkes may not know.
- Staten Island Ferry, South Ferry, Manhattan. The best bargain in the City - it's FREE! Commuter ferry between Staten Island and Manhattan Island. Spectacular views of the lower Manhattan Skyline, the Statue of Liberty, etc.
- Statue of Liberty National Monument, Liberty Island (technically in New Jersey). A must do for tourists, although this in one sight many New Yokers have never visited. Ferries leave from Castle Clinton in Battery Park, near South Ferry.
- Ellis Island, from Castle Clinton in Battery Park, near South Ferry. For over half a Century, immigrants entered the United States at Ellis Island. After decades of neglect, the building of Ellis Island were restored, and an Immigration Museum was created. Nearly everyone alive today in the United States had some relative pass through the gates of Ellis Island. Most of Ellis Island is situated in New Jersey, as this Ellis Island Web Page explains.
- The Brooklyn Bridge, connecting Adams Street in Brooklyn, to Chambers Street in Manhattan (more or less). First bridge spanning the East River, and connecting Manhattan Island to anything! Considered an engineering feat when completed in 1883, with its spectacular masonry towers dwarfing all structures in the cities of Brooklyn and New York. The previous tallest structure was the spire of Trinity Church in Manhattan, which still stands today at the end of Wall Street. It is must to walk across the pedestrian walkway, either from Brooklyn or from Manhattan. If you walk from Brooklyn, you can walk north in Manhattan to Chinatown, or south to the South Street Seaport and the Financial District. If you walk from Manhattan, you can walk south in Brooklyn to Brooklyn Heights. (See also: The Brooklyn Bridge)
- The Manhattan Bridge, connecting the Flatbush Avenue Extension in Brooklyn, to Canal Street and Chinatown in Manhattan. Last of the East River bridges to be completed, the Manhattan Bridge opened to traffic in 1909. Several design assumptions made at the beginning of the 20th Century caused the Manhattan Bridge to undergo extensive renovations at the end of the 20th Century, but those renovations lead to the re-opening of the Manhattan Bridge Pedestrian Path along the south side of the bridge in mid-2001, the first time the Path has been open in decades.
- The Brooklyn Heights Promenade, Cranberry to Remsen Streets, Brooklyn. The result of a compromise between community and highway development, this walkway built over the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway (BQE), also known as Interstate-278, is an engineering feat, hanging off the "cliff" which makes Brooklyn Heights a heights. Wondrous views of the Brooklyn Bridge, Manhattan Skyline, and Statue of Liberty can be seen from here. Best for a stroll on a warm summer's night (or even a chilly, clear winter's night!). Beware the occasional bicyclist!
- The Esplanade, Battery Park City / World Financial Center, Manhattan. When the World Trade Center was constructed in the 1970s, the excavation created a land fill large enough to create a "city within a city", so this small community of mid-rise and low-rise cooperatives, condominiums, and apartments is part of, but separate from, Manhattan as a whole. The Esplanade, a wonderful riverside walkway, allows you to appreciate the Hudson River and New York City without the hassle. (See also: The Esplanade)
- South Street Seaport, Pier 17, Manhattan. New York's answer to Boston's Faneuil Hall / Quincy Market, Baltimore's Inner Harbor, and Dallas' West End Marketplace. The South Street Seaport Museum, depicting maritime life in New York has been around for years, but the surrounding area was expanded and renovated to include restaurants, shops, clubs, etc. South Street is extremely popular with workers from the Wall Street area / Financial District, and the bars and restaurants will be very crowded on warm Friday nights!
- East Side "Vest Pocket" Parks,, including "Five Parks (FDR)" and Sutton Place Park, East 50s, Manhattan. At the very end of East 56th, East 57th, and East 58th Streets are cozy little parks with benches, seemingly known only by residents, nannies, children, and only a handful of business people. Built over the East River (FDR) Drive, they are wonderful places to bring a lunch and watch the ships pass by. The East 57th Street Park has a sandbox and a replica of a boar statue which sits in a piazza in Florence, Italy. (See also: City of New York, Parks & Recreation")
- The George Washington Bridge, connecting West 178th Street in Washington Heights, Manhattan, to Fort Lee, New Jersey. Another bridge over which to walk, this one spanning the Hudson River. Pedestrian walkways are on both the south and north side of the Bridge, but it is the south walkway which has views of the Manhattan Skyline.
Spring 2000, Updated Spring 2002