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You cannot be bored in New York, for a one day stay, or a week.
I always get my bearings in a new city by taking a half day bus trip. That way you can figure out, where things are, what you REALLY want to see and do, and it prepares you for how big the City is.
With so many movies and TV shows shot in NYC, everyone has a place they really want to see.
Often times it's Central Park, one of the greatest treasures enjoyed by New Yorkers and tourists alike. Larger in size than Monte Carlo, and visited daily by 500,000 people, it has something for everyone. Especially a place to plop down after you've walked and walked and walked the rest of the day.
New York IS a walking City. Every New Yorker knows that a part of their working day will be spent getting to or from somewhere else. You can't depend on buses, cabs or cars, especially on days when the traffic is bad - or the United Nations is in session. So, make sure you have comfortable shoes to protect your feet. The pavements here are very hard to sustain all the hard work they endure.
Fifth Avenue is the defining stretch of the City, separating the East Side from the West Side, with Central Park perched between them from 110th Street to 59th Street. The East Side, especially the Upper E.S. was always considered the richest part of town. Old fashioned, magnificent mansions, tall elegant luxury apartment buildings, townhouses all line this richest of zip codes, namely 10021. Tree lined streets, reminiscent of Paris or Rome, small elegant restaurants; Rolls Royces and luxury limos all line the streets here. Fifth and Park Avenues are the ritziest of addresses, but a lot of the new, showier money has moved further east to the super-luxury high rises now claiming the sky, and stretched along the East River waterfront.
On the West Side, Central Park West was a long stretch of very old, imposing apartment buildings. When it was built in the 1800s, The Dakota at 72nd Street was considered to be as far away from civilization as that State. It is, of course, the sad place where John Lennon was killed, and a quick stroll across the street will take you to Strawberry Fields. It was never considered to be as rich as the East Side stretch that is until Hollywood and foreign money moved in. And, whilst the buildings don't change because of ancient zoning laws, the wealth of the citizenry is clear.
Fifth Avenue, straddling Central Park is the world famous Metropolitan Museum of Art. Running from E 85th to E79th, this magnificent structure stands as a testament to the vision many leaders had for our great City. Lines form early, and exhibitions come from around the world, spend an hour, a day or a week here, there is so much to see and do. Along this stretch also there are more Museums. In fact, From E104th Street with the Museum of the City of New York, through to East 70th Street the area is affectionately called MUSEUM MILE. It's way longer than a mile but with a Museum to please every mind, heart and spirit. Two of the prize, smaller, jewel box Museums used to be the private homes of major US "Robber Barons." On East 90th Street, Carnegie Hill now, Andrew Carnegie's glorious mansion has appeared in numerous movies, and is currently run by the Smithsonian Museum (America's national museum), as the Museum of Design. Further down on E70th Street, a true jewel box from the French period is The Frick Museum. Created and lived in by Henry Clay Frick, the Museum is dedicated to the best in art. It has a unique collection of Fragonard paintings, and stepping inside, one can almost envision Versailles.
There is so much more to see and do, but I want you to experience all of this, savor it, and then, we can move on.
October 12, 2023
