City’s iconic sights take the breath away
From the Statue Of Liberty to Times Square, NYC’s old favourites are unmissable
IT’S
famously the city that never sleeps and it’s also one that never ever stops changing.
For millions, though, it’s the unchanging side of New York that brings them back time and again.
Probably the most iconic of all New York’s sights is the Statue Of Liberty. And a trip out to both it and Ellis Island’s Immigration Centre is surely the best-spent $18 of your whole stay.
Take a tip and get on one of the hourly Park Ranger tours at the Statue and make sure you catch the Kissing Post on Ellis, where immigrants were emotionally reunited.
Surely giving old Liberty a run for its money in the icon stakes is the Empire State Building.
The elevators first whisk you to the 80th floor and it’s worth taking some time to tour the exhibition there.
The black and white photographs of the workmen who built it are fascinating. Not a hard hat or safety harness in sight, they constructed the whole thing at the astonishing rate of one storey a day.
It had taken just one year to build when it opened to the public on May 1, 1931. The biggest spectacle, though, is the 86th floor Observation Deck.
And if you want an alternative HIGH-light, head for the Top Of The Rock at Rockefeller Plaza. From there you can see the Empire State and get the best view of Central Park.
Even if you’ve seen it in scores of movies and TV shows, the sheer grandeur of Grand Central Station never fails to take your breath away. More cathedral than railway station, it’s all marble and giant arch windows missing only the stained glass.
The turquoise ceiling and carved white stonework around it is simply stunning.
Even if you’ve got a train to catch you’ll happily skip it and wait for the next one just to soak in the sheer magnificence.
Of course, no trip to New York could be contemplated without a visit to its beating heart: Times Square.
Yes, it’s jam-packed mayhem but totally, utterly unmissable. A cacophony of noise and flashing neon, just sit on the red steps right in the centre and soak it all in.
Much more peaceful but every bit as famous is Central Park.
On our early-morning stroll it’s full of runners, dog walkers, cyclists and park conservation volunteers tidying, pruning and weeding.
It’s so peaceful it makes us vow to come back on a Sunday when New Yorkers have time for weekend relaxation.
Either side of it are two museum marvels. On the west side is the American Museum Of Natural History.
We were initially a bit deterred by the long queues, but they speed in on opening and the museum is so vast they soon get lost and there is no feeling of being crowded.
It’s full of fascination and kids will love the tableaux
that seem to come to life in the Night At The Museum movies – plus the fact that the enormous top floor is just filled with dinosaurs!
Straight across the park is the Metropolitan Museum Of Art, known universally as the Met.
And if the National History Museum seemed big, the Met appears on a whole other scale for us at a quarter-of-a-mile long.
It’s the sort of place that has an entire reclaimed Egyptian temple in an aircraft hangar-sized space – and that’s just a tiny corner.
Whereas other museums may have a Degas, Dali or Van Gogh, the Met has entire rooms full. There’s an amazing fashion display of dresses, sculptures and other artefacts to leave you gasping.
Don’t think you’ll pop in for a look. We spent five hours and still had loads to see.
Allow the best part of a day if possible – the glasswalled cafe in the American Wing overlooking Central Park is a lovely place to recharge your batteries.
There’s a different vibe to the city at night – it’s showtime. There’s an unrivalled variety of old favourites and new delights. Ours was Jersey Boys.
The August Wilson Theatre is almost 100 years old and full of character.
But there was nothing to compare with the performances.
Broadway is the theatrical pinnacle and by the end of the evening we were on our feet with the rest of the audience, cheering a performance we will never forget.
In fact, old – and indeed new – New York are both simply unforgettable.