New York - The City That Never Sleeps

Ever since I can remember, I have been dreaming about visiting New York. I can clearly remember a 6 year-old-me watching movies filmed in New York and thinking "One day I will go there". The mix of all the different cultures, the modern skyscrapers and the American spirit fascinated me already then.

When, after so many years, I finally booked my ticket, it felt like a dream come true. Even though we were several months ahead, I (of course) immediately became obsessed about planning the trip.

When we sat on the plane and finally headed to New York, I just couldn't wait to set foot on American soil and start exploring. I had all the plans in my head and was ready to start the adventure as soon as the plane landed at Newark.

Here are the things we saw and did while we were in the city that never sleeps.

Take a yellow taxi

There is nowhere else in the World where taking a taxi is as emblematic as it is in New York City. The World-famous yellow taxis are a tourist attraction in themselves and a trip to New York can never be complete if you haven't taken a ride.

When we arrived at New York from the Airport, we figured there could be no better way to reach our Hotel than to take one of the thousands of cabs driving around Manhattan and enjoy seeing the city pass by outside the window.

As we were staying across the river in Queens, we rode through the streets of Manhattan and then crossed the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge, getting the first chance to see the breathtaking view of the city's skyline lighting up for the night.

Times Square

It felt natural to choose Times Square as the first place to visit in New York. It is such an emblematic attraction, not only for the city of New York but also for the whole US culture. With all the flashy signs around us, the thousands of people going about their business and never-ending city traffic, being there really felt like standing at the center of the World. In fact, with around 340.000 people passing there everyday, there is no better place to go in New York if you want to feel the real beat of the city.

One fun fact about Times Square is that all the lights and constant ads aren't left up to free choice: there are actually regulations determining the minimum amount of display lighting that the buildings of Times Square must have. It makes total sense, as the whole place would lose its uniqueness if it wasn't for the World-famous advertisements.

The famous "Naked Cowboy" in Times Square

The Tonight Show

Walking by the NBC studios, we suddenly got a crazy idea: what if we could get into the audience of a show?

As we walked inside and asked around, we soon realized that all the tickets were already given away so we quickly started thinking that we wouldn't get the chance to see a show being filmed. But, contrary to our beliefs, there was actually another way to get in. As the friendly staff explained to us, we could show up later in the day, shortly before the show would be filmed, and perhaps we would get lucky and get last-minute tickets for The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.

We were fast to accept that option and promised to come back later. Since we had some time to burn, we walked around the city a bit more and allowed ourselves to explore it spontaneously just to get a feeling of the place. As the hours passed by, it was finally time to go to the NBC studios again and try our luck.

30 minutes later and we were heading to the studio where The Tonight Show would be filmed. We could almost explode of excitement and it just felt so surreal to be sitting in front of Jimmy Fallon on our first day in New York.

Brooklyn

As the headed across the river to Brooklyn on our second day, we just couldn't wait to get our hands on a traditional American breakfast. We saw plenty of cafés but we refused to eat at any of the hipster places selling coffee for 6$, so finding a place to eat proved harder than expected. When we finally found a low-key local restaurant that served proper American breakfasts, it was actually time for lunch, but that was no problem for a place that serves breakfast all day - how American!

(In)Patiently waiting for my fluffy pancakes

After our huge breakfast, we fought our food coma with all our strengths and headed to the famous DUMBO area in Brooklyn. Overlooking the Hudson River and with plenty of hip restaurants and stores, this is one of the coolest areas in the city. It is also from this area that tourists can get that unique perspective of the Manhattan Bridge between two buildings: what on Google maps is called Dumbo - Manhattan Bridge View.

Manhattan Bridge seen from Dumbo

After taking all the photos of the majestic bridge from that privileged perspective, walk the few hundred meters left to the Main Street Park. Right under the Manhattan Bridge, this park offers amazing views of the bridge as well as the Manhattan skyline across the water. For the best views of Brooklyn Bridge, walk to the nearby Empire Fulton Ferry viewpoint. From there, you will be able to see Manhattan from arguably the best view point in the whole city. If possible, go there at sunset so that you get the opportunity to see the city's buildings lighting up for the evening and bringing the Manhattan skyline to life. It is, without a doubt, one of the most breathtaking experiences one can get in New York City.

Views from Main Street Park and Empire Fulton Ferry in Brooklyn

Roosevelt Island

Another great place to experience while in NYC is Roosevelt Island. Standing between Queens and Manhattan and having previously been the home to asylums and prisons, the island is a fascinating place to stop by on your way to the city.

Coming from Queens, simply walk across the Roosevelt Island Bridge which allows pedestrians to walk on its sidewalks, and you will reach the island in no time. While there, it is interesting to walk around and get a feeling of the place which is so close to Manhattan but somehow feels like it is a World apart.

If you are into Historical places, don't miss out on Blackwell House. Located on Roosevelt Island, it is one of the oldest houses in NYC. Dating back to the 18th century, this house is nowadays open to the public and allows visitors to see exhibitions about the History of the island. The best part: save a few bucks by visiting this attraction with free entrance.

At the tip of the Island, visitors can find Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms State Park - a beautiful park offering uninterrupted views of Manhattan and the Hudson River.

After exploring the island, visitors have the chance to go to Manhattan in what is possibly the most unique way available in the whole city. Walk towards Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge, where you will find two big red letter statues: RI - standing for Roosevelt Island, of course. Right next to them, you will find The Roosevelt Island Tram. It is a somehow quite forgotten attraction in NYC, which takes you from Roosevelt Island, across the river and straight into the busy streets of Manhattan, allowing you to get amazing views of both the river and Manhattan while you take the ride. Is there a nicer way to get to Manhattan? I doubt it.

A ride from Roosevelt Island to Manhattan

Central Park

The enormous area occupied by Central Park at the heart of Manhattan is truly astonishing. In a city where every inch is worth incredible amounts of money and billionaires keep fighting for space, Central Park stands peacefully at his 340 hectares of green space and makes sure that Manhattan is not all about a concrete jungle.

Built in 1858, Central Park has been the green lung of NYC for more than a century and a half, making people fall head over heels for it. Being the most filmed location in the world, it is portrayed in countless movies and got famous around the planet, making it seem like all other parks are just competing for 2nd place.

Even though it sounds unbelievable today, when it started being planned the park was not even close to the areas occupied by large urban buildings. Back then, the area was not highly populated and in fact it was mostly occupied by industrial buildings and farms. Through the years it got surrounded by the city on all sides though, giving it the iconic urban surroundings it has today.

With the countless things that Central Park has to offer its visitors, it might be hard to choose what to see and do there, but here are some of the most popular attractions at the park:

• The park's benches

Did you know that anyone can adopt a bench at Central Park and add an inscription to it? The "Adopt-a-bench" program allows groups or individuals to adopt one of the park's thousands of benches for the price of 10.000$, which serves as a contribution to fund the maintenance of the park's more than 10.000 benches and surrounding areas.

If you visit the park, make sure to look at the benches and see the fascinating messages that people have had engraved there. There is anything from famous quotes to marriage proposals and those little messages certainly add to Central Park's charm even more.

Lovely messages on Central Park's benches

• Belvedere Castle

So, Central Park is so big and complete that there is even a castle there. Who is surprised? It seems to have everything else, so it sounds only fitting that it has a castle as well.

Located at the second highest natural point of the park, Belvedere Castle is one of the most emblematic attractions that Central Park has to offer. From there, visitors can admire the beautiful views of the surrounding areas of the park, as well as they can visit the park's visitor centers and a gift shop.

• Bethesda Arcade

This famous Arcade is known for its breathtaking ceiling, composed of 15.000 tiles made in England. Nowhere else in the World have such tiles been used on a ceiling.

Since the Arcade has such great acoustics, it is popular for musicians to perform there for the visitors passing by. Take a moment to enjoy such a typical New York moment, if you have the chance.

• The Lake

Right at the shore of the biggest lake in Central Park, visitors can find the Loeb Boathouse. People looking to enjoy the park from a lake view can rent rowboats or gondolas there, as well as there is a restaurant, a bar and a café where visitors can enjoy amazing views of the lake and surrounding areas of the park.

Apart from that, there are plenty of beautiful views to take in by simply taking a walk alongside The Lake.

• The Central Park Zoo

At the southeast corner of Central Park, visitors of the Central Park Zoo can see 130 different animal species and enjoy several exhibits. Located north of the Zoo there is also a Children's Zoo, where visitors can see plenty of petting animals as well as the only cow existent in Manhattan.

• The Pond and Gapstow Bridge

Allowing visitors to come across The Pond, Gapstow Bridge is another very famous and popular place to stop by for amazing pictures and views of the park. In fact, it is known to offer some of the best views of Manhattan's skyline.

If the place looks familiar to you, it might be because it has been been featured in many popular movies, such as "Home Alone 2" and "The Devil Wears Prada".

View from Gapstow Bridge

• Sheep Meadow

This enormous lawn of more than 6 hectares is an extremely popular place for both locals and tourists to go to and have a relaxing time at Central Park.

Right next to it, where the flock of sheep that grazed the meadow used to live, there is the popular restaurant "Tavern on the Green".

• Bow Bridge

Another beautiful and emblematic bridge in Central Park is the Bow Bridge. It is a cast iron bridge which allows visitors to walk over The Lake and it is considered to be the longest bridge in the whole park.

This iconic area of Central Park has been featuring in several popular movies as well, such as "Spider-man 3" and "Enchanted".

• The Swedish Cottage

Amazingly enough, there is actually a Swedish cottage in Central Park. It was built in Sweden in 1875, imported to the USA in 1876 as Sweden’s exhibit for the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, and later placed at Central Park in 1877. It has served many purposes, such as being used as a library, a storage house or the park's entomological laboratory. At one point during World War II it was even the headquarters of the Civil Defense.

Since then, it has been used as a Marionette Theatre where countless families have enjoyed marionette performances through the years.

5th Avenue

Walking on 5th Avenue is an attraction in itself for tourists in NYC. As the most famous Avenue in the city, it has been featured in countless movies and TV-shows, making it well known around the World.

Much of the appeal of this popular Avenue is the cheer amount of luxury stores that are located there. From Louis Vuitton to Dolce and Gabbana, Gucci and Prada, there are plenty of expensive stores for the rich and successful people of Manhattan to spend their dollars.

Apart from the famous stores, walking down 5th Avenue will also allow visitors to see other attractions, such as the famous Empire State Building, The New York Public Library, St Patrick's Cathedral and the iconic Flatiron Building. With so many of the city's emblematic buildings concentrated on one Avenue, no wonder it is the most important of NYC's Avenues.

Flatiron building in NYC

After a long walk down 5th Avenue and tons of sightseeing, visitors might be happy to find some pleasant parks along the way as well, such as Bryant Park, Madison Square Garden and the iconic Washington Square Park.

New York City's Public Library

Another one of New York City's most famous and emblematic buildings is the Public Library. With its two iconic marble lions standing at the entrance, the Schwarzman Building is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful buildings in the whole city.

Inside the building, there is extraordinary beauty to be admired. As soon as you enter the Library from the main entrance on 5th Avenue you will come in to the Astor Hall, which welcomes visitors with its majestic marble arches and the iconic staircase, in a perfect introduction to just how special and beautiful the building is.

Located on the third-floor, the McGraw Rotunda is one of the building's main rooms to see. With its striking Edward Laning murals in the ceiling, this is one of the Library's popular rooms to hold events and ceremonies.

The Rose Main Reading Room though is the most magnificent room in the Library and it is considered to be the building's masterpiece. Featuring breathtaking murals of skies in the ceiling and measuring almost as much as football field, it truly is one of the most special places to visit while in New York. Even though the room is quite popular among tourists, people are not free to walk in and explore - if you would like to visit it you are required to do so on an official free guided tour.

A fun fact that most people don't know about is that, by making a hefty donation to the Library, you can actually dedicate one of the its chairs or tables to someone you wish. It's not for everyone to go around spending thousands of dollars to engrave a message of your choosing on a chair or table, but it is thanks to those who do it that the Library manages to continue providing free services to everyone who needs them.

Empire State Building

One of the most iconic buildings in the city of New York is the Empire State Building - if not the most iconic. One thing is for sure, it has been considered the most photographed building in the whole world.

At an astonishing 443 meters of height and with 102 floors, it is currently the 4th tallest building in the city - and the oldest among all of those. In fact, until the World Trade Center was built, the Empire State Building was the World's tallest building. To ensure that it was indeed the tallest in the World, the building's design was changed a total of 15 times.

In order to make it to the top floor by stairs, one would have to climb a total of 1.872 steps. It sounds crazy but there are people who actually do it: every year, the Empire State Building organizes a race where people compete to the top on foot. An even crazier fact is that an Australian guy named Paul Crake has done it in under 10 minutes - breaking the record, of course.

Thankfully, not everyone who wants to go up to the top of the Empire State Building has to climb all the way. The building actually has an unbelievable amount of 73 elevators that can carry you up there in all comfort. From the two observation decks, on the 86th and the 102nd floor, visitors can admire panoramic views of the city of NY and beyond.

Grand Central Station

The Grand Central Station in New York is yet another breathtaking building that is well worth a visit while in the city. In fact, it is so popular that it is considered one of the 10 most visited touristic attractions in the World.

This building is and symbolizes way more than just a transportation hub. Apart from all the trains and subways arriving and departing from it, it boasts chic restaurants and bars, as well as two food halls. For locals, it often serves as a meeting place, rather than just a hub.

As soon as visitors enter the main hall, it is easy to understand how majestic and unique the building is, but many don't quite understand how big and important it actually is. Covering more than 19 hectares, it serves around 67 million passengers every year and it has a whopping 44 platforms - more than any other railway station in the whole world.

Grand Central entrance

Unbelievable as it sounds, such an amazing building has actually risked being destroyed. During the 20th century, Grand Central Station started entering into decline and the NYC landmark was almost beyond recognition at some point. When times were tough and New York Central faced bankruptcy in 1968, it got merged with Pennsylvania Railroad and the new corporation wanted to demolish Grand Central Station to build a skyscraper in its place. Luckily enough, the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission refused to even consider the plans and, after much fighting, eventually made sure the station survived. Some part of the victory in saving Grand Central can be attributed to Jackie Kennedy as well, who got extremely involved in the fight to preserve the city's Historical building.

Today, when visitors go to Grand Central Station and admire the beauty of the building, they can get a reminder of the station's tough period of negligence as well. Looking up at the iconic green ceiling of the Station, it is possible to see one black brick. When the Station was being fixed up after its toughest period, the people cleaning the roof to expose its beautiful green color left one brick stay dirty as a reminder of just how low the building had sunk in the past.

Grand Central Station in New York City

Greenwhich Village

When visiting New York, tourists mostly expect to see impressive skyscrapers, big parks and broad Avenues. Even though those are, in fact, the most iconic things we can experience in the Big Apple, there is another part of the city that is in stark contrast with that modern flashy tallest-in-the-World kind of energy: the Greenwich Village area.

Located on the west side of Lower Manhattan, overlooking the Hudson River, it is a charming area of Manhattan that has been featured in countless famous movies and TV-shows, such as "Friends" and "Sex and The City".

With its cozy tree-lined roads and its quaint brick-buildings, Greenwhich Village is a truly special place in Manhattan that will make you feel like you suddenly stepped into a different city within the city of NY.

The beautiful streets and buildings of Greenwhich Village

Statue of Liberty

This iconic statue that is known around the planet as the symbol of the Free World, is of course one of the absolute musts for tourists while in New York.

Since the Statue of Liberty is located on an island, head to Battery Park Slip 6 to find the State City Cruises ferries, which are the official ferries collaborating with the Statue of Liberty to take tourists there. Check your ticket options here. In a two-in-one activity, you will not only be able to see Manhattan's skyline from the water, but also get to Liberty Island where you will get the opportunity to explore one of the World's most famous landmarks.

Manhattan seem from Liberty Island

The French artisans who built it, focused on getting the head and the torch-bearing arm done first. After the arm was exhibited in Philadelphia and NY, and the head was displayed in France for a while, the much needed fundraising turned out to be much more difficult than it seemed and the pedestal work was even in jeopardy at one point due to lack of funding.

What turned things around was Joseph Pulitzer's intervention, asking for donations to fund the project, which had a crucial impact and managed to attract more than 120.000 people who were willing to contribute.

What we can now see as the most iconic landmark of NYC, started out as a simple idea of giving the US a gift of friendship, which later turned into a huge project, requiring the effort of countless people on both sides of the Atlantic to make it happen. What a fascinating journey this icon of Freedom and Democracy as had.

The Statue of Liberty on Liberty Island

Ellis Island

Right next to Liberty Island, Ellis Island is another extremely interesting place to visit.

What nowadays is a Museum, used to be the very first place where immigrants got to set foot on US soil after a long trip across the Atlantic. In fact, Ellis Island was the place which welcomed 12 million people who left everything behind and went towards the unknown, looking for a better life for themselves and their families. Knowing that makes visiting Ellis Island so extremely special. Once I entered the building I could suddenly feel the energy of all those hopes and dreams carried by the brave people who grabbed the opportunity to build and be a part of the New World.

At Ellis Island's uniquely fascinating Museum, visitors can not only see the buildings where millions of people started a new life, but also exhibitions that allow them to learn more about those people, their lives and the struggles they endured in order to chase the American Dream.

Ellis Island National Immigration Museum

9/11 Memorial & Museum

The amazing city of NYC has unfortunately been the target of terrorist attacks over the years, both in 1993 and in the fatidic day of 11th of September of 2011.

When the twin towers were hit by planes and stood burning at the heart of NYC, many didn't believe they would fall. But, in fact, they did. When the buildings came falling down in what seemed like an unreal and unbelievable sight, it was the first time in History that steel buildings collapsed due to fire.

Left with enormous piles of rubbish in the place where the skyscrapers used to stand, NYC had to not only deal with the all the grief caused by the terrorist attack but also the chaos left behind. There were plenty of people who were yet to be found and, even though there were minimal hopes of finding survivors, the teams who were responsible for cleaning up Ground Zero searched for life as well in the middle of so much destruction. Thanks to such efforts, a total of 20 survivors were rescued from beneath the rubble.

What 20 years ago was a place of destruction, suffering and death, is nowadays a beautiful memorial where visitors can honor the lives of those who died due to the attacks.

Underneath the two memorial fountains there is the underground 9/11 Museum where visitors can learn more about the 2001 terrorist attacks and see more than 70,000 artifacts related to them, such as the famous FDNY Ladder 3 fire truck and "The Last Column" recovered from Ground Zero.

Another interesting way in which the 9/11 Museum honors those who perished during the attacks, as well as people who survived them, is by exhibiting personal items like shoes and clothes as a way of telling their stories.

If you would like to visit the Museum, you can book your tickets here - a great bonus is that you can get in for free on Monday afternoons (check the link above for more detailed information).

9/11 Museum

Wall Street

In Lower Manhattan, visitors can find the World-famous Wall Street, best known for the financial markets which are located there.

What used to be a place of slave trading during the 17th Century is nowadays one of the most important areas in the whole city, housing the World's two largest stock exchanges.

For tourists, there are many attractions to see while in Wall Street's neighborhood.

The most famous might be The Charging Bull, which symbolizes Wall Street around the globe. Prepare to queue, as plenty of tourists are constantly there trying to get a picture of the famous landmark.

The Charging Bull on Wall Street

Another interesting place to see while in the area is the New York Stock Exchange Building. One of the most influential buildings in the whole city, this historical place is a mandatory visit for those looking to feel the pulse of New York's financial markets. Previously tourists were allowed to go inside but that is sadly no longer the case, so visitors nowadays can only admire the building's façade. Get there at 9.30 am on any weekday if you would like to hear the emblematic opening bell.

The New York Stock Exchange in Wall Street

Apart from those famous attractions, don't miss the most important Historical building in the area: the Federal Hall National Memorial. Having been the city's first City Hall, it saw the very first protests against “taxation without representation”. When the country finally had an own Government, this building was a meeting point for some of America's Founding Fathers and even the Continental Congress. And more - when George Washington was sworn in as the United States first President, it happened there.

Unfortunately the building that visitors can see is no longer the original one, having been demolished and rebuilt throughout History, but it is still very interesting to visit the free Museum to get the chance to learn more about the place's past and how it contributed to the History of the whole country.

The Federal Hall National Memorial in Wall Street

Little Italy

This is yet another emblematic place in NYC. The area that was once known for the large Italian population living there, Little Italy is nowadays a small neighborhood in Lower Manhattan that has become famous around the World thanks to being featured in popular movies such as "The Godfather".

At its peak, Little Italy was the home of almost 10,000 Italians that had immigrated to NYC in search for a new and better life.

Since the late 1960s, when the United States allowed immigration from China, the neighborhood known as Little Italy has been almost entirely consumed by what is now considered Little China. And nowadays, due to the extremely high amounts of tourists it attracts, it is hard to figure out if there are any local Italians left at all.

The area is still well worth a visit though, as you will get to see the place where so many Italians settled to build their new lives in America and the charming buildings left in Italy's colors which nowadays house Italian restaurants and coffee shops.

A stroll in Little Italy

The Top of the Rock

To finish off a NYC visit in the best way, tourists must get to experience one of the most unique things in the whole city: to see the city from above.

With Manhattan's astonishing amount of skyscrapers, the hardest part isn't to find a good place to take in the views - it's to choose one of them. There are plenty of great and popular options, such as going up to the Empire State Building to enjoy the views from the two available observation decks or going all the way up to the top of One World Trade Center and experience the unique views from the One World Observatory.

Another option, which we chose, is going up to the top of the Rockefeller Center and getting to experience the unique views available from the so called Top of the Rock observation deck. 70 floors above ground and with 3 different indoor and outdoor observation decks available, visitors can take in unique views of Central Park as well as they can experience the breathtaking skyline all around, marked by Manhattan's Midtown and Downtown skyscrapers.

Going up to the Top of the Rock is a special experience at any time of the day, but sunset is arguably the absolute best time to stand at the top of that emblematic skyscraper, take in the gorgeous views of NYC lighting up for the evening and make memories for a lifetime. As you can check here, at an additional cost of 10$ per ticket, visitors get the chance to head up there and experience panoramic views of the city both by day and by night. If you are lucky enough, you might get a pink sunset on the purchase.

If you are still indecisive about whether or not the Top of the Rock is the best place for your NYC skyline experience, note one important aspect: the Top of the Rock is the only observation deck which allows you to see the majestic Empire State Building standing tall right in front of you.

Views from The Top of the Rock

After an amazing week in New York City, I am forever changed. To have seen and experienced such an extraordinary place was one of my life's dreams and it didn't disappoint one bit. It is, without a doubt, one of the most incredible places I have visited. I just wish I could go back right now and continue exploring the many other things that the Big Apple has to offer.