Holidays in the Big Apple
“New York, New York, It’s a hell of a town” or so the song says. New York is one of the most
popular locations for holidays in America. This is mainly due to the sheer variety of activities
and things to see and do when there. With over 1 million visitors between 1998 and 2006 coming
from the UK alone that’s only a small fraction of the total visitors to New York, being 43.8
Million just in case you’re wondering.
New York has long been revered as the Greatest City in America: towering skyscrapers, the best
shops, theatres and museums are all big drawing factors for New York. With recent changes in the
currency conversion market it has made places like New York very popular for shopping and getting
more value for your money. This past Christmas had seen the largest number of UK shoppers taking
short breaks in New York to make the most of the favourable strength of the pound. With flagship
stores for many brands like Virgin and Apple being situated on Manhatten Island it is a
shopaholic’s paradise.
There’s more to New York though, in the centre of Manhatten is the world famous Central Park, a
huge 843 acre oasis in the middle of a bustling city. The park, designed by Frederick Law
Olmstead, took inspiration from Birkenhead Park of all places. The park is an amazing sight to
behold, during the week business men can be seen reading a book on their lunch break and at the
weekends many New Yorkers can be seen jogging or cycling through the park, it is so vast that if
you are only a hundred metres into the park you’d be forgiven for forgetting you’re in one of the
busiest cities in the world!
Another attraction for holidays in New
York is the entertainment, it is after all the home of Broadway, and the theatre district is home
to the impressive Times Square. Times Square is one of the iconic scenes in New York that many
people have seen in Movies, TV shows and possibly the New Year celebrations. Tickets for most
Broadway shows can be bought at the “TKTS” tickets booth slap bang in the middle of Times Square,
some advice on booking is that a lot of the more popular shows sell out fast, so if you can time
your trip right you may be able to book form home prior to your holiday to ensure you get to see
the show of your choice.
It isn’t uncommon for musical artists to perform shows in one of the city’s many parks or even
Times Square itself, Ringo Starr and Shania Twain are two names that have performed for breakfast
television shows that New Yorkers have been able to catch on their way to work.
New York is also home to the greatest stage in the world, Madison Square Garden. The Garden is
renowned as one of the grandest arenas in the world with many concerts by the likes of Justin
Timberlake, U2 and The Rolling Stones taking place there.
The Garden is also home to a number of local sports teams, such as the New York Knicks Basketball
team and New York Rangers Ice Hockey team. If you can catch a game during your visit it is an
experience you won’t forget, as well as events shown in the evening. During the day you can go on
guided tours of the historic arena, with tours running hourly you won’t have to wait long and get
to see everything from the locker room to the VIP suites.
There are plenty of iconic tourist spots such as the Empire State building, Liberty Island and
Coney Island that offer great views and fun at the fair respectively. The subway system makes
traversing this enormous city effortless, and with cheap multi-day passes it is much better than
walking, especially in the summer months when the humidity and heat is trapped between the
buildings and can get pretty tiring.
Of course many tourists feel obliged to pay their respects at the site of the World Trade Centre;
this is a sobering experience with many tributes still remaining on the fences surrounding the
construction work to this day. It is also worth visiting the memorial in Battery Park at the
southern tip of the island where the Steel Globe statue that used to reside between the two towers
that were destroyed now sits, battered, with a torch burning for the victims.
Overall New York is a brilliant destination for holidays simply for the variety and the
value for money there is. Many UK companies offer cheap holidays to New York because of the
figures earlier showing that lots of us are choosing it as a holiday destination.
About the Author
Andy Adams is an experienced UK writer working with flights and travel.
Thanks! xx
