New York City

Start spreadin' the news, I'm leaving today
I want to be a part of it: New York, New York.
Frank Sinatra, Theme from New York, New York

With over 8.2 million residents within an area of 830 km² New York City is the most densely populated major city in the United States. It has been the largest city in the US since 1790 and comprises five boroughs: The Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island and of course Manhattan where I spent my 2008 Easter weekend.

Manhattan

One of my first stops was at the sunny and lively Pier 17. I had the first of many delicious Häagen-Dazs ice creams before I went aboard Circle Line's new Zephyr boat for a 60minute tour along Manhattan. The boat took me from the East River and its famous Brooklyn Bridge past the Staten Island Ferry Terminal and Battery Park into the Hudson River. It went past Pier A, the World Financial Centre and Lower Manhattan and headed for Midtown for some rather distant views of the Empire State Building and the Rockefeller Centre. On the way back we cruised past Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. An interesting live commentary was provided throughout the boat journey, however I believe US$25,- was a bit too steep.

A far better and much more exciting way to see Manhattan is from the air - by helicopter. I chose the shortest available trip with Liberty Helicopter Tours. The 7 minute flight around Manhattan cost me US$75 - only a tenth of the time of the boat journey but three times as expensive. Still, this exciting flight was better value-for-money than the boat trip with the grannies and grandpas.

The helicopter took off from Downtown heliport on the East river, just a few minutes walk from Pier 17. It was a stunning scenery flight around the southern tip of Manhattan from where we headed towards Midtown and Central Park, basically following the same route as the boat trip earlier. We then followed the coast of New Jersey towards Liberty Island where we flew around the Statue of Liberty before heading back to the heliport. Back on solid ground I spent the next three days on foot and explored Manhattan and some of the sights I had seen from both the boat and the helicopter.

I stayed at the Milford Plaza Hotel, conveniently located near Times Square. The theatres of Broadway and the dizzying number of animated neon signs have long made Times Square one of New York's iconic images. It is especially vibrant in the evenings, when hundreds of people gather at this busy intersection of art and commerce.

A few blocks away, the Rockefeller Centre is most famous for its 266m tall GE Building. This building was the setting for the now famous photograph taken by Charles Ebbets in 1932 of workers lunching on a steel beam without harnesses. I paid US$20 for the access to the 86th floor observatory, the so-called Top of the Rock. It was well worth it, the views on the surrounding Midtown buildings and the nearby Central Park were just superb.

The next morning I took the metro to Columbus Circle for a visit to Central Park. With about 25 million visitors annually, Central Park is the most visited city park in the US. Still, I found it a peaceful and quiet retreat from the busy and noisy streets around. I had lunch at The Lake before I visited Strawberry Fields, a memorial that is dedicated to the memory of musician John Lennon. In the afternoon I went to Harlem's 125th street (aka Martin Luther King Blvd.) and Roosevelt island, a narrow island in the East River. There is nothing spectacular to see on Roosevelt island itself, however the aerial tramway that connects it to Manhattan is definitely worth a ride. At its peak the cabin climbs to nearly 80m above the East River, providing superb views of the Manhattan's East Side and the Queensboro Bridge.

The Empire State Building is a 102-story skyscraper. It stood as the world's tallest building for more than 40 years, from its completion in 1931 until the World Trade Center's North Tower was completed in 1972. Following the destruction of the latter the Empire State Building is now once again the tallest building in New York City. The building rises to 381m at the 102nd floor. The indoor and outdoor observation deck on the 86th floor are open every day until 2am (US$19). The remaining 16 stories represent the art deco tower, which is capped by a 102nd floor observatory (access costs an extra US$15).

It was only on my last day in NYC that I took the ferry to Liberty Island (US$12). The statue's correct description is actually Liberty Enlightening the World however no one bothers and it is commonly known as the Statue of Liberty. Worldwide, it is one of the most recognizable icons of the United States. The statue was presented to the United States by France in 1886 and commemorates the centennial of the US. It is 46m tall however with the pedestal it reaches 93m. The tablet which the statue holds reads July 4, 1776 in Roman numerals - the day of the Declaration of Independence.

If I can make it there, I'm gonna make it anywhere,
It's up to you, New York, New York.
Frank Sinatra, Theme from New York, New York

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