TOP DESTINATIONS - NEW York

New York, or New York as many say, is a great city with many possibilities. This means that a good preparation of the trip and a good city guide will help you to enjoy your holidays.

New York City Guide

Why travel to New York?

In recent years, New York has become the world's most important economic and cultural capital.

New York offers a unique atmosphere and lifestyle that we can't tell you about, you have to live it and enjoy it.Going to a musical on Broadway, spending a night in Times Square, walking around the Brooklyn Bridge, enjoying an afternoon of shopping on Fifth Avenue or feeling like a broker on Wall Street are some of the things you can only do in New York.In recent years the number of Spanish tourists visiting New York has increased surprisingly. The price of flights and the value of the dollar have been decisive factors in New York having surpassed as a tourist destination other places closer and historically more visited.If you want to broaden your knowledge about New York, you can start by reading its history, getting to know its five districts, the main neighborhoods of Manhattan and the most visited museums and points of interest. If you want to save, don't miss the New York Pass.

New York Top 10

Discover the 10 places you can't miss when you travel to New York including the Empire State Building, Times Square and World Trade Center, among others.

Times Square

With its lights and billboards, Times Square has become New York's best-known image.

With its thousands of lights and huge billboards, Times Square has become New York's best-known image. The nerve centre of the area is the square, at the intersection of Broadway and 7th Avenue.
Times Square is packed with bars, restaurants, theatres, museums and atmosphere, a lot of atmosphere.
History ofAs we know it, Times Square has a relatively recent history because, until the late 1990s, the area was synonymous with crime and drugs.
During Mayor Rudolph Giuliani's term at the turn of the century, Times Square was recycled.
Our favorite area of New YorkTimes Square is Manhattan's most lively area and our favourite place to stay, dine and have a drink. Whatever you're looking for, you'll find it in Times Square.
If we have to put a punch, Times Square is crowded with so many people that more than one may find it overwhelming but, if you think about it, that is the very charm of the place.

Fifth Avenue

The most famous street and one of New York's main arteries is Fifth Avenue, which connects northern and southern Manhattan.

 

If there's one famous street in New York, that's Fifth Avenue, also called Millionaires Avenue. Like all avenues in the city, this street crosses New York from north to south.
Fifth Avenue is one of the most important shopping streets in New York City and the premises are rented at prohibitive prices. We could compare this street to the Champs Elysées in Paris or Ginza in Tokyo.

Shops

The most important shopping area on Fifth Avenue and where the main stores are located is the closest part to Central Park. In this area you will find shops of the size of Armani or Cartier.
The most famous store next to Central Park is Apple, known both for its design and for offering computers with free Internet access, something much appreciated by tourists. Next to Apple was the famous Fao Schwarz toy store, which was closed in July 2015.
Another important shopping area is the one that runs from Washington Square to the Flatiron Building (New York's first skyscraper).
The central part of Fifth Avenue (from the Flatiron Building to St. Patrick's) is quite disappointing and disconcerting: souvenir shops and "boutiques" with souvenir t-shirts at a bargain price.

Other visits

On Fifth Avenue, in addition to shops, you will find some points of interest such as St. Patrick's Cathedral, the Empire State Building or the Public Library.
The part bordering Central Park is characterized by a large number of museums, such as the Metropolitan, the Frick Collection and the City Museum.

 

Empire State

With 102 floors and a height of 381 meters, the Empire State Building has been the tallest building in the world from 1931 to 1972.

Today, after the fall of the Twin Towers, it is the third tallest building in New York behind the One World Trade Center and 432 Park Avenue. The Empire State has 102 plants and a height of 381 meters, which reaches 443 meters if we count its antenna.
The skyscraper was built in record time, only 410 days passed from the beginning of its construction to its inauguration. In the construction, in the midst of the crisis of the 29th, more than 3,000 workers worked that made it possible to build 4 and a half plants per week.
Climb to the Empire State LookoutIn the Empire State there are two viewpoints, one on the 86th floor (320 meters high) and another on the 102nd. Going up to the first one costs $32, and continuing until the second one costs $20.
Every year almost 4 million tourists visit the building and, since it was built, it has been visited by more than 100 million. This makes the queues to go up to its viewpoint eternal at certain times of the day, and not even the inauguration of the One World Trade Center has caused them to decrease.

Avoid queues

The best way to avoid queues is to buy your ticket early. You can buy it online and carry it on your mobile or printed. Tickets are valid for any day and time, so there is no risk in buying them beforehand.
Empire State TicketsIf you prefer to buy it in the moment, we recommend you to go first thing in the morning, right in the opening, since it is the best way to avoid queues. Visiting hours begin at 8:00 a.m. and the last elevator that goes up at night is at 1:15.

NY Skyride

The NY Skyride is a "flight simulator" that travels around New York from a bird's eye view. It is located inside the Empire State.
Although in their advertising they sell it as the essential attraction, the truth is that, at the moment, it is something that is not worth anything at a gold price (36$). We do not recommend wasting that time even if you have free admission with the New York Pass.

Central Park

Explore Central Park, one of the world's largest urban parks and one of New York's symbols.

Discover all their points of interest.

Central Park is New York's largest urban park and one of the largest in the world. It is more than 4 kilometers long and 800 meters wide.
In the 340 hectares that Central Park occupies you will find meadows, artificial lakes, waterfalls and areas that look like an authentic forest. Within the park itself is also the Central Park Zoo and other attractions.
In addition to being Manhattan's main lung, this park is one of New Yorkers' favorite places for walking, sunbathing or sports. As a curiosity, it's amazing to see so many people running around pushing baby strollers.

Walking or cycling

Although in order to get to know some of the wildest areas of Central Park it is necessary to get lost while walking, in order to get an overview of the park the best thing is to rent a bicycle and do the circuit that surrounds it.
If you decide to rent a bicycle, you will find many shops in the area. The price is quite economical and can be haggled over.

World Trade Center

The World Trade Center was rebuilt after the terrorist attacks of 9/11 to become one of the symbols of New York.

Known worldwide for the terrible terrorist attacks of 2001, the World Trade Center (WTC) was the site of the Twin Towers, a symbol of the power of the American economy since its opening in 1973.On September 11, 2001, the World Trade Center was razed to the ground, taking the lives of nearly 3,000 people and leaving more than 6,000 wounded who were scarred for life.The area in which the incident occurred then became a huge crater full of works with a promising future, which came to be called "Ground Zero".Although there is still work to be done, the World Trade Center area is now almost completely refurbished and has several newly constructed buildings.What to seeThe area of the World Trade Center has undergone numerous changes over the last few years, these are some of the highlights that are worth visiting.

Buildings of the new World Trade Center

After the disappearance of the Twin Towers and the demolition of some adjacent buildings, it was necessary to reconstruct the entire area. Among new steel, glass and concrete moles, the One World Trade Center stands out, a bright and dynamic building inaugurated in 2014 that has become one of the main points of reference in the city.

One World Trade Center Observatory

The main building of the new One World Trade Center offers the possibility of contemplating the pulse of the city from a bird's eye view from the viewpoints on three of its upper floors. The views from the One World Observatory are spectacular, although the historical and emotional load of the building and its surroundings is also important. If you are going to visit him, it is vital to buy tickets in advance.

9/11 Memorial

Paying homage to the past and trying to fill the future with hope, the 9/11 Memorial is a haven of peace in the heart of the city with 400 white oaks and amazing waterfalls that fill two swimming pools representing the absent twin towers.

9/11 Museum

Inaugurated in May 2014, the 9/11 Museum pays tribute to the nearly 3,000 victims of the unfortunate event. The museum has photographs, voice recordings, some of the vehicles used on the day of the disaster and an endless number of elements capable of transporting its visitors to the terrifying moment of the attacks.

WTC Central Station

Designed by Santiago Calatrava, the huge and striking central station is crowned by an emblematic glass and metal dome with the characteristic seal of Calatrava and connects numerous lines of train, metro and large buildings of the financial district. The construction of the "Oculus" has been dilated for more than 6 years and has had an extra cost of 70%.

A curious fact

During the construction of the Chrysler it was continuously rivaled with the Bank of Manhattan Trust Building, a building that was being built on Wall Street, on which of the two would be the tallest building in the city.
William van Alen let the builders of the other building trust each other by hiding an ace in the sleeve: the 56-meter dome that was built inside the skyscraper.
When the Bank of Manhattan Trust Building was finished, van Alen surpassed it by 36 meters by climbing the dome in less than two hours.

Ellis Island

Ellis Island is a small island in the Hudson River where millions of immigrants arrived looking for a home in New York. Discover this historic place.

Between 1892 and 1954, Ellis Island was the gateway to the United States for more than 12 million immigrants. It is currently said that more than 100 million Americans are descendants of that immigration.
Ellis Island had a main building where all the formalities and controls were carried out, a hospital to take care of people who arrived sick, buildings destined for contagious diseases, a large dormitory building and of course, a port.
As a curiosity, the day the most immigrants arrived on Ellis Island was April 17, 1907, when 11,747 people arrived in port.

Immigration Museum

After several decades of neglect, the Ellis Island Immigration Museum opened in 1990.
In the Ellis Island Museum you will find photographs, letters, personal objects and all kinds of souvenirs of the time. You will be able to see from how they carried out the sanitary controls to how the most unfortunate were deported.
The museum is distributed over the three floors of the main building. Outside is the "Wall of Honor" with the names of more than 600,000 immigrants of the time.
To get to the island you must take the ferry from Battery Park.

Absolutely essential

The essence of the United States is multicultural and appreciating it in the place where it all began is an indispensable experience. To be in the perfectly restored building and to read real stories of the immigrants of a century ago is something overwhelming.
Ellis Island's museum is quite large and, as soon as you stop to read, the whole visit will take you at least three hours.
If you don't know English, it may be a good idea to rent the audio guide in Spanish. If you know English the Rangers offer free 45-minute tours.

Wall Street

Located in Lower Manhattan, Wall Street is one of the best known streets in New York. Discover all the buildings in it.

Wall Street is the main street in New York's financial district. The most important buildings in the area are: The New York Stock Exchange, built at the beginning of the 20th century but with a classic appearance, and the Federal Hall, built at the end of the 18th century in a neo-gothic style.

History

The name of this street comes from the seventeenth century, when it was the northern boundary of New Amsterdam, and where the Dutch built, in 1652, a wall to defend against attacks, which was demolished by the British in 1699.
Today, although the wall does not exist, the name still remains.

New York Stock Exchange

Although until the 11S attacks it was possible to access La Bolsa and observe the environment from an upper room, from that moment on, one has to be satisfied with seeing the building from the outside.

When to visit?

In order to see the atmosphere of the area, it is best to visit Wall Street from Monday to Friday during working hours. On weekends the outlook is completely different.

Rockefeller Center

In the heart of Manhattan is the Rockefeller Center, a huge complex with several Art-Deco buildings.

The Rockefeller Center is a complex of 19 buildings located in downtown New York, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. Its most important building is the General Electric skyscraper, built in 1930 has 70 floors and 266 meters high.
Although the architecture of the complex is fascinating, the Rockefeller Center stands out for its history and the atmosphere that surrounds it throughout the year.
In the basements of these buildings (The Concourse) and at the entrance from Fifth Avenue (Channel Gardens) you will find some of the most luxurious shops in New York.
The complex, designed by oil magnate John D. Rockefeller, was completed by his son in 1937. Rockefeller's idea was to transform the area into New York's second largest business district behind Wall Street.

Top of the RockViewpoint

Located on the 70th floor of the General Electric skyscraper, the Top of the Rock lookout is a good alternative to the Empire State. Although somewhat lower in height, the views of Central Park and the Empire State itself make up the difference.

Rockefeller Center at Christmas

During Christmas the Rockefeller Center Square becomes one of the most lively and visited areas of Manhattan. That's where the famous Ice Skating Rink and the great Christmas Tree that you've seen so many times in the movies are installed.

 

Brooklyn Bridge

The Brooklyn Bridge is a historic symbol of New York and an essential part of the city, as it crosses the East River connecting Manhattan and Brooklyn.

Viewed in the cinema on countless occasions, the Brooklyn Bridge has become one of the most famous bridges in the world. Films such as Manhattan, Saturday Night Fever, Godzilla or Deep Impact have filmed this 19th century architectural work.
At the end of its construction in 1883, the bridge became the longest suspension bridge in the world, with a distance between pillars of almost 500 meters. The construction lasted 13 years and 27 people died during it. The total length of the bridge is 1825 metres.
Crossing the Brooklyn Bridge at night you will have one of the most characteristic images of New York, the illuminated Manhattan buildings.

Curiosities

Shortly after its inauguration, 12 people were crushed by a human stampede by rumors that the bridge was collapsing.
It was built to avoid the problems of crossing by boat when the river was frozen. At that time, Brooklyn and Manhattan were still independent cities.
Since it was built, many people have wanted to jump off the bridge, either for bets or to achieve something that was considered impossible. The first person to jump and survive was Clara McArthur in 1895.