Scotland

When visiting new places, time is the enemy but if you plan to have a seven day stay in New York then you should have ample time in this busy city to explore and see all the ‘must do places’. One of the busiest visitor locations in the city is the Empire State Building and even if you don’t get to the top there is still a great deal to see.

There is of course some competition between the Empire State Building and the The Statue of Liberty is best seen from a tour boat although these can be extremely busy and since 9/11, the delays can be long so it is best to go ashore at Ellis Island; which is the former immigration center but is also fascinating.

As an alternative why not go to Staten Island via the free ferry and look at the Statue of Liberty from there; it is also worth walking around the terminal as well as there are many excellent street performers there. Probably on everyone’s list is where the World Trade Center Towers once stood; it has become an obligatory stop and no seven day trip to New York would feel complete without a visit to this tragic site. Despite the moving nature of this place where over 3,000 people lost their lives, most people do not wish to take a picture of it. World famous stores are plentiful in New York with names like Tiffany’s to the many discount stores along Broadway.

If you’re up for more discount shopping then you need to get to Maceys and have your tourist discount card handy as it can save you eleven percent after which a trip to Bloomingdales would be in order. Unfortunately, the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum will be closed until late 2008; if you’re going to be there next year it will be a worthwhile place to see. Many special (and large) craft are located here including a number from World War II, namely the aircraft carrier the USS Intrepid. The New York City Police Museum is worth an hour if you’re down that way; it’s free to enter but a five dollar donation is recommended to help with its upkeep; because it’s about New York’s finest (and some not so fine), it has some really excellent NYPD souvenirs.

Then it is worth seeing some of the older history of New York back when there were huge numbers of migrants entering the city and the Lower East Tenement was where most of them ended up; this is now a museum and a time capsule.

For a step back in time it worth going to Central Park where the New York Museum is located; this is an exhibition of many periods relating to the life of The Big Apple. The museum is in a beautiful building which is free to enter but a nine dollar donation is normally given with plenty of souvenirs available. There is a huge amount to see and do in this city and if you are staying anything less than seven days in New York, you will hardly scratch the surface!