New York

City Statistics

Location

New York State (NY).

Dialing code

1.

Time zone

GMT - 5 (GMT - 4 from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November).

Electricity

110-120 volts, 60Hz; round two-pin plugs are standard.

Average January temperatures

0°C (32°F).

Average July temperatures

25°C (77°F).

Annual rainfall

1,200mm (47.3 inches).

New York: Overview

Empire State Building Glows At Nights

The great metropolis of the USA, New York casts a long shadow over the cities of the world. Besides being a global financial capital, the urban island of Manhattan is an unrivalled dynamo for the arts, making it one of the world's great cultural centers.
The restless city moves at a frenetic pace, ever on the edge of invention. Its creativity has secured the reputation of its venerated restaurants, chic nightspots and cutting-edge theatre. Architectural masterpieces abound, with Manhattan a veritable drawing board for the great architects of the 20th century.
New York has always been a city of the world with multinational, multicultural inhabitants. Residents from some 170-odd foreign countries, speaking over 130 languages, call Gotham home. Like millions of immigrants who came before them, they help make the city what it is today, working among the 20,000 restaurants, 10,000 stores and 150 museums scattered about the metropolis.
The epicenter of New York life always has been the island of Manhattan, which is surrounded by four other distinct city boroughs (the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island) all of which have their own character and attractions.

The first European settlement on Manhattan was by the Dutch, during the 1620s. They named the city New Amsterdam. In 1664, the British took over and renamed it New York. The settlement rapidly flourished, expanding from south to north along the island. Over the next few centuries, Manhattan rapidly developed into the USA's economic and cultural capital, housing an entire world within its 58 sq km (23 sq miles).
Today, New York still grapples with the events of 11 September 2001, when the USA suffered its worst ever terrorist attack. Although New Yorkers will never forget that day, the city has regained its vitality, and marches forward to confront a new set of issues (among them, making the city 'greener' in the face of global warming). After years of wrangling, construction finally began in 2006 on the 541m (1,775ft) Freedom Tower (a name that strikes many New Yorkers as rather Orwellian), which will rise above the former site of the World Trade Center.
New York is an excellent place to visit at any time of year, although it is particularly pleasant during the spring and autumn, when temperatures hover around 21ºC (70ºF). New York winters tend to be unpredictable, although cold temperatures bring less snow here than to other nearby cities, while summers are hot and muggy, often lasting until September.

New York: Tourist Information

Trump International Hotel & Tower

Most tourists focus on Manhattan, where the iconic attractions are located. The remaining four boroughs are primarily residential (the Bronx to the north, Queens to the east, Brooklyn to the southeast and Staten Island to the southwest), although it's worthwhile exploring them all - particularly Brooklyn.
Mostly flat and easily navigated, Manhattan itself is great for walking, with the excellent subway system handy for longer hops between attractions. The city is packed with things to do and places to see - each street and neighborhood offers its own varied sights and flavors. Top attractions, like the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building, are world renowned, but there are enough less heralded places to fill weeks of sightseeing.
Manhattan has many distinct neighborhoods that are worth exploring, from the ritzy shopping and residential districts uptown, to the financial district of downtown, taking in the villages in between.
Soho (which got its name because it is south of Houston Street, pronounced HOW-stun) is famous for its shopping. Greenwich Village traditionally contains a literary and gay community and has the quaint bookstores and cafes to go with it. The young-and-hip East Village retains its edginess, which is reflected in its quirky shops, record stores, nightclubs and drinking spots.
Historical Lower East Side, once an immigrant neighborhood, is now filled with boutiques and vintage shops, nightclubs and restaurants. Chelsea, the centre of the city's gallery scene, is another gay-friendly neighborhood.
Away from the city, Long Island and a number of city beaches provide an escape on hot and humid summer days.

Tourist Information
NYC & Company - Convention and Visitors Bureau
810 Seventh Avenue, between 52nd and 53rd Streets
Tel: (212) 484 1222.
Website: www.nycvisit.com or www.nyc.com 
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 0830-1800, Sat-Sun 0830-1700.
Visitor Information Kiosks
NYC Heritage Tourism Center
Southern tip of City Hall Park on the Broadway sidewalk at Park Row
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 0900-1800, Sat-Sun and holidays 1000-1700.
Chinatown
At the junction where Canal, Walker, and Baxter Streets meet
Opening hours: Daily 1000-1800.

Passes
The City Pass (tel: (208) 787 4300 or 1 888 330 5008; website: www.citypass.com) offers a combined ticket to selected New York attractions, including the American Museum of Natural History, the Empire State Building Observatory, Guggenheim Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art and either Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises or the Statue of Liberty plus Ellis Island. The pass is valid for nine days and is available for purchase at any of the attractions or online.

New York: Culture

New York City continues to be one of the most diverse and heavily textured urban cultural centers in the world. As author Tom Wolfe wrote: ‘Culture just seems to be in the air, like part of the weather.
The principal entertainment district is the Theater District in the Broadway/42nd Street/Times Square area, with Off- and Off-Off-Broadway theatres sprinkled throughout Manhattan. More high-brow culture is headquartered in the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, 70 Lincoln Center Plaza, Columbus Avenue at 64th Street.
You can buy tickets through Telecharge (tel: (212) 239 6200 or 1 800 545 2559; website: www.telecharge.com) and Ticketmaster (tel: (212) 307 7171; website: www.ticketmaster.com). Reduced-priced tickets for same-day Broadway and Off-Broadway are available for purchase at the TKTS booth, near 46th Street, between Broadway and Eighth Avenue (open Monday to Saturday 1500-2000, also Wednesday and Saturday 1000-1400, Sunday 1100 until 1930). Cash or traveler’s checks only.
Information on cultural events in the city is available online (website: www.nycvisit.com). Time Out New York (website: www.timeoutny.com) also is a good source of information published weekly and sold at newsagents and kiosks.

Music: The Avery Fisher Hall in Lincoln Center, 70 Lincoln Center Plaza, Columbus Avenue at 64th Street (tel: (212) 875 5456; website: www.lincolncenter.org), is the permanent home of the New York Philharmonic (tel: (212) 875 5656; website: www.newyorkphilharmonic.org) and a temporary one to visiting orchestras and soloists.
The greatest names from all schools of music, from Toscanini to Gershwin, have performed at Carnegie Hall, 154 West 57th Street, at Seventh Avenue (tel: (212) 247 7800; website: www.carnegiehall.org), which boasts an astonishing and eclectic repertoire.
Known as the Met, the Metropolitan Opera House, in the Lincoln Center (tel: (212) 362 6000; website: www.lincolncenter.org), is New York's premiere opera venue and home to the Metropolitan Opera (website: www.metopera.org), from September to late April. The New York State Theater, also in Lincoln Center (tel: (212) 870 5570; website: www.lincolncenter.org), is where the New York City Opera (tel: (212) 870 5570; website: www.nycopera.com) perform. Its wide and adventurous program varies wildly in quality but seats go for less than half the Met's prices.
Theatre: Theatre venues in the city are referred to as Broadway, Off-Broadway or Off-Off-Broadway - groupings that represent a descending order of ticket price, production polish, elegance and comfort and an ascending order of innovation, experimentation, and theatre for the sake of art rather than cash.
Manhattan Theatre Club performs at the Biltmore Theatre, 261 West 47th Street, and Stages I and II at City Center, 131 West 55th Street (tel: (212) 581 1212; website: www.mtc-nyc.org), produces some of the finest new plays in American theatre. For a more ethnic flavor, Harlem's Apollo Theatre, 253 West 125th Street (tel: (212) 531 5300; website: www.apollotheatre.com), has celebrated the legacy and culture of African-American music and entertainment since 1934.
Dance: New York has five major ballet companies as well as dozens of contemporary troupes. The Metropolitan Opera House, in the Lincoln Center (tel: (212) 362 6000; website: www.lincolncenter.org), is the home of the renowned American Ballet Theater (tel: (212) 362 6000; website: www.abt.org), which performs the classics from early May into July. New York State Theater, also in the Lincoln Center (tel: (212) 870 5570; website: www.lincolncenter.org), is home to the revered New York City Ballet (website: www.nycballet.com), which performs more contemporary ballet for a nine-week season each spring.
Universally known as BAM, Brooklyn Academy of Music, 30 Lafayette Street, between Flatbush Avenue and Fulton Street, Brooklyn (tel: (718) 636 4100; website: www.bam.org), is America's oldest performing arts  academy and one of the busiest and most daring producers in New York. During autumn, BAM's Next Wave Festival showcases the hottest international attractions in avant-garde dance and music.
The most eminent and celebrated troupes in modern dance perform at New York City Center, 131 West 55th Street, between Sixth and Seventh Avenues (tel: (212) 247 0430; website: www.citycenter.org). Big-name companies include Merce Cunningham Dance Company (tel: (212) 255 8240; website: www.merce.org), Paul Taylor Dance Company (tel: (212) 431 5562; website: www.ptdc.org), Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (tel: (212) 405 9000; website: www.alvinailey.org), Joffrey Ballet (tel: (212) 254 8520; website: www.joffreyballetschool.com) and Dance Theater of Harlem (tel: (212) 690 2800; website: www.dancetheatreofharlem.com).
Film: New York has hundreds of modern cinema complexes and art house cinemas. Cinemas worth visiting include Film Forum, 209 West Houston Street (tel: (212) 727 8110; website: www.filmforum.org), the IFC Center, 323 Sixth Avenue at Third Street (tel: (212) 924 7771; website: www.ifccenter.com), and the Angelika Film Centre, 18 West Houston Street (tel: (212) 995 2000; website: www.angelikafilmcenter.com), all of which screen independent and art house cinema. General information, show times and advanced tickets are available from Moviefone (tel: (212) 777 3456/FILM; website: www.moviefone.com).
New York has been portrayed through celluloid in a number of ways, beginning most famously with King Kong, swinging from the Empire State Building, in the 1933 classic starring Fay Wray. Other intriguing films include Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver (1976), where Robert De Niro plays the part of a mentally isolated New York cabbie amid the decadent metropolis. More recently, films shot in NYC have included Gangs of New York (2002), Spiderman 1, 2 and 3 (2002, 2004 and 2007 respectively), The Devil Wears Prada (2006), I Am Legend (2007) and Sex in the City (2008).
Literary Notes: New York has spawned some of America's most celebrated writers. Washington Square, at Fifth Avenue and Waverley Place, was home to the 19th-century aristocracy and provided the inspiration for the classic study of the American upper classes, Washington Square (1881), by New Yorker Henry James. Bohemian Greenwich Village has long been the favored haunt of America's literati and is featured in the works of writers like Dawn Powell and later Jack Kerouac. The Chelsea Hotel, on West 23rd Street, is something of a writers' emporium. Here Arthur Miller penned After the Fall (1964) and William Burroughs worked on Naked Lunch (1959). One of New York's top contemporary novelists is Paul Auster, who won acclaim for The New York Trilogy (1987), a book comprising three novellas all set in New York. Recent novels set in the city include Richard Price's Lush Life (2008) and The Invention of Everything Else (2008) by Samantha Hunt.

New York: Getting Around

Public Transport

Public transport in New York is run by the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA),New York CityTransit (tel: (718) 330 1234; website www.mta.nyc.ny.us). Services are cheaper and more efficient than the number of private companies also operating in the city.

New York’s subway is fast, air-conditioned and inexpensive.  The vast network of 24 routes, identified by letters or by numbers, serves almost 500 stations throughout Manhattan, the Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens. Staten Island is served by the small-scale MTA Staten Island Railway (tel: (718) 966 SIRT or 966 7478; website: www.mta.nyc.ny.us/nyct/sir/index.html), operating 24 hours a day.  Entrance is gained from a subway MetroCard, available at subway stations and newsagents. Services operate 24 hours; on average, subway trains run every 2 to 5 minutes during rush hour (every 10 to 15 minutes during off-peak times and every 20 minutes daily 0000-0500).

Bus services are extensive and bus stops are located on street corners approximately every two or three blocks. Fares are paid with a MetroCard or exact change. If you buy the ticket aboard the bus, you will get a transfer that cannot be used on the subway without paying an additional charge. Buses operate 24 hours daily.

There are three kinds of MetroCard passes. Unlimited Ride MetroCards are valid for seven or 30 days respectively and expire at midnight on the final day of validity. The one-day unlimited-ride Fun Pass is valid until 0300 the following day. Pay-Per-Ride MetroCards offer 20% discount and are available in US$10 or US$20 increments – free transfers to connecting bus or subway routes is included if used within two hours. All passes are available for purchase at subway stations and newsagents.

Taxis

A trip to New York is not complete without a ride in one of the city’s famous yellow cabs. Taxis are governed by the Taxi and Limousine Commission (tel: (212) NYC TAXI (692 8294); website: www.nyc.gov/taxi) and are hailed on the curb, preferably at intersections. Drivers are required to take passengers to any destination within the five boroughs of New York City or Nassau County, Westchester County and Newark Airport. Passengers should provide drivers with the street address and with the nearest cross streets of their destination (for example: ‘Fifth Avenue, between 22nd Street and 23rd Street’). A 10-15% tip is expected, and there is a  surcharge for trips between 1600 and 2000.

Private car services, unlike taxis, can be called directly and offer point-to-point pre-arranged transport for a fixed rate throughout the five boroughs and beyond. The cost is comparable to that of a metered taxi trip and should be confirmed before pickup. Car services are particularly handy in the outer boroughs, where taxi service is unavailable for trips into Manhattan, or when pre-arranged transport is needed. There are numerous car service companies and hotel concierges can recommend a reliable one.

Car Hire

A valid national driving licence is required for driving in New York, although an International Driving Permit is required by some car hire firms. Minimum third-party insurance is required and drivers must be at least 25 years old. Branches are located throughout the five boroughs.

Major providers include Alamo (tel: 1 800 327 9633; website: www.alamo.com), Avis (tel: 1 800 331 1212; website: www.avis.com), Budget (tel: 1 800 527 0700; website: www.budget.com), Dollar (tel: 1 800 800 4000; website: www.dollar.com), Enterprise (tel: 1 800 RENT-A-CAR (736 82227); website: www.enterprise.com), Hertz (tel: 1 800 654 3131; website: www.hertz.com) and National (tel: 1 800 227 7368; website: www.nationalcar.com).

Bicycle Hire

Many New Yorkers brave the traffic on bicycles, and there are 40km (25 miles) of bike paths around the city, where no motorized vehicles are allowed. Cycling around one of New York’s parks is also a safe and pleasant option. Central Park Bicycle Tours/Rentals (tel: (212) 541 8759; website: www.centralparkbiketour.com) offers individual bicycle hire for the day, as well as a leisurely two-hour guided bike tour of Central Park (summer only), including bicycle hire. Pedal Pusher Bike Shop, 1306 Second Avenue (tel: (212) 288 5592) rents bikes too.