As the largest city in the United States, New York, New York sits as the second most visited place in the entire country. Sometimes called The Big Apple, The City So Nice They Named It Twice, or The City That Never Sleeps, New York has so much to offer from world class restaurants, museums, parks, sporting events, architecture, and concerts.
Sometimes called “The Crossroads of the World” or the “The Center of the Universe”, Times Square is one of New York’s largest shopping and entertainment areas. Known for its massive billboards and advertisements, Times Square is one of the busiest pedestrian areas in the world with nearly half-a-million people walking through it on some days. It has hundreds of stores, including the Disney Store, M&M World, and a Toys “R” Us that has an indoor ferris wheel. The neighborhood features many museums as well such as the Madame Tussauds Wax Museum and the Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museum. Running right through Times Square is Broadway (a street) that is home to many of the 41 Broadway theatres. These theatres host some of the best shows and biggest stars in the world. Those who are in New York City at the end of December flock to Times Square to see “The Ball Drop” on the roof of One Times Square as the new year arrives.
With 843 acres of space and 40 million annual visitors, Central Park is both the most visited urban park within the United States, as well as one of the most filmed places in the world. Besides the large areas filled with trees and grass, the park has multiple bodies of water, hundreds of monuments and statues, the Belvedere Castle, a Carousel, the Delacorte Theater, the Lasker Hockey Rink, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Central Park Zoo, and many other attractions. The Metropolitan Museum of Art (or simply ‘The Met”) is the largest art museum in the United States, the fifth most visited museum in the world, and the second most visited art museum in the world. The Met features some incredibly famous pieces such as Washington Crossing the Delaware by Emanuel Leutze, Self-Portrait with a Straw Hat by vincent van gogh, The Death of Socrates by Jacques-Louis David, and The Temple of Dendur.
Located at the site where the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center once stood is the National September 11 Memorial & Museum is one of New York’s newer attractions. The memorial was opened in 2011, ten years after the attack, and features two large pools (representing where the two towers stood) surrounded by a wall with the victims names on it. In 2014, the 110,000 square foot, underground museum opened. Across the street from the memorial and museum is One World Trade Center, the tallest building in the United States and the sixth tallest building in the world. At the top, visitors can check out the three-story observation deck where nearly the entire city can be seen from.
Located on Liberty Island in the New York Harbor is a 305 foot gift to the United States by the people of France. Dedicated in 1886, this copper statue was designed by French sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi. Today, the Statue of Liberty is one of the most recognized symbols of freedom in the United States. Today, the island is visited via ferry by thousands every year, although the statue itself can be seen by millions of people every day for miles around.
New York City truly has something for everyone. It is impossible to describe how massive this city is, and how much is going on at once. It seems like every day there is something unique happening in this phenomenal and really special place.