New York

Travel America, Nov, 2000 by Deborah Williams

Our nations's No.1 city is arguably the gateway to America. discovering the `Big Apple' is a matter of selection. To absorb her vast menu of history and culture in a few days is impossible--Heck, it would take a lifetime!

CITY OF THE MONTH

What most people think of when they hear "New York" is really Manhattan, a narrow, 12-mile-long island--surely the most renowned island on earth. Manhattan is tire oldest of New York City's five boroughs, and it's the heart and soul of the city.

"Other cities are nouns," President John F. Kennedy once said. "New York is a verb."

It's hard to argue with his assessment. Manhattan's streets are teeming with people and an almost overwhelming energy. The nation's most populous city, New York attracts more visitors than any of the world's other great cities. New York City is basking in a fifth year of record-breaking increases in tourism, and this year visitors are expected to reach an all-time high of 38.4 million.

The Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, the World Trade Center, Times Square, Broadway, Fifth Avenue, Rockefeller Center, St. Patrick's Cathedral, Grand Central Station, Wall Street, Central Park, Greenwich Village, Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, a bevy of world-class museums and galleries, thousands of restaurants and shops, the world's greatest concentration of theaters, countless nightclubs--it's no wonder this is "the city that never sleeps."

New York was the nation's first capital, and remnants of the city's history can be found amidst the towering skyscrapers. The city remains the financial, publishing, and fashion leader of the country, and waves of immigrants continue to re-energize the city. The people-watching can't be beat; here, as nowhere else, just about anything goes.

Like a family visit to Disney World, careful planning is a must to get the most out of your Big Apple visit. If you haven't visited the city in a few years, you will be in for a surprise. The city has been undergoing an amazing transformation with a dizzying variety of new construction, renovation, and general clean-up. Crime has dropped dramatically.

Nowhere is the reinvented New York more apparent than in the fabled Times Square area. Long known as the "Crossroads of the World," Times Square is experiencing an unparalleled rebirth. The area is now a combination high-voltage urban amusement park, visitors mecca, and hot new corporate address--a mighty transformation from just a decade ago when its reputation had sunk to the lowest point in its vivid history.

The Times Square Visitors Center in the historic Embassy Theater is a good place to stop for up-to-the-minute information on what's happening and where to go. Newly renovated Times Square theaters include the Ford Center for the Performing Arts, the New Amsterdam Theater (home of Disney's The Lion King), the Second State Theater, the New Victory Theater, and the landmark Town Hall. Theater attendance is at a 17-year high.

Following a $70-million renewal, Radio City Music Hall in Rockefeller Center reopened in October, 1999. The Art Deco hall continues to serve as home to the Radio City Rockettes dance team.

The American Museum of Natural History is a perennial crowd-pleaser with more than 36 million artifacts. The show-stopper has long been Dinosaur Hall, featuring skeletons of Tyrannosaurus rex and Apatosaurus. This year the big attraction is the museum's dazzling new $210-million Rose Center for Earth and Science. Its centerpiece is a completely rebuilt Hayden Planetarium. In the center's Big Bang Theater visitors are transported back to the beginning of time.

Grand Central Terminal has undergone a $200-million restoration that removed 85 years worth of wear and tear and transformed the Grand Concourse into a breathtaking place. The 2,500 stars in the painted ceiling--60 of them lighted by tiny bulbs--are once again visible. New restaurants and specialty shops have opened.

Nearby is one of the city's most enduring and beloved landmarks--the Empire State Building. From King Kong to Sleepless in Seattle, Hollywood has long paid homage to this building that rises 1,454 feet above Midtown. Completed in 1931, it held the title of the world's tallest building until the 1973 completion of the first World Trade Center tower downtown. Elevators run to Empire's outdoor observatory on the 86th floor. On a clear day you can see for more than 50 miles. Another elevator takes visitors to the glass-enclosed observation tower on the 102nd floor, but if the lines are long, it's hard to justify the second wait. A great time to visit is twilight so you can see the city's skyscrapers and then watch the lights transform the city into a sparkling jewel as darkness takes over.

The city began in lower Manhattan, which has undergone new development in recent years. There is a wealth of visitor attractions. The most famous is surely the Statue of Liberty. If you just want a good view of Lady Liberty, hop on the free Staten Island Ferry for a round-trip ride to Staten Island. Otherwise, try to catch the first ferry of the day at 8:30 a.m. from Battery Park. Hopefully you'll avoid big crowds on the trip to the Statue and then on to Ellis Island. After the first ferry ride, you can simply walk about and enjoy close-up views of Lady Liberty; you can climb the 354 steps to the crown (remember it can be quite hot and crowded) or you can visit the American Museum of Immigration in the statue's base. Ellis Island, now a national monument, was the main point of entry for millions of immigrants between 1892 and 1924. Exhibits in the Ellis Island museum chronicle the history of the island, and an award-winning documentary film about America's immigrants is shown at regular intervals.