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The city of New York is located on the east coast of the United States of America, bathed by the Atlantic Ocean where the Hudson River flows through the entire state. It limits to the West with New Jersey, to the Northwest with Connecticut and to the Southeast with Long Island. The city gives its name to the state whose capital is Albany. Until 1898 the city consisted solely of Manhattan , which was joined that same year by the counties of Kings ( Brooklyn ), Queens , Bronx and Richmond ( Staten Island ). It is the most populous city in the  United States  and one  of the most populated in the world . from the end of the century  19th  It is one of the centers of the world economy. It is considered as a  global city , for its worldwide influences on the  media , in the  politics , in  education , in  architecture , in  entertainment , the  Arts  and the  fashion .

New York City neighborhoods
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How to get to New York

Airplane: New York has three main airports: John F. Kennedy is the largest and is 24 kilometers from Manhattan, La Guardia , is the second largest airport  13 kilometers away  and Newark Liberty International Airport  which is 25 kilometers from Manhattan.  

Train:  It is an interesting option for those traveling from other cities in the United States or from Canada. The main stations, located in the center of the city, are Grand Central Terminal and Penn Station.

Bus: there are routes  connecting New York with suburbs west of the Hudson River, cities on the East Coast of the United States, and some locations in Canada. The main bus terminal is the NY Port Authority Bus Terminal.  

Car: Although New York is a city that is not conducive to using the car, it is an option if you are traveling from other states. You can get there with ease thanks to the network of interstate highways in the United States.

Boat: It is not the most common way (and much less the cheapest) to get to New York, but you also have this option. Due to its geographical location and commercial importance, it is a city where cruise ships and ocean liners arrive from various countries around the world.

How to get around New York

Transportation in New York is public and if you are going to be in New York for several days, the ideal is to get the MetroCard prepaid card, valid for all bus lines, subways and some suburban trains.

 

Subway:  the metro is one of the largest rail transport systems in the world and one of the oldest; the first line opened in 1904. It comprises more than 1,000 kilometers of tracks that cover Manhattan, the Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens.

 

Bus:  they may not be the best transport option, due to the usual traffic jams. However, they are efficient, comfortable and cover the entire city. It is the largest bus network in the world.

 

Train: traveling by commuter train in New York is highly recommended for those who want to travel to other cities in the United States and even Canada. Within the city it is also an option to go from one district to another, since most routes  train stops in midtown Manhattan.  

 

Boat: Not only can you use the boat to take tours of the Hudson or East River, you can also use it as transportation to get to many places in New York.

 

Public Ferry: The Staten Island Ferry connects St. George Ferry Terminal in Staten Island with Whitehall Ferry Terminal in Lower Manhattan.  

 

Trust for Governor Island:  is a free ferry service that operates only in summer and connects Manhattan and Brooklyn with Governor's Island.

 

Private Ferry: There are several private companies that cover different routes and have terminals in New Jersey, Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens.

 

New York Waterways:  it has several routes and terminals along the Hudson River.

 

Tourist Ferries:  such as Gray Line services and  circle line

 

Water Taxi – is a tourist ferry service on the Hudson and East Rivers  and  they are identified by their yellow color and a black and white checkered band, like regular city taxis.

What to see in  New York

Manhattan

Manhattan or island of the hills according to its indigenous vocabulary, measures 21.5 kilometers long and 3.7 wide and is the most important district of the five that make up the city. In each of the three  sectors in which it is divided:  downtown ,  Midtown and Uptown  there are different neighborhoods with life and importance of their own.


 

Manhattan neighborhoods
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Manhattan neighborhoods
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I.-Downtown  o Lower Manhattan , at the southern tip of the island, stretches from Battery Park to 14th Street and is the oldest part of the city. Above it rise the towers of the Financial District where the New York Stock Exchange or New York Stock Exchange is located. This part of Manhattan is made up of neighborhoods or neighborhoods, all of them with their own personality.

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Financial district,  occupies  southeastern Manhattan headquarters of Wall Street, where you will see the building of  the New York Stock Exchange, the Federal Reserve and some of the most powerful financial institutions on the planet. On the west side is the renovated  World Trade Center , packed with skyscrapers and 9/11 tributes. During the week, the Financial District is an area with a lot of bustle of workers, but on the weekend it becomes an almost deserted neighborhood, with many restaurants and cafes closed.

WALL STREET

Battery Park ,  it's a fabulous park  that covers  the southern tip of Manhattan, from where the  ferries to the Statue of Liberty . Just to the west is  Battery Park City, a residential and commercial area that was built by reclaiming land from the Hudson River  with the earth  which was excavated during the construction of the World Trade Center . A very quiet area  with a great walk along the river and  variety of shops  and restaurants at the Brookfield Place Mall.

BATTERY PARK

Statue of Liberty , is located on the small island  from Liberty Island, located south of Manhattan;  to get to her  you will have to take a ferry.  The Statue of Liberty measures  46 meters, although, counting from the ground to the top of the torch,  reaches 93 meters. The visit to the Statue of Liberty is done jointly with the visit to  neighboring Ellis Island,  the island where immigrants were inspected  upon arrival in the United States and where you can  visit the Immigration Museum

Statue of Liberty
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Tribeca is short for  "Triangle Below Canal Street" i.e. the triangle below  from Canal Street. The current neighborhood was  the first residential neighborhoods  from New York  and it remained that way until the mid-nineteenth century, when the growth of maritime trade forced an increase in the number of docks on the Hudson River and it became a port area full of  important restaurants  and excellent hotels. 

Chinatown, it's  one of the  most famous neighborhoods  of New York, and the place of residence of the largest Asian community in the United States. Chinatown has grown so large in recent years that it has absorbed most of Little Italy and part of the Lower East Side, making it difficult to pinpoint its current boundaries. Here you will find shops with fruits,  fish and exotic mushrooms, restaurants, places packed with  souvenirs,  trinkets and imitations.

Little Italy, was at one time, the neighborhood that concentrated the largest community of Italian-Americans in the country. Lately much of its territory has been absorbed by Chinatown and only a few restaurants and shops remain within three blocks of Mulberry Street. Another part of its surface was separated as a new trendy neighborhood, NoLIta  ( North of Little Italy ) , emerged after the installation of clothing stores,  of souvenirs, fashionable restaurants and bars full of tourists.

Soho is short for  "South of Houston Street". was originally  the first black neighborhood in Manhattan.  Slaves from the Dutch West Indies Comprany settled there in colonial times. The  cobblestone streets and  lofts  industrial style  with their fire escapes they were not long ago home to artists and galleries. Artists now fill the streets, making, in addition to unmistakable architecture and tempting shops,  SoHo has a unique New York vibe.

Lower Eastside,  one of the oldest neighborhoods in Manhattan is associated with immigration and the working class. In recent years, the incorporation of  new shops and hotels, although the neighbors fight to preserve the neighborhood as it was in the past. In this neighborhood you will find many housing options.

East Village Located northeast of the Lower East Side, the East Village is its eccentric, party-loving neighbor. In the 1960s, cheap rents became a magnet for hippies, musicians and writers who turned the neighborhood into a hotbed of alternative movements. Today  It no longer has the same character, but it is still full of bars, restaurants and that at night make it one of the busiest neighborhoods in New York.

TRIBECA
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Little-Italy
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Lower-East-Side
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Greenwich Village, was born in 1712 and was a rural area, basically inhabited by the Dutch. Between 1799 and 1821, it received families who left New York due to the cholera and yellow fever epidemics and sought the cleaner and healthier atmosphere of the suburbs. Between 1825 and 1840 the great economic growth of the neighborhood took place.  Contains  the university environment of New York University,  hundreds of people who own the  Washington Square Park on a sunny day and besides  good restaurants and cheerful but relaxed atmosphere.

Greenwich-Village

II.- Midtown  or central part, spans from 14th to 59th streets and is the most touristic area of Manhattan and where most of the symbols of New York are concentrated.

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Empire State Building, New York has some amazing sunsets and from this 443.2 meter tall building, everything looks even more beautiful. Climb the Empire State Building  is to conquer one of the most imposing, elegant and timeless skyscrapers in  New York . Beauty is not only in your silhouette:  from the observatory you will enjoy  an unforgettable panorama  from the city.

Empire-State-Building

Rockefeller Center is a famous complex of 19 commercial buildings in which some of the most luxurious stores in the city are located. The 30 Rockefeller Plaza building is an art deco skyscraper that is located in the central part of the Rockefeller and has an observation deck, known to all as 'Top of the Rock'. There you can enjoy what many consider to be the best panoramic view of New York.

midtown rockefeller building

Patrick's Cathedral, is located just in front of the  Rockefeller Center, not far from the  Fifth Avenue. surprise by  its facades, its bronze doors and its  gothic revival design  inspired by the Cologne Cathedral and the sculpture of Atlas that stands in front of it;  from there you will get  an amazing view of the Cathedral  and the environment in which it is located, with buildings with all kinds of styles and shapes.

High Line, this is a  2 km park built on an old elevated railway line, very green where you will do a  pleasant walk, which will allow you to enjoy some good  panoramic views of the city. This space recovered from the city's past  stretches along more than 20 streets and offers nature, public art  and an atypical view of the Big Apple.

Cathedral of San-Patricio
High-Line-Train-Tracks
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Grand Center,  the terminal is a lot  more than a railway node: it is a point where romance and elegance come together, with its large windows, its classic clocks and train schedule screens reminding travelers of the time of their departure. The terminal  is  one of the  New York Architectural Gems,  of an endless bustle by the amount of  people who pass by their facilities.

Grand-Central-Terminal

times square,  It is a square where important streets (Seventh Avenue and Broadway) converge, and it has become a world icon and a symbol of the city for its massive advertising with screens, for the brands and shops that are around it, its bars, theaters , restaurants, museums and its lively atmosphere in general. it is interesting that you enter  in the nearby neighborhood of Hell's Kitchen , west of 8th Avenue, with an Irish past where restaurants and bars of all kinds are crowded in its avenues and streets, with movement throughout the day.

times-square

The fifth Avenue,  rises in Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village, running north through the center of Midtown, parallel to the east of Central Park, and through the Upper East Side and Harlem, where it ends at the Harlem River at 142nd Street. It divides the city into two large sectors: East and West. broadway being  the only avenue that crosses the city diagonally. It is one of the  most famous streets of new york  with  store windows like Tiffany or Apple.

fifth avenue
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III.- Uptown,  the south of  Central Park , at 59th Street, marks the border between Midtown and Uptown. One of the gateways is Columbus Circle, with its shopping malls and nonstop traffic. Central Park also serves as the border between the two main neighborhoods of Uptown:

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Upper Westside,  he  from Central Park west to the Hudson River.

It is a place of wealthy people with some buildings, especially those closest to the park, of real luxury. Usually,  on the Upper West Side there is more diversity, both  in the origin of its inhabitants as in the restaurants and shops.

Upper East Side, is the northern part of Manhattan from 59th Street and east of Central Park;  neighborhood with a stately air and a predominantly white and well-to-do population. Also known as Museum Mile for hosting some of the city's most important cultural institutions: Guggenheim Museum , Whitney Museum  and  Metropolitan Museum of Art , Lincoln Center and  the  St. John The Divine cathedral.

Harlem is located in the northern part of the island, above Central Park. It spans from 110th Street, south,  to 155th Street to the north and from the Hudson River to the west to 5th Avenue and the East River to the east.  

In its origins it has been identified with the Afro-American culture  and today more than 70% of its population is black.

Central Park, designed  in 1857 it spreads  between the  59th and 110th streets, from south to north, and between  5th Avenue and Central Park West  (what would be 8th Avenue), from east to west. It measures 0.8 km wide and 4 km long. This place is a real haven of peace to walk, meditate, practice sports, delight yourself with its lakes, its viewpoints, gardens and monuments. It is very interesting to see how the sinuosity of nature and the green of the trees contrast with  the verticality of skyscrapers  that frame the scene.

Upper_West_Side
upper_east_side
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Central-Park

Morningside Heights, this neighborhood, west of Harlem, is marked by schools and universities. The most famous is  Columbia University , with its sprawling campus that  is the giant of the neighborhood. The main campus has an entrance on Broadway and West 116th Street, but satellite buildings are scattered throughout, including Barnard College across the street, ancillary academic centers, and residential buildings. 

Morningside-Heights

brooklyn

Brooklyn is the most populous district in New York. It is located in the Southwest of Long Island whose Kings County also belongs to it; his name is  owes the Dutch town Breukelen. Since 1883, with the opening of the Brooklyn Bridge (a symbol of the city), this district has lived in the shadow of Manhattan.

That suspension bridge of 1825 meters. links the boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn over the East River, from the Civic Center neighborhood (in Manhattan) to the neighborhoods of  Dumbo  and  Brooklyn Heights  (in Brooklyn). Cars, pedestrians and cyclists circulate for free on it.  

Brooklyn Heights, located to the East and next to the Brooklyn Bridge, is a historic and quiet neighborhood that is also characterized by offering some of the most spectacular views of Manhattan. In other neighborhoods like Flabush and Midwood, there is the world's largest community of Orthodox Jews outside of Israel.

BROOKLYN
Brooklyn-Heights

DUMBO (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass) located on the banks of the East River and between  the brooklyn bridges  and of  Manhattan. Their  modern cobblestone streets  and converted warehouses house a variety of independent boutiques, high-end restaurants and trendy cafes. Facing the waterfront is St. Ann's Warehouse , a former tobacco factory that is the center of a thriving art and gallery scene. 

dumbo

Williamsburg neighborhood, is located in northwest Brooklyn, along the East River, just one stop from  subway  (L) Manhattan.

To the north, it is bordered by the neighborhood of Greenpoint and to the east by East Williamsburg and Bushwick.

Here you can enjoy urban art with colored walls, old factories and warehouses converted into trendy restaurants, and parks with views of skyscrapers.

Bedford Avenue, Berry St and Wythe Ave ,  from north to south, much of Williamsburg's shops, restaurants, and street art are concentrated between N 11th and S 4th Sts; and, from west to east, between Bedford Avenue, Berry St and Wythe Avenue. Until recently, Bedford Avenue and N 7th Street were the nerve center of the neighborhood. But, nowadays, a good part of the stores are chains (such as Whole Foods, Apple or Sephora).
 

Other places, of course the Brooklyn Bridge is the most important but  You can also see the Brooklyn Museum of Art , which is one of the largest in the United States with one of the most important Egyptian collections in the world. The Children's Museum the world's first museum dedicated to children. Coney Island, on the southern tip of Brooklyn, the city's amusement park with its famous Cyclone roller coaster . The Brooklyn Botanic Garden ,  undoubtely the best  botanical garden of the city and the New York Aquarium with its more than 300 marine species.

Bronx

The Bronx is located north of the city and is the only district that is part of the mainland.

The area closest to Manhattan, the South Bronx, is the most decadent and punished in the district.

The rest of the Bronx is completely different, with safe and well-kept residential areas and huge parks.

Wildlife Conservation Park or Bronx Zoo, with 107 hectares and 6,000 animals, is the largest metropolitan zoo in the United States.

Nearby is the New York Botanical Garden, which has a careful flora and fauna in its 40 acres of forest.

Yankee Stadium, if the Bronx is known for something, it is for its baseball team. And its stadium is undoubtedly one of the most important points of interest in the district. It was built in 1923 and was later renovated in 1976.  

It has capacity for more than 50,000 spectators, which makes it one of the largest baseball stadiums in the United States.

Urban art and murals, in the Bronx you will find countless graffiti, many of them dedicated not only to hip-hop music legends, but also to innocent victims of the conflicts in the Bronx. In this district the streets tell stories through urban art, most of them are sad and related to violent deaths.

Bronx Museum of Arts,  Since it was founded in 1971, the Museum has played a vital role in the Bronx by helping to make art accessible to the entire community. Its permanent collection is made up of more than 2,000 works of art that cover all formats.

Williamsburg
berry st
Brooklyn bridge
BRONX
Bronx_Zoo
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Museum of Arts

queens

Located in the Northwest of Long Island, it is the largest district in New York. Queens was named in 1683, in honor of Queen Catherine of Braganza, wife of Charles II of England. This district is considered to be the bedroom of New York. Occupied for the most part by typical single-family houses made of wood, it has a great ethnic diversity. Two of the city's three airports are located in Quenns. John F. Kennedy International Airport  and LaGuardia National Airport.

museums,   the  Museum for African Art, the only museum in the country dedicated to African art and culture; the New York Hall of Science, the city's only science and technology museum; the Queens Museum of Art that stands out above all for its Panorama of New York, a huge model of New York of almost 900 m². and  the Museum of Contemporary Art PS1 Contemporary Art Center, affiliated with MoMA, are the cultural symbols of Queens.
 

Flushing Meadows - Corona Park , is the park with the most complete sports complex and attractions in the city, of which the Shea Stadium of the NY Mets baseball team and the USTA National Tennis Center stand out, where the US Open is held. of tennis This gigantic park of more than 5 km² that was built for the Universal Exhibition of 1939 is one of the great attractions of the Queens neighborhood. One of the symbols of this neighborhood is the Unisphere. gigantic stainless steel sculpture  It measures 43 meters, weighs almost 350 tons and is the largest globe in the world.

Long Island City is without a doubt one of the best areas to live in New York, and there are a lot of new high-rise apartment buildings with stunning views of Manhattan. This area also houses an important cultural space made up of countless museums and art galleries 

Queensboro Bridge,  It is the bridge that connects Manhattan with Queens, crossing Roosevelt Island and crossing the East River.

It was built in 1909 and is also known as the 59th Street Bridge.

Neighborhoods​ QUEENS
Queens Museum
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Flushing Meadows
Queens-Long-Island
Queensboro_Bridge

   Staten Island

Staten Island can be accessed day and night for free on board the Staten Island Ferry offering wonderful views of Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty. It is the third largest district in New York (after Queens and Brooklyn), but it is the least populated, it is the greenest district in New York, with almost two hundred parks and it is right on the border that separates the state of New York from the State of New Jersey.

museums,  the Jacques Marchais Museum of Tibetan Art with the largest collection of Buddhist artifacts in the world outside of Tibet; and the Garibaldi-Meucci Museum , where the Italian Antonio Meucci lived, the true inventor of the telephone, are two of the jewels that Staten Island has.

The monument to the victims of 9/11,  274 Staten Islanders lost their lives during the 9/11 terrorist attacks. To pay tribute to them, the district commissioned a waterside monument called Postcards whose center  World Trade Center . It is made up of two white marble wings on which you will see the name, date of birth and place of work of all the deceased engraved.

Historic Richmond Town, a trip to the past to discover how the descendants of English, Dutch and French who populated this place lived.

The historic buildings have been restored and today show everyday life in the 18th and 20th centuries: the farm, the school, the blacksmith's or shoemaker's workshops.

state island neighborhoods
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Marchais_Museum
 Staten-Island-postcards Memorial
Historic-Richmond-Town

Beaches Near New York

Access to almost all beaches is free. Almost all of them have lifeguard booths, on duty from 10 am to 6 pm every day of the week, during the beach season.  kicking off memorial day weekend

manhattan beach

It is without a doubt  a destination worth visiting; its borders are the Atlantic Ocean to the south and east, Sheepshead Bay to the north, and Brighton Beach to the west. Being a quieter area than Coney Island, it has become the ideal place to share with the family. Does not attract crowds like Brighton Beach another neighborhood beach located in the southern part of the borough of Brooklyn

Coney Island

Located in Brooklyn, it is probably the best known of the New York beaches. And it is  easy to access by public transport. A trip  by subway, departing from midtown Manhattan, it takes less than an hour.  It is the perfect place to cool off on hot days and enjoy the old Ferris wheel, the roller coaster, the food stalls and all the attractions around you.

rock away

Located in Queens  between Jamaïca Bay and the Atlantic Ocean, it stretches over 11km long and has been named the largest urban beach in the United States. It is also the only beach in New York with two separate stretches of beach reserved for surfing. The beach has a swimming area, with a long boardwalk, food vendors, play areas, restrooms  public. Rockaway Beach is also easily accessible by subway and train  an hour and a half from midtown Manhattan.

Orchard Beach

Located in the Bronx  is a  man-made beach called "The Riviera of New York City"  is located within Pelham Bay Park and  it stretches for more than a mile off Long Island Sound. It has very attractive characteristics, with a crescent shape, with areas  playgrounds that line the promenade. To get there you have to take the train to Pelham Bay Park and then the Bx12 bus.

cooper's beach

Located on Long Island in Southampton  It was named the best beach in America in 2010 and considered one of the ten best in the world according to the ranking of the American Dr. Beach. It offers the view of the impressive mansions of the Hamptons and its  soft and fine white sand, its beautiful turquoise waters and the calm that it breathes make it one of those places that you cannot miss if you visit the city.

Fire Island

Is  the great central island of islands  parallel to the southern shore of Long Island, home to a large lighthouse, built in 1857. It's a popular summer resort known for its pristine beaches and laid-back atmosphere. It stretches over 42 kilometers of coastline and includes several picturesque towns such as Ocean Beach and Fire Island Pines. Here you can find Robert Moses Beach  which is an 8 km beach with a wooden boardwalk that reaches the lighthouse

Long Beach

Located on Long Island in Nassau County it is from  soft white sand, very clean, with  great waves for surfing and free parking. What's more,  it's easy to get there: the Long Island Rail Road will take you in less than an hour from Penn Station in midtown Manhattan. The only thing is that the entrance is not free.

Great Kills Beach

Located on Staten Island is the most famous beach of the beaches of this island,  with a great promenade 4 kilometers long and with beaches  less crowded and more private. In itself, the trip to Staten Island is spectacular. You can take  the subway, 1, 4, 5 or R in the center of the city to the South Ferry station in Lower Manhattan where you have to board the free ferry that takes you to Staten Island. Then the railway to Bay Terrace;  from where you have to walk 3 blocks east to get to Great Kills Park where this beach is.

Jones Beach

Located on Staten Island, it is one of the most famous beaches in the New York area; it has six miles of sandy beaches and a boardwalk. It is considered one of the most beautiful parks in the New York area; It has various facilities such as a swimming pool and the Jones Beach Amphitheater which hosts concerts throughout the summer.

MANHATAN BEACH
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Rockaway-queens beach
Orchard-beach-bronx beach
 COOPERS BEACH
FIRE ISLAND beach
Long-beach beach
Great-kills-harbor beach
Jones_Beach

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