When speaking of New York, we can either talk about the state or city of the same name and New York travel opportunities include some outstanding urban and country destinations. Let’s start with New York City, the epitome of the American Metropolis itself and the articles below will help you with some great travel ideas for the Big Apple and the Empire State.
New York City is known for its cosmopolitan and lively vibe that has attracted immigrants with their unique cultures and cuisines from all over the world for several hundred years now. It is the most famous city in the United States and possibly even in the world. The City itself is divided into five boroughs: Manhattan (that famous island between the Hudson and the East Rivers), Brooklyn (the city’s most populous borough), Queens (a hodge-podge of ethnicities and cultures), the Bronx (the only borough on the mainland United States) and Staten Island (easily reached via the free Staten Island Ferry). Long Island stretches east from New York City and its most well-known tourist destination is Montauk with its famous lighthouse at its very eastern tip.
Any New York travel itinerary should include some of the city’s major landmarks which include the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building, Grand Central Terminal and the Brooklyn Bridge. New York City is simply a mecca for architecture lovers and a place with some of the most iconic landmarks in the world.
Art lovers will love a trip to New York City, given that the Big Apple boasts world-famous institutions such as the Guggenheim Museum, the Museum of Modern Art, the Brooklyn Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum of Modern Art and many more. Theatre buffs will enjoy the huge offerings of shows on and off Broadway. World-class musical performances are held at Carnegie Hall, the New York City Opera, Radio City Music Hall, the Metropolitan Opera and many more. New York travel possibilities simply encompass a gigantic offering of arts and culture.
New York travel includes a wide range of destinations beyond New York City. The mountainous Catskills area is one of the most popular getaway destinations for New Yorkers that offers a wide range of outdoor recreation opportunities. The Hudson Valley is a scenically beautiful area with many historic towns and villages, some of which were settled in the 1600s. The capital of the state, Albany, is also located in the Hudson Valley.
Further north are the Adirondacks, a wild and mountainous region that is anchored by a huge state park. The Adirondacks are very thinly populated and its most well-known destination is Lake Placid, location of the 1980 Winter Olympics. Central New York’s most important city is Syracuse which is in the centre of a hilly region that is crossed by the Mohawk River. Close by are the Finger Lakes, a collection of eleven long and narrow lakes surrounded by rolling hills and vineyards. The historic Erie Canal and Rochester are also important destinations in this area and one of the most scenic towns is Ithaca on Lake Cayuga.
The Niagara Frontier in the far north-west area of the Empire State has Niagara Falls as its main destination, but Buffalo, the second largest city in the state, also draws its share of tourists. As you can see, New York travel opportunities are extremely diverse and range from an urban getaway to Manhattan to skiing in the Adirondacks or a wine tour in the Finger Lakes and many more.