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New York City Attractions
Boat Tours
Boat tours can make sightseeing even more exciting. One of the best sightseeing bargains in the city is a ride on the Staten Island Ferry. Leaving South Ferry in Battery Park every day at least once an hour, the free ride provides views of the Lower Manhattan skyline and the Statue of Liberty. Avoid the ferry during peak commuter hours, Mon.-Fri. 8-10 and 4-6; phone (718) 390-5253.
The 1885 schooner Pioneer offers 2-hour excursions of New York Harbor Tues.-Sun., June-Sept.; Sat.-Sun., Apr.-May. Tickets are sold at the Pier 16 ticket booth; phone (212) 748-8786.
Bus Tours
To see the most in the least amount of time, take a bus tour. There are numerous bus tours that cover all parts of the city; information is available either from your local AAA club or by phoning the bus lines directly.
offers a variety of sightseeing tours in double-deck buses. The All Loops Tour includes the Uptown, Downtown and Night Loop/Holiday Lights Tour. The all-day ShowBiz Insiders Tour offers behind-the-scenes looks at a Broadway theater and other performance venues. A motor coach tour of Manhattan includes lunch. Tickets can be purchased at the Gray Line Visitors Center, 777 Eighth Ave. (between 47th and 48th streets); phone (212) 445-0848 or (800) 669-0051.
double-deck bus tours visit historic sites and popular points of interest throughout Manhattan; phone (212) 812-2700. On Location Tours takes passengers to sites featured on well-known television shows. Various theme tours are available; phone (212) 209-3370.
Guided Walking Tours
Various guided walking tours are offered daily by the Municipal Art Society, based in the Urban Center at 457 Madison Ave. and 51st Street. Of interest is an in-depth look at Grand Central Terminal; phone (212) 935-3960.
The Museum of the City of New York periodically conducts guided walking tours of Manhattan throughout the year. Fees vary according to tour and reservations are required; phone (212) 534-1672 , ext. 3393.
Theme tours of Harlem, including jazz, soul food and art galleries, are available from Harlem, Your Way! Tours; phone (800) 382-9363. New York City Cultural Walking Tours, (212) 979-2388, offers guided tours that emphasize Manhattan's architecture and history.
Ethnic neighborhoods and historic districts are highlighted by , departing from various locations; phone (212) 439-1090.
Weaving history and architecture with insight into people and events that shaped the heart of Lower Manhattan, the Downtown Alliance's free, 90-minute Wall Street Walking Tour departs from the steps of the U.S. Custom House, which houses the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian, every Thursday and Saturday at noon; phone (212) 606-4064.
The Times Square Business Improvement District offers tours highlighting landmarks, hotels and famous theaters in Times Square . Tours depart from the Times Square Visitors Center on Broadway Fridays at noon; phone (212) 768-1560 or (212) 869-1890.
Self-guiding Walking Tours
An inexpensive way to see the city is by self-guiding walking tours. Various ethnic neighborhoods offer intriguing shops, restaurants and sidewalk fairs best sampled on foot.
Some of the best known communities include Little Italy, centering on Mulberry Street; the Jewish sector, on Essex and Orchard streets; the Middle Eastern enclave, along Atlantic Avenue; and the East Indian neighborhood, on Lexington Avenue. Check with a local AAA club for more information about what other areas would lend themselves to walking tours.
Talk-A-Walk offers audiotape tours of various Lower Manhattan attractions and the Brooklyn Bridge. The audiotapes can be obtained through the mail for $9.95 each (plus $2.90 for postage and shipping for up to six cassettes) by writing Talk-A-Walk, 30 Waterside Plaza, 10D, New York, NY 10010; phone (212) 686-0356.
Spectator Sports
No one takes sports quite as seriously as New Yorkers. Seven professional sports teams dominate the sports scene, including two football, baseball and ice hockey teams. Being a fan here involves unfeigned loyalty: Just ask Yankees and Mets fans what happens when they share a baseball stadium, or how Dodgers fans felt when their team moved to Los Angeles.
Baseball
New Yorkers are especially passionate about the national pastime. The New York Yankees, who produced such legendary "Bronx Bombers" as Joe DiMaggio, Lou Gehrig, Mickey Mantle and Babe Ruth, play at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx. This American League club won the World Series in 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2000. The season runs from April to October; phone (718) 293-4300.
The Mets, New York City's National League team, stole the World Series from the Boston Red Sox in 1986. They play at Shea Stadium in Queens. The season runs from April to October; phone (718) 507-6387 or (718) 507-8499.
The majors have several Minor League baseball counterparts. The Staten Island Yankees kick off the season in June at Richmond County Bank Ballpark at St. George. For ticket information phone (718) 720-9265. The Mets-affiliated Brooklyn Cyclones play at Keyspan Stadium on Surf Avenue in Coney Island; phone (718) 449-8497. EAB Park in Central Islip is where the Atlantic League's Long Island Ducks swing into action; phone (888) 332-5600.
Basketball
When the New York Knicks hit the court at Madison Square Garden, fans are assured of an exciting game. The season runs from November to June; phone (212) 465-5867 for Knicks information, or (212) 465-6741 for the Garden.
New York loves its college hoopsters, too. The beloved St. John's University Red Storm occasionally play at Madison Square Garden; phone (718) 990-6211 for ticket information. The Long Island University Blackbirds and St. Francis College Terriers both hoop it up in Brooklyn; phone (718) 488-1030 for the Blackbirds and (718) 489-5490 for the Terriers. The Fordham University Rams, (718) 817-4300, play in the Bronx, while the Wagner College Seahawks take to the court at Frederik Sutter Gymnasium in Staten Island; phone (718) 420-4039.
Football
From September to December, Super Bowl III winners the New York Jets and two-time NFL champions the New York Giants scramble on the gridiron in Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., at the Meadowlands complex; phone (201) 935-8222 (Giants) or (516) 560-8200 (Jets). Tickets are scarce, so unless you know someone with a season pass, your plans may be sidelined.
Recreation
When the hustle and bustle of the city streets is too much to handle, shift into a slower gear. New York's parks and beaches offer peaceful respite. The lush lawns, trees, shrubs and meadows as well as lakes, fountains, sculptures and bridges make Central Park a favorite spot with visitors and New Yorkers alike.
Shopping
New York is a shopping mecca for whatever your heart desires. You will have no trouble hunting down the basics or the extravagances in the stores lining block after enticing block.
While Peter Minuit got the best trade in the city's history--in 1626 he paid $24 for Manhattan Island, currently worth more than $50 billion--Manhattan is still a borough of bargains. The saying "I can get it for you wholesale" is nowhere more applicable.
Performing Arts
The soul of New York City--its unique vibrance and urban beat--bears witness to a love of the arts and a willingness to share this fascination with everyone. The choices are endless--theater, music, opera, dance, film; traditional or experimental; indoors or outdoors; free or ticketed. There is no escaping the delightful barrage of offerings.
Most types of performances take place at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts at Broadway and 65th Street. Its plaza includes Alice Tully Hall, (212) 875-5050, the only public concert hall of orchestral size to be constructed in the city since 1891; Avery Fisher Hall, (212) 875-5030; Juilliard School of Music, (212) 769-7406; Metropolitan Opera House, (212) 362-6000; the New York State Theater, (212) 870-5570; Vivian Beaumont and Mitzi E. Newhouse theaters, (212) 239-6200; and the Walter Reade Theater, (212) 875-5600.
Dance
As the nation's cultural mecca, New York City invests a great deal of time and money into its expressive nature, including dance. The greats have all danced here, and Mikhail Baryshnikov, Gregory Hines and Rudolf Nureyev even embraced the city as their home turf.
In a class by itself, the New York City Ballet garners rave reviews for its performances of contemporary works under the guidance of well-respected, inventive choreographers. The troupe performs November through February at the New York State Theater at Lincoln Center. The American Ballet Theatre presents the classics and some newer ballets to a global audience at the nearby Metropolitan Opera House from April through June.
Modern dance enthusiasts flock to several distinguished venues, such as the Joyce Theater in Lower Manhattan. This dance emporium caters to all forms, from its ballet company in residence, the Ballet Tech to more contemporary, avant-garde works.
In seasons past, Midtown Manhattan's City Center, the city's largest concert hall, has played host to such great modern troupes as the Alvin Ailey Dance Company, the Dance Theater of Harlem, the Joffrey Ballet and the Paul Taylor Dance Company. The venue is on 55th Street between Sixth and Seventh avenues; phone (212) 581-1212.
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