Manhattan and New York City, NY Attractions – What to See and Do!

Manhattan’s many neighborhoods are all different from each other and are a must see while visiting New York City.

Lower East Side: Once home to mostly German, Italian, Irish and Eastern European and Jewish immigrants has lent its pushcart-filled street to trendy cutting edge boutiques, fine international restaurants such as Allen & Delancey, Tre, Little Giant, Il Barrio Chino, Schiller's, and venerable old institutions which embody the culture of the Lower East Side: Katz's Deli, New York's last appetizing store, Russ & Daughters, Yona Shimmel's knish store, and Moshe's Bakery.

For night life, there are hip clubs like the Box, lounges, bars, famous music venues such as the Piano, the Living Room, Arlene's Grocery, Mercury Lounge, numerous art galleries, the Tenement Museum (its gift shop is juxtaposed to the neighborhood icon, the Blue Moon Hotel) and the New Museum of Art. There also are quite a few historical synagogues including Kehila Kedosha Janina, the Eldrige Street Synagogue, Chasam Sopher and Bialystoker, as well as churches, St. Theresa's and St. Mary's.

The New Museum is located on the Bowery at Prince Street. Within its innovative all-white architectural design structure it shows just about everything the contemporary art world has to offer. Its hours are Wednesday through Sunday from 12:00 pm to 6:00 pm, closed on Mondays.

Soho: Famous art galleries such as OK Harris and the Drawing Center call this area home; its famous cast iron buildings, once home of artists' lofts and factories, are now high end, amazing residential units, famous brand name boutiques and exclusive restaurants.

Little Italy: Home of "old school" Italian restaurants, beautiful old Catholic churches including St. Patrick's, and the historical Police Building. Authentic Italian grocery stores abound that have been passed on from generation to generation since the 1800s.

Chinatown: Chinese is the vernacular on all billboards, Pagodas buildings, amazing Mandarin, Cantonese, and Dim Sum restaurants. Chinese department stores, outdoor markets, unique shopping experiences and bargains.

TriBeCa: A mostly residential area, it has been home for over a few years to the major art galleries and art institutions in the City. The free opening gallery receptions on Thursdays are a great occasion to mix art with parties and the opportunity to chat with local artists.

Lower Manhattan: Walk around one of the oldest neighborhoods of New York City, through the Financial District, Wall Street and the Stock Exchange building and down to the South Street Seaport where you can see the old Manhattan Harbor and enjoy amazing views of the Hudson River. The Museum of Jewish Heritage is also nearby, as are the ferries to reach Staten Island, Ellis Island, the Statue of Liberty and Governor's Island -- which is a terrific place to have a picnic or go for a bike ride.

• The Statue of Liberty, a gift from France to the United States in recognition of their friendship during the American Revolution, is located on Liberty Island in New York harbor. The ferry to the Statue of Liberty leaves every day from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm.

• Ellis Island, the famous Federal immigration station active from the late 1800s through 1924, enables visitors to investigate genealogical immigration history. You can view photos and videos of the immigrants who arrived through the island. The museum is free with purchase of a ferry ticket at the South Ferry. The best way to get there is the number 1downtown train to the South Ferry station.

• The Museum of Jewish Heritage located at 36 Battery Place, is dedicated to the exploration of Jewish heritage and as a living memorial to the Holocaust. Its hours are Monday through Friday from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm, and it is closed on Saturday.

• Ground Zero, where the World Trade Center towers stood from their completion in 1973 until September 11, 2001. Nearby is the Tribute Center, located at 120 Liberty Street (212) 422-3520. There is a small museum area and a visitor’s center. Walking tours by the September 11 community are available daily, from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm Sun through Fri, Sat until 4:00 PM.

East Village and Alphabet City: once part of the Lower East Side, this neighborhood has gone through many transformations. Eastern European, Jewish and Italian immigrants left, soon to be replaced by artists and musicians. There are still some Polish groceries and Italian bakeries, such as Venero's, but the artists are gone and now it is home to a very trendy young crowd, funky bars and boutiques and also a lot of good affordable restaurants.

Greenwich Village: One of the most elegant and charming neighborhoods in the City, with its many historical buildings (when Manhattan was founded most of them were farms). Its bohemian and hippie era has passed, and the Village has matured into a sophisticated neighborhood with exclusive restaurants and cafes, jazz clubs and high-end designer boutiques.

Meat Packing District: is a delight for the young crowd with its many clubs and restaurants. The High Line, a recently built elevated park made out of train tracks, is right now one of the major City attractions.

Upper West Side: This area goes from Columbus Circle and Broadway at 59th, where the Time Warner Building is located with his many shops and restaurants; and the famous Tavern on the Green in nearby Central Park West, up until 110th Street. It has the most luxurious brownstone buildings and it is where starting at 61th Street the most famous dance and music buildings are located: Lincoln Center, the Metropolitan City Opera, The New York City Opera, NYC Ballet, Avery Fisher Hall and the Julliard School of Music. The American Museum of National History is on Central Park West between 79th and 81st Streets.

• The American Museum of Natural History located on Central Park West between 79th and 81st Streets, is an amazing journey through permanent and seasonal exhibitions of anthropology, geology, astronomy, fossils and much more. Open every day from 10: am to 6:00 pm, closed on Thanks Giving and Christmas day.

Upper East Side: is famous for their wealthy neighbors (Jackie Onassis to name one, used to live here), for world famous hotels like the Plaza and the Pierre, for the elegant designer boutiques in Madison Avenue and Fifth Avenue and most of all for the many museums: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Guggenheim, The Frick Collection, The Jewish Museum and the Whitney Museum.

The area of Central Park from 59th Street up to 84th Street facing Fifth Avenue, it offers many activities: a large skating rink, The Central Park Zoo, a lake with boat rentals available and the nearby Boat House Café, facing the water. During the warmer months you can enjoy free concerts and theatre plays right in the park.

• The Metropolitan Museum of Art, located uptown on Fifth Avenue and 82nd Street on Central Park West on the famous Museum Mile in New York City, features a huge permanent collection of Egyptian, Medieval, Ancient Greek, Roman, Asian, Oceanic, Islamic, Renaissance art, armors and musical instruments. It’s open every day from 9:30 to 5:30 Friday until 8:00pm, closed Monday, Thanksgiving day, Christmas day and New Year’s day.

• The Guggenheim Museum is also located on the Museum Mile a few blocks uptown from the Metropolitan, at 89th Street and Fifth Avenue. It’s the masterpiece of the famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright; it hosts a permanent collection of modern paintings and various art exhibitions all year round. Open every day from 9:30 to 5:45 except for Thursday, Thanksgiving and Christmas day.

• The Frick Museum located on Fifth Avenue and 70th street, has a great collection of Old Master paintings, sculptures, porcelains and furniture. It is open every day (except Fridays) from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm.

• The Whitney Museum is located on Madison Avenue and 75th. It has a permanent collection of modern American masters like Frank Stella and Andy Warhol. It explores and represents remarkable American art. It is open every day from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm, closed on Tuesday.

Midtown: the most famous City buildings are located here, including: The Empire State Building, The Chrysler Building, Grand Central Terminal, Rockefeller Center, Radio City Music Hall and the beautiful St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

Also the Museum of Modern Art, famous shopping spots like Macy's Herald Square and Saks Fifth Ave, Times Square and the nearby world famous Theatre District and the Baryshnikov Center for the Arts.

• The Empire State Building, the City’s most famous and tallest Art Deco skyscraper, is located at 34th Street and Fifth Avenue. The observatory is open to the public seven days a week from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm.

• The Chrysler Building is another Art Deco skyscraper located at 42nd St. and Lexington Ave. It was the tallest building in the City until 1931 when the Empire State Building was completed.

• Rockefeller Center is located between Fifth and Sixth Avenues from 48th to 51st Streets. Besides the famous statue of Atlas, the NBC studios and the ice skating rink (open only in winter), and the Concourse with all the shopping and restaurants, it’s also famous for its Top of the Rock observation deck where you can enjoy a spectacular 360 degree view of Manhattan.

• Radio City Music Hall is located on Sixth Avenue and 50th Street. It is considered to be one of the largest and most beautiful theatres in the world. Besides the famous Christmas Spectacular, it has always been and still is the home of famous performers, concerts and special events since it was built in the 1930’s.

• Grand Central Terminal (often mistakenly called Grand Central Station) on 42nd Street and Park Avenue, is one of the busiest train stations in the country and one of the biggest in the world. The first terminal was finished in 1913 and through the years it became a magnificent complex, with beautiful art work, sculptures, Tiffany glass and the beautiful astronomical ceiling in the main concourse.

• Jacob K. Javits Convention Center (the "Javits Center"): This impressive convention center made out of steel and glass is located at 655 West 34th Street just past 11th Ave. It's not by chance that it is dubbed "the market place for the world", as it hosts all kinds of trade shows throughout the year: book shows, gift shows, food shows, dog shows, as well as the annual auto show and flower show.

Harlem: named after the city of Haarlem in Holland by Dutch settlers in the 1600s, it is one of the most famous African American neighborhoods in the USA. Famous for the vibrant period of the Harlem Renaissance, Jazz Clubs like the Cotton Club are still a very interesting part of Manhattan with the famous Apollo Theatre where the biggest names in African American music have performed; and the still famous jazz venue, the Lenox Lounge. There are quite a lot of jazz festivals held in Harlem, and also a lot of churches where it’s possible to enjoy beautiful Gospel Masses.