Holidays in New York - USA

Bright lights, big city - they don't come louder than New York City. The theatre, the shops, the arts, the people, the hype - the Big Apple has it all. The delights of New York are infinite. Most visitors include at least one Broadway play and world-class museum on their holiday.

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New York History

It’s been many years since Peter Minuite bought Manhattan ("Man-a-hatt-ta", as it had been named) from the Algonquan Indians for $24. These days, the old colonial churches and early American monuments, dating from the time when New York City was America's capital city, stand in the shadows of modern skyscrapers of polished steel and glass.

The Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Trinity Church (once the tallest structure in New York City), and Federal Hall are just some of the historic attractions that draw millions of holiday makers to New York each year.

One of the most impressive sights in New York is the Brooklyn Bridge which when it was completed in 1883 was the largest suspension bridge in the world. Poet Walt Whitman said that the view from the bridge was "the best, most effective medicine my soul has yet partaken."

Sightseeing in New York

Designed by French sculptor, Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi, Lady Liberty, as the Statue of Liberty is sometimes called, was a gift from the French commemorating the American Revolution. Bartholdi’s mother modelled for the statue and it took 21 years to complete. The frame was designed by Gustave Eiffel who later designed the Eiffel Tower in Paris. It was finally unveiled in 1886 by President Grover Cleveland. The statue had previously been a fixture in Paris before it found its way to its present home on Bedloe's Island, now known as Liberty Island.

The fashionable neighbourhood of Soho is an exciting part of Manhattan to visit on your holidays and boasts many art galleries, chic boutiques, and great ethnic restaurants. Formerly an industrial district, Soho became the home of New York’s artists until high rents forced many of the resident artists to move to less expensive neighbourhoods like Tribeca.

For offbeat lifestyles, Greenwich Village with its delightful architecture, is the place to be seen. Its tree-lined streets are packed with late-night coffee-houses, cafés, experimental theatres and music clubs.

Ethnic New York

Manhattan’s Lower East Side hosts many ethnic neighbourhoods that preserve the original heritage of their homelands. Italians made their homes in what became known as Little Italy and the smells of Italian bakeries and restaurants fill the air of this old-world neighbourhood. Chinatown is New York’s largest ethnic neighbourhood and hundreds of Chinese restaurants can be found here. During the Chinese New Year holiday celebrations of January and February, puppet dragons roam the streets while the sound of exploding fireworks can be heard everywhere. Jewish immigrants' presence was located in and around Orchard Street. It was here that the New York garment industry began.

Get your holiday bearings in New York with a trip to the mighty Empire State Building. With visibility from the Observatory of up to 80 miles, it stood as the tallest building in the world until 1977 when the World Trade Centre took the title. Designed in the Art Deco style, the building was completed in 1931. The 150-ft (46m) mooring mast for Zeppelins is today used for TV and radio broadcasts. The 6,500 windowed building is struck up to 500 times each year by lightning. Inside the marble-lined lobby the Empire State Building is depicted as the eighth wonder of the world along with images of the other Seven Wonders of the World.

The breathtaking art Deco style Chrysler building was designed to be the corporate headquarters for Walter P. Chrysler and his automobile empire. The building was designed to resemble a Chrysler automobile. It is faced with Nirosta metal (a chromium - nickel steel), which is platinum in appearance and is decorated with sculptures copied from the bonnet ornament of a 1929 Chrysler Plymouth. The 31st floor contains what looks like shiny metal hubcaps. The top of the Chrysler building once housed a "speakeasy" called the Cloud Club. During prohibition, the Cloud Club was frequented by many of New York City's elite.

New York Art

With some of the most expensive real estate in the world, the Upper East Side is a very sophisticated with luxurious hotels, swanky restaurants, and Museum Mile, which includes the famed Metropolitan museum of Art.

Central Park provides New Yorkers and holiday makers with a much needed escape from the concrete, noise and traffic that is part of everyday life. The park is larger than you may think and is entirely manufactured. It required 10 million cartloads of stone and earth to fill the area. Over 500,000 trees and shrubs were planted here and provide shelter to a surprising variety of wildlife.

Celebrities in New York

The Upper West Side is home to celebrities that live in apartments along the park and many wealthy young professionals. Along Broadway, which winds through the centre of the Upper West Side, you will find mid-priced hotels, chic shops, multiplex theatres, and the Lincoln Centre. This neighbourhood is also home to the American Museum of Natural History, the Children's Museum of Manhattan and Riverside Park.

Harlem was established in 1658 and named after a Dutch city. At the time, the area held many prominent farms but was eventually abandoned when the soil was depleted around the 1830s. In the 1920’s, 1930’s and 1940’s, Harlem became a Mecca for jazz and blues music. Nightclubs like the Cotton Club and the Apollo Theatre featured the top black entertainers of the day.

Short Breaks in New York

New York is an ideal city for a short break. It’s a great way to spend a weekend – shopping, theatre, and sightseeing. Take in the bright lights of Times Square; take a stroll through the massive expanse of Central Park. Of course don’t forget the shops – Macey’s, Bloomingdales and for the kids FAO Schwarz – the list is endless.

The Museum of Modern Art has one of the world's best collections from the last century. Take a look around 'The Met' (Metropolitan Museum of Art) and you'll be simply awe-struck with the enormity of this place - there are more than 3 million objects on display here.

Take a yellow cab ride, use the subway or cruise on the Staten Island ferry- explore this city any way you can. But don't try and see too much in the one trip - after all, we are sure you'll be back.

Archers Direct Holidays in New York

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