New York City is not like anywhere else. That is not a cliché; it is a practical observation. The density, the energy, the sheer vertical mass of the place — Manhattan in particular — produces an experience of a city that has no real equivalent anywhere in the world. It is also, for most international visitors, their first encounter with America, which sets expectations that the rest of the country will reliably confound.
We visited New York more than twenty years ago on a crazy bus tour from Toronto and remember it clearly — the scale of it, the noise, the subway, the particular quality of light between the towers. Much of what I remember will still be true. The details below draw on sound current sources to reflect how the city stands now.
A Little Background
The area now called New York was originally home to the Lenape people, who called it Lenapehoking. Dutch colonists established New Amsterdam on the southern tip of Manhattan in 1626 — the transaction involving the island was not quite the famous bargain of legend, but it was Dutch. The British took control in 1664 and renamed it New York. The city grew rapidly through the nineteenth century on the back of immigration, trade, and industry; by 1900 it was the largest city in the western hemisphere. Ellis Island, in New York Harbour, processed more than twelve million immigrants between 1892 and 1954 — the entry point for a significant proportion of the American population’s ancestors.
The five boroughs — Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx, and Staten Island — were consolidated into a single city in 1898. Manhattan remains the commercial and cultural core; Brooklyn has become, over the past two decades, a city of genuine substance in its own right.
What to See and Do
Central Park occupies 843 acres in the middle of Manhattan — an extraordinary piece of city planning, designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux in the 1850s and completed over decades. Walk through it, run in it, take a rowboat on the lake, or simply sit in it. It is free and it is the city’s greatest public asset.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art (the Met) on the eastern edge of Central Park holds one of the great art collections in the world — approximately 1.5 million works spanning 5,000 years, from Egyptian antiquities to twentieth-century painting. The suggested admission is around US$30 for adults (pay what you wish if you are a New York State resident). Allow at least half a day; it rewards considerably more.
The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island require advance planning. The ferry (operated by Statue City Cruises from Battery Park) runs to both islands; standard admission is approximately US$25 per adult and includes both islands. Crown and pedestal tickets are more expensive and sell out weeks or months ahead — book as early as possible. Ellis Island’s immigration museum is, in its way, more affecting than Liberty Island itself.
The High Line is a 2.4-kilometre elevated park built on a disused freight railway line on the west side of Manhattan, running from the Meatpacking District to Hudson Yards. It is beautifully designed, free, and one of the best ideas in recent urban planning. Go in the morning before the crowds arrive.
Brooklyn Bridge — walk across it from Manhattan to Brooklyn. The views upriver and downriver are the best free view of the city. Takes about 30 minutes at a walking pace.
The Empire State Building observation deck (86th floor) costs approximately US$49 per adult and gives the classic panoramic view of Midtown. Go at dusk if you can. The less-visited Top of the Rock at 30 Rockefeller Plaza (similar price) gives a better view of the Empire State Building itself, rather than from it.
MoMA (Museum of Modern Art) on West 53rd Street has the strongest modern art collection in the world — Van Gogh’s Starry Night, Picasso, Matisse, Warhol, and the architecture and design collections are among the highlights. Adult admission approximately US$30. Free to New York residents on the first Friday evening of each month.
The subway is how New York moves. It runs 24 hours, covers all five boroughs, and costs a flat US$2.90 per journey with an OMNY card (the MetroCard was discontinued from January 2026 — use a contactless bank card or set up an OMNY account). It is not glamorous, but it works, and using it is part of understanding the city.
Broadway — if you are in New York, go to a show. Prices range from steep (front orchestra seats at a hit musical) to accessible (rush tickets, lottery tickets, and the TKTS booth in Times Square sells same-day tickets at discounts of up to 50%). Plan this in advance; good productions fill up.
Getting There
John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and Newark Liberty (EWR) are the main international gateways; LaGuardia (LGA) handles predominantly domestic traffic. From JFK, the AirTrain connects to the NYC subway (A train to Manhattan, approximately 60–75 minutes total, US$9 including the AirTrain fee). From Newark, the NJ Transit train runs to Penn Station (approximately 30 minutes). Taxis from JFK cost a flat US$70 to Manhattan (plus tolls and tip); from Newark, fares vary but expect US$60–80 plus tolls and tip.
Cost and Hours
New York is expensive. Budget accommodation starts around US$150–200 per night; mid-range hotels in Manhattan run US$250–400+. Food is similarly varied — a slice of pizza from a street counter costs US$3–5; a sit-down dinner at a mid-range restaurant runs US$50–80 per person including drinks and tip. Attractions cost US$25–50 each for most major sites. Allow at least four full days for a first visit; a week is not excessive.