NEW YORK, NY

No other city in the world can match New York City for glamour, fine art, inexpensive things to do, theater, dining, shopping.

None.

There’s so much to do in New York. As you take in its iconic skyline (There’s the Empire State Building! Oh, and there’s the Chrysler Building! Oh, and look – it’s Rockefeller Center!), you’ll see the city’s history writ large and tall. Many skyscrapers, such as the Woolworth Building and the Metropolitan Life Insurance Tower, were built in the early part of the 1900s, while the aforementioned Empire State Building and Rockefeller Center building (known as the Rock) came to the city in the mid-20th century. Rides to the top of both buildings (the top of Rockefeller Center is known as the “Top of the Rock” are must-do attractions and give you breathtaking views of Manhattan and New York State.

Sadly, the tallest skyscrapers of them all no longer stand, but you can head down to Lower Manhattan to see the World Trade Center site. You can see Ground Zero from a viewing wall on Church Street or from the World Financial Center’s Garden. There’s also a Tribute WTC Visitor Center quickly is becoming a New York must-do, with hits walking tours and exhibits about that terrible day September 11, 2001.

Ready for some fantastic theater? Then head to Broadway. In addition, quite nearby is Times Square. In the city that never sleeps, Times Square is on continual hyper drive. Considered by many to be the “crossroads of the world,” this area of New York City is where you will be able to see the famous Times Square billboards, see a play in a historic theater. And don’t forget to have your after-show drink at the world-famous Sardi’s!

She’s called to immigrants for more than 100 years and she continues to call to visitors and residents alike. The Statue of Liberty – a gift to the U.S. from two Frenchmen – is located just a short ferry ride from lower Manhattan. The line to see Lady Liberty can be long, especially on weekends and during the summer, but she’s well worth the special trip. While you’re there, don’t forget to take in Ellis Island, where millions of immigrants to the United States first alighted in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Walk the refurbished immigration building’s Great Hall and imagine what it must have been like for so many people to have left their homelands for the unknown life that awaited them in America.

Don’t leave New York City without visiting Central Park. Home to walking and running trials, expansive lawns, the Central Park Zoo, as well as the internationally renowned Metropolitan Museum, you could spend an entire day in and around the 800-acre park. If you visit Manhattan in the summer, Central Park’s Great Lawn hosts free performances by the Metropolitan Opera and the New York Philharmonic orchestra. SummerStage is a performing arts festival held – you guessed it – during the summer. Performances of music, dance, theater and film are free.

Speaking of festivals, if you visit Manhattan around March 17, find the Irish in you and go watch the world famous St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Everyone becomes Irish when the parade makes its way down Fifth Avenue. You’ll see drummers, bagpipers, step dancers and all things green as you join the fun.

Finally, should you find yourself visiting the Big Apple around July 4, be sure to take in New York City’s famous Independence Day celebration. More than 100,000 fireworks explode over the water over lower Manhattan – all choreographed to music. Parades abound. As do popcorn, hot dogs, ice cream and apple pie!