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NEW YORK CITY TOURISM GUIDE

If this is your first trip to New York, face the facts: It will be impossible to take in the entire city. Because New York is almost unfathomably big and constantly changing, you could live your whole life here and still make fascinating daily discoveries!. This section is designed to give you an overview of what's available in this multifaceted place so you can narrow your choices to an itinerary that's digestible for the amount of time you'll be here -- be it a day, a week, or something in between.

So don't try to tame New York -- you can't. Decide on a few must-see attractions, and then let the city take you on its own ride. But inevitably, as you make your way around the city, you'll be blown off course by unplanned diversions that are just as much fun as what you meant to see. After all, the true New York is in the details. As you dash from sight to sight, take time to admire a lovely cornice on a prewar building, linger over a cup of coffee at a sidewalk cafe, or just idle away a few minutes on a bench watching New Yorkers parade through their daily lives.

American Museum of the Moving Image

Head here if you truly love movies. Unlike Manhattan's Museum of Television & Radio, which is more of a library, this is a thought-provoking museum examining how moving images -- film, video, and digital -- are made, marketed, and shown; it encourages you to consider their impact on society as well. It's housed in part of the Kaufman Astoria Studios, which once were host to W. C. Fields and the Marx Brothers, and more recently have been used by Martin Scorsese (The Age of Innocence), Woody Allen (Radio Days), Bill Cosby (his Cosby TV series), and Sesame Street.

The museum's core exhibit, Behind the Screen, is a thoroughly engaging two-floor installation that takes you step-by-step through the process of making, marketing, and exhibiting moving images. There are more than 1,000 artifacts on hand, from technological gadgetry to costumes, and interactive exhibits where you can try your own hand at sound effects editing or create your own animated shorts, among other simulations. Special-effects benchmarks -- from the mechanical mouth of Jaws to the blending of past and present in Forrest Gump -- are explored and explained. And in a nod to Hollywood nostalgia, memorabilia that wasn't swept up by the Planet Hollywood chain is displayed, including a Hopalong Cassidy lunch box, an E. T. doll, celebrity colouring books, and Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis hand puppets. Also on display are sets from Seinfeld. Even better are the daily hands-on demonstrations, where you can watch film editors, animators, and the like at work.

"Insiders' Hour" tours are offered every day at 2pm. Additionally, the museum hosts free film and video screenings, often accompanied by artist appearances, lectures, or panel discussions. Seminars often feature renowned film and TV pros discussing their craft; past guests have included Spike Lee, Terry Gilliam, Chuck Jones, and Atom Egoyan, so it's definitely worth seeing if someone's on while you're in town.

Bronx Zoo Wildlife Conservation Park

Founded in 1899, the Bronx Zoo is the largest metropolitan animal park in the United States, with more than 4,000 animals living on 265 acres, and one of the city's best attractions.

One of the most impressive exhibits is the Wild Asia Complex. This zoo-within-a-zoo comprises the Wild Asia Plaza education centre; Jungle World, an indoor re-creation of Asian forests, with birds, lizards, gibbons, and leopards; and the Bengali Express Monorail (open May-Oct), which takes you on a narrated ride high above free-roaming Siberian tigers, Asian elephants, Indian rhinoceroses, and other nonnative New Yorkers (keep your eyes peeled -- the animals aren't as interested in seeing you). The Himalayan Highlands is home to some 17 extremely rare snow leopards, as well as red pandas and white-naped cranes. The 6 1/2-acre Congo Gorilla Forest is home to Western lowland gorillas, okapi, red river hogs, and other African rainforest animals.

The Children's Zoo (open Apr-Oct) allows young humans to learn about their wildlife counterparts. Kids can compare their leaps to those of a bullfrog, slide into a turtle shell, climb into a heron's nest, see with the eyes of an owl, and hear with the acute ears of a fox. There's also a petting zoo. Camel rides are another part of the summertime picture, as is the Butterfly Zone and the Skyfari aerial tram (each an extra $3 charge).

If the natural settings and breeding programs aren't enough to keep zoo residents entertained, they can always choose to ogle the two million annual visitors. But there are ways to beat the crowds. Try to visit on a weekday or on a nice winter's day. In summer, come early in the day, before the heat of the day sends the animals back into their enclosures. Expect to spend an entire day here -- you'll need it.

Brooklyn Botanic Garden

Just down the street from the Brooklyn Museum of Art is the most popular botanic garden in the city. This peaceful 52-acre sanctuary is at its most spectacular in May, when thousands of deep pink blossoms of cherry trees are abloom. Well worth seeing is the spectacular Cranford Rose Garden, one of the largest and finest in the country; the Shakespeare Garden, an English garden featuring plants mentioned in his writings; a Children's Garden; the Osborne Garden, a 3-acre formal garden; the Fragrance Garden, designed for the blind but appreciated by all noses; and the extraordinary Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden. The renowned C. V. Starr Bonsai Museum is home to the world's oldest and largest collection of bonsai, while the impressive $2.5-million Steinhardt Conservatory holds the garden's extensive indoor plant collection.

Brooklyn Bridge

Its Gothic-inspired stone pylons and intricate steel-cable webs have moved poets like Walt Whitman and Hart Crane to sing the praises of this great span, the first to cross the East River and connect Manhattan to Brooklyn. Begun in 1867 and ultimately completed in 1883, the beautiful Brooklyn Bridge is now the city's best-known symbol of the age of growth that seized the city during the late 19th century. Walk across the bridge and imagine the awe that New Yorkers of that age felt at seeing two boroughs joined by this monumental span. It's still astounding.

Brooklyn Museum of Art

One of the nation's premier art institutions, the Brooklyn Museum of Art rocketed back into public consciousness in 1999 with the hugely controversial Sensation: Young British Artists from the Saatchi Collection, which drew international media attention and record crowds who came to see just what an artist -- and a few conservative politicians -- could make out of a little elephant dung.

Indeed, the museum is best known for its consistently remarkable temporary exhibitions as well as its excellent permanent collection. The museum's grand Beaux Arts building, designed by McKim, Mead & White (1897), befits its outstanding holdings, most notably the Egyptian, Classical, and Ancient Middle Eastern collection of sculpture, wall reliefs, and mummies. The distinguished decorative arts collection includes 28 American period rooms from 1675 to 1928. Other highlights are the African and Asian arts galleries, dozens of works by Rodin, a good costumes and textiles collection, and a diverse collection of both American and European painting and sculpture that includes works by Homer, O'Keeffe, Monet, Cézanne, and Degas.

Brooklyn Tabernacle

Under the direction of passionate orator Pastor Jim Cymbala and his choral-director wife, Carol, this nondenominational Christian revival church has grown into one of the largest -- with a congregation of nearly 10,000 from all walks of city life -- and most renowned inner-city churches in the nation. Folks come from all over the world to see the 275-voice, four-time Grammy Award-winning Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir, one of the nation's most celebrated gospel choirs.

Brooklyn Tabernacle relocated from Flatbush Avenue to 392 Fulton St., on Fulton Mall in the heart of downtown Brooklyn, in mid-2002. The gloriously renovated 1918 building is the fourth-largest theatrical space in the five boroughs, and seats nearly 4,000 for each service. Still, come early for a prime seat, especially when the choir sings (at the noon and 4pm Sun services).

Chinatown

When in Chinatown, before or after dim sum or congee, venture to 70 Mulberry St., to the second floor where the Museum of Chinese in the Americas is located (tel. 212/619-4785; www.chinatownweb.com/MOCA). Here you'll find a celebration of the Chinese immigrant experience in New York and throughout the country.

Coney Island

Sure, Coney Island is just a shell of what it once was in its heyday in the early 20th century. But it's that shell and what remains that make it such an intriguing attraction. The almost mythical Parachute Jump, recently refurbished though long inoperable, stands as a monument to Coney Island. But this is not a dead amusement park; Astroland, home of the famed Cyclone roller coaster, has some great rides for children and adults. The best amusement of all, however, is the people-watching. Maybe because it is at the extreme edge of New York City, but Coney Island attracts more than its share of the odd, freaky, and funky. It's here where Nathan's Famous Hot Dogs holds its annual hot dog eating contest on July 4 at noon; where the wholly entertaining Mermaid Parade spoofs the old bathing beauty parades (late June); and where members of the Polar Bear Swim Club show their masochistic gusto by taking a plunge into the icy ocean on January 1. There is also the small Coney Island Museum, 1208 Surf Ave., near West 12th Street (tel. 718/372-5158). The best time to visit is from Memorial Day until mid-September, when the rides and amusement park are open. Bring your bathing suit and test the waters.

Ellis Island

One of New York's most moving sights, the restored Ellis Island opened in 1990, slightly north of Liberty Island. Roughly 40% of Americans can trace their heritage back to an ancestor who came through here. For the 62 years when it was America's main entry point for immigrants (1892-1954), Ellis Island processed some 12 million people. The greeting was often brusque -- especially in the early years of the century (until 1924), when as many as 12,000 came through in a single day. The statistics can be overwhelming, but the Immigration Museum skillfully relates the story of Ellis Island and immigration in America by placing the emphasis on personal experience.

It's difficult to leave the museum unmoved. Today you enter the Main Building's baggage room, just as the immigrants did, and then climb the stairs to the Registry Room, with its dramatic vaulted tiled ceiling, where millions waited anxiously for medical and legal processing. A step-by-step account of the immigrants' voyage is detailed in the exhibit, with haunting photos and touching oral histories. What might be the most poignant exhibit is Treasures from Home, 1,000 objects and photos donated by descendants of immigrants, including family heirlooms, religious articles, and rare clothing and jewelry. Outside, the American Immigrant Wall of Honor commemorates the names of more than 500,000 immigrants and their families, from Myles Standish and George Washington's great-grandfather to the forefathers of John F. Kennedy, Jay Leno and Barbra Streisand. You might also make time to see the award-winning short film Island of Hope, Island of Tears, which plays on a continuous loop in two theatres. Short live theatrical performances depicting the immigrant experience are also often part of the day's events.

Ferries run daily to Ellis Island and Liberty Island from Battery Park and Liberty State Park at frequent intervals.

Grand Central Terminal

Even if you're not catching one of the subway lines or Metro-North commuter trains that rumble through Grand Central Terminal, come for a visit; it's one of the most magnificent public places in the country. And even if you arrive and leave by subway, be sure to exit the station, walking a couple of blocks south, to about 40th Street, before you turn around to admire Jules-Alexis Coutan's neoclassical sculpture Transportation hovering over the south entrance, with a majestically buff Mercury, the Roman god of commerce and travel, as its central figure.

The greatest visual impact comes when you enter the vast majestic main concourse. The high windows allow sunlight to penetrate the space, glinting off the half-acre Tennessee marble floor. The brass clock over the central kiosk gleams, as do the gold- and nickel-plated chandeliers piercing the side archways. The masterful sky ceiling, a brilliant greenish blue, depicts the constellations of the winter sky above New York. They're lit with 59 stars, surrounded by dazzling 24-carat gold and emitting light fed through fiber-optic cables, their intensities roughly replicating the magnitude of the actual stars as seen from Earth. Look carefully and you'll see a patch near one corner left unrestored as a reminder of the neglect once visited on this splendid overhead masterpiece. On the east end of the main concourse is a grand marble staircase.

This dramatic Beaux Arts splendor serves as a hub of social activity as well. Excellent-quality retail shops and restaurants have taken over the mezzanine and lower levels. The highlights of the west mezzanine are Michael Jordan's-The Steak House, a gorgeous Art Deco space that allows you to dine within view of the sky ceiling as well as the gorgeously restored The Campbell Apartment , which serves cocktails. Off the main concourse at street level, there's a nice mix of specialty shops and national retailers, as well as the truly grand Grand Central Market for gourmet foods. The New York Transit Museum Store , in the shuttle passage, houses city transit-related exhibitions and a terrific gift shop that's worth a look for transit buffs. The lower dining concourse houses a stellar food court and the famous Oyster Bar & Restaurant.

The Municipal Art Society (tel. 212/935-3960; www.mas.org) offers a walking tour of Grand Central Terminal on Wednesday at 12:30pm, which meets at the information booth on the Grand Concourse.

Isamu Noguchi Garden Museum

No place in the city is more Zen than this marvelous indoor/outdoor garden museum showcasing the work of Japanese American sculptor Isamu Noguchi (1904-88). In 2004, after a 2 1/2-year renovation, the museum returned to its original site and will once again showcase the beautifully curated collection of the artist's masterworks in stone, metal, wood, and clay; you'll even see theatre sets, furniture, and models for public gardens and playgrounds that Noguchi designed. A new gallery highlights the artist's work in interior design.

Louis Armstrong House Museum

Armstrong was an international celebrity and could have lived anywhere, yet this unassuming, bi-level house in the working-class neighbourhood of Corona, Queens, was the great Satchmo's home from 1943 until his death in 1971. It was bought and designed by his fourth wife, Lucille, who lived in it until her death in 1983. No one has lived in the house since and in 2003, the house, a National Historic Landmark and a New York City landmark, opened its doors to the public as a museum. The 40-minute tour takes you through the small, impeccably preserved home and explains the significance of each room to both Louis and Lucille. The house also includes a small exhibit with some of his memorabilia, including two of his trumpets, and a gift shop, where many of his CDs are for sale along with other Satchmo-centric items. If you have any interest in jazz and in Armstrong, this is a must see.

Museum for African Art

This captivating museum is a leading organiser of temporary -- and usually excellent -- exhibits dedicated to historic and contemporary African art and culture. In September 2002, the museum moved out of its old SoHo space and into a long-term temporary home in Long Island City (the same building where the Isamu Noguchi Museum is temporarily housed), which it will occupy until its new Museum Mile home is ready on Fifth Avenue between 109th and 110th streets. Weekend and evening programs include music and dance performances, art-making workshops, family events, and more.

New York Aquarium

Because of the long subway ride (about an hour from Midtown Manhattan) and its proximity to Coney Island, it's best to combine the two attractions, preferably in the summer. This surprisingly good aquarium is home to hundreds of sea creatures. Taking centre stage are Atlantic bottle-nosed dolphins and California sea lions that perform daily during summer at the Aquatheatre. Also basking in the spotlight are gangly Pacific octopuses, sharks, and a brand-new sea horse exhibit. Black-footed penguins, California sea otters, and a variety of seals live at the Sea Cliffs exhibit, a re-creation of a Pacific coastal habitat. Children love the hands-on exhibits at Discovery Cove. There's an indoor oceanview cafeteria and an outdoor snack bar, plus picnic tables.

New York Botanical Garden

A National Historic Landmark, the 250-acre New York Botanical Garden was founded in 1891 and today is one of America's foremost public gardens. The setting is spectacular -- a natural terrain of rock outcroppings, a river with cascading waterfalls, hills, ponds, and wetlands.

Highlights of the Botanical Garden include the 27 specialty gardens, an exceptional orchid collection, and 40 acres of uncut forest, as close as New York gets to its virgin state before the arrival of Europeans. The Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, a stunning series of Victorian glass pavilions that recall London's former Crystal Palace, shelters a rich collection of tropical, subtropical, and desert plants as well as seasonal flower shows. There's also a Children's Adventure Garden. Natural exhibits are augmented by year-round educational programs, musical events, bird-watching excursions, lectures, special family programs, and many more activities. Best of all is the annual Holiday Train Show (late Nov-early Jan; call for exact dates), where railway trains and trolleys wind their way through more than 100 replicas of historic New York buildings and attractions -- such as the Statue of Liberty, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Garden's own Enid A. Haupt Conservatory -- all made from plant parts and other natural materials.

New York City Police Museum

Heading further downtown, you might find the New York City Police Museum, 100 Old Slip (tel. 212/480-3100; www.nycpolicemuseum.org), of interest. Located in New York's first precinct station house built in 1901, the museum exhibits police equipment throughout the years such as pistols, uniforms, and vehicles along with really fun stuff like master burglar Willie Sutton's lock picks and a machine gun used by Al Capone.

New York Transit Museum

Housed in a real (decommissioned) subway station, this recently renovated underground museum is a wonderful place to spend an hour or so. The museum is small but very well done, with good multimedia exhibits exploring the history of the subway from the first shovelful of dirt scooped up at groundbreaking (Mar 24, 1900) to the present. Kids and parents alike will enjoy the interactive elements and the vintage subway cars, old wooden turnstiles and beautiful station mosaics of yesteryear. A new exhibit dedicated to surface transportation is On the Streets: New York's Trolleys and Buses. All in all, a minor but remarkable tribute to an important development in the city's history.

The even smaller Gallery Annex & Store at Grand Central Station also houses rotating exhibitions and a terrific transit-themed gift shop. A second museum store, along with a travel information kiosk, is at the Times Square Visitors Center.

P.S. 1 Contemporary Art Center

If you're interested in contemporary art that's too cutting-edge for most museums, don't miss this MoMA affiliate museum. Originally a public school (hence the name), this is the world's largest institution exhibiting contemporary art from America and abroad. You can expect to see a kaleidoscopic array of works from artists ranging from Jack Smith to Julian Schnabel; the museum is particularly well known for large-scale exhibitions by artists such as James Turrell. In 2005 the museum featured a very well received and popular exhibit, Greater New York, featuring works by more than 160 New York-based artists who have come into prominence since the year 2000.

Prospect Park

Designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux after their great success with Central Park, this 562 acres of woodland, meadows, bluffs, and ponds is considered by many to be their masterpiece and the pièce de résistance of Brooklyn.

The best approach is from Grand Army Plaza, presided over by the monumental Soldiers' and Sailors' Memorial Arch (1892) honoring Union veterans. For the best view of the lush landscape, follow the path to Meadowport Arch, and proceed through to the Long Meadow, following the path that loops around it (it's about an hour's walk). Other park highlights include the 1857 Italianate mansion Litchfield Villa on Prospect Park West; the Friends' Cemetery Quaker burial ground (where Montgomery Clift is eternally prone -- sorry, it's fenced off to browsers); the wonderful 1906 Beaux Arts boathouse; the 1912 carousel, with white wooden horses salvaged from a famous Coney Island merry-go-round (open Apr-Oct; rides 50¢); and Lefferts Homestead Children's Historic House Museum (tel. 718/789-2822), a 1783 Dutch farmhouse with a museum of period furniture and exhibits geared to kids (open Apr-Nov Fri-Sun 1-4pm). There's a map at the park entrance that you can use to get your bearings.

On the east side of the park is the Prospect Park Zoo (tel. 718/399-7339). This is a thoroughly modern children's zoo where kids can walk among wallabies, explore a prairie-dog town, and much more. Admission is $5 for adults, $1.25 for seniors, $1 for children 3 to 12. April through October, open Monday through Friday 10am to 5pm, to 5:30pm weekends and holidays; November through March, open daily from 10am to 4:30pm.

Queens Museum of Art

One way to see New York in the shortest time (albeit without the street life) is to visit the Panorama, created for the 1939 World's Fair, an enormous building-for-building architectural model of New York City complete with an airplane that takes off from LaGuardia Airport. The 9,335-square-foot Gotham City is the largest model of its kind in the world, with 895,000 individual structures built on a scale of 1 inch = 100 feet. A red-white-and-blue ribbon is draped mournfully over the Twin Towers, which still stand in this Big Apple.

Also on permanent display is a collection of Tiffany glass manufactured at Tiffany Studios in Queens between 1893 and 1938. The Contemporary Currents series features rotating exhibits focusing on the works of a single artist, often with an international theme (suitable to New York's most diverse borough). History buffs should take note of the museum's NYC Building, which housed the United Nation's General Assembly from 1946 to 1952. Rotating art exhibitions, tours, lectures, films and performances are part of the program, making this a very strong museum on all fronts.

Rockefeller Center

A streamline moderne masterpiece, Rockefeller Center is one of New York's central gathering spots for visitors and New Yorkers alike. A prime example of the city's skyscraper spirit and historic sense of optimism, it was erected mainly in the 1930s, when the city was deep in the Depression as well as its most passionate Art Deco phase. Designated a National Historic Landmark in 1988, it's now the world's largest privately owned business-and-entertainment centre, with 18 buildings on 21 acres.

For a dramatic approach to the entire complex, start at Fifth Avenue between 49th and 50th streets. The builders purposely created the gentle slope of the Promenade, known here as the Channel Gardens because it's flanked to the south by La Maison Française and to the north by the British Building. You'll also find a number of attractive shops along here, including a big branch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art Store, a good stop for elegant gifts. The Promenade leads to the Lower Plaza, home to the famous ice-skating rink in winter and alfresco dining in summer in the shadow of Paul Manship's freshly gilded bronze statue Prometheus. All around, the flags of the United Nations' member countries flap in the breeze. Just behind Prometheus, in December and early January, towers the city's official and majestic Christmas tree.

The Rink at Rockefeller Center (tel. 212/332-7654; www.rockefellercenter.com) is tiny but positively romantic, especially during the holidays, when the giant Christmas tree's multicolored lights twinkle from above. The rink is open from mid-October to mid-March, and you'll skate under the magnificent tree for the month of December. Overlooking the rink, and with a terrific view of Prometheus, is the excellent Sea Grill restaurant.

The focal point of this "city within a city" is the building at 30 Rockefeller Plaza, a 70-story showpiece towering over the plaza. It's still one of the city's most impressive buildings; walk through for a look at the granite and marble lobby, lined with monumental sepia-toned murals by José Maria Sert. You can pick up a walking tour brochure highlighting the centre's art and architecture at the main information desk in this building. On the 65th floor, the legendary Rainbow Room is once again open to the public on a limited basis. At press time, the six-level, 55,000-square-foot observation deck, Top of the Rock, was scheduled to reopen, fully renovated, October 2005 on the 67th to 70th floors after being closed for nearly 20 years. The observatory will be open daily from 8:30am to midnight; admission is $14 for adults, $12 for seniors, $9 for ages 6 to 11, and free for children under 6. For more information call tel. 877/NYC-ROCK (877-692-7625) or 212/698-2000 or visit www.topoftherocknyc.com.

NBC television maintains studios throughout the complex. Saturday Night Live and Late Night with Conan O'Brien originate at 30 Rock. NBC's Today show is broadcast live on weekdays from 7 to 10am from the glass-enclosed studio on the southwest corner of 49th Street and Rockefeller Plaza; come early if you want a visible spot, and bring your HI MOM! sign.

The 70-minute NBC Studio Tour (tel. 212/664-3700; www.nbcsuperstore.com) will take you behind the scenes at the Peacock network. The tour changes daily, but may include the Today show, NBC Nightly News, Dateline NBC, and/or Saturday Night Live sets. Who knows? You may even run into Tom Brokaw or Stone Phillips in the hall. Tours run every 15 minutes Monday through Saturday from 8:30am to 5:30pm, Sunday from 9:30am to 4:30pm (later on certain summer days); of course, you'll have a better chance of encountering some real live action on a weekday. Tickets are $18 for adults, $15 for seniors and children 6 to 16. You can reserve your tickets for either tour in advance (reservations are recommended) or buy them right up to tour time at the NBC Experience store, on Rockefeller Plaza at 49th Street. They also offer a 75-minute Rockefeller Center Tour hourly every day between 10am and 4pm. Tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and children 6 to 16; two-tour combination packages are available for $21.

Other notable buildings throughout the complex include the International Building, on Fifth Avenue between 50th and 51st streets, worth a look for its Atlas statue out front; and the McGraw-Hill Building, on Sixth Avenue between 48th and 49th streets, with its 50-foot sun triangle on the plaza.

The restored Radio City Music Hall, 1260 Sixth Ave., at 50th Street (tel. 212/247-4777; www.radiocity.com), is perhaps the most impressive architectural feat of the complex. Designed by Donald Deskey and opened in 1932, it's one of the largest indoor theatres, with 6,200 seats. But its true grandeur derives from its magnificent Art Deco appointments. The crowning touch is the stage's great proscenium arch, which from the distant seats evokes a faraway sun setting on the horizon of the sea. The men's and women's lounges are also splendid. The theatre hosts the annual Christmas Spectacular, starring the Rockettes. The illuminating 1-hour Stage Door Tour is offered Monday through Saturday from 10am to 5pm, Sunday from 11am to 5pm; tickets are $16 for adults, $10 for children under 12.

Socrates Sculpture Park

This former riverside landfill is now the best exhibition space for large-scale outdoor sculpture in the city. No velvet ropes and motion sensors here -- interaction with the artwork is encouraged. Well worth a look, especially on a lovely day.

Staten Island Ferry

Here's New York's best freebie -- especially if you just want to glimpse the Statue of Liberty and not climb her steps. You get an enthralling hour-long excursion (round-trip) into the world's biggest harbour. This is not strictly a sightseeing ride but commuter transportation to and from Staten Island. As a result, during business hours, you'll share the boat with working stiffs reading papers and drinking coffee inside, blissfully unaware of the sights outside.

You, however, should go on deck and enjoy the busy harbour traffic. The old orange-and-green boats usually have open decks along the sides or at the bow and stern; try to catch one of these boats if you can, since the newer white boats don't have decks. Grab a seat on the right side of the boat for the best view. On the way out of Manhattan, you'll pass the Statue of Liberty (the boat comes closest to Lady Liberty on the way to Staten Island), Ellis Island, and from the left side of the boat, Governor's Island; you'll see the Verrazano Narrows Bridge spanning the distance from Brooklyn to Staten Island in the distance.

When the boat arrives at St. George, Staten Island, if you are required to disembark, follow the boat-loading sign on your right as you get off; you'll circle around to the next loading dock, where there's usually another boat waiting to depart for Manhattan. The skyline views are simply awesome on the return trip. Well worth the time spent.

Statue of Liberty

For the millions who first came by ship to America in the last century -- either as privileged tourists or needy, hopeful immigrants -- Lady Liberty, standing in the Upper Bay, was their first glimpse of America. No monument so embodies the nation's, and the world's, notion of political freedom and economic potential. Even if you don't make it out to Liberty Island, you can get a spine-tingling glimpse from Battery Park, from the New Jersey side of the bay, or during a free ride on the Staten Island Ferry. It's always reassuring to see her torch lighting the way.

Proposed by French statesman Edouard de Laboulaye as a gift from France to the United States, commemorating the two nations' friendship and joint notions of liberty, the statue was designed by sculptor Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi with the engineering help of Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel (who was responsible for the famed Paris tower) and unveiled on October 28, 1886. Touring tips: Ferries leave daily every half-hour to 45 minutes from 9am to about 3:30pm, with more frequent ferries in the morning and extended hours in summer. Try to go early on a weekday to avoid the crowds that swarm in the afternoon, on weekends, and on holidays.

A stop at Ellis Island is included in the fare, but if you catch the last ferry, you can only visit the statue or Ellis Island, not both.

Note that you can buy ferry tickets in advance via www.statuereservations.com, which will allow you to board the boat without standing in the sometimes-long ticket line; however, there is an additional service charge attached. Even if you've already purchased tickets, arrive as much as 30 minutes before your desired ferry time to allow for increased security procedures prior to boarding the ferry. The ferry ride takes about 20 minutes.

Once on Liberty Island, you'll start to get an idea of the statue's immensity: She weighs 225 tons and measures 152 feet from foot to flame. Her nose alone is 4 1/2 feet long, and her index finger is 8 feet long.

After September 11, 2001, access to the base of the statue was prohibited, but in the summer of 2004, access, albeit still somewhat limited (you can't climb to the Statue's crown), was once again allowed. Now you can explore the Statue of Liberty Museum, peer into the inner structure through a glass ceiling near the base of the Statue, and enjoy views from the observation deck on top a 16-story pedestal.

Times Square

There's no doubting that Times Square has evolved into something much different than it was over a decade ago when it had a deservedly sleazy reputation. Yet there is much debate among New Yorkers about which incarnation was better. The crowds, even by New York standards, are stifling; the restaurants, mostly national chains, aren't very good; the shops, also mostly national chains, are unimaginative; and the attractions, like Madame Tussauds New York wax museum, are kitschy. Still, you've come all this way; you've got to at least take a peek, if only for the amazing neon spectacle of it.

Most of the Broadway shows are centred around Times Square, so plan your visit around your show tickets. For your pre-dinner meal, walk 2 blocks west to Ninth Avenue where you'll find a number of relatively inexpensive, good restaurants. If you are with the kids, the Ferris wheel in the Toys "R" Us store makes a visit to Times Square worthwhile.

Wall Street & the New York Stock Exchange

Wall Street -- it's an iconic name, and the world's prime hub for bulls and bears everywhere. This narrow 18th-century lane (you'll be surprised at how little it is) is appropriately monumental, lined with neoclassical towers that reach as far skyward as the dreams and greed of investors who built it into the world's most famous financial market.

At the heart of the action is the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), the world's largest securities trader, where billions change hands. The NYSE came into being in 1792, when merchants met daily under a nearby buttonwood tree to try and pass off to each other the U.S. bonds that had been sold to fund the Revolutionary War. By 1903, they were trading stocks of publicly held companies in this Corinthian-columned Beaux Arts "temple" designed by George Post. About 3,000 companies are now listed on the exchange, trading nearly 314 billion shares valued at about $16 trillion. Unfortunately, the NYSE is no longer open to the public for tours.

Wave Hill

Formerly a private estate with panoramic views of the Hudson River and the Palisades, Wave Hill has, at various times in its history, been home to a British U.N. ambassador as well as Mark Twain and Theodore Roosevelt. Set in a stunningly bucolic neighbourhood that doesn't look anything like you'd expect from the Bronx, its 28 gorgeous acres were bequeathed to the city of New York for use as a public garden that is now one of the most beautiful spots in the city. It's a wonderful place to commune with nature, both along wooded paths and in beautifully manicured herb and flower gardens, where all of the plants are clearly labeled by careful horticulturists. Benches are positioned throughout the property for quiet contemplation and spectacular views. A great spot for taking in the Hudson River vibe without having to rent a car and travel to Westchester to visit the Rockefeller estate; in 2004 a 28-acre public garden and cultural centre opened making it even more attractive and accessible. Programs range from horticulture and environmental education, landscape history, and forestry to dance performances and concerts.

Yankee Stadium

Next to the Colosseum in Rome, there aren't many more famous sports' arenas in the world than the House That Ruth Built. The Yankees play from April until October (and, since they seem to be in the playoff most years, mostly through October). Depending on who's in town, tickets, which range in price from $8 to $80, can be tough to score. But if you plan in advance, and even if you don't, you should be able to purchase a seat by going through a broker or scalping (be careful of forgeries) the day of a game. If you are not visiting during the baseball season, tours of the Stadium, including Monument Park, are held year-round.


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