Ah…autumn in New York. Carriage rides through Central Park, the Brooklyn Bridge, views from the Empire State Building, a Broadway show, a ringside seat at Times Square, Chelsea Markets, beers at Connelly’s, and shopping along Fifth Avenue. That certain nip in the air and a crystal blue sky.

For the foreign tourist there are a wealth of things to see and do. There are sights that you have only seen on the movie screen, and avenues that seem to stretch on until infinity and a skyline that defies description. Most cities in the world have skyscrapers, but New York is rather special and look in their art deco beauty rather ancient which I think adds to their charm. You need at least five days to “do” New York and a week is ideal.

Quick Tips/Suggestions:
New York is an island. And like most islands it becomes very inward looking and enjoys gazing at it’s own navel. The island is 12 miles long and only four miles wide at it’s narrowest point. You can walk the entire length of 42nd Street from East Hudson river to the green part of 12th Street in 3/4 of an hour, maybe even less. It’s layout is unique however as it is designed as a grid. The oldest part - the financial district, Chinatown, and the Lower East Side have the criscrossing maze streets of European cities but above Houston Street, New York turns into the largest chessboard in the world.

Best Way to Get Around:
Subway: The subway will be the method you will use most in New York, and in Manhattan there are over sixty stations. Gone are the old tokens sold in booths that I remember and they are replaced by the metrocard. It is a speedy system but is most useful when going north to south. Four lines travel the length of Manhattan, each colour coded, and only two lines head east and west. Many of the downtown stations connect up to each other but if you are travelling east to west in Mid-town maybe the bus is more reliable.

Yellow Cab: Getting to and from the airport is relatively easy. A yellow cab costs about $60 (RM240) dollars but the ‘New York Shuttle’ costs barely $12 (RM48) and connects mid-town with Newark, La Guardia and JFK. Their base is on Park Avene South and 42nd Street opposite Grand Central Station and the driver will drop you off at the terminal of your choice. There are no subway connections with the airport but a train link is being built to JFK in the near future.

On Foot: New York due to this system is one of the easiest cities in the world to navigate and is built for walking. Now that it’s streets are safe the city now opens up for the tourist. People seem in a terrible rush in New York but will stop and give tourists directions. They are no different from any other city dweller - more interested in getting from A to B then anything else. And most are very proud of their city.