Families
Take in the patriotic feeling of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.

Singles and Couples
New York City nightlife is unmatched.

Culture Cravers
Home of the famous "Broadway" musical, and many of the best museums in the world.

Shoppers
From Fifth Avenue to Canal Street, you’ll find high-end stores, sidewalk carts, and everything in between.

Three major airports service New York City. John F. Kennedy Airport, located in southeastern Queens, is 15 miles from Manhattan. La Guardia Airport, located in northern Queens, is eight miles from Manhattan. And Newark Airport, located in New Jersey, is 10 miles from Manhattan.

Note on Navigation: Navigating the busy streets of New York City may seem a daunting task, but with a little bit of research it lays out fairly easily thanks to a grid system of named or numbered avenues running the north-south length of the island, cut across by numbered streets that run from east to west. Above Washington Square, Fifth Avenue, and Central Park serve as the dividing line between the East Side and the West Side. Cross-street numbers begin at Fifth Avenue and grow higher toward each river, generally (but not exclusively) in 100-digit increments per block.

Wow, where do you begin? New York City is unparalleled in so many ways, and restaurants and dining is definitely one of them. The Big Apple is home to everything from celebrity chefs to street carts selling hot dogs. If it exists, you’ll find it in New York. From superb Italian fare in Little Italy to the wonderfully authentic dining in Chinatown, with so many restaurants to choose from, you’re sure to find something to charm your palate. If you have your heart set on a special dinner, find out when they begin taking reservations and mark that day on your calendar. Here are some suggested restaurants:

• Ben Benson's Steak House
  A Mobil Three-Star winner, Ben Benson's is a tasty steakhouse frequented by celebrities looking to indulge with gigantic steaks and lobster. Times Square.
• Delmonico's Restaurant
  The first restaurant in America, Delmonico's has survived the Great Fire of 1835 and the Civil War to serve you the freshest seafood and prime steaks and chops. Financial District.
• Hello-Deli
  As seen on the Late Show with David Letterman; Rupert can't get you on the show but he can make you a delicious deli sandwich.
• Lucali
  Serving the quintessential thin-cruust, brick-oven New York pizza. Brooklyn.
• Morimoto
  Masaharu Morimoto, sometimes known as Iron Chef Morimoto from the Food Network series, creates amazing Asian cuisine including a sushi bar where the omakase menu features fugu in the winter months. Chelsea.
• Per Se
  From celebrity chef Thomas Keller, who some say was the inspiration for Remy in Disney•Pixar's hit movie Ratatouille, Per Se boasts magnificent views of Central Park and is a Mobil Five-Star winner. Columbus Circle.
• Zebu Grill
  Enjoy moderately-priced dining in an inviting atmosphere on excellent Brazillian meats and inspired fish dishes. Upper East Side.

New York City didn’t become known as "the city that never sleeps" for no reason. A popular way to spend an evening is at one of the world-famous Broadway musicals. If bars and clubs are more your thing, you won’t be disappointed with New York. Dance clubs, comedy clubs, music clubs, lounges, bars…The list could go on and on. Check the free Village Voice or New York Press or go to a newsstand and buy a copy of Time Out New York or The New Yorker for all the latest hotspots and reviews.

It’s not hard to figure out why so many New Yorkers call their city the greatest in the world. As with so many other things, if you’re a shopper, New York is where you want to be. You’ll find all of the big names in fashion and goods featured in New York. All the major department stores are here such as Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s, Saks, Neiman Marcus, and Tiffany & Co.

For ultra-chic shopping, check out Fifth Avenue and Madison Avenue. Head to the Village or SoHo for all the small boutiques. For bargains on knock-off brands, Canal Street is the place to be. For up-and-coming artist’s galleries, head over to Brooklyn, to the area called DUMBO, for Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass.

A CityStore is at the Official Visitor Information Center at 810 Seventh Avenue between 52nd and 53rd Streets. It’s a great place to pick up official City of New York merchandise in addition to having access to free maps, brochures, and discount coupons.

There are hundreds of festivals throughout the New York area each year. And if you asked 40 New Yorkers which was the best, you’d get 40 different answers. Here are some highlights, but also check out smaller neighborhood and ethnic festivals, sporting events, and much much more. A good resource for finding out what is going on when you visit — or what to plan your visit around — is the Calender of Events at www.nycvisit.com.

Chinese New Year
Begins first full moon after January 21. Celebrate the Chinese New Year in Chinatown, on and around Mott Street. Five days of celebrating culminate in a colorful procession of lions and dragons made from wood and silk.

The Cherry Blossom Festival
Late April or early May. To celebrate the blooming of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden's 200 cherry trees, this festival features classical Japanese dance performances accompanied by bamboo flutes and taiko drums.

Macy's Fourth of July Fireworks Spectacular
July 4. The FDR Drive is closed to traffic for a few hours so pedestrians can get a better look at the lavish 30-minute display launched from two points on the East River.

Feast of San Gennaro
Mid-September. Since 1926, Little Italy's main drag, Mulberry Street, has been transformed into a fairground for 11 days each September. Three million people turn out each year for food, fun, and music at this festival honoring the patron saint of Naples.

Halloween Parade
October 31. Over 25,000 participants take to the streets of Greenwich Village for the most famous Halloween parade in the country.

Macy's Parade
Thanksgiving Day, late November. From 9 a.m. to noon on Thanksgiving, a procession of floats and huge cartoon character balloons marches down to Macy's in this children's favorite.

New Year's Eve Ball Drop
December 31. It's not officially the New Year until the ball drops over Times Square. Arrive early, since the area is packed with revelers hours before midnight.

Spectator Sports
New York City is the largest market in the United States which means, it has many professional sports teams. In baseball there are the Yankees and the Mets, football has the Jets and the Giants, the Knicks and Nets play basketball, and the Rangers and Islanders play hockey. Other notable annual events include:

• Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show — Mid-February.
• Belmont Stakes — Saturday in early June.
• U.S. Open Tennis Championships — Late August – Labor Day.

Central Park Recreation
Central Park is the center of activity in the city. You’ll find trails where you can walk, run, bike, rollerblade, and ice skate in the winter. There is also a swimming pool, and open areas for frisbee, softball, and other activities.

Big Apple Greeter
Established in 1992, Big Apple Greeter is a "welcome visitor" program whose aim is to introduce visitors to a "New Yorker's New York." Nearly 400 adults of all ages and from all five boroughs of New York City have volunteered to become Greeters and each is eager to portray his or her enthusiastic view of New York City. The Big Apple Greeter program is available to visitors free of charge and Greeters do not accept tips.

New to New York
For a glimpse at the fascinating and the bizarre, check out Ripley's Believe It or Not! Odditorium on 42nd Street. Here you'll see uniforms worn by Babe Ruth and Jack Dempsey, locks of Elvis Presley's and George Washington's hair, 24 shrunken heads, and a meteorite that fell to Earth in 1529.

Brooklyn Bridge Park
Including Piers 1-6 along a 1.3-mile stretch of the East River, the Brooklyn Bridge Park has received unanimous approval from the Empire State Development Corporation and construction has begun. The future 85-acre park will have public space filled with lawns, recreation, beaches, coves, restored habitats, playgrounds, landscaped areas, and amazing views of the New York skyline. The entire project won't be complete for some time, but you can go swimming at the Floating Pool Lady, a seven lane floating swimming pool moored in the East River. And best of all, it's free!

Neighborhoods
New York City is divided into five boroughs: Manhattan, the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island. And most tourists to New York City spend the majority of their time on the island of Manhattan where you'll find a multitude of neighborhoods, each with their own unique flavor. Just to name a few, the Upper East Side is where you'll find chic shopping on 5th Avenue. The Theater District is the heart of the Great White Way where the legendary Broadway shows are preformed. And Chinatown is home to Canal Street where you'll find bargain prices on knock-off goods.

Mandatory Baggage Handling Fee
To avoid unexpected charges, be advised of the following New York City Union Regulation:

If 10 or more passengers (requiring five or more rooms) arrive at the hotel together via the same shared means of transportation, whether or not they are traveling together, they are subject to a roundtrip baggage charge. The charge is per bag and ranges from $4.10 - $4.70 per bag and is subject to change. The passengers will be liable for this charge.

Good to Know: