The Big Apple

No catalog of the great sight seeing locations around America could ever be complete without mention of one of the most exciting cities in the world to visit and enjoy, the one they call The Big Apple. New York City has been called The City that Never Sleeps but you will be the one that does not want to sleep once you get there so you can take advantage of every moment in this amazing city to see and do more.

For many people, the mere mention of the words "New York City" is synonymous with one thing and that is Broadway. This relatively small section of the city contains some of the finest and well known theaters in the world. The shows that make it big on Broadway commonly become national and international sensations as well. The stars that stand out in big shows on The Great White Way very often go on to big success in the movies and television work. The Tony Awards, Broadway's version of The Academy Awards garner so much attention that they are shown nationally and watched eagerly by millions all around America and the world.

Not many know, however, that great theater is available all over New York, not just on Broadway. The term "Off Broadway" refers to theatrical productions being shown in other very popular parts of the city such as Soho or Greenwich Village. Greenwich Village or "The Village" as locals call it, is one of the most eclectic and exciting areas of town for the tourist to explore. The history of this part of New York includes its famous residents including some of the most renounced figures in the theater, writing, political theory, poets, artists and even political figures. If you take a tour of Greenwich Village, you will find that almost every building there had a famous resident at one time or another.

But no tour of New York City is complete without spending some time in the famed Central Park. As you stroll the famous walkways of this delightful green space right in the middle of New York, you will recognize locations that were used in dozens of movies that were filmed right here in Central Park. This park emphasizes one of the truly great things about New York that makes it distinctive from so many international cities. And that is that New York is a city that is best experienced on foot. Using taxies, busses and the subway you can move from section of town to another. But make sure you put your shoe leather to the sidewalks of New York to genuinely get a feel for the heart and soul of the city.

In addition to the most exciting theater in the world, New York boasts some of the finest museums in the world as well. So along with the may other great sights you will want to see in New York including the Empire State Building and Grand Central Station, be sure to allow plenty of time for the world class museums that dot the city through out the area they call "Midtown". Just off of Central Park, the Metropolitan Museum of Art is the premier museum in the city, Housing great art form every era of art history you can in the same building see a pharaohs tomb, dresses worn by all the first ladies of our history or stirring modern art by Warhol or Pollack.

But that one great museum is not the end of great art available in New York. Other great museums such as the Guggenheim, the Whitney, The Museum of Modern Art and the Museum of Natural History are not only famous but they will astound you as you take them in on your whirlwind visit to The Big Apple.

There is so much to see, hear and taste in New York that you will want to schedule many return visits. But even though it is one of America's biggest cities, New York has a charm and an intimacy that seem to reach out to its residents and visitors alike and create a bond with you once you open your heart to this wonderful town. That is why a great mayor of this town once said, "We are all New Yorkers". After your visit there, we think you will count yourself in as a citizen from far away of this exciting place called The Big Apple.