Travel Guide to New York City

The cruise ship will pull into the Port of New York/New Jersey which is the largest seaport on the East Coast of North America. The seaport is managed and maintained by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. This Port Authority is also responsible for the four major airports, PATH rail system, tunnels and bridges that connect New York with New Jersey, the Manhattan Bus Terminal and The World Trade Center site. The PATH rail transit network provides direct service form the port to New York and New Jersey.

(Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. (n.d.). Retrieved August 20, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org)

New York City is the biggest city in the United States and is known for an entry point for immigration to the United States and its status as a financial, cultural, transportation and manufacturing centre. It was named after the 17th century Duke of York, James Stuart, future James II and VII of England and Scotland.

(New York. (n.d.). Retrieved August 21, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org)

Shopping
New York City has always been a fantastic shopping destination bringing in people from all over America as well as the world. New York offers three famous Flagship Department Stores these are Macy's, Bloomingdale's and Saks Fifth Avenue. Macy's Herald Square store is massive and in fact is the world's largest department store. It is well worth going to the visitors centre as international tourists can usually pick up a discount card. Bloomingdales is seen as one of America's more exclusive shops stocking many designer items. Bloomingdales are most commonly found all the way down the East Coast. The most exclusive Department Store in New York is Saks Fifth Avenue which stocks the highest quality designer goods. The store is nowhere near as vast as Macy's, but everything stocked in of the highest quality. Of course high quality brings high prices and there are few bargains, so bring a large amount of cash if planning to purchase anything.

Along with the Department Stores that New York City has to offer it is also home to the famous Fifth Avenue. Fifth Avenue contains top quality boutique shops, well known chains and top tourist attractions. Stores featured are Fortunoff, Wempe Jewelers, FAO Schwarz, World of Disney, the NBA Store and Nike Town. The area also features the Elizabeth Arden Salon & Spa. Away from shopping and relaxation the Rockefeller Center and St. Patrick's Cathedral are both well worth a visit.

The East Side of Manhattan features many exclusive stores including Nicole Miller and of course Burberry. Looking for hard to find luxury items for the home then Gracious Home is the place to go located on Third Avenue. The Crystal District is well worth a look for crystal objects and jewellery which is between 58th and 63rd Streets of Madison Avenue. Along the Crystal District are Daum, Lalique and Steuben.

Grand Central is one of the most amazing train stations in the world and features many fine shops ranging from national retailers to local shops. The main concourse is also worth a visit as it contains a vast European style food hall.

Head to the Lower East Side for more European style shopping. The Historic Orchard Street Shopping District consists of Orchard, Grand and Delancey Streets. This is where the first immigrants from Eastern Europe settled. This is where unique shops and restaurants are located. There are many designer stores with an emphasis on European fashion. It's worth noting that some of the stores are closed on Saturdays to observe the Jewish Sabbath.

Lower Manhattan is the place to go for a bargain and especially Century 21 a department store that offers 25-75% discounts on retail prices. Also the South Street Seaport has amazing views of the water and Brooklyn Bridge, but also features over 100 shops, cafes and restaurants.

There are two more shopping destinations worth checking out these are Harlem and Woodbury Common Premium Outlets. Harlem is getting redeveloped and has recently opened a 285,000 square foot retail and entertainment complex located at the intersection of 125th Street and Frederick Douglass Boulevard. For something a little different and also in Harlem is the Malcolm Shabazz Harlem Market, which features many African goods including authentic clothing, instruments and crafts. A little further out is Woodbury Common Premium Outlets which is located one hour north of New York City. It's a bit of a trip but this 220 shopping centre offers great savings and there is Public transportation available to get there.

(Shopping Destinations. (n.d.). Retrieved August 21, 2008, from http://nycvisit.com)

Sports
New York City features many great sports enjoyed around the world. The major sports in New York City are Baseball, Rugby, New York Cricket, Running, Basketball, American Football, Ice Hockey, European Football, Tennis, Horse racing, Arena Football and Auto Racing. Baseball is often referred to as the Number one sport in New York City. The two Major League Baseball based in New York City are the New York Yankees and the New York Mets. The New York Mets play their home games at Shea Stadium, but in 2009 they will move to CitiField, which has only just been constructed. The New York Yankees currently play in Yankee Stadium, which is considered to be one of the most historic venues in North America. They will move to the New Yankee Stadium in 2009. Rugby is a growing sport in New York and the two Rugby Union teams are the New York Athletic Club RFC and Old Blue. Cricket is growing in popularity in New York, but funding is scarce making facilities basic and it's really only represented at the amateur level. The New York Marathon is very well known and held in November each year. Last year the Marathon was won by British athlete Paul Radcliffe and she will be a big favourite this year. The marathon is 26.2 miles long and is the largest in the world. Due to the popularity of the event it's limited to 35,000 participants chosen by a lottery system preference is giving to those who have run the marathon in the past. Another major sport in New York is basketball and New York Knicks play NBA basketball at Madison Square Garden, where the professional women's team called the New York Liberty also play. New Jersey also has a basketball team known as New Jersey Nets, but they are going to be rebranded as the Brooklyn Nets or New York Nets.

New York has two Professional American Football teams who both play in the NFL they are New York Giants and New York Jets. It's worth noting that both these teams play their home games at Giants Stadium, which is actually located in New Jersey. Of sports teams in the city it's the New York Giants that last tasted success by lifting the Super Bowl on February 4, 2008. The New York Rangers are the city's representatives in the NHL. The New Jersey team is called New Jersey Devils. The National Hockey League's (NHL) headquarters are also located in New York City.

European Football or what the Americans would call Soccer is the biggest world sport, but still remains low in popularity in New York and the rest of America although New York now has a Major League Soccer team called New York Red Bull. Major League Soccer itself is becoming more popular especially with the influx of former Premier League players, but it's still highly unlikely that it will ever become a premier sport in the USA.

One of the most well known events to International visitors will be the U.S. Tennis Open. The Open is one of the four Grand Slam events of the year and is well worth a visit. The event is held at the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows Park in Queens. The tennis centre can be easily reached using the Subway train system and matches takes place at either a morning or evening session. Matches can go on to about midnight as play can go on under floodlights. Tickets are fairly cheap and can either be purchased at a Ticketmaster outlet or from the box office at the tennis centre.

In much of the United States of America it's is American football that has become the most popular sport, but in New York baseball remains the top sport. Of course much of this is due to the success that the New York Yankees have enjoyed in the last few years. Due to the geographic proximity New York has an intense rivalry with the cities of Boston and Philadelphia.
(Sports in New York City. (n.d.). Retrieved August 21, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org)

Famous movies set in New York City
There have been many movies set in this great city of the years. I have selected five of my favourites and they are quite old, so I think it's safe to call them classics.

My top five movies are:
· When Harry Met Sally
· Taxi Driver
· Goodfellas
· Saturday Night Fever
· Breakfast at Tiffany's

When Harry Met Sally is a real classic starring Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan and explores the theme of two graduates coming to New York for that extra bit of excitement. They come to the city as friends and the movie explores their ever closer friendship. Taxi Driver is a really clever movie exploring the affects war can have. As the movie goes on we discover in what a bad way DeNiro's character is in. Goodfellas is a quality gangster's movie as three wise guys scheme and steal their way to the top. Saturday Night Fever is a great feel good movie featuring timeless music from the Bee Gees. The plot follows a young teen played by John Travolta who finds love in the disco. For many people Breakfast at Tiffany's is considered to be the greatest movie ever to be set in New York. The movie stars Audrey Hepburn and is based on Truman Capote's great novel.

(Cross, H. (n.d.). Top 10 Movies Set in New York City. Retrieved August 21, 2008, from http://gonyc.about.com)

Fun facts about New York City
Here are some interesting facts about New York that compares life in 1988/89 with life today. Some of the facts contain comparison figures for today others just the 88/89 figure.

Here is the list:
· The population of New York in 1898 was 3,350,000 the population now is more than twice that · New York is now 321.8 square miles, but in 1898 it was only 360 square miles
· After consolidation New York become the second largest city in the World only beaten by London
· In 1898 New York contained 56 cities and towns and 1,150 churches
· In 1898 there was 2,000 farms in New York City
· Back in 1898 the tallest building in New York was only 23 stories, but today the tallest building is 110 stories
· In1898 thirty percent of New Yorkers were foreign born and seven percent of New Yorkers were illiterate
· Back in 1898 a taxi cab ride in Manhattan would cost 50 cents for the first mile and 25 cents for each additional half mile
· In 1898 the New York speed limit was just nine miles per hour
· Finally in 1899 there was 1,333 people arrested for gambling

Extra historical information on New York
This information goes with the information above and provides a deeper understanding of the consolidation of New York City.

The measure to unite the five boroughs into one city was approved by the residents Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, the Bronx and of course Manhattan in a referendum in 1895. The exact voting numbers were a count of 176,170 to 131,706. The boroughs were consolidated on January 1, 1898.

Before 1898, the Bronx was referred to as the Annexed District. Queens consisted of factories to the west and farms to the east. Brooklyn was known as the City of Churches and was the third largest city in the world and they were somewhat put out by becoming part of New York rather than a City in its own right. Staten Island was largely uncharted territory and had a population of 68,000. Manhattan was a hub of commercial activity and had long since surpassed Philadelphia as the great American City.

(NYC Facts. (n.d.). Retrieved August 21, 2008, from http://www.nyc.gov)

By James Kent