New York City

The buzzing Big Apple allures people today just as it always has. See, not only is NYC the most populous city in the U.S.

 

filled with everyone from bohemian artists to investment bankers -- it's also at the forefront of food, fashion, the arts and nightlife (it is, after all, the city that never sleeps). But perhaps you're turned off by images of clogged streets and cacophonous cabs, the chaotic (at best) Times Square and the claustrophobic feeling of walking amongst soaring skyscrapers. You might also object to the many "must-see" attractions -- the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, the Brooklyn Bridge and more.

 

Never fear: New York is also a city of charmingly mellow neighborhoods and boroughs -- Greenwich Village and Brooklyn, for instance -- with indie boutiques, iconic bakeries, coffee shops and restaurants galore. You might also head to Chinatown for an explosion of Chinese restaurants, the refined Upper West Side for a performance at Lincoln Center, and TriBeCa or Chelsea for impromptu tours of numerous art galleries. If you're weary of huge crowds, avoid Midtown's Times Square and Rockefeller Center at all costs.

 

here's also the option of focusing your trip by theme: For shopping, you'll find sleek storefronts along Fifth Avenue (Madison Ave., too) and über-trendy boutiques in SoHo and East Village. If it's museums you want, the Met, the MoMA, the Guggenheim and more are at your service. And if you need a breath of fresh air, grab a bagel and a New York Times and head to lush Central Park for some lounge time. At nighttime, the opportunities for entertainment are virtually endless -- a long leisurely dinner at an "it" restaurant (there are lots of "its" in New York), rooftop drinks at a meatpacking district club, a Broadway show along Times Square. One of the New York's myriad of nicknames is "The City." Maybe that says it all.