New York City, the Luxury Travel Vacation That Never Sleeps:
Whether you call New York City the Big Apple, Gotham, or simply NYC, you're talking about a top luxury travel vacation in the USA and the world. New York is arguably Planet Earth's most important metropolis -- a global powerhouse of culture, commerce, and communications.
Overflowing with legendary landmarks, flavorful neighborhoods, and multicultural flair, the city furnishes an incomparably exciting and stylish getaway. New York's pace and energy get under your skin, and legions of luxury travelers make annual pilgrimages. Why resist?
Good Reasons to Visit New York City:
- The arts: Stellar theaters, museums, galleries, concert halls, and music clubs will satisfy your hunger for culture and the arts
- The hotels: New York's luxury hotels are raise-the-bar havens of comfort and personal service in the big city; one such is the elegant Pierre Hotel facing Central Park
- The dining: New York is considered by most foodies as today's gourmet capital and ethnic-eats paradise
- The fashion: New York is the worldwide hub of the fashion industry. Style trend begin here -- on New York's sidewalks, fashion runways, and in dazzling stores and boutiques
- The photo ops: Central Park, Yankee Stadium, the Bronx Zoo, the Statue of Liberty, the Brooklyn Bridge, Times Square, Grand Central Terminal, the Empire State Building, and more
New York City Travel Basics:
- Location: On the Eastern Seaboard, an hour or less flight time from Chicago, Toronto, Boston, Washington, D.C.; two and a half hours from Miami; four to five hours from L.A., San Francisco, Seattle
- Drive or fly: It's better not to come by car; parking is scanty, and hotels' whopping garage fees are better spent on limousines (though New Yorkers walk or take the subway)
- Weather: Temperate, with relatively mild winters and hot, humid summers. Best months to visit: April, May, June, September, October
- Tourism info: Official NYC visitor site
New York City's Incredible Shopping:
NYC is home to wealthy residents -- and temporary home to wealthy visitors. If your criterion for luxury is the ultimate, most, and best, you will find it here:
- Art masterpieces and rare antiques at galleries and auction houses
- Jewelry and gems, whether in the "Diamond District" (West 47th St.) or in a world-famous store like Harry Winston
- Fresh-off-the-catwalk designer clothes and accessories, couture creations and bespoke, made-to-order finery
How New York City Transforms Visitors:
New York has a way of changing people forever. Visitors are likely to return home feeling touched and renewed because they have:
- Experienced the thrill of being a part of the world's reigning metropolis
- Felt electrified by the city's uplifting energy
- Explored the USA's trendiest place to live, Brooklyn
- Been inspired by a profound play, concert, or museum show
- Savored the most incredible meal, haircut, or hotel-room view of their lives
Best New York Movies to Transport You There:
Photogenic, charismatic New York has been the setting -- even subject -- of many great movies. No doubt you have a favorite New York-centric classic film. Here are some of mine:
- My Man Godfrey (1936, starring William Powell and Carole Lombard)
- Guys and Dolls (1955, starring Marlon Brando, Jean Simmons, Frank Sinatra)
- Sweet Smell of Success (1957, starring Burt Lancaster and Tony Curtis)
- Manhattan (1979, starring Woody Allen, Mariel Hemingway, Diane Keaton, Meryl Streep)
- Desperately Seeking Susan (1985, starring Madonna, Aidan Quinn, and Rosanna Arquette)
- Wall Street (1987, starring Michael Douglas and Charlie Sheen)
- Working Girl (1988, starring Melanie Griffith, Harrison Ford, Sigourney Weaver)
- Ghost (1990, starring Demi Moore, Patrick Swayze, Whoopi Goldberg)
- Six Degrees of Separation (1993, starring Will Smith, Donald Sutherland, Stockard Channing)
