Lonely Planet New York City (Travel Guide): Lonely Planet's most comprehensive guide to the city

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Spending Christmas in New York or enjoying the pre-Christmas season in New York City is also a wonderful experience. The ice rinks are open, the city is beautifully decorated, and, if it snows, the dream vacation at wintertime is perfect! Paying in New York Spend part of day two exploring Brooklyn. Get there by strolling across the Brooklyn Bridge, one of the most iconic spans in North America. The 271-ft-tall neo-gothic arches are certainly the bridge’s trademark, but ambling along the elevated pedestrian walkway is a must for any visitor.

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While working in midtown, photographer Gus Powell followed the lead of poet Frank O’Hara and spent his lunch hours making art. For Powell, the camera frame is where New Yorkers meet, just for a second, to create complex friezes of urban life. Look long enough and you’ll notice the connective substance between his figures – what Powell calls the plasma of New York. For me, there is no better representation of the complex pedestrian choreography of its sidewalks.In the 15 years I’ve been publishing the NYC Insider Guide, I’ve answered 1000’s of visitor questions, read dozens of forum posts, other articles online and of course, heard everyone’s “I wish I’d known XYZ before I came to NYC.” Which neighborhood is best for you depends on several things: your interests, how close you want to be to the attractions and what your travel budget is. In the image below, I’ve drawn you my favorite neighborhoods of New York including the main attractions nearby. The NYC Insider Guide has been featured on Trip Advisor as both “Recommended Reading” and “NYC for New York City: First-time Visitors” and was highlighted as “New Yorker of the Month” on Ask a New Yorker.

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If you have longer distances ahead of you, then the Subway is your friend, because here you can travel really cheap. It’s easy to use! The MetroCard is available at every Subway station. You can buy single rides or the popular MetroCard for 7 days; that way you can travel for a week in New York at a fixed price. You can learn more about using the Metrocard in New York here. Going to a Musical in Broadway, spending an evening in Times Square, walking over Brooklyn Bridge, enjoying some shopping in Fifth Avenue or feeling like a broker in Wall Street are some of the things that can only be done in New York City. Queens – the new trendy neighborhood: Queens is a bit more “normal” than Brooklyn is, but, lately, we’ve noticed that it is getting more and more gentrified. The hotels in Long Island City (not to be confused with Long Island!) are especially popular because they are cheaper compared to Manhattan—and they have a perfect connection to the Subway, which makes Queens a great alternative to Manhattan and Brooklyn.

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I hope you enjoy my insider tips, the kinds of things you discover only when you have hundreds of friends and family members and our collective prior generations passing down “insider” information. The New York City Travel Guide should help you plan your New York City Vacation, so you not only go home as a NYC Insider, but plan to visit us again soon. How to Get the FREE BONUS New York City Travel Guide