Task Table
New York Tourist Guides
The list of books written about New York down the years seems almost endless. However, the number of good quality tourist guides which are right up to date and available today, is considerably smaller.
Great New York
Tourist Attractions
Got your camera ready? You're gonna need it. The Big Apple has more tourist attractions than most people have had hot dinners! We've listed the top sights in the navigation bar opposite. Just click to access each one.
If you want to travel to the Statue, make your way to Manhattan's southern tip. Liberty Island Ferries depart frequently throughout the day from
Battery Park. If you don't like having to stand in line, then arrive as early as you can but if you don't mind what I found to be a rather jolly and entertaining wait, then allow a whole day for your visit to the Statue.
During the spring and summer months, street entertainers, quite a few abundantly talented and full of acrobatic and other surprises, will keep your attention while you wait to board the boat. It's more than well worth the tip you'll be expected to give when the show is over.
The boat ride lasts about 20 minutes or so and as well as the palpable excitement you'll feel as Liberty gets closer and closer, the views it provides of downtown and midtown Manhattan are glorious. I bet you'll use a whole roll of film just during the ferry trip!
Not only can you walk right round the statue but can climb up inside it as well, as far as the crown.
"Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me. I lift my lamp beside the golden door."
If you're heading for the Big Apple, you'll be in need of a good book to read on the plane and a great guide to use when you get there.
We have spent the best part of a year working on our new tourist guide which will be published soon. In the meantime, may we suggest Dorling Kindersley's Eyewitness Guide to New York. It is without doubt, the most comprehensive New York guide book there is and believe me, we have seen them all.
We do not sell The Eyewitness Guide but, if you'd like a copy, click the link below to order one from Amazon.
We've also included a selection of other guide books which we think are pretty good!
There are two different Amazon links for most of the New York guide books listed on this page.
If you choose Amazon.co.uk, you will be charged in British Pounds Strerling and your book/s will be dispached from the UK.It's the symbol of America, as much as the stars and stripes. It stands proud for what America itself stands for. It's the gateway to America. It is one of the most famous structures in the world and without doubt the most famous statue of them all.
The Statue of Liberty stands 305 feet high on its own island in the harbor just off the southwestern tip of Manhattan Island. The first immigrants to the US, arriving by boat from all parts of the world for a better life, passed Liberty just before landing at legendary Ellis Island, where they'd either be allowed in or turned away. It's for that reason, among many, that Liberty is held in such affection by Americans.
It's no longer possible to visit the torch. This is when you're likely to encounter another hour or two of waiting to see the view that Lady Liberty sees. The stairs get narrower and steeper the higher you go and if suddenly you change your mind, perhaps through exhaustion, impatience or vertigo, you'll be able to step sideways onto the down staircase.
Once you reach the top, you'll only be spared a few seconds to look out of the crown's windows and have your photo taken before feeling obliged to make way for those who are still in line behind you. During peak periods of the year, you'll have to wait in line once again, to get the ferry home. Make sure, above all, that you allow plenty of extra time and don't get stranded on the Island overnight. It makes sense now, doesn't it, to set aside a whole day for your visit to the Statue of Liberty.
The one memory from my visit, above most, I'll keep with me always is the excitement displayed by those on board as the boat neared Liberty Island, frantically taking as many photos as quickly and from as many angles as they could and reaching and stretching over each other in almost frenzied style to get the best view or photo shot. Your day will be full and long but will not be wasted.
New York - so good they named it twice
Whether you're a tourist or are coming to New York on business, we hope that you'll find this site invaluable and that it will help you to get the most out of one of the most exciting cities in the world.
Read about great New York places to visit - Manhattan, the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, Times Square, Ellis Island and Battery Park. Find out how to get into Manhattan from the airports.
Before you come to New York, you'll need as much information as possible, to make your stay an enjoyable one.
With Essential Big Apple you can book your flight to the city that never sleeps, book your hotel, your hire-car and even buy some great New York guide books. Just follow the links (left) to organize the trip of a lifetime.
Click here to order New York guide books in German from Amazon.de