New York City is a world unto itself.
NYC is a global megatropolis with a metro population nearing 20
million residents and major financial and cultural influence in
most of the known world. It is also one of the world’s most
cosmopolitan cities, with residents who have roots in every corner
of the globe and speak over 120 languages. It’s history
and character is unique, yet it is the story of America. The number
and variety of cultural experiences in New York, from ethnic diners
to world-class fine art museums, defies description. We humbly
restrict our explorations to some of the many outdoors adventures
one can find here, in one of the greatest cities in human history.
Of the five boroughs of New York City (Manhattan, Queens, the
Bronx, Brooklyn & Staten Island) Manhattan is the most packed
with iconic NYC tourist attractions. The Empire State Building’s
102 stories soar over 1,200 feet above the city, and every visitor
should go there at least once. The magnificent Brooklyn Bridge
offers wonderful views of lower Manhattan and Brooklyn (and it’s
free to walk or bike across it). The Billboard megaliths in Times
Square and the ice-rink in Rockefeller Center are popular sites
as well, and with good reason.
Manhattan is also home to Central Park. This beauteous 843 green
space in the middle of the city is packed with joggers, skaters
and street performers all day, but rather dangerous at night.
Visitors can rent a horse-drawn carriage or a bike to traverse
the park. Central Park is also home the Central Park Zoo, the
Wollman Skating Rink and the Jacqueline Kennedy Onasis Reservoir.
There’s more to New York City than Manhattan, of course.
Brooklyn’s Coney Island is a bit run-down, but the Astroland
Amusement Park and Nathan’s Hot-Dog Stand are a little bit
of living history. The New York Aquarium on Coney Island has dolphin
shows and 10,000 species of sea creatures to observe. On Staten
Island’ 2,500-acer Greenbelt environmental preserve visitors
can enjoy miles of trials and see 60 species of birds. The Bronx
Zoo in the Bronx (where else?) is easily one of the biggest and
best in the country.
One great way to get around in New
York City is by ferry. The Staten Island Ferry is free and takes
you past the Statue of Liberty. If you visit the statue, or Ellis
Island, you’ll be taking a ferry as well. Don’t think
of them as water buses so much as mini ocean-liners.
Any serious runner is going to want
to hit the Big Apple in early November for the great New York
City Marathon and to jog through all five boroughs with 30,000
other athletes.
