For more people here than anywhere else, moving to New York was an urban choice, particular and self-conscious, bedazzling and scary (especially after September 11). Moving to New York requires a yearning - to live by one’s wits or test one’s mettle; to make art or a pile of cash; to live nakedly or anonymously or simply to get as far as possible from Des Moines or Fullerton or Pittsburgh; or even, still, to breathe free.

Classic New York

You don’t have to look hard to catch a glimpse of classic New York. Just do what the tourists do: Look up. But tourists, being tourists, see only the landmarks. What really makes the city a constant over time is not so much the bricks and mortar but what’s inscribed in the city’s DNA: the people, the institutions, the ways of life that may evolve over time but remain unmistakably New York. They reflect our values, the truths - and okay, the myths - we hold self-evident about ourselves.

• The Essentials
  Negotiating New York is tough, even if you know what a MetroCard is. TimeOutNewYork’s guides to getting around, fundamentals and online resources will smooth your transition. If you ask me, these are the best currently on the web.
• Walk the Walks
  Let New York Walks lead you, and stroll through Upper East Side, Harlem, Lower East Side, Brooklyn and Greenwich Village like a local.



• New York City
  New York has been called the capital saying goes, “if you’re bored in New York, it’s your own fault”. With so much to see and do, you literally have the world at your fingertips when you explore New York City…
• Midtown, Broadway and Times Square
  This bustling core of entertainment and tourism is often called the ‘Crossroads of the World’ - there are few places that represent the noisy optimism of New York as well.
• Museums: MoMa
  MoMA holds the finest and most comprehensive collection of 20th-century art in the world. The permanent collection is exceptionally strong on works by Matisse, Picasso and many others.
• Food: Zagat.com
  Zagat delivers the dish on more than 20,000 restaurants, bistros, cafes, coffee-houses, diners, hotels and takeout joints in New York. No need to ever have bad food…
• Greenwich Village
  The Village is a place for idle wandering, for people-watching from sidewalk cafés, for candlelit dining in secret restaurants…
• Landmarks: Empire State Building
  With the WTC gone, it’s certainly the best of Manhattan’s heights. Why? Location, location, location: the observatory in the dead center of midtown offers brilliant overviews in every direction…
• Weather: New York City
  Current Conditions plus 5-day forecast…