Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Take a tour of Historic New York City!

Touring New York City is not just about bright lights and shopping districts. There is so much history embedded in this wonderful city that makes the world-famous New York City what it is today. For those wanting to see the historic remnants of the past, here are a few must-see New York City locations.

NYC Historic Tour Destinations


Ellis Island

The main hub for immigrant entry during 1982 to 1984, Ellis Island was where more than ten million immigrants entered the United States through New York City. The Ellis Island Immigration Museum is open to locals and tourists alike, and visitors can even look their family’s immigration history through the American Family Immigration History Center’s records.

Central Park

First opened in 1857, Central Park has become one of the most popular urban parks out there. Surrounded by steel buildings and concrete, Central Park remains relatively untouched by modernization. Now a historical landmark of New York City, Central Park was at one point almost under threat of becoming lost to the world due to a lack of maintenance. However, there came a great turnaround to the reparation and maintenance of Central Park, making it now the beauty that it is today.

USS Intrepid

The USS Intrepid is a warship that was heavily used during World War II and the Vietnam War, and now preserved as a museum warship in New York City. Having been used for active service in Asia during the wartime era, the Intrepid holds a lot of historical value as a vehicle, both literally and metaphorically, to restoring peace throughout the world. The museum holds exhibits that are open throughout the year, and mostly touches on soldiers in battle during World War II.

Liberty Island

The home of the famous Statue of Liberty, Liberty Island is a small island with big historic value. It not only houses Lady Liberty, but it is also home to many historic events that took place during the 17th and 18th century. Before the extensive urbanization of New York City, Liberty Island was also called the Oyster Island due to the large amount of oyster beds that surround it. It was a staple food source for the nearby immigrants, until railroads were established in the 20th century. Liberty Island also used to be a housing location for refugees during the American Revolution in the 18th century.

There are so many other historical sites that New York City has to offer! It may take more than one or two days to see all of them, and you have plenty of choices as to how you want to tour New York City. There are plenty of walking tours, and there are also helicopter tours in New York City that you can avail of. If you are looking for a wonderful aerial view of New York City and all of its beauty, or if you want to see all of New York City in one go, a helicopter tour would be recommended. There are packages that you can avail of for these helicopter tours that allow you to save money, depending on what fits your budget.

Take a tour of historic New York City and have fun learning about what makes this lovely City so unique!


Friday, January 24, 2014

Getting Around New York as a Tourist

Every traveler has fears of getting around a new city and a place where life sits a bit differently. Traffic jams, yellow cabs that charge ridiculously high, streets overcrowded and filled with vendors, people with special plans and places to be. Everybody's heard that New York can be a bit chaotic, that New York is the city of dreams, that if you make it in New York you can make it anywhere.

However true or overly exaggerated that sounds, it might surprise you to find out that getting around New York is actually fairly simple. Most especially because their streets are named in numbers and avenues like a compass, and that you'll only have to know how to count simple Math--- 1, 2, 3…62, 63… 152nd-- so on and so forth. Clichéd but all you have to do is follow the numbers.

You can choose to take the subway, although if you're not going very far or don't have to be at a specific place at a designated time, the price of a ticket may not be worth it. After all, the New York experience is living it. That means walking through the crowded streets and basking in everything that makes New York New York. Taking a car or a cab is also not very ideal due to the intense traffic-- chaotic almost. The best drivers of the world probably live in New York too.

If you want to see every nook and cranny of New York, you can take one of the bus tours (again, it'd be subject to traffic). Another way of seeing everything New York has to offer is taking the helicopter tour New York City by Helicopter New York City. It's a 12 to 30 minute ride of pure thrill and adventure giving a lofty and top-notch sight of New York from the skies. See everything from a distance. Gather the whole picture. And once you're done, the best way to experience the city would always be to simply walk! Every street in New York is different-- quaint shops and theaters and tall buildings that house corporations and banks. There are parks and squares where people hang out, places to eat that are almost always full and expensive, small coffee shops and bakeries that waft the smell of baked goods enough to make your tongue linger.

The people can be a bit different too. The culture and the lifestyle. Don't miss on any of that. Get out and walk! As much and as far as you can. Be an explorer. Be safe, but also enjoy what makes New York so different. Be the best tourist there is-- through experience and learning and not just mere sightseeing. That's all there is to it to find in the appeal that is New York.



Also try renting a bike and paddling through the bicycle paths, especially along the vast Central Park. It’s difficult to walk through all of it by foot anyway.

Experiencing New York From the Sky

New York is a place for experiences. It's not really high on the sight-seeing list because it's simply a city full of tall buildings bounded by rivers and bridges. The attractions are usually just establishments such as the New York Public Library, Central Park, The Empire State-- solid concrete visitors flock to because it's just something New York has that no other city does. What New York is though, is a city full of history. You don't experience New York just by gazing or setting foot into the sights. You experience it by living it-- strolling through the bike paths of Manhattan, getting lost in the avenues and streets that go by numbers, feeling the rush of the crowd of people always having somewhere to go.

Climbing up the Empire State and gazing at the sparkling lights below while the strong winds beat your face. Walking on Broadway during the day carrying tons of shopping bags. Watching plays because New York is the city of drama. Walking still through Broadway past midnight, still marveling because all the lights are on. There are people still about. Living. This is what New York is made of.

If it's your first time in the Big Apple, you'll soon realize this. You'll miss it when you leave because there's something enchanting about this place. Something that pushes and pulls and leaves you breathless-- actually wants to keep leaving you breathless by hauling you back in all over again. You'll soon come to find that there's a comfort amidst the chaos. You'll miss the ridiculous traffic lines.

The overcrowding of streets. The parades that seem to happen often. One thing you shouldn't miss though-- like if you're going to experience New York, might as well do the one thing available that will top the list-- is the helicopter tour New York City. What's better than seeing New York from the sky, in its entirety, while riding on a helicopter that gives you the thrill of adventure? Um. Nothing. This is where everything rushes in and collides. Sightseeing with excitement up high. Never having to crane your necks to see beyond a building. See everything in one whole swoop of glory.

The helicopter ride usually lasts about 12 to 30 minutes, and there are several tours available by the company. Admittingly a helicopter view of New York isn't a 'must.' Surely you'll survive without it. But if you're in for the experience full-blast, because that's what New York is about, and if you want to walk out of that city telling yourself "Thank God I didn't miss out on that helicopter ride because it just blew things in to a whole new level of my trip to New York", if you don't want to walk away without wondering, then do it. Live (and leave) without regrets.


If you're still unconvinced, simply read the reviews and testimonials from other people who've done the ride. After all, aside from living like a New Yorker, you'd also want to see as a tourist and this is the best way to go.