10 days in New York (2006)

Departure and visit to the neighborhoods of CHELSEA and GREENWICH VILLAGE

As an airline I used Alitalia, departing from Bologna via Rome to arrive in New York, at a cost of € 520. Once in NY it's worth getting the UNLIMITED RIDE METROCARD $ 21 per week with free metro and bus. My accommodation was the CARLTON ARMS hostel, a hostel in the Chelsea area, very nice and cheap, with rooms designed by local artists; visit the website. After dropping off the suitcases and doing a general clean-up, it's time to become a New Yorker. Near the hostel there's the ANNEX ANTIQUE & FLEA MARKET between 24th St and Sixth Ave; it's a little market of various second-hand stuff, from clothing to photos to... After a bit of vintage, between 23rd St and Fifth Ave you'll find the FLATIRON BUILDING, a building shaped like a point that you'll see every time you leave the house.

Thanks to the metro card, let's take it and head towards 15th St; the metro isn't very well served, be prepared to walk a lot, even though it's the best thing because it lets you see many things. On 15th St / Ninth Ave there's CHELSEA MARKET, then head towards 14th St to see UNION SQUARE. Then head between 5th St / Fifth Ave and look at WASHINGTON SQUARE PARK. The first day in NY is over, but not the evening.

MIDTOWN

After a good night's sleep, wake up early to go to ny's highest point, the EMPIRE STATE BUILDING 34th st / fifth ave, buy the City Pass which allows you to visit various museums and more for $53 From the top you see ny at 360° I recommend going early in the morning to avoid endless lines. After recovering from the view, head toward MADISON SQUARE GARDEN 32nd st / eighth ave near Penn Station where concerts, basketball games are held.... Nearby there's MACY'S, a big department store where you can do some shopping. After a bit of shopping it's time to go to the heart of ny, TIMES SQUARE 42nd st, where you're left breathless by the chaos, the skyscrapers, the lights, the people. Here there's MTV STUDIOS right in the middle of Times Square, there are also the CBS studios, the famous STUDIO54, the theaters CHICAGO and MAMMA MIA.

Behind the newsstand in Times Square there's a very cheap souvenir shop. Then head toward BRYANT PARK then the PANAM BUILDING 42nd st / park ave skyscraper then the CHRYSLER BUILDING 42nd st / Third ave. The VIRGIN MEGASTORE record store and TOYS'R'US toy store should be done between 45th st and 44th st, after the ROCKEFELLER CENTER 49th st. Nearby there's ST PATRICK CATHEDRAL 50th st, also go to Saks, a big department store, and go all the way up for the view. On 53rd st there's the NBA STORE, worth seeing; not far away there's also a 50-meter-long piece of the Berlin Wall near a hotel.

LOWER MANHATTAN - WORLD TRADE CENTER - BROOKLYN BRIDGE

Get ready, today there'll be a lot of walking, as usual by the way. Go to BATTERY PARK where you'll have your first encounter with New York squirrels, look at CASTLE CLINTON; BOWLING GREEN and head toward the CHARGING BULL, the symbol of WALL STREET, then go to WALL STREET, the famous financial district. After hoping to find a few dollars nearby, there's a new sad destination, the WORLD TRADE CENTER, sadly called GROUND ZERO, a gigantic crater that is now an open-air construction site. Here there are images that sum up the tragic attack of September 11. Then take a walk along the HUDSON RIVER, then take the blue subway to the HIGH STREET stop which stops on the other side of the BROOKLYN BRIDGE, get on the bridge and cross it toward Manhattan, around 30 minutes on foot.

Once you reach the end there's CITY HALL, then go to PIER 17 & 18, a small neighborhood with shops of various kinds, a nice view toward the bridge. Tonight we went to Times Square which at night is lit up like day, you have to see it, go ahead and take taxis, they're not that expensive, at least at night

CENTRAL PARK

Today we woke up in the mood to enrich ourselves culturally and thanks to the City Pass card today we're going to museums. We start at the SOLOMON GUGGENHEIM MUSEUM on 89th, nothing to get excited about apart from the spiral staircases inside. Then the METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART on 82nd, better already, you get lost among paintings by Van Gogh and Picasso and modern design. After so much culture a bit of relaxation in the green heart of ny CENTRAL PARK, really big and vibrant, the skyscrapers surrounding it make it unique. After the break, more culture at the AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY, history from primates to today. Near the museum inside the park there's a mosaic dedicated to the beatles STRABERRY FIELDS, inside the park there's also a zoo and an old carousel.

After so much culture a bit of fun among the shops on FIFTH AVE, among the many I recommend going to Abercroombe, a clothing brand that has models as sales assistants, now this is Modern Culture.

TRIBECA - SOHO - CHINATOWN - LITTLE ITALY

Today we went to see the various cultures present in ny, starting though from the CITY FIRE MUSEUM, the firefighters' museum dedicated to 9/11, it's worth seeing, admission by donation. Then PRINCE STREET shopping, then NEW MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART, paid, not included in the card. After the culture, shops on CANAL ST, then COLUMBUS PARK.

STATUE OF LIBERTY

Today, thanks to the card, we're going to see the STATUE OF LIBERTY, head towards pier 83 and take the CIRCLE LINE TOUR which, with the ferry, takes you right under the statue and then passes by manhattan, the brooklyn bridgeand then comes back, all in 75 min. Near the pier 83 dock there's the INTREPID SEA-AIR-SPACE MUSEUM, free with the card, an English warship with various warplanes on board and a Concord.

YANKEE STADIUM - BRONX - HARLEM

YANKEE STADIUM, temple of baseball, after so much sport BRONX and HARLEM aren't all that dangerous, even though we were the only "white" people.

CONNEY ISLAND

CONNEY ISLAND, for anyone who has seen the film The Warriors it's a pilgrimage you have to make, you take the metro and after 1 hour from the hostel you arrive at an amusement park just as you saw it in the film. The amusement park is 40 years old or more but it's full of character, and there's also a nice beach where you can relax.

WANDERING WITHOUT AIM

After so much hard work to be able to complete the tour with such commitment, it was completed ahead of schedule. Today Times Square and Fifth ave, wandering around shops and skyscrapers.

RETURN

It's over, but since the plane is at 10 pm, nobody can stop us from one last quick visit to Central Park. I hope my tour has been of help to you, I wish you a good trip.