DESTINATIONS>New York City

Tourism is important to New York City, with about 47 million foreign and American tourists visiting each year. Major new york travel destinations include the Empire State Building, Ellis Island, Broadway theatre productions, museums such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and other tourist attractions including Central Park, Washington Square Park, Rockefeller Center, Times Square, the Bronx Zoo, New York Botanical Garden, luxury shopping along Fifth and Madison Avenues.

The Statue of Liberty is a major tourist attraction and one of the most recognizable icons of the United States. Many of the city’s ethnic enclaves, such as Jackson Heights, Flushing, and Brighton Beach are major tourist shopping destinations for first and second generation Americans up and down the East Coast.

The majority of hotels are in midtown Manhattan. However, there are also hundreds in excellent locations all around the city. Try looking up in the West Village, SoHo, the Upper West Side. The best way to get a good price is to shop around, in advance, with plenty of time.

Accommodations in Manhattan are ridiculously expensive averaging between $150 and $200 (and up) a night for a standard room, BUT there are affordable options you may want to consider such as short-term apartments for travellers or travellers hostels. There are a number of apartments around the city that are being rented on a short term basis. Instead of staying in a hotel room, you get a fully furnished apartment with a small kitchen for the same price or sometimes cheaper. If you are traveling on a budget this will be your best option. There are many inexpensive hostels in the city, starting at about $20 for a bed in a dorm.