“Start spreading the news, I’m leaving today. I want to be a part of it – New York, New York”. So went the lyrics of the late maestro of all maestros, Frank Sinatra, one of the songs to be hummed most round the world.

Known as “The Big Apple” and referred to as the “Capital of the World”, New York is one of those destinations which plays host to millions of visitors on a permanent basis. People coming from all over the world, who wish to appreciate the reality of the postcard images that have forever engraved themselves in their memories; they want to experience for themselves the fascination and chaos of the city, famous for its stark cosmopolitanism.

The city of New York never sleeps; no matter what time it is, you can always find somewhere to eat or be entertained, a drugstore open, transport running or some architectural sight to see. It is one of the finest cities in the world for culinary diversity. Visitors can walk down the street and buy a pretzel at a stand on the pavement, sit down and eat raw fish in a sushi bar, or enjoy the cooking of the world’s top chefs, as well as eat in places such as Café Vivaldi, where Woody Allen filmed Bullets Over Broadway (1994).

New York is the largest city in the United States, the location of the United Nations’ HQ, the center of financial investments, of communications, commerce and entertainment. Multicultural in terms of co-existence between people of different race and ethnic backgrounds, and packed with hundreds of skyscrapers in the form of office blocks and apartments of more than 400 districts, New York is a city like no other in the US The blend of cultures within the city is a source of constant enlightenment to visitors.

New York is considered to be the artistic center of the whole world because of its artists, its inspired galleries and museums, its investment, its critics and its status as a fountain of creativity. Amongst the museums and art galleries, of note are the American Museum of Natural History, the Brooklyn Museum, the Carnegie Hall, the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts – the largest centre for performing arts in the world, graced with the New York State Theater, the facilities of the New York City Ballet and the New York Opera –, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of the City of New York, the Museum of Modern Art – in which works by Picasso, Van Gogh and Monet are displayed –, and the Guggenheim Museum – home to one of the 20th century’s most valuable private collections – to name a few.

A more than familiar district all around the world, Manhattan, the shopping and business centre of New York, sits on a large island in the middle of the Hudson River. To the south of the river and over the main gate, lies Staten Island district, a large residential community. If you cross the eastern channel of the Hudson, you have the boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens, in the far west of Long Island. The Bronx district is on the mainland, in the North.

There are many famous buildings, places and monuments in New York, such as the Radio City Music Hall, the largest theatre hall in the US; the Statue of Liberty, symbolizing the city and indeed the whole of America; Ellis Island; and the World Trade Center, a famous tourist attraction before September 11th of 2001, a day of tragedy for the whole world. Since then, “Ground Zero” has become a place of great significance for guests to the city.

New York is made up of five large boroughs and districts: the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens and Staten Island. Each and every one of them has places of interest which no tourist should overlook as they wander round the Big Apple. The Bronx, for instance, has a zoo and botanical garden. Brooklyn has historical districts, such as Brooklyn Heights, and Park Slope, where you can admire the historical residences of the XIX century, referred to as “brownstones”, or areas like Williamsburg and others, which mark certain trends.

Visitors to New York city should, at least, stop by some of the following places of huge tourist interest if they wish to develop an idea of how beautiful this city is, such as by crossing the Brooklyn Bridge, which stands opposite New York City Hall. This is the Big Apple’s favorite bridge and was the first suspension bridge to be made from iron in the world. Visit the world’s biggest Gothic cathedral, the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine.

Take a walk through Central Park, blessed with long extensions and small squares, a mini-zoo, an ice-skating rink, a carousel, an open air theatre, tracks for running, cycling, horse riding and skating, and many water features and sculptures. Keep on viewing more and more sights like the Chrysler Building, an emblem for Art Deco, built in 1930 and one Manhattan’s most admired structures with its gargoyles and non-corrosive iron points. The aromas of fruit, vegetables and fish will draw visitors to the biggest Chinese community to exist outside of Asia itself, more specifically, to the market in the famous Chinatown district.

In order to enjoy one of the best views of New York, you have to go up to the last floor of the Empire State Building, one of New York’s top places of tourist interest, and to become acquainted with the Big Apple’s first skyscraper then you must head for the Flatiron Building, built in 1903 and renowned for its triangular design.

The Federal Reserve, the Grand Central Terminal, the Rockefeller Center, Soho – considered to be the home of liberal artists and chic boutiques, with its gigantic department stores and restaurants –, St. Patrick's Cathedral, the Statue of Liberty, the New York Stock Exchange – the heart of the financial sector and reference on an international scale finance-wise – and Times Square – the thriving city centre and focal point of theatre in the district, with a massive number of restaurants, businesses, street artists and, needless to say, the well-known theaters of Broadway. These are a few of the sights in New York which visitors to the city will enjoy during a pleasant and pleasurable stay.