New York City is the international centre for fashion, entertainment, the arts and finance. It’s streets are lined with great shopping opportunities, dynamic theatre productions, superb concert halls and world-class museums. It has gorgeous parks and gardens and is home to sports events all year long. The variety and quality of resturnats in the city is incomparable.

As the financial heart of the world, it soars and plummets with the fluctuations on Wall Street. New Yorkers move fast, talk fast and are passionate about politics, style and most importantly, their city. They come in all shapes, sizes, colours and from almost every ethnic background you can name – the city’s multiculturalism is part of its charm. Known for being to the point, New Yorkers are often surprisingly warm.

It’s often infuriating that this city is never dull. And the chances are, with its vibrant whirl of activity, it’s nothing like home.

This short introduction to New York focuses primarily on Manhattan, which is just one of five boroughs that make up New York City. The others include the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island.

Manhattan is a long, narrow island and in terms of area, is the smallest of the New York boroughs at 13.5 miles long and a maximum of 2.25 miles wide. To the east of Manhattan island runs the East River whilst on the west is the Hudson River. The Harlem River is to the north whilst Upper New York Bay – the city’s fine harbor – is to the south.

In Manhattan, the majority of streets are numbers and laid out on a grid. When finding your way around the city, always remember that on the “street grid”, Avenues run from north to south and Streets from east to west. However there are two main exceptions. The first is the entire area south of 14th Street which grew up before the grid system was established. The second is the world famous Broadway. Broadway cuts diagonally through the city from northwest to southeast. First Avenue is on the eastern side of the island and Twelfth Avenue is on the western side. Fifth Avenue is the central divide which is used the class parts of the city as either East Side or West Side (except south of Washington Square where Broadway becomes the east-west divide).

No matter where you are in Manhattan, if you are traveling north, you are headed “uptown”, and if you are traveling south, you are headed “downtown”. Downtown is not a specific area of New York. If you want to travel from east to west or west to east, you’ll be travelling crosstown.

The best way to see New York is on foot. Streets in the majority of neighborhoods are safe at anytime of the day or night. However, walking can be time consuming. If you are planning a number of museums in one day, or want to see several neighborhoods across the city, or if the weather is not at its best, the subways are a better option. The New York Subway is easy to use, inexpensive, and relatively clean and safe. You can always opt for buses which are generally a more pleasant option than the subway because you’ll get to experience the city as you pass by, however you will need the correct change, and during rush hour, progress is slow – sometimes its faster to walk. If you’re planning on traveling often during your stay, the metro card can save time and money. You can’t miss the world-famous taxis in New York with their distinctive yellow color. All New York’s official taxicabs are licensed by the Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC). They can be expensive, but are ultimately convenient to get from A to B.

Every corner of New York is home to recognizable sights and attractions. Planning your days in advance will ensure that you make the most out of your visit and will allow you the most time to see sights like the Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty, Central Park and Times Square to name but a few!

Shopping is not only the national pastime of Americans, but the variety in New York is quite literally unlimited. New York’s shopping ranges from large opulent department stores to tiny boutiques – and everything in between. People often visit New York for the sole purpose of shopping, especially pre-Christmas. The flagship department stores are located uptown, lining Madison and Fifth Avenues, whilst the cutting-edge designers are downtown in SoHo and NoLita. You’ll find more moderately priced merchandise in stores around Herald Square and 34th Street. You won’t find the large malls that other parts of the USA are famous for – however you could call the whole of Manhattan “Americas Largest Mall”!

The variety of the city’s performance scene reflects the metropolis. Theater lovers will find an array of options from over 40 Broadway theaters and around 450 other theaters operating across the city, often not-for-profit.

Nightlife is taken very seriously by most New Yorkers and you can always find a “scene” in the city that truly, never sleeps. New York’s nightlife is constantly changing. Some of the city’s largest clubs have a great deal of attitude, and at the hottest clubs there’s a competition to get in. Watch out for the VIP and A-List queues, and note that you can often be on the list by simply calling in advance. Still, there are plenty of more casual clubs available, especially the gay spots which are often a lot more fun. There are bars to suit every taste. From rooftop bars that charge for the view, to speciality bars that serve up any conceivable cocktail. The city’s nightlife hot spots are Harlem, Chelsea, the East and West Villages and the Lower East Side. Remember that the drinking age is 21 and everyone should always carry photo ID.

If you would like more information before your visit to New York, learn more from users tips.

This article is written by the director of http://www.cityVirgins.com , an online resource that gives first time visitors to the worlds favorite cities the inside information to help them make the most of their visit.