Day 01 : NEW YORK
Upon arrival at New York, make your own way to the Hotel of your choice. Check-in at the Hotel. Day free at leisure. Overnight at the Hotel.

Day 02 : NEW YORK
Half – Day City Tour of New York and visit the best sight of Upper and Lower Manhatten from Harlem to Battery Park. Includes a stop at St. Jones the Divine, the largest gothic cathedral in the World , for a brief visit. Also a stop for photo opportunities at Buttery Park – views of Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island. Overnight at Hotel

Day 03 : NEW YORK
Day free for shopping & other independent activities in the World Financial capital. Overnight at the Hotel.

Day 04 : NEW YORK
In the afternoon check out and proceed for your onward journey.
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New York Attractions

The Metropolitan Museum of Art
5th Avenue at 82nd Street, Manhattan, New York City, NY 10028
Tel: +1 212 879 5500

New York's most popular tourist attraction contains approximately three million exhibits making planning a necessary part of any visit. Superb floor plans and descriptions of installations and exhibits are available in the Great Hall.

The Guggenheim Museum
5th Avenue at 88th Street, New York City, NY 10128
Tel: +1 212 423 3500

This beautifully constructed building is a work of art in itself. Visitors start at the top and spiral down and around the building viewing artefacts on the way. The recent addition of a ten-story wing makes the Guggenheim's collection one of the largest in New York. Closed Tuesdays.

Museum of Modern Art
11 West 53rd Street, New York City, NY 10019
Tel: +1 212 708 9500

'MOMA' is one of the most popular galleries in the United States. Loved for its simplistic lay out, superb collections, people friendly atmosphere and annual retrospectives. Some of the world's finest art is on display here including Van Gogh's 'Starry Night' and Monet's panelled 'Water Lilies'. Closed Wednesday.

The Cloisters
Fort Tyron Park, Washington Heights, New York City, NY 10040
Tel: +1 212 923 3700

Medieval art and architecture. Part of the Metropolitan Museum. Open Tuesday to Sunday. 09:30am - 5:30pm. Closes at 4:45pm November to February.

Empire State Building
5th Avenue and 34th Street, New York City, NY 10118
Tel: +1 212 736 3100

Built in 1931 as an office complex it was said to help pull New York out of the depression. King Kong climbed it in 1933 and it is still open today for vertigo free visitors. Go early in the morning or late in the day to avoid queuing. Open daily.

Statue of Liberty
Liberty Island, New York City, NY
Tel: +1 212 363 3200

New York's gift from the French in 1886, the Statue of Liberty stands 151 feet high. Lifts and steps take visitors to the top but queues can be extremely long. Go in the morning and be prepared to spend most of the day waiting, particularly during the summer.

New York Shopping

For many, New York's shops an stores are the city's main attraction. Shopping in New York is theater, architecture and unparalleled people-watching all rolled into one. As well as the world-famous department stores, there is an overwhelming array of unique one-of-a-kind shops that share street space with every chain that anyone could ever mention.

Stores are generally open Monday-Saturday 10.00-17.30, but neighbourhood variations do exist. In midtown and lover Manhattan, shops are often closed for the entire weekend. Most stores on the Lower East Side and in the 47th Street diamond district close on Friday afternoons and Saturdays for the Jewish Sabbath but open on Sunday. Sunday hours are rare on the Upper East Side although common on the West Side and districts such as SoHo and the Village. New York shops are collected in neighbourhoods rather than malls and when the weather is fine, shop-crawling is a popular pastime with both locals and visitors.

New York Shopping Neighbourhoods

The shops at South Street Seaport are located on the cobbled, traffic-free extension to Fulton Street (The Fulton Street Market is the original location of the city's fish market) and the three levels of Pier 17. The neighbourhood features some of the country's upscale retailers and business is always brisk, especially on hot summer days and weekends.

Once the home of millions of Jewish immigrants from Russia and Eastern Europe, the Lower East Side is New York's best bet for bargain shopping. At the center of the neighbourhood is the narrow but colourful Orchard Street, which is crammed with tiny, no-nonsense clothing and shoe stores from right across the range. Sunday is the busiest and best day of the week when the immense crowds can make the busy shop assistants a tad sharp.

Major art galleries keep company the vast array of chic clothing stores in SoHo. The neighbourhood is mainly occupied by West Broadway but also takes in Broadway and Wooster, Greene, Mercer, Prince, Spring, Broome and Grand streets.

The Lower 5th Avenue neighbourhood is considered to be the area of 5th Avenue south of 20th Street and the streets that fan east and west. This area is home to some of New York's hippest shops and attracts a lively and trendy downtown crowd. Empario Armani, Paul Smith and Matsuda are all based here and book-lovers flock to the enormous Barnes & Noble on the southeast and southwest corners of 18th Street.

Herald Square is found at the intersection of 34th Street and Avenue of the Americas (6th Avenue). The linchpin of the area has traditionally been the huge Macy's Department Store but it is also the home of other vast stores like Manhattan's first Toys R Us. The concentration of shops in a small area makes it a reasonable choice in bad weather.

Midtown near Grand Central is home to the best men's tailors and clothiers. Women seeking business suits and formal wear are also well catered for. The area here stretches to the area of Madison Avenue known as Trad Avenue.

5th Avenue, from Central Park South to Rockefeller, is one of New York's most famous and best loved districts. The boulevard that was once home to some of the biggest names in New York retailing has lost some ground in recent years to Madison Avenue north of 57th Street but still remains an important stop for the shopper. Major 5th Avenue players include FAO Schwartz and Bergdorf Goodman (at 58th Street), Tiffany and Bulgari Jewellers (at 57th Street), Cartier (at 52nd Street) and Saks Fifth Avenue (at 50th Street). In addition, the Rockefeller Center itself also features a plethora of shops.

57th Street, the thoroughfare of Carnegie Hall, the Russian Tea Room and the Hard Rock Café, is home to stores that sell everything from discount books to diamond bracelets worth six figures. Another popular and famous stop of the shopping trip to New York, 57th Street also provides an address to top art galleries such as Pace and Andre Emmerich.

Columbus Avenue, between 66th and 86th Streets, is a former tenement district that is now home to the city's glitziest stores. Contemporary in design, the stores offer upscale but not top-of-the-line styles.

The Upper East Side, roughly between 57th and 79th streets on Madison and Lexington avenues, is home to the New York branches of world-renowned designer emporiums. In addition, smaller independent retailers fill their stores with the unique and stylish. Domestic and imported items for the home, fine antiques and high quality clothing dominate the Upper East Side and in spite of this, the prices are not as unaffordable as one might expect.
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New York Travel Tips

When to Visit - Arts and Events

New York City can boast an artistic representation second to no other city on earth and its renowned centers for the arts have become tourist attractions in their own right. Along with London's West End, Broadway is a prime district for theatre. There are around 250 legitimate theaters in New York, not to mention the countless ad hoc venues.

Music lovers are also catered for with immense diversity and choice. Not only does the city poses the world's oldest symphony orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, but it is a principal stopping point for the world's greatest ensembles and soloists. In addition, New York City is a mecca for the opera with, among others, the magnetic Metropolitan Opera (at the Lincoln Center). Visiting balletomanes will find their passion indulged by two influential powerhouse companies, the New York City ballet and the American Ballet Theater. It is also incredibly unlikely that any touring pop or rock act will not stop at one of New York's many concert venues. Several hundred celebrations and festivals are held annually in New York.

Barely a day goes past without a special-event taking place somewhere in the city. Events are as diverse as the rest of New York and range from a marathon reading of Moby Dick to race days at Saratoga Springs. There are over 6000 places of worship here with Catholicism the most widely practised religion. Buddhist temples, mosques and kingdom halls form a large part of the city landscape.

New York Dining

Eclectic mixes of peoples bring an exciting fusion of culture that extends into every aspect of society. New York is a multi-cultural city embracing international flavors both metaphorically and literally. The cuisine available here is second to none. No other city offers such diversity and it's possible to find any dish from any corner of the globe. The choice is tremendous, the service the friendliest on the planet and the standard of cooking superb. The only complaint from diners might be that there is just far too much choice and far too much food on the plates for one sitting. Eating out is inexpensive, wonderfully social and highly recommended in all its varying New York forms.

New York Tipping Advice

Service charges are not included on restaurant bills throughout New York. A standard gratuity of between 10 and 20 percent tends to be the norm. For other service personnel such as doormen, valets and baggage handlers, a tip of one US dollar per service is recommended. Taxi drivers are a legendary part of New York and should be tipped according to the service received. As a guide, adding 10 percent onto the fare is acceptable.
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TOUR COST :
Hotel Rate (Per person on Twin sharing basis)
Arlington Hotel (2*) USD 215.00
Best Western Majestic (3*) USD 393.00
Barclay Inter-Continental (4*) USD 488.00
New York Palace (5*) USD 892.00

PRICE INCLUDES:
1. 03 Nights accommodation at the Hotel of your choice on room only basis no breakfast included.
2. Half – Day City Tour of New York.
3. All applicable taxes.
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Have a great trip! This itinerary and supplementary information has been compiled with care and is provided in good faith. However it may be subject to change, and DOES NOT form part of a contract between the client and AirCruise.

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