Welcome to New York City
Epicenter of the arts. Architectural darling. Dining and shopping capital. Trendsetter. New York City wears many crowns, and spreads an irresistible feast for all.
Nexus of the Arts
The Met, MoMA and the Guggenheim are just the beginning of a dizzying list of art-world icons. You’ll find museums devoted to everything from fin de siècle Vienna to medieval European treasures, and sprawling galleries filled with Japanese sculpture, postmodern American painting, Himalayan textiles and New York City lore. For a glimpse of current and future greats, delve into the cutting-edge galleries of Chelsea and the Lower East Side, with their festive opening-night parties (usually Thursday night if you want to join in), or head to new frontiers in Brooklyn and Queens.
Urban Wanderers
With its compact size and streets packed with eye candy of all sorts – architectural glories, Old World cafes, atmospheric booksellers – NYC is a wanderer’s delight. Crossing continents is as easy as walking a few avenues in this jumbled city of 200-plus nationalities. You can lose yourself in the crowds of Chinatown amid bright Buddhist temples and steaming noodle shops, then stroll up to Nolita for enticing boutiques and coffee tasting. Every neighborhood offers a dramatically different version of the city, from the 100-year-old Jewish delis of the Upper West Side to the meandering cobblestone lanes of Greenwich Village. And the best way to experience it is to walk its streets.
The Night Is Young
When the sun sinks slowly beyond the Hudson and luminous skyscrapers light up the night, New York transforms into one grand stage. Well-known actors take to the legendary theaters of Broadway and world-class soloists, dancers and musicians perform at venues large and small across town. Whether high culture or low, New York embraces it all: in-your-face rock shows at Williamsburg dives, lavish opera productions at the Lincoln Center, and everything in between. This is a city of experimental theater, improv comedy, indie cinema, ballet, poetry, burlesque, jazz and so much more. If you can dream it up, it’s probably happening.
Culinary Capital
There’s never been a better time to dine in New York. It’s a hotbed of seasonal and locally sourced cuisine – with restaurants growing vegetables on roof gardens or upstate farms, sourcing meats and seafood from nearby sustainable outfits, and embracing artisanal everything, from coffee roasting and whiskey distilling to chocolate and cheese making. Bars have also taken creativity to new heights, with pre-Prohibition-era cocktails served alongside delectable small plates – indeed, gastropubs are some of the most creative places to eat these days. Of course, you can also hit a gourmet food truck or dine at one of the city’s 75 Michelin-starred restaurants.
Events in New York
New York Travel Guides
DK Eyewitness New York City: 2020
Winner of the Travel Media Awards 2019 Guide of the Year
Whether you want to visit the iconic Empire State Building, take a leisurely stroll through Central Park, or sample the sublime cocktails in East Village, your DK Eyewitness travel guide makes sure you experience all that New York City has to offer.
Dynamic and diverse, New York City is bursting at the seams with unmissable sights, mouth-watering cuisines, and truly unique experiences. From the soaring skyscrapers of Manhattan to the trendy bars of Brooklyn, the vibrant jazz clubs of Harlem to the cobblestoned streets of Soho, the city offers everything in abundance.
Our annually updated guide brings New York City to life, transporting you there like no other travel guide does with expert-led insights and advice, detailed breakdowns of all the must-see sights, photographs on practically every page, and our trademark illustrations.
DK Eyewitness Top 10 New York City: 2020 (Pocket Travel Guide)
The UK’s best-selling pocket guides – an unbeatable guide to New York City, packed with insider tips and ideas, detailed maps and a laminated pull-out map, all designed to help you see the very best of New York City.
Stroll along the shaded walkways of Central Park, enjoy the spectacular views from the Statue of Liberty, explore the fashionable Fifth Avenue, making stops at its famous department stores, marvel at dinosaur fossils at the American Museum of Natural History, or visit buzzing Times Square and Theater District. From Top 10 performing arts venues to Top 10 things to do for free – discover the best of New York City with this easy-to-use travel guide.
Lonely Planet Best of New York City 2020
Lonely Planet’s Best of New York City is your passport to the most relevant, up-to-date advice on what to see and skip, and what hidden discoveries await you. Delve into the past in the Ancient Greek, Roman and Egyptian collections of the Metropolitan Museum; walk over the Brooklyn Bridge at dusk, as skyscrapers begin to light up the night; and pick your venue for the hippest pre-show cocktails. All with your trusted travel companion. Discover the best of New York City and begin your journey now!