New York

Everything is a short walk, subway or cab ride away and New Yorkers see the city in three distinct areas: Downtown (to the south), Midtown and Uptown.

New York’s trove of cultural institutions offers everything from old masters at the Frick Collection (1 E 70th Street between Fifth and Madison Avenues, +1 2122880700) to mummies at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (1000 Fifth Avenue at 82nd Street, +1 2125357710). The big news is that the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) has returned to midtown Manhattan to a striking new structure holding a must-see collection for contemporary art fans. Along Fifth Avenue is the Empire State Building. Veer off Fifth Avenue into the 19 buildings of the Rockefeller Center (from 48th to 51st Street) and you’ll understand why this masterful use of public space is so lavishly praised. Central Park and the 150-year-old parkland is a welcome respite from the overwhelming pace of New York City life. Follow the bright lights to Broadway at 42nd Street and you’ll find Times Square, and the heart of the Theater District.

Head further downtown, take a few steps south of Canal Street, and you’ll happen upon the largest Chinese immigrant community outside Asia – Manhattan’s Chinatown. The markets on Canal Street sell some of the best, most affordable seafood and fresh produce in the city. Its busy streets get even wilder during the Chinese New Year festivities in January or February and around the Fourth of July. At Whitehall Street you can catch the Staten Island Ferry, a commuter barge that offers unguided but romantic panoramas of Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty. Near to Whitehall Street is Battery Park, where you can catch a ferry to Liberty Island for a visit to Lady Liberty. On the way back to Manhattan, tour boats stop at Ellis Island where the Ellis Island Immigration Museum (52 Vanderbilt Avenue, Ste 4, +1 2123633200, www.ellisisland.com) is a moving tribute to the 12 million people who entered the country here with dreams of a better life. From Manhattan, cross the Brooklyn Bridge to visit the Brooklyn Heights Promenade – one of the most romantic New York photo ops.

Local history

On 11 September 2001 hijackers fly two planes into the World Trade Center killing nearly 2,800 people and demolishing the twin towers. Ground Zero is in the process of being redeveloped and will include the Freedom Tower, 9/11 memorial, a museum and performing arts complex.

Local politics

Billionaire Michael Bloomberg was elected mayor at the end of 2001 and took on the daunting task of repairing not only the city’s skyline but also its battered economy and shattered psyche. He proved adept at steering the city back on the road to health as the stock market revived, downtown businesses reemerged and plans for rebuilding the World Trade Center were drawn.