Top 10 things to do in New York

Heading Stateside for an autumnal city break? Here’s our top 10 things to do in New York.

Take a tour
From hop-on, hop-off buses, to walking tours looking at the history and culture of a particular neighbourhood, taking a tour is a great way to get your bearings in New York City. Visitors will find tours themed to every interest, from personal shopping and celebrity hot spots to ethnic foods and street art.
See nycgo.com/alltours

Visit a museum or gallery
New York City’s two most popular cultural institutions – The Metropolitan Museum of Art and American Museum of Natural History – pull in more than 11 million visitors between them each year, but once you’ve ticked them off the list, hop over the East River to Queens for some hidden gems. The interactive exhibits at the New York Hall of Science are fantastic for kids, and the Queens Museum gives visitors the chance to enjoy a 3D Panorama of every building, park and bridge in the city built before 1992. In 2015, The Museum of the Moving Image will debut its Jim Henson Gallery, showcasing nearly 400 puppets, props and costumes.
See nycgo.com/museums

Talk a walk in a park
The third and final section of the High Line, NYC’s popular park built on an elevated disused freight rail line, opened to the public in September 2014. Winding from the Meatpacking District through Chelsea to the Hudson Yards on the west side of Manhattan, it’s a great place to take a walk or people watch. For picnics, ball games and bracing walks through the snow in winter, nothing beats Central Park or Prospect Park in Brooklyn.
See nycgovparks.org

Get onto the water
New York City has one of the most famous skylines in the world, but it’s hard to appreciate it from within. Some of the best views are from the water, so jump on board a boat or ferry to get a view from a distance. Circle Line Sightseeing, Statue Cruises, New York Water Taxi and the East River Ferry offer tours and commuter services but if you’re looking for the best value, the iconic Staten Island Ferry is still absolutely free.
See siferry.com

Eat!
New York City is not the place to start a diet, although if you’re meat-free, dairy-free, gluten-free or have any other dietary requirements, you’ll find yourself well catered for. Temptation is all around, so allow yourself to indulge in some New York classics – hot dogs, burgers, pizza, bagels, pastrami on rye, cheesecake, cupcakes… and, if you’re a follower of trends, the Cronut. From fine dining to street food, the choice is literally endless and you can eat yourself around the world in one city.
See grubstreet.com

Catch a show
You’re never far from the performing arts in New York City. The Lincoln Center leads the way for opera, ballet and classical music, while Broadway and off-Broadway theatres stage high-energy musicals, dramas and comedies. If theatre isn’t your thing, check out the live music venues showcasing the best local and international talent. As the birthplace of hip hop and bebop and with venues famous for jazz, rock and pop, New York City’s music scene is not to be missed.
See broadway.com

Travel by public transport
The New York City subway system is safe, efficient and will take you almost everywhere you’ll want to go in the city, 24 hours a day. An unlimited ride MetroCard costs US$30 (approximately £18.75) for a week, also making subway the most affordable means of getting around after walking. New York isn’t New York without its yellow taxi cabs, though, and prices are reasonable, although drivers do expect healthy tips! Even if you’re not catching a train, a visit to Grand Central Terminal is another must, just for its beautiful building.
See mta.info

Shop ’til you drop
New York and shopping go together like Carrie Bradshaw and designer shoes. From high street stores to high end boutiques and iconic department stores in between, you’ll want to save plenty of space in your suitcase for the flight home. Tapping into the market for pre-Christmas shopping trips to NYC, Jet2 is offering 16 holiday packages to New York City from regional UK airports between October and December 2014.
See jet2.com/flights/usa/new-york

Find an aerial viewpoint
The Empire State Building Observatory and Top of the Rock are New York City’s two prime observation decks, but from spring 2015, there’ll be a new kid on the block as One World Observatory opens in Lower Manhattan. For other aerial views, why not enjoy a drink in a rooftop bar, take a walk over Brooklyn Bridge or invest in a helicopter tour?
See oneworldobservatory.com

Take in a game
Know your Knicks from your Nets? Your Giants from your Jets? Even if the answer is no, a sports game in New York City is worth booking just for the atmosphere. Baseball, basketball, American football and ice hockey are just some of the options available, but annual events like the US Open and New York City Marathon also draw huge spectator crowds.
See nycgo.com/sports