Exploring NYC

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nyc, new york

New York City Guide

You don't have to be a native New Yorker to act like one—not if you use our New York City Guide. Want to seamlessly travel between neighborhoods, find the city's best pizza or learn insider tips on hotels or permanent housing? Our New York City Web Guide points you to the Big Apple’s vast array of fun activities: Visit New York’s most famous attractions, see a show, catch the big game, attend a gallery opening, spot a celebrity and much more. We also offer a Spanish-language version of the Guide.

Exploring NYC

New York covers 12,000 square acres of land, has more than 8 million residents and hosts more than 40 million visitors per year. Taking on the city yourself may seem daunting. But the links below make exploring New York City's neighborhoods and its tourist sites a breeze, right from the comfort of your home, so you can plan your trip in advance.

Insights for Exploring NYC

  • Neighborhood identities in New York are very strong. It’s not uncommon for a neighborhood to have a message board or forum for those who live there. For example, enter “Williamsburg forum” into a search engine, and you’ll find Williamsboard.com, a site for people who reside in the popular Brooklyn neighborhood.
  • There are lots of multiborough events that can give you a great excuse to experience new parts of the city. Being a spectator of (or participant in) the New York City Marathon and the Five Boro Bike Tour helps you explore all five of the city’s boroughs in one day.

Top Sites for Exploring NYC

For an overview …
Gothamist is a daily blog that covers anything, and almost everything, happening in New York. Peruse entries to get a taste of the varied, eccentric and intricate New York culture.
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On the Inside is an insider’s guide to activities in New York with content that is generated and donated by influential New Yorkers. Discover bars, restaurants, stores and hang-out spots that are favored by New York’s creative types.
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NYC & Company is the official tourism site of New York City. The site touches on all the basic aspects of a visit to the Big Apple. Find information about activities and attractions, and get help planning your visit.
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Virtual New York City is a Web site produced by the City University of New York that puts the rich history of New York City at your fingertips. The site provides a vast amount of multimedia and primary source documents from all eras of New York City history.
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For images …
Museum of the City of New York shares the Byron Company Collection online. The collection consists of more than 22,000 black-and-white photographs of New York taken between 1890 and 1942.
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Forgotten NY posts and categorizes pictures of places that might not make it into your average guidebook as well as elements of the city that have become “extinct” or outdated.
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To explore by neighborhood …
New York City Department of City Planning explains that New York is “a city of neighborhoods” and offers a map illustrating exactly where and what they are. Click on a neighborhood to zoom in.
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Virtual NYC Tour lets you explore a neighborhood online using both panoramic photographs and an accompanying map. Select a neighborhood from the list on the left or from the map. Once the tour has loaded, be sure to check “Side Hints” to get little tips about what stores, attractions, or spots of historical importance are on the surrounding streets.
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Big Apple Greeter has a bunch of resources to help you explore and find things to do throughout each of the five boroughs.
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To hire a tour guide ...
The Guides Association of New York (GANYC) provides a database of tour guides licensed by the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs, searchable by the types of tours they offer (for example, architectural, culinary or neighborhood-specific).
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Who knew?
Shearwater Sailing is an option for people who want something a little classier than the Circle Line, a sightseeing tour boat company. Visit the site to learn how you can circle Manhattan in a sailboat.
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NYC Travel

Planning and implementing your New York City travel to and from the hectic ... read more »

NYC Maps

If you’re unclear about how New York is laid out, don’t worry: Many residents of the ... read more »

NYC Taxis

Yellow taxis are about as symbolic of New York as the Statue of Liberty, and if you’re in ... read more »

NYC Public Transportation

New York City has a fantastic public transportation system, run by the Metropolitan Transit ... read more »

Walking in NYC

With the combination of bad traffic and public transit that isn’t always door-to-door, many ... read more »

Driving in NYC

You can drive your car around New York City; whether you’ll want to is another story. If you ... read more »

Bike Riding in NYC

Bike riding in New York City draws many to the streets en masse for its ... read more »

NYC Hotels

New York is an expensive place to live, and it can be an even more expensive place to visit unless ... read more »

Apartment Search in NYC

An apartment search in New York City can be a hassle, but the sites below can help ... read more »

NYC Restaurants

The city that never sleeps, or the city that always eats? Although New ... read more »

NYC Shopping

New York City shopping is like shopping in ... read more »

NYC Entertainment

Why come to New York if you plan to stay in your room all day? Since ... read more »

NYC Theater

The earliest documented performance of a play in New York was on Dec. 6, 1732 ... read more »

NYC Music Venues

We all know how to get to Carnegie Hall: Practice, practice, practice. ... read more »

Movies and Film in NYC

Not only is New York City the backdrop for some of the greatest movies ... read more »

NYC Art Museums and Galleries

If a trip to Africa isn’t in the cards for you, perhaps ... read more »

NYC Nightlife

They call New York “the city that never sleeps,” and ... read more »

NYC Celebrity Sightings

Hang around in New York long enough and you’re bound to see ... read more »

NYC Family Events

For all of the sophistication and culture available in New York City, ... read more »

NYC Sports Teams

If you’re a sports fan, following New York ... read more »

NYC Sports Leagues and Fitness Centers

If New York only conjures up images of models in stilettos and ... read more »

NYC Parks

New York City’s skyline is its thumbprint and, in many ways, its ... read more »

NYC Pet Care

Sometimes, the best medicine for dealing with New York’s ... read more »

Finding NYC Doctors, Locksmiths or Other Help

It has been said that New York is the city that never sleeps. ... read more »

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