New York (Thomas Cook Travellers Guides)

Whatever your preconceived ideas of New York and everybody has them there are bound to be surprises. Some may be pleasant, like getting a friendly, chatty cab driver, but there may also be a mild shock of finding shabby commercial properties and fashionable areas side by side. While appreciating that sophisticated Manhattan is actually hemmed in by water, visitors may not be prepared for the beautiful views of the wide Hudson and East rivers as they cross the many bridges for which the city is famous. Tunnels, too, are a feature of New York, linking the outer boroughs with Manhattan, and within the space of less than a minute you can leave one urban scene and emerge into another, which is quite different. There is an area of 304 square miles to explore, much of it free, or costing no more than a few dollars. New York’s Skyline was changed in a matter of moments by the terrorist attack of 11 September 2001, which brought down the soaring twin towers of the World Trade Center, but visitors will still thrill at recognizing landmarks they have never seen except on the screen the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, Tiffany’s, Brooklyn Bridge. And with the aid of this book, it should be easy to find a vast range of interesting, often exciting, things to see and do in the world’s most glamorous city.