Destination guide: New York, United States

New York City Overview

New York can be anything you want it to be. It’s why countless people have pinned their dreams on the place, thrown caution to the wind and shown up on its doorstep.

And it’s why visitors keep streaming in from all corners of the globe, grasping at their silver-screen visions – and finding them – but discovering plenty more on the way. New York is a city that’s surprising yet malleable, incredibly straightforward yet bafflingly complex. It’s got so many sides and so much to offer that it can be intimidating, even to the most urban-minded of visitors. But approach it with a combination of organization and openness, and you’ll be met with some staggering and unexpected rewards.

You could decide you’d like your day to be filled with high culture and trendy eating, for example, and – voila! – you’re working your way through the Museum of Modern Art, then watching the New York City Ballet perform at the Lincoln Center. Or perhaps you like your city to be tougher, and choose to spend an afternoon wandering through the twisting streets of Chinatown and in the edgy art galleries of Williamsburg. Just don’t be too shocked if your day of high culture turns gritty when you come across a gifted jazz singer on the subway platform – or if your bohemian day gets fancy when a trendy boutique seduces you and you’re shelling out for the perfect pair of shoes before you know it. New York is easy that way.