New York, an Aussie's travel guide.

A friend of mine once said that every American that he had ever met claimed that things in the USA are bigger and better than anywhere else, and do you know what, they were right.

NEW YORK is an absolute buzz. It is the most intense and exciting city that I have visited.

Lets bust a few myths right now about New York.

• New York is safe, you should take reasonable precautions as you would anywhere in the world, but have no concerns, there are police everywhere and the old view of a mugging on every corner has not been true since Guiliani cleaned up the city.
• The Subway is quite clean, safe, and efficient. It is the best way to travel in NYC.
• New Yorkers are well educated, friendly, and very outgoing. I did have some English language communication difficulties with some retail staff in discount stores and Macdonald style food outlets, but that is a minor issue. I think it is my Australian accent.
• New Yorkers do not fit the overweight American image that is portrayed by the rest of the worlds media. They are well dressed, sophisticated and quite welcoming.
• Central Park is beautiful and safe to take a stroll through. Do not miss this attraction.
• New York is a very multi-cultural society. All races, religions and cultures exist side by side and have been accepted into the broader community.

SHOPPING:

Clothing - If you are on a shopping spree in NY then you are in shoppers heaven. If you can't buy it in NY then it doesn't exist. Department stores such as Macy's carry a huge range of fabulous clothes, shoes and accessories at great prices. Fashions are trendsetting, the quality is spectacular, and the store just goes on and on with floor after floor of fantastic clothing and household items. If you are starting a worldwide holiday then this is the place to pick up your wardrobe before you head off. The fashions here are at least the equal of Paris and Rome so you won't feel one bit underdressed promenading in Milan or Florence wearing New York Fashions.

Jewellery - If your wealthy enough to buy exclusive one off items at Tiffany's or one of the very upmarket Jewellers in 5th Avenue then you will have a selection of the finest diamonds and precious gemstones to be found anywhere in the world. The wealthy in the USA purchase more diamonds and jewellery than any other part of the world, so prices in New York are very competitive. In fact I have found that New York offers better value than Hong Kong for diamonds.

If like me you cannot afford the prices at Tiffany's then head to Chinatown where a great array of beautiful pieces are available from a large selection of shops located in malls on or off Canal Street. The shops may be small and not all that well presented, but the quality and prices are very good. If you are uncertain of the authenticity of any gemstone that you are purchasing then the staff will test them for you with a small pencil sized electronic "hardness" tester which will confirm that the stones are real. Most of the gold for sale is 14 Carat with some 18 Carat gold available. I didn't see any 24 Carat gold but it may be available in small quantities.

Make a day of your jewellery shopping, and either lunch at Chinatown or walk a couple of blocks into Little Italy and have Italian. New york does the best Italian food that I have tasted outside Italy, and their Pizzas have thick authentic toppings. If you go back to Broadway you will also find the worlds best delicatessens with incredible healthy food available. These are usually Jewish so all food is Kosher.

Food - New York has fabulous Italian food, great Chinese food, wonderful Jewish delicatessens, and prices are very reasonable. Even the food sold by street vendors is tasty and offers excellent value. The range is incredibly diverse, from traditional hot dogs to middle eastern food. The vendors are colourful, sometimes sing as they work, and often make witty comments with their customers. You will find eating areas outside most of the newer buildings provided for staff. I wish they provided that in all cities.

The Crowd and what to do - NYC is very busy, and it has a large population. You can go to Times Square at midnight on any day of the week and find a crowd of people going who knows where, but they do enjoy themselves. Artists will draw a comic caricature of you for about $10 to $15 and they are good. Shops are open until very late, and most restaurants don't actually seem to shut. Broadway offers a wonderful range of live theatre with the best in the world on show, there are coffee houses, clubs, cabaret acts, ballet, opera, rock concerts, the Metropolitan Museum of Art on 5th Avenue where even people who wouldn't normally go to an art galleries or museums will be interested in the display, and the list just goes on. Visit Strawberry Fields and see the John Lennon tribute, go to Harlem, strut with the rich on 5th Avenue, take a ferry to see the Statue of Liberty, visit the site of the World Trade Centre, go to the Empire State Building and see the view from the top, visit the beautiful Grand Central Station that Jackie Onnassis saved from the wreckers hammer, or have your photo taken with the "Bull" in the financial centre in the Wall street area. It is all in NYC and I haven't covered half of it.

Where to Stay - As always I recommend that you stay as close to the centre of activity as possible. If you can't walk out of your apartment into the thick of it, then you are really not living the experience. We stay at the "Radio City Apartments" which is a short walk to Times Square (we walk a lot) and handy to the subway. Manhattan is a long island, so places like Greenwich Village are just too far to walk, so take the subway if your not sure of the distance The apartments are clean, not luxurious, but well priced, and fully self contained. Best of all they are well located for easy access to the hub of the city. Click Here to arrange accommodation in New York . This site has numerous apartments available, as well as the Radio City apartments.

Best Tip - Don't plan any New York holiday for less than a 4 days, especially if it is your first visit. You can probably tell from my comments that NYC was a very pleasant surprise for me and I enjoyed the experience thoroughly. I'm definitely going back.

Always travel with an open mind and don't make judgments about other cultures.

Call again Soon