There’s nothing you can’t do in New York, or so the experts say, and it is a city that opens her arms and welcomes you in to her charm, quirkiness, glamour, grunge all churned up in a great big melting-pot of wonderfulness! There literally is something for everyone and sightseeing New York can take on many different guises. If you’re a shopper, you’ll take one route, if you’re a culture vulture you’ll take another; but if you’re a sports-mad, adrenaline loving, outdoorsy type, well, you’re in for a treat too.

The Yankee Stadium

The iconic original Yankee Stadium still stands, although a brand spanking new one opened adjacent to the site in 2009. The old stadium is now earmarked for demolition but throughout its impressive 85-year history it hosted over 6,500 baseball games. For a sports fan, sightseeing New York would not be complete without a visit to the new Yankee Stadium and, with a bit of planning and foresight, you could secure tickets to a game in what is one of America’s favourite sports. New Yorkers are mad about baseball and which team they support plays a large part in the family lives of the locals.

Meadowlands Stadium

Different game, different ball, but still garnering as much enthusiasm, the New York Jets and the New York Giants have, in the past, battled out their National League football games in nearby New Jersey at the Giants Stadium. Nowadays, their new home is the magnificent Meadowlands Stadium (adjacent to the old Giants site) which, at a cost of $1.6 billion is the most expensive sports arena ever built. With a capacity of 82,000 it is, in itself, an attraction for sightseeing. New York is deservedly proud of its new football stadium and the experience of attending a National League American football game is one not be missed.

New York Marathon

Although usually a holiday is for relaxing and sightseeing, New York’s famous marathon could be a tempting lure to combine a challenge with your culture. The world’s largest marathon attracts around 40,000 runners and up to two million people line the streets to cheer and encourage them to the finish. While the race is popular with elite athletes hoping to break records and secure a place in history, the beauty of the New York Marathon is that it is still a race for the everyman too. Anyone can enter and it is not unusual to see the old, the young, the fat, the thin, the fit and the not so fit, united in their attempts to complete the 26 mile course. Even if you don’t enter and you’re just there for the sightseeing, New York’s marathon creates an amazing atmosphere you will never forget.

Madison Square Garden

Given the title in 2007 as “The World’s Busiest Sports Stadium”, Madison Square Garden hosts over 300 events annually. Basketball, baseball, tennis and hockey are amongst them but the venue is also home to many other forms of entertainment as well. Most of the big names in music have played concerts there, with American singer-songwriter Billy Joel stating that, as far as he was concerned, Madison Square Garden was the centre of the universe. The Garden (as it is known by locals) has also featured in many films and TV shows and when sightseeing New York’s most high profile venue, you are truly seeing a piece of urban history.

Author Bio: Marta Sanders-Cooper is the New York Destination Expert for Shorex, specialising in unique and unmissable, expert-led tours & excursions in major cities around the world, for the best in city sightseeing. New York tours are custom made and constructed from an extensive menu of activities, attractions and excursions, many of which are unique to Shorex.com.

Category: Travel
Keywords: sightseeing. New York