Ah New York. If you can make it there, you’ll make it anywhere. Sound familiar? It should! It is the catchphrase of one of the most famous musical odes the city has ever known. Barring perhaps her French counterpart, Paris, there is no city in the world which has been so prolifically honoured in song or pose as New York. Sightseeing the city’s most famous, and infamous, landmarks and monuments, it is easy to see why so many have been inspired by her beauty and character.

New York, New York

So good they named it twice! Frank Sinatra sang joyously about arriving in New York from his small town roots and feeling like he could do anything, and be anyone in such a magnificent city. While you’re sightseeing New York’s fabled streets after dark it is not hard to see he was right about waking up “in a city that doesn’t sleep”. New York has an almost tangible, beating heart which may slow to a dull thud in the wee small hours, but never actually sleeps. Take a walk, with a friend of course, along Pell St towards Bowery and indulge your desire for a foot massage at 1am and you will start to understand just what ol’ Blue Eyes was on about.

Broadway

George Benson, that wonderful soulful smoothie, sang poignantly about the superficial magic in the air “on Broadway”, where, if you scratch the surface, beneath the glitz and glamour of a life in lights is a seedy undertone of failure and hunger. Well, despite George’s pessimism, today, Broadway is still one of the most popular places on the itinerary of sightseeing New York. This long, wide stretch between Manhattan and the Bronx is most famous for the many theatres, both large and small, which line the street. Many a career has been made or ‘broke’ here in the hallowed halls, and some of Hollywood’s best-known names have served their apprenticeships treading the boards on Broadway.

New York State of Mind

Billy Joel, one of America’s best-loved singer songwriters penned his own love-song to the city back in 1978 and people are still singing it today. Growing up in the Bronx, Billy Joel forged an enduring romance with New York and his song tells of having travelled around the world living the high life mixing with movie stars (Hollywood); and experiencing some of the most beautiful natural landscapes in the world (in the Rockies); but still, when it came down to it, for him, he would forever be “in a New York state of mind”. Sightseeing New York’s Bronx district today, one is struck by the amount of fresh urbanisation occurring in what has previously been described as America’s ‘worst neighbourhood’.

Angel of Harlem

Modern music’s most famous super-band, U2, had a monster hit with their homage to New York – Angel of Harlem. Singing about touching down at JFK on a cold and rainy December day may not, on paper, seem poetic, however the passion and feeling with which Bono croons the lyrics certainly is. U2’s story of the underground music scene in Harlem will resonate with anyone who has visited the seedy but soulful clubs like the Cotton Club or the Lennox Lounge. Sightseeing New York’s jazz clubs after dark is one of the true pleasures of a visit to this wonderfully vibrant city.

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