A Guide to the Areas of New York City

One of the most popular places to take a city vacation in the world, the charm of NYC is something everyone should witness once in their lifetime. However most people tend to just make it to one of area of the city instead of exploring the other places this huge city has to offer. Here's the lowdown on New York City's boroughs and what you should do there.

Manhattan

If this is your first time in the Big Apple, you'll probably want to stay somewhere on Manhattan, preferably in the area around Central Park and Times Square. Manhattan is where most of the classic tourist attractions and major museums are along with being the historic part of the city. Although hotels might be more expensive here, you'll save on transportation as many attractions are within walking distance.

Brooklyn

The up and coming trend-setting part of New York, Brooklyn is just across the East River from Manhattan, connected by the iconic Brooklyn Bridge. Well out of the fast-paced and ever-bustling area of Manhattan, Brooklyn has a much more relaxed and chilled-out vibe to it, with many New Yorkers preferring to live there and commute into Manhattan for work. Being much less chaotic than across the river, Brooklyn is perfect for renting a bicycle and cycling around.

Queens

One of the most ethically diverse places in the world, Queens is a melting pot of cultures, with around half of the people living there being foreign born. Queens is full of cheap accommodation, meaning it's often the area most foreigners coming to find work in the city first go to and tend to stay there. It's a great place to explore for those with over a few days in NYC or people who have been there before and already seen the major attractions in New York. If you're interested in seeing the area's multiculturalism for yourself, head to Jackson Heights which is full of ethnic shops and restaurants, the majority being from South America and South Asia.

Queens is also home to the city's two major airports, John F. Kennedy International Airport and LaGuardia Airport.

The Bronx

Just north of Manhattan Island, the Bronx is the only part of NYC that is actually on mainland US. Once known as a hotspot for crime and full of the city's roughest neighborhoods, the city has since cleaned up its streets but the reputation has stuck. While there are some nice areas nowadays in the Bronx, there's not a lot to see there for tourists, some exceptions being the Bronx Zoo and the Yankee Stadium for baseball games.

Staten Island

Staten Island may be almost three times as big as Manhattan, but its population is over three times less. A far cry from the towering skyscrapers of Manhattan, Staten Island is covered in huge parks and its streets are mostly lined with houses rather than apartments. You can get a great view of the Statue of Liberty from the ferry that runs from Manhattan to Staten Island, it also makes for a great day trip.

In Addition

What most visitors don't tend to realize is that New York City is just a small part of the larger New York State. Most residents tend to refer to the rest of the state outside of the city as upstate New York. The state itself is huge, the largest in the Northeast of the US, and there are a multitude of country parks and towns to explore for those who want a taste of New York outside of the bustling city.