New York

     Greetings everyone! It's Stephen Gaiber: The Autistic Traveler again. For today's blog, we're going to talk about the city that never sleeps, New York City. Let me tell you, it is a very lively city, from museums to family entertainment to tourist traps to restaurants to famous sites and everything you can imagine. This diverse city is where most of the immigrants came from, stopping on Ellis Island to start a new life. Some of these immigrants include Italians, Jews, Russian, all different types of people. There's a lot to explore and so little time to explore it all, so let's explore New York City.

   Since there's a lot to offer in New York City, let's talk about some interesting facts that make New York the city that it is. The city was originally called New Amsterdam -- too bad they aren't as liberal as real Amsterdam. The city was first founded in 1625, with the first settlers coming in 1624. The island of Manhattan was named after the Native American tribe that lived in Manhattan. For a year, 1789 to 1790, it was the nation's capital. Imagine if Trump was president then how he'd feel at home with his little adoring crowd. Speaking of minorities, 52% are women and half of residents over the age of 5 speak a foreign language. Even though most of us think New York is big, it's only 300 square miles.

 

    There are a lot of sites that New York has to offer, from big buildings, excellent museums, excellent views, and so much more. New York has many walking tours from Wall Street, movies, Madison Square Garden, and transportation walking tours. Sadly, since there is only so much time I've had throughout my duration in New York, I have been unable to do a walking tour, but I hope one day to do a walking tour.

    One of the most famous museums is the Natural History Museum. It has dinosaurs and creatures from all over the world, as well as science exhibits. It is one of New York's historic sites. There is a lot to learn, such as how the dinosaurs were made and a very topical subject, global warming. There are a lot of creatures from all over the world. I think this is an excellent place to explore if one has a free day.

    New York has no shortage of art museums. Some of the famous art museums include the Museum of Modern Art, which always has new exhibits. It is also free every Friday after 5pm, but be aware of very long lines. Another famous art museum is the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. The art is displayed all around the museum and shows all different types of art on each level. Each level you walk up, you see the art on display and see different types of amazing art. It's definitely worth walking up all the floors.

    The best art museum is the Metropolitan Museum of Art, known as the Met. Wow! is this museum big and amazing. I mean, one could literately spend a whole day there and still miss out on a lot of art. The types of art include European and British art, Egyptian and Pharaoh art, Asian art, and New Zealand art. This museum consists of several main floors, where one would get engaged in seeing all the different types of art work and feel they are experiencing the culture. The best art, I feel, is the Egyptian art because it feels like YOU are in ancient Egypt. It is 2 million square feet. One might be able to get admission just by making a donation rather than paying the suggested price for admission. I've done that throughout the years, but it's at the discretion of the person selling tickets. If one has A LOT of time in New York and is not rushed, it's worth spending a whole day at the Met.

    New York has some great views, such as Top of the Rock, Chrysler Building, and Empire State Building. They're all really excellent. There is now a new excellent building to see views, the One World Observatory. It's right near the 9/11 Museum and is a great reminder of how great New York is. I loved exploring the excellent views really high up. One can see the beautiful skyline, showing the entire city, and get a history lesson too. One should definitely explore this if one happens to be near the 9/11 memorial.

    There's no reason why one should ever have to pay full price for admission unless one is only interested in literately seeing one thing throughout New York. There are many different passes that include the New York Pass, the New York Sightseeing Pass, the New York CityPass, and the New York Explorer Card. My two favorites that I would recommend if one wants to have unlimited choices for a certain amount of time would be between the New York Pass and the New York Sightseeing Pass. They are pretty much the same with some exceptions. Some of the things that the New York Pass offers that the Sightseeing pass doesn't offer are the Museum of Sex and the Empire State Building. The New York Sightseeing Pass does offer discounts at Planet Hollywood and Buffalo Wild Wings.

    If one only is in New York for a day or two and only has a select few attractions to see, maybe the New York CityPass or Explorer Card is right for YOU. The New York Explorer Card lets you pick a certain amount of attractions for a certain price. The New York CityPass will either let you pick between three of a certain amount of attractions or six attractions all together with three allowed and a choice between three others. There's a lot to explore in New York and to get the best bang for your buck, one should get at least one sort of pass.

    New York has a lot to offer the average person. Some of the attractions it has to offer include museums, history, shopping, tours, famous sporting events, and just a place to spend time. People from all over the world consider New York a prime place to visit and I hope I gave you some better insight into why that is. Please feel free to watch my video at https://youtu.be/dczxBA2SfzQ