All Abroad

New York: The World In A Day

Manhattan is a melting pot of people and cultures. Wherever you go, from the downtown area up, you will find fascinating glimpses of the varied ethnic groupings and industries that made the city what it is today.

The East Village, which spreads out from St Mark’s Place, is home to the hippest elements of NYC and richly populated with students, artists and musicians. Within walking distance to the West is Greenwich Village, which has become slightly more upmarket than its eastern counterpart but still boasts a vibrant and cosmopolitan atmosphere.

Followers of the fashion flock to the Flatiron District situated in Gramercy Park and the surrounding streets. The latest hotspot for trendy bars and a popular hangout for models and young actors, it is situated a short walk from Fifth Avenue and Madison Avenue, where a large population of designer stores and exclusive shops makes for some of the best window shopping in the world.

Little Italy, centered primarily on Mott Street, has been reduced from a once large neighborhood to a collection of pricey Italian restaurants stretched across three city blocks. Take a trip to Canal Street, however, and you will find that Chinatown is still buzzing.

Orchard Street in the Lower East Side plays host to NYC’s bet and most famous street bazaar every Sunday. Make a day of it browsing the stalls that spread across the surrounding streets and be prepared to barter for the best deals in what is the archetypal Manhattan shopping experience.

For more formal entertainments, head up towards Times Square and 42nd Street for the Theater District, where the most famous Broadway shows are situated. Don’t get too carried away with the opulent atmosphere however, as only moments away on 47th Street and 5th Avenue is the Diamond District, an area through which 80% of the world’s diamonds are sold. Shop very carefully!

Then there’s the Hat District on 30th to 40th Streets between 5th and 6th Avenues, the Silver District on Upper Madison Avenue and even the Shoe District that follows 8th Street between 6th and 2nd Avenue. There is barely a nook or cranny in this city not imbued with its own distinct character.