BEING THERE

The best way to find your way around New York is by foot, and because the city is based on a grid system it's relatively easy to do so. Developed as a verticle city, one of the obvious attractions is the architecture, particularly the Empire State, the World Trade Centre, the Chrysler building and one of the earliest 1930s skyscrapers, the Flatiron building, a triangular building on Fifth Avenue and Broadway and 23rd Street.

Museums are one of the unquestionable attractions of New York, both for their fine collections and their variety. The Metropolitan Museum, The Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Guggenheim, the Museum of Modern Art, The Frick collection and the Museum of Radio and Television are not to be missed. The American Museum of the Moving Image, the Museum of Broadcasting, the Pierpont Morgan Library and the Whitney Museum of American Art are all outstanding examples.

Art galleries are the basic complement to museums since New York remains the world's most important hub of contemporary art. Leo Castelli, Paula Cooper, Gagosian and Pace are some of the most relevant.

'If you don't find it in NY, maybe it doesn't exist' states an advertising slogan. The truth is that, from fashion stores to the most specialised bookstores, in New York you can find practically anything. The best stores are located between 6th and Lexington Avenue, and 45th and 46th streets.The most picturesque and perhaps the most appealing shopping can be done downtown, in the Soho and Greenwich Village areas where a great number of artists live.

The culinary possibilities of this city are amazingly diverse and all the world's gastronomies are represented here. If this is your first time visiting the city try Zagat's Guide which is undoubtedly the best, or look for the culinary reviews in the New York Time where experts constantly review the many new restaurants in the city. Once you have decided what cuisine you like best, regional specialites are often concentrated by areas.

Although the general idea is that New York is Manhattan, the rest of the boroughs have their own particular attractions. Take time out to walk around the Botanical Gardens in Brooklyn and The Bronx especially during the spring and fall. The legendary ferry to Staten Island gives you an opportunity to view downtown Manhattan, the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. The summer months in Fire Island and the Hamptons would appeal to those who like the beach-life and for park lovers; visit the Robert Moses State Park.