The Shows
Disney’s production along the Great White Way, “Tarzan the Musical,” features the music of world famous pop musician Phil Collins and a script by celebrated playwright David Henry Hwang. Tony Award-winning musical “Wicked” has taken the Gershwin Theatre by storm and has been one of the biggest smashes to light up Broadway in years. The musical, “Spamalot”, has had audiences rolling in the aisles and was named the best musical to open on Broadway in 2005 by The New York Times.
The Tours
In a city of so many distinct neighborhoods and enclaves, an entire vacation could be built out of simply wandering and seeing the sights. New York’s Chinatown is arguably the world’s best. SoHo, named for the abbreviated form of its geographical location “south of Houston St.,” is an intriguing neighborhood of brick streets and intricate, ornate buildings housing some of the city’s best shopping, from Old Navy to Prada and one-of-a-kind boutiques. Of course, there are also all of New York’s world famous icons to explore: The Empire State Building, Times Square, the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and more. And for jaw-dropping skyline views, take a tour at dusk of Top of the Rock, the newly opened observation deck perched 70 floors above Rockefeller Center.
The Restaurants
In a city that represents so many nationalities, try something exotic, from Indian food at Greenwich Village’s Salaam Bombay to the East Village’s hippest place for Brazilian cuisine and tapas, Esperanto. For the kids, feast on New York’s iconic pizza at John’s of Bleecker Street then dig into Manhattan’s best cupcake at the Magnolia Bakery, both on Bleecker Street in the West Village. After a day of exploring, feed your appetite with some of the most exquisite cuisine in the world. For a night out for mom and dad, there is ultra-posh—and ultra-delicious—French cuisine at the Upper West Side’s Jean Georges at i Central Park West, featuring such delicacies as sea scallops with caper-raisin emulsion.
The Museums
New York boasts a number of world-class museums just waiting to be perused. The Museum of Natural History, located on Manhattan’s Upper West Side at 79th St. and Central Park West, is currently displaying “Darwin,” the most in-depth exhibition ever mounted on scientist Charles Darwin. The world-famous Museum of Modern Art, located on West 53rd between 5th and 6th Avenues, is now more stately than ever after its most extensive renovation in 75 years. But the real attraction is its current exhibit entitled “Pixar: 20 Years of Animation,” which features actual drawings from family favorites like “Toy Story” and “Finding Nemo.”