Destination of the Week: New York City (page 2)

by Shabana Adam | 26 June 2012

3. Hop on board a free ferry

The Staten Island Ferry offers travellers views of Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty on the 25-minute single journey between Lower Manhattan and Staten Island. The ferry operates 24-hours a day and remains completely free of charge. Timing the journey with sunset will give great views of the sun going down behind the Statue of Liberty and the city’s lit-up skyline.

Visitors with less time on their hands, or looking for an alternative route, might want to jump on board the free Governors Island ferry, which operates each Saturday and Sunday through the summer months until 30^th September. Ferries run to Governors Island from both the Battery Maritime Building in Lower Manhattan and from Pier 6 in Brooklyn Bridge Park.

4. Take advantage of three nights for the price of two

Sixteen hotels from The Signature Collection, a group of New York City’s luxury hotels, will participate in NYC & Company’s Third Night promotion this summer. The programme gives visitors a third night free at participating hotels when they book and pay for two consecutive nights between 25^th June and 3^rd September 2012.

In addition, Third Night customers will receive both a Key to Madison Avenue card, providing special offers at the luxury retail district on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, and a VIP shopping experience at Saks Fifth Avenue’s flagship store in Midtown Manhattan.

Participating properties include The Lowell New York, The Carlyle, The London NYC, Mandarin Oriental New York, The New York Palace, The Ritz-Carlton New York, Trump International Hotel & Tower New York; Trump SoHo New York and The Waldorf Towers to name a few..

5. Rise with the lark or dance the night away at free concerts

Being up and out of the hotel before dawn might not appeal to all holidaymakers, but when it offers the chance to attend free concerts by big-name artists, a double shot of espresso might just sweeten the blow. The Good Morning America Summer Concert Series sees artists including LMFAO (29^th June) and No Doubt (27^th July) performing in Central Park to broadcast live on the popular breakfast show, so crowds gather as soon as the park opens at 6am.

Later risers might prefer to watch OK Go at Williamsburg Park in Brooklyn (19^th July) or Big Daddy Kane at Queensbridge Park in Queens (18^th July), while the World Financial Center will host the Lowdown Hudson Blues Festival from 11^th – 12^th July.

Classical music and opera lovers will also be catered for with free concerts by the New York Philharmonic across all five boroughs and the Metropolitan Opera Summer Recital Series.

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Shabana Adam