The Big Apple, Gotham, The City That Never Sleeps — however it's known, New York City's name stirs up excitement at the thought of a visit.
When National Tank Truck Carriers members and spouses arrive in the city in May they will find plenty to keep the excitement at a peak. There is the Statue of Liberty to visit, Brooklyn Bridge to ponder buying, Rockefeller Center to view, Central Park to stroll in, and Times Square to experience.
Keeping the energy going is easy with New York's constant reinvention and ongoing openings of restaurants throughout the city's five boroughs, points out NYC & Company, the official marketing and tourism organization for the City of New York.
Among recent restaurant additions are BLT Market, DeStefano's Steakhouse, Fiamma Osteria, Italianissimo Ristorante, Lucy of Gramercy, and Southern Hospitality, recently opened by pop star Justin Timberlake.
Timberlake's new restaurant on the Upper East Side specializes in tasty Southern cuisine with all the fixings. If a burger is your pleasure, Five Guys Famous Burgers and Fries is a newly-arrived Brooklyn outpost of the DC chain and has quickly become a hit with New Yorkers, according to NYC & Company information.
After appetites have been sated, there is the Metropolitan Museum of Art for viewing. One of the museum's special exhibitions during the NTTC meeting is the Tibetan Arms and Armor from the museum's permanent collection. The exhibit presents approximately 35 highlights from the museum's extensive permanent collection of rare and exquisitely decorated armor, weapons, and equestrian equipment from Tibet and related areas of Mongolia and China, dating from the 15th to the 20th century. Included are several recent acquisitions that have never before been displayed or published, according to museum information.
Another highlight of the museum is its opening of the new Hellenistic, Etruscan, and Roman galleries — an entire wing housing over 5,300 objects in more than 30,000 square feet. The wing completes the reconstruction and reinstallation of the permanent galleries of Greek and Roman art.
On the last day of the NTTC meeting, May 20, the museum opens its exhibit of Medieval and Renaissance Treasures from the Victoria and Albert Museum. The Albert and Victoria Museum in London, England, holds one of the world's finest collection of European decorative arts. Thirty-five of its masterpieces will be on view at the Metropolitan. Dating from 300 AD to 1600 AD, the exhibition includes examples of sculpture, metalwork, ceramics, and glass that are rarely lent. The exhibit will provide a rare opportunity to see these works together before they are installed in the new Medieval and Renaissance Galleries opening at the Victoria and Albert Museum in autumn 2009.
Theater entertainment
Turning to theater entertainment, old musical favorites are ongoing productions, such as A Chorus Line, Chicago, The Lion King, and The Phantom of the Opera. More recent stagings include Jersey Boys, based on the life story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, and Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein, based on the 1974 Brooks film of the same name.
Sightseeing
When sightseeing is the order of the day, the Statue of Liberty awaits on its 12-acre island. The statue was a gift of friendship from the people of France to the people of the United States and is a universal symbol of freedom and democracy. Lady Liberty was dedicated October 28, 1886, designated as a National Monument in 1924, and restored for her centennial July 4, 1986. Designed by Frederic Bartholdi, the statue came to symbolize freedom for immigrants.
Statue of Liberty Enlightening the World (French: La liberté éclairant le monde) is the actual name of the Statue of Liberty. Also known as Lady Liberty, the statue is 151 feet one inch tall. It is made of a sheeting of pure copper, hung on a framework of steel while the flame of the torch is coated in gold leaf. The Statue of Liberty National Monument is administered by the National Park Service.
Neighboring Ellis Island, also a National Park Service venue, can be visited as part of a Statue of Liberty tour. Nearly 12 million immigrants passed though Ellis Island. It was reopened to the public in 1990 as the country's primary museum devoted entirely to immigration.
Back in Manhattan, Central Park offers walking tours that are a combination of podcasts, maps, and interactive guides designed to direct park visitors to some of the most remarkable features of the 843-acre park.
It contains several man-made lakes and ponds, walking tracks, two ice-skating rinks, the Central Park Zoo, the Central Park Conservatory Garden, a wildlife sanctuary, a large area of natural woods, a reservoir, an outdoor amphitheater, and grassy areas used for informal or team sports. Several restaurants are in the park, including the popular Tavern on the Green at West 66th Street and Central Park West.
A private, not-for-profit organization manages the park with the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. The park has been a National Historic Landmark since 1963 and was designed by landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted and architect Calvert Vaux.
NTTC members and spouses will be based at a hotel near Times Square, which is home to many large organizations, retail stores, theater shows, restaurants, and special events hosted by the Times Square Alliance, such as the New Year's Eve celebration.
A major intersection in Manhattan, Times Square, is made up of the blocks from Sixth to Eighth Avenue and from West 40th to West 53rd Street at the junction of Broadway and Seventh Avenue. It is an internationally-recognized symbol for the city of New York in large part due to the promotional billboards and digital advertisements that adorn the buildings. It was named after The Times building, the former home of The New York Times newspaper.
Another attraction, the Brooklyn Bridge, crosses the East River connecting Manhattan and Brooklyn. It is one of the oldest suspension bridges in the United States and upon completion was the largest suspension bridge in the world, as well as the first steel-wire suspension bridge.
The bridge is used by motor vehicles, pedestrians, and bicycles. Construction began in January 3, 1870 but the bridge wasn't completed until May 24, 1883. The architecture style is Gothic, with characteristic pointed arches above the passageways through the stone towers. The bridge was designed by John Augustus Roebling in Trenton, New Jersey, and in 1964 it was designated a National Historic Landmark, according to NYC and Company.
Whatever the decisions are for experiencing New York City, it's unlikely the tourist will be disappointed — except when the time comes to return home.