Top 10 New York City experiences
We asked Smithsonian Student Travel Tour Director Geoff Drewyor about his favorite things to do and see in New York City. Here are his top picks:
1) The Empire State Building
A climb to the 86th floor observation deck is an incredible introduction to the Big Apple and is not to be missed! On a clear night you can see not only the famous yellow taxis and pedestrians spinning circles down below, but also the Statue of Liberty presiding over the harbor far in the distance... not to mention everything in between. And there is no better place to act like King Kong!
2) Cheesecake
Some experiences in New York are not tied to any single
destination. There is great food everywhere. Cheesecake
just happens to be a personal favorite of mine, and I always seem to manage to point my groups in the direction of some of the sweetest places to sample. From Times Square to Chinatown, you’ll find cheesecake that is good enough to spoil any dinner.
3) Dylan’s Candy Bar
While I’m on the subject of my sweet tooth, I might as well mention the most colorful store in the city. While most target Macy’s, Bloomingdales and Saks Fifth Avenue, my spare change heads to Dylan’s Candy Bar on the Upper East Side. Inside its treat-lined walls are treasures that you thought had disappeared when you were still on training wheels. And they are as fun to see and smell as they are to taste.
4) Broadway
There are few things in New York more magical than leading a group through the pre-theater crowds in the midst of Times Square’s glowing neon lights en route to a Broadway Show. The best part is that a Broadway show, be it serious or silly, rarely disappoints. These are the best productions with the best actors in the best setting. It’s a spectacle every time. And when we just so happen to run into a celebrity on our way into the show, that’s even better. But I refuse to drop any names here. You have to go celebrity spotting for yourself!
5) Apollo Theater
One of my favorite tour memories is singing with a group of students on the stage of the Apollo Theater in Harlem on the very platform which has seen singing legends swept off the stage by the most demanding of audiences. It would have been wonderful enough simply to finish my song at center stage, but the icing on the cake was the cheering crowd as I completed my performance. Let’s forget the fact that they were my own tour group and focus on the fact that they loved my show!
6) Wollman Rink
My favorite free-time tour experience for about five months out of the year is skating circles around the ice at Wollman Rink. While the masses flock to the much smaller rink in Rockefeller Center, I often lead my groups to this oasis of late autumn and winter tranquility which is nestled in Central Park and offers plenty of room to truly stretch one’s legs and push your skating abilities to the limit. Top it off with a hot chocolate on the way out of the park, and it makes for a great afternoon.
7) The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island
After growing accustomed to buildings that rise through the clouds throughout New York, the Statue of Liberty may not stand as tall as one imagined it upon first glance. But every time that I encourage my groups to see it through the eyes of a typical immigrant in the early 1900s – a person who has left everything behind for just the chance at a better life – Lady Liberty immediately begins standing taller. She stood sentry over the harbor welcoming hope into the lives of millions. Through those eyes, she is quite a sight to behold.
8) World Trade Center Site
All of our lives changed on September 11, 2001. A visit to the World Trade Center site is often an emotional and difficult experience for groups. It is also an opportunity for many of them to reflect and share their connection to the events of that unforgettable day. My most memorable visits to this hallowed ground involve conversations with those who were there: restaurant owners across the street, firemen and co-workers of victims. I doubt the students who have experienced these moments with me will soon forget the experience, nor will I.
9) The Brooklyn Bridge
When it was first built, the Brooklyn Bridge connected two of the largest cities in the United States to one another, but there was one problem: it was so long that people were scared to cross it. Twenty-one circus elephants were paraded across to prove just how stable the bridge was, and the rest is history. More than 100 years later, walking across the bridge is still one of the great thrills New York has to offer. My most adventurous groups have completed the entire span of the bridge and celebrated with ice cream down below before a subway ride back into Manhattan.
10) Start Spreading the News…
Some things in New York just happen and many of my best tour moments fall very much into this category. Whether it’s accidentally stumbling through a film set for the next great blockbuster movie, sliding down the pole at a fire station downtown, or even joining forces with strangers during a blizzard to make 30 snow angels simultaneously in the middle of Rockefeller Plaza, it’s safe to say that you never quite know what you’ll experience during a visit to New York!