New York City is located at the confluence of the Hudson River, Long Island and the Atlantic Ocean.

The City has a population of 8,000,000 people contained within 309 square miles made up of five boroughs: Brooklyn, the Bronx, Manhattan, Queens and Staten Island - each of which are cities in their own right.

To explore New York fully therefore, takes time and if you are planning a long wekend, plan out what you hope to do before you go. Otherwise you'll find yourself stretched to capacity and exhausted.

The heart of the city is Manhattan, a 58 sq km island of skyscrapers surrounding Central Park. This area is home to Wall Street, Times Square, Soho, Greenwich Village, Upper West Side, the exclusive Upper East Side and the lights of Broadway. Just exploring Manhattan is a task in itself!

New York City is fast-paced and the American expression 'in a New York minute' means 'immediately.' Totally the opposite of Manana.

Out of this frenzy is born the sterotypical 'hard-boiled New Yorker' with a reputation for being self-centered, rude, and impatient. This attitude stems from the fact that New York is a hard city where you either make it or it breaks you. As a tourist, this cultural explosion is worth taking in on its own.

Every time you visit, discover a new face to New York. The MoMA (Museum of Modern Art) is basking in architect Yoshio Taniguchi's renovation, The Lincoln Center boasts a new jazz venue and the Rubin Museum of Art in Manhattan's up-and-coming Chelsea has opened to display an intriguing collection of Himalayan tangkas (paintings on fabric).

Shopping is even more tempting now thanks to the Time Warner Center and the new Bloomingdale's in SoHo.

Summers are hot and humid (25°C) and winters cold (0°C). Late spring and autumn are just perfect with clear, sunny skies and moderate temperatures