Your first stop should be the Empire State Building. Located at 34th Street and Fifth Avenue, the tower is dazzlingly tall, and a trip to the top (don't worry, there are elevators) offers an incomparable view of the entire city.
Next, a trip to Ellis Island will give you a chance to revisit the place your ancestors may have passed through. Take the subway all the way downtown (Lower Manhattan), and a ferry will shuttle you to the island. Bonus: the boat ride takes you right past the Statue of Liberty!
New York is home to some of the world's most famous museums. Your first stop should be the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Located on the ritzy Upper East Side, the Met will afford you world-class art and a scenic stroll along Central Park all in one stop. Be sure to snap up some souvenir art from street vendors, and check out the rooftop bar for a cocktail and some skyline gazing.
The other can't-miss museum is the Museum of Modern Art, located on 51st Street. The art here is more contemporary, and the gift shop is famous for eccentric treasures. While you're here, swing by the nearby Plaza Hotel and the stores on Fifth Avenue.
Walking tours are an inexpensive way to see the city. Pick one up in Greenwich Village, the funky, artistic neighborhood home to New York University. SoHo offers fantastic shopping, and Chinatown and Little Italy are home to outstanding ethnic cuisine.
But New York isn't just Manhattan! For a fun jaunt to Brooklyn, stroll across the Brooklyn Bridge (it's really not that long!) and hit Grimaldi's, a famous pizza restaurant, for dinner. The Bronx Zoo is another reason to ditch the skyscrapers.
