Visiting New York City Metropolitan Area

New York summer - hear the crowd at Citi Field cheering on the Mets as the Yankees raise the roof at Yankee Stadium. May’s fleet week marks summer is nearly here. Families celebrate Memorial Day at the Governors Island Family Festival and shoppers flock to Woodbury Common Premium Outlets for their annual Memorial Day weekend sale. In lower Manhattan, the Freedom Tower is now officially the tallest structure in New York, as work progresses at the World Trade Center; nearby, the Ground Zero Memorial and Museum are a must. New York City hotels feature 18 Best Western locations – check-in, and enjoy summer in New York City.

It’s a great season on Broadway for theater fans. The Tony Award’s most nominated 2012 show, Once, is on stage at Bernard B. Jacobs Theater. Fresh from London, One Man, Two Guvnors is on Stage at Music Box Theater on 45th Street. And Nice Work if You Can Get It, starring Matthew Broderick, is at the Imperial Theater. There’s a long list of shows, so plan ahead to get your favorites in.

It is the season for a Circle Line Sightseeing Cruise around Manhattan. Relax and enjoy the sites as Circle Line cruisers motor through New York Harbor, past the Statue of Liberty, around lower Manhattan and under the Brooklyn Bridge up New York's East River. See New York landmarks including the Empire State Building, the United Nations Headquarters, and Roosevelt Island. As the boat heads north to the Bronx, you'll cruise past Yankee Stadium. Cruise under Henry Hudson Bridge on the return down the Hudson River, past the Cloisters and back to the 42nd Street Docks. A complete tour of New York City, with no walking and no traffic - Circle Line is a nice way to see it all.

Pressed for time? Take the Beast Speedboat Ride past the Statue of Liberty. This is a speedboat ride featuring a custom 70-foot racing boat ride.The tour reaches speeds up to 40 miles per hour, for a half tour out and back ride past Lady Liberty. It’s quick, fun and refreshing on a warm summer New York day.

Fourth of July in New York is unbeatable. The well-known Macy’s Fourth of July Fireworks are spectacular as they light up the Statue of Liberty and the New York skyline. 2012 features the 36th Annual Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks, launched from barges along the Hudson River. We’ve seen it on TV, see the New York Fireworks live and check it off your bucket list.

Brooklyn’s Coney Island is increasingly more well known as the site of Nathan’s Annual July Fourth International Hot Dog Eating Contest. Held in Coney Island at the flagship Nathan’s Famous, the 2012 event is the 97th year for the contest. Check-out the champions at the corner of Surf Avenues and Stillwell Avenues; men and women now compete separately, with last year's men’s winner devouring 62 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes and the first ever women’s champion downing 40. Hungry?

New York City Metropolitan Area Hotel Map