Holiday rentals in New York

Brash and busy, luminous and life-affirming, there’s nowhere like New York City. Manhattan alone is enough to take your breath away; the island bustles with energy and excellence, laying claim to some of humankind’s greatest commercial and cultural contributions. The theatres of Broadway. The wolves of Wall Street. The fashionistas of Fifth Avenue. World-famous landmarks from the Empire State Building to the Statue of Liberty. A dining scene large enough to embrace almost every cuisine on the planet. You’d think New York could simply stop there, but it extends far beyond glittering Art Deco facades and a jaw-dropping silhouette. From Brooklyn to the Bronx, Queens to Long Island, each surrounding neighborhood adds its own flavor, creating a heady brew of cultures that’s entirely unique and utterly inimitable.

There are crowds in Midtown every day of the year, and international events happen weekly. The social calendar includes Fashion Week in February and the Tribeca Film Festival in April, while Flushing Meadows hosts the US Tennis Open at the end of August. American holidays are celebrated here with an extravagance seen nowhere else, from the famously televised Thanksgiving Day Parade to the 4th of July fireworks that explode over the East and Hudson rivers; from the lighting of the iconic Christmas tree towering over ice skaters in Rockefeller Center to the New Year’s Eve ball-drops in Times Square. Temperatures in summer and winter can reach the extreme ends of the scale, especially in Manhattan. In July and August, its miles of metal and glass intensify the stultifying heat, while freezing winds whistle through the city’s manmade canyons during the winter months.

The View from the East River Ferry

Some of the greatest views of the NYC skyline are enjoyed from the water. The Staten Island Ferry skirts past the Statue of Liberty on its way south from Downtown, but the sights from the East River Ferry are even more spectacular: a 50-minute cruise from Midtown to Brooklyn (beneath the Brooklyn Bridge) for the price of a single subway token. If you’re still not satisfied, walk back across the bridge and gaze for free.

Belvedere Castle

Created as a gothic folly by Central Park’s designers in 1869, this decorative castle doesn’t just look good from the outside. Perched on top of a rock, it offers views from its observation deck across the 840 acres of New York City’s most beloved green space, and is the perfect point from which to explore the Ramble and the boating lake to the south.

The Times Square TKTS Discount Booth

It might be no architectural wonder, but the TKTS booth deserves a visit just as surely as Grand Central Station. Offering same-day discounts on tickets for dozens of Broadway shows, it’s an affordable way to enjoy the theatre culture of which New Yorkers are rightfully proud. And you can take in Times Square’s famous light show as you do.