New York Area Guide
USA

Niagara Falls [Horseshoe Falls] in winter, New York State, USA; photo by de Rahier.

Attractions in the New York area
New York is one of the must see cities of the world with stunning sights, activities and shopping, while a bit of a hike north are renowned Niagara Falls, but there are many more things to see and do in the vicinity.

Downsides:
- Winter weather can be severe, particularly on the coast, with below zero blizzard conditions, while the summer can bring brain melting heatwaves.
- The big cities suffer from crime in some areas, making night walking particularly risky, but the problem is easily overcome by sticking to tourist areas and taking the opportunity to experience Yellow Cab crazies.

Climate:
Best: May-June or Sept for good weather but avoiding midsummer heat, Oct-Nov for leaf fall in Central Park and outside the cities.
Worst: Jan - March, short dark days and possibly very cold and stormy.
Okay: April, Dec especially Christmas in New York; July-Aug when the Big Apple bakes.

Main Attractions:

New York State
New York City and the country's largest waterfall put the state on the must-see list. It also has some good outdoor recreation possibilities, wine tasting opportunities and great lakes interest.
New York City: superb shopping, world class museums, some excellent architecture, a vibrant and beautiful park, famously yellow cabs and the best city skyline in the world. Manhattan Pictures
Niagara Falls: this awesome force is best viewed from the Canadian side or from underneath in a boat, though both sides are blighted by commercial tat.

Rockaway Beach, Long Island, New York State

Long Island: beyond Queens and Brooklyn, on the south-western tip of the island lies New York's main seaside recreation area, with popular beaches and resorts.
The beach to avoid is Jones beach which packs beachgoers in like sardines.
South Fork has the most exclusive towns, North Fork Less so but both areas are classy. They are separated by Shelter Island, which has a nature reserve.

Hudson Valley: the Hudson River winds its way down the eastern edge of the state with the Adironack and Catskill Mountains to the west.
Sleepy Hollow and Tarrytown have a good selection of historic buildings while art lovers will find sculpture at the Storm King Art Center in Mountainville and works by the Hudson River painters at the Francis Lehman Loeb Art Center in Poughkeepsie. Further north the Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site is architecturally rich.

Albany, the state capital, hosts the State Museum and not much else.
Cooperstown has some good museums, especially the National Baseball Museum and Fenimore Art Museum.
Saratoga Springs, further upriver, has a Springs State Park for activities, and a lengthy horse racing history displayed in the National Museum of Racing. Saratoga Performing Arts Center stages performances by some of New York's top classical music and dance artists; the National Dance Museum is also here.

Adironack Mountains: the state's most mountainous region contains forests, lakes, rivers and thousands of miles of hiking trails. Lake Placid sports an Olympic Center with ski jumping, bobsleigh and ice skating facilities.
The Saranacs are good for more regular skiing, canoeing and hiking. Get to them via Blue Mountain Lake.

Finger Lakes: several long, thin lakes give the region its name, but in addition to the obvious watersport possibilities there are also dozens of vineyards, hiking and biking - especially at Watkins Glen State Park - and winter snowfall allows for cross country skiing.

St Lawrence River: defining the border with Canada, this river is used commercially to get ships from the Atlantic through to the Great Lakes, including locks of the Lawrence Seaway. The main attractions along the river include:
The Thousand Islands for watersports; Boldt Castle on Heart Island; pleasant towns such as Cape Vincent on the edge of Lake Ontario.

Pratt Rock, Catskill Mountains, New York State; photo by Austin Donisan

Catskill Mountains: a popular recreational area just north of New York, for gentle hiking and whitewater rafting, and also famous for holding the Woodstock Music Festivals.

New Jersey
Very much the suburbs of New York City but despite this and a relatively small size, New Jersey has some unique and worthwhile attractions.

The Statue of Liberty: that's right the Big Girl is in New Jersey not New York, a trifle pedantic, but true!
Get to it via Liberty State Park in Jersey City, or from Manhattan by boat. Manhattan Pictures

Atlantic City boardwalk [the beach is on the right side], New Jersey; photo by Italo2712

Jersey Shoreline: Cape May is the oldest seaside resort in the USA with hundreds of 19thC buildings, a zoo, lighthouse, and marine wildlife around the cape.
There's also Wildwoods, a somewhat bizarre 1950's style beach resort with a multitude of neon lit motels and a party atmosphere while Sandy Hook National Recreation Area and Island Beach State Park offer more solitude.
You could also visit Atlantic City, inspiration for the original Monopoly game, for gambling in the many casinos or simply long, salty strolls along its fine boardwalk [the first in the world]beside the massive, user-friendly beach. But avoid night walks as crime is rife aaway from the beach and gambler's glitz.

Princeton is home to the famous ivy league university with some fine architecture and a very pleasant campus as well as the McCormick Art Museum.

Pennsylvania
A generally pleasant, green and agricultural state made colourful by the Amish and their ancient customs, autumn leaf falls and the most important city in the history of the country's independence, Philadelphia.

The Italian Market, Philadelphia; photo by Massimo Catarinella

Philadelphia, once the capital of the USA, independence started here on 4th July, 1776, so it has dozens of top historic attractions in the Independence National Historic Park while Benjamin Franklin Parkway hosts the excellent Rodin Museum, Academy of Natural Science Museum and Frankin Institute Science Museum.
Fairmount Park features an impressive Greek Temple structure housing the excellent Philadelphia Museum of Art, and several old mansions are open to the public.
Other cultural highlights include the University Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology in the university area and the State Aquarium and Independence Seaport Museum on the waterfront.

Amish people in Dutch Country, Pennsylvania

Dutch Country is where the Amish live, a fascinating Swiss-origin religious culture, living simply in plain clothes with low technology and horse drawn buggies as transport. Get out on the backroads and explore as some farms offer accommodation; their home made food is legendary.

Pittsburgh: another of the USA's much revitalised industrial cities, the city is a must see for the Andy Warhol enthusiast as it has an excellent museum of his works.
Try the touristy Golden Triangle with Point State Park and museums; the superb Carnegie Science Center and Andy Warhol Museums on the North Side; Oakland for the towering 19th C Gothic architecture of the Cathedral of Learning, plus the Carnegie Museums of Art and Natural History, and the Frick Museums.

Gettysburg, site of the most famous civil war battle and now home to the related Gettysburg National Military Park and several museums.

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