How to Time Your Trip to New York

What other city has the audacity to style itself "the capital of the world" and not get called to the carpet? New York is a city of superlatives, where you can tour famous buildings, monuments and museums, or better yet, wander through its colorful neighborhoods. Whenever you visit, this city is always happening.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Travel Clothes
• Walking Shoes
• Local Guidebooks To New York City
• Maps
• Airline Tickets
• Travel Services
• Cameras
• Film

General Considerations

1. Late spring and early fall bring the best weather to New York. Summers are often sweltering and stinky, while snowfall and freezing temperatures are common during the winter. The average July high is 84 degrees F; the average January low is 26 degrees F.
2. Check out what festivals, expositions and live performances are happening.
3. Take care of your flight, transportation and accommodations (see Related eHows).
4. Check the weather forecast for New York shortly before leaving, and pack accordingly.

Attractions and Seasonal Events

5. Don your elastic waistband pants and eat your fill of exotic foods at the International Food Fair on 9th Avenue in mid-May.
6. Listen to the greatest musicians in jazz at the JVC Jazz Festival. About 300 artists play 40 venues in and around New York during the second half of June.
7. Join the million-plus people who participate in the Caribbean Day parade on Labor Day, in Brooklyn.
8. Watch the latest arrivals to the silver screen at the New York Film Festival, held at the Lincoln Center in late September to early October.
9. Explore New York's world-class museums, but pick attractions that interest you before heading into these endless collections. Start with the Metropolitan Museum of Art (the Met) and continue up 5th Avenue above 57th Street, known as Museum Mile. Don't miss the Guggenheim Museum and the American Museum of Modern History. Apart from this mile, be sure to visit the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) at 11 West 53rd Street.
10. Ascend the building and monument that symbolize the city and the nation. Both the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty afford great views of New York City, and both views require waiting in line.
11. Relax and regain your sanity in Central Park; it was designed for that. Still, it's busy too, except for some areas above 72nd Street.

Tips & Warnings

• New York is in a perpetual state of tourist high season. The only time there's even the possibility of lower hotel rates and airfares is from January to March.
• Subways and taxis are faster, but walking is the best way to see New York up close and personal.
• To find out what things are going on in the city (like plays and musicals, on or off Broadway), try "The Village Voice" or "The New Yorker." They might be available at a good bookstore in your hometown.
• Recovering shopaholics beware: This town could easily send you in a downward spiral.