New York City Shore Excursion: Pre-Cruise Half-Day Private Tour

Midtown Manhattan is the central portion of the borough and serves as New York City's primary central business district.
- It features iconic landmarks such as the Empire State Building, Chrysler Building, Hudson Yards Redevelopment Project, United Nations Headquarters, Grand Central Terminal, and Rockefeller Center.
- Notable tourist attractions include Broadway, Times Square, and Koreatown.
- Penn Station, located in Midtown, is the busiest transportation hub in the Western Hemisphere.
- Midtown is among the largest central business districts globally and one of the most expensive real estate markets.
- Fifth Avenue in Midtown has recorded the world's highest retail rents, averaging US$3,000 per square foot annually.

A Catholic cathedral in Midtown Manhattan, serving as the seat of the Archbishop of New York and a parish church.
- Occupies a full city block between 5th Avenue, Madison Avenue, 50th Street, and 51st Street, across from Rockefeller Center.
- Designed by James Renwick Jr., it is the largest Gothic Revival Catholic cathedral in North America.
- Construction began in 1858 to serve the growing Archdiocese and replace St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral.
- Work paused during the American Civil War; completed in 1878 and dedicated on May 25, 1879.
- Archbishop’s house and rectory built in the early 1880s, also by Renwick; spires added in 1888.

A 102-story Art Deco skyscraper in Midtown South, Manhattan, New York City

- Designed by Shreve, Lamb & Harmon; built between 1930 and 1931

- Named after New York's nickname, "Empire State"

- Roof height: 1,250 feet (380 m); total height with antenna: 1,454 feet (443.2 m)
- World's tallest building until 1970, surpassed by the North Tower of the World Trade Center

- Regained title of NYC's tallest building after September 11, 2001, until One World Trade Center surpassed it in 2012

Also known as GCT for short, is a major commuter rail hub and the southern terminus of Metro-North Railroad’s Harlem, Hudson, and New Haven Lines.

- It is the third-busiest train station in North America, after New York Penn Station and Toronto Union Station.
- The Beaux-Arts architecture and interior design have earned it multiple landmark designations, including National Historic Landmark status.
- Grand Central attracts over 21 million visitors annually (excluding transit passengers) and features in numerous films and TV shows.
- Amenities include shops, upscale restaurants, a food hall, grocery marketplace, library, event hall, tennis club, control center, railroad offices, and a sub-basement power station.
- Built by the New York Central Railroad, the terminal opened in 1913 on the site of two earlier stations and served intercity trains until 1991.

Originally the Fuller Building, is a 22-story, 285-foot (86.9 m) steel-framed landmark at 175 Fifth Avenue in Manhattan’s Flatiron District.
- Designed by Daniel Burnham and Frederick P. Dinkelberg, it was nicknamed "Burnham's Folly" and completed in 1902 with 20 floors.
- Located on a triangular block bordered by Fifth Avenue, Broadway, and East 22nd Street, with East 23rd Street at its northern peak.
- Its name comes from its triangular shape, reminiscent of a cast-iron clothes iron. Pre-Cruise Half-Day Private Tour

A 9.75-acre public park in Greenwich Village, Lower Manhattan, New York City.
- Iconic landmark and hub for cultural activity and gatherings.
- Features the Washington Square Arch at the northern entrance, symbolizing nonconformity.
- Fountain area is a popular city spot for visitors and locals.
- Surrounding buildings have housed artists’ homes and studios.
- Many structures built or repurposed by New York University for academic and residential use.

Also known as The West Village buzzes with stylish crowds flocking to chic boutiques and trendy eateries.
- Charming cobblestone streets showcase Federal-style townhouses and welcoming public squares.
- Iconic spots like the Village Vanguard and the historic Stonewall Inn define its vibrant history.
- The area thrives with piano bars, cabarets, and theaters, keeping its artistic spirit alive.

The Meatpacking District buzzes with energy on the far west side.
- Home to the Whitney Museum of American Art, designer boutiques, and a scenic stretch of the High Line and Little Island.
- Cobblestone streets brim with chic restaurants and lively clubs in repurposed meatpacking spaces.

"SoHo" stands for "South of Houston Street," a name coined in 1962 by urban planner Chester Rapkin, author of *The South Houston Industrial Area* study, also called the "Rapkin Report."
- The name also references Soho in London's West End.
- Most of SoHo lies within the SoHo–Cast Iron Historic District, designated in 1973, expanded in 2010, and listed as a National Historic Landmark in 1978.
- The district covers 26 blocks with about 500 buildings, many featuring cast-iron architecture.
- Several side streets are paved with Belgian blocks.

Originated as farmland before evolving into a residential neighborhood in the early 19th century
- Later became a mercantile hub focused on produce, dry goods, and textiles
- Transitioned to a community of artists, followed by actors, models, entrepreneurs, and other celebrities
- Hosts the TriBeCa Festival, founded after the September 11 attacks to revitalize the area and downtown

The National September 11 Memorial & Museum, located within the World Trade Center complex in New York City, was created to honor the victims of the September 11, 2001 attacks, which claimed 2,977 lives, and the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, which killed six.

For an unforgettable view of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, The Battery (formerly known as Battery Park), located on the southern tip of Lower Manhattan, offers a fantastic vantage point to take in stunning sights of New York Harbor, Brooklyn, the New Jersey Shore, and the Verrazano Bridge.

FiDi, located at Manhattan's southern tip, is bounded by the West Side Highway (west), Chambers Street and City Hall Park (north), Brooklyn Bridge (northeast), East River (southeast), and South Ferry and the Battery (south).
- Established in 1624, the modern-day Financial District overlaps with the historic New Amsterdam settlement of the late 17th century.
- Home to major financial institutions, including the New York Stock Exchange and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
- Centered on Wall Street, NYC is recognized as a leading global financial hub and one of the most economically powerful cities in the world.
- The New York Stock Exchange is the world's largest stock exchange.

Manhattan’s Chinatown sits in Lower Manhattan, bordered by the Lower East Side, Little Italy, Civic Center, and Tribeca.
- Home to 90,000–100,000 residents, it boasts the highest concentration of Chinese people in the Western Hemisphere.
- One of the oldest Chinese ethnic enclaves, it’s also one of nine Chinatowns in NYC and twelve in the metro area.
- The New York metropolitan area holds the largest ethnic Chinese population outside Asia, with about 893,697 people as of 2017.

At its height, Little Italy spanned Lower Manhattan from Lafayette Street (west) to Bowery (east), Kenmare Street (north) to Worth Street (south).
- Today, it covers just five blocks along Mulberry Street north of Canal Street.
- The neighborhood began at Mulberry Bend, once part of the Five Points area, now the heart of Chinatown.
- In the late 19th century, mass immigration from Italy led many settlers to Lower Manhattan, creating a concentrated Italian community.

Experience the thrill of riding across one of the world’s most legendary suspension bridges, a breathtaking marvel of engineering that has stood proudly since its grand opening in 1883. This iconic structure offers not only a journey steeped in history but also unparalleled views that will leave you in awe.

The Brooklyn Heights Promenade, also known as the Esplanade, is a 1,826-foot (557 m) pedestrian walkway cantilevered over the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway in Brooklyn Heights, New York City.
- It offers sweeping views of Lower Manhattan's skyline and New York Harbor.
- Created from compromises over the highway’s route during World War II, construction took place postwar.
- Owned by NYC DOT, it is not officially a park, but NYC Parks maintains the entire structure.

Known as Brooklyn Village until 1834, Brooklyn Heights has long been a prominent neighborhood.
- Features distinctive low-rise architecture and numerous pre-Civil War brownstone rowhouses.
- Home to many notable churches and religious institutions.
- Site of Brooklyn's first art gallery, the Brooklyn Arts Gallery, opened in 1958.
- Brooklyn Heights Historic District established in 1965 to protect the area from overdevelopment.
- Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1966.