New York

New York City may be small in size, but it’s huge in numbers, energy and attitude. It’s the most densely populated city in North America with 8 million citizens on just 830 square kilometers of land. It has always been a city of immigrants, and, even today, about one-third of its citizens are foreign-born. Roughly 138 languages are spoken here, and vibrant new ethnic enclaves pop up all over the city, offering visitors a vast array of interesting cultural and culinary experiences.

While the city pulses with the blood of its newest residents, old New York is still alive and well. Opera still bursts from the venerable stage of the Lincoln Center. Wall Street, the hive of capitalism, still bustles with the excitement and tension of the stock market. And the stately apartments of New York’s wealthy still frame majestic Central Park.

New York has become one of America’s safest cities, and the best way to see it is to walk. Numbered streets in Manhattan make navigation easy and run from east to west, while avenues intersect from north to south (uptown and downtown). New Yorkers are friendly and talkative, and nearly every night of the week the city’s bars and clubs are crowded with revelers. There are several universities in New York, which contribute to keeping the city fresh and young.