Vilken vy... © Jenny Graan

The Empire State Building, New York City.

Today, June 2, at 5p.m. thousands of people will gather at Times Square to join Taste of Times Square, one of New York City’s most visited food festivals. Visitors can taste delicious dishes from more than 50 restaurants including Chilean Pomaire, Italian family style Carmine’s and Cuban Havana Central.

“Nowhere else can you find such a diversity of chefs and cuisine from all around the world as you can in Times Square,” says Times Square Alliance President Tim Tompkins, “and it is this that makes dining out in Times Square such an adventure.”

Besides food tastings from Times Square’s best restaurants, participators can watch the moves of skilled street performers and enjoy local entertainment on three stages.

Didn’t have the chance to make it to this year’s food festival? No problem. Just keep an eye out for Taste of Times Square 2009 at The Official Website of Times Square.

Columbus Circle © Kevin De Ridder

The Columbus Circus mall is located just across Central Park. The Shops at Columbus Circle range from fashion and accessories to health and beauty, books and food. I’m pretty sure you can find a favourite. I can recommend:

AVEDA - Terrific hair and skin products made out of green ingredients. Many samples to try.

Face Stockholm - This Swedish cosmetics company sells high quality products made from only natural ingredients. Very helpful staff!

Crabtree & Evelyn - Luxurious bath and body care, fragrances, accessories and gourmet foods.   

Elixir Juice Bar - Delicious smoothies and tasty nutritious wraps, salads and soups.

Jamba Juice -  Smoothies and freshly squeezed juices of fresh pure ingredients.

Whole Foods Market - Their organic quality food is outstanding, and the buffet is a dream for vegetarians.

Borders - Books, music, movies and a café in the same store must be one of the best combinations ever.

People visiting New York City will most likely sooner or later come to Times Square around 42nd and 47th Street. Before I came to Times Square I knew it was a famous theatre district, but I honestly didn’t know so much more than that.

Although the safety is much better today than before 9/11, keep your wallet and other valuable belongings in a safe place to avoid pickpockets. And don’t get fooled by the photographers who assure you a great picture of you with Times Square in the background. The results don’t turn out half as good as their example photos. So bring your own camera and take the pictures yourself.

I’d say skip the souvenir shops around Times Square and listen to free music in the spacious Virgin Megastore instead.  Afterwards, I would recommend Asian food from Ruby Foo’s or drop by the family friendly Carmine’s for an Italian meal.

During our stay in NYC, we chose to see the Broadway musical Aida. If you rather watch the latest movie from Hollywood you won’t be disappointed either.

One of my favorite shops on Times Square is Quicksilver, I like watching the different takes on surf- and snowboard sessions on the huge screen above the store.

For happenings and things to do around Times Square, check out the online issue of Times Square or visit The Official Website of Times Square.

The Empire State Building © Danie Pratt

For some reason I’ve always loved city views, especially at night, and the sight from the Empire State Building is my favourite so far. We were lucky when we got there, only had to wait in line about thirty minutes before we could take the lift to the 86th floor at 448 m.

The Empire State Building is located on 350 Fifth Avenue between 33rd and 34th Streets, open from 9.30am - 23.30pm every day.

Every day between 5.30am and 1.30am, about a half a million of people pass through Grand Central Station located at East 42^nd Street and Park Avenue. Opened in 1913, it’s one of the most beautiful and original railway stations in the world. I’ve always been fascinated by airports and railway stations and Grand Central Station is one of the better, if not the best. Even if you don’t have any travel plans, you can come here to just admire the building - the beauty of the place is a real contrast to the busy atmosphere.

The shops in Grand Central Station range from health and beauty to clothes and accessories. Apart from Aveda, Origins and L’ Occitane in Lexington Passage, I love Penzeys Spices and Li-Lac Chocolate in Grand Central Market. Their chocolate is expensive, but one or two hand-dipped truffles are just enough to satisfy the occasional chocolate craving.

Don’t miss a walking tour though the terminal or book a private guided tour through Grand Central’s website.

Before leaving, stop by The Campbell Apartment at Vanderbuilt 15. I can also recommend a savoury Italian lunch at Cipriani Dolci.

I just found this great program that offers discounted hotel rooms in New York City the night between Sunday and Monday. Room rates are reduced by 20-30% combined with upgrades to a better room category, complimentary breakfast and more.

Visit NYC Sunday Stays for more information.

The risk of getting bored in NYC is not big. For first-time visitors I would recommend anything of the following… the Staten Island Ferry from Battery Park, the Statue of Liberty, Ground Zero, Central Park, Broadway musicals, an early morning at the top of the Empire State Building, the Rockefeller Center, Times Square…

… a walk through South Street Seaport at 19 Fulton Street, admire Brooklyn Bridge, a stroll along the classic film-kiss walk (Brooklyn Heights Promenade) by the East River…

… funny copies and good food in Chinatown, the clubs in Greenwich Village, a comedy show in East Village, eating out in Lower East Side, people watching in the Meatpacking District, visiting some of the 350 art galleries in Chelsea, hear Woody Allen play with his jazz band at The Carlyle a Monday evening…

When your feet are tired from too much walking, stop by Barnes & Noble Booksellers - Lincoln Center at 1972 Broadway. The magazine section just next to Starbucks on the highest floor has lots of good magazines you can browse through with no obligation to purchase.

Whenever you visit NYC, I’m pretty sure you will find something in your taste.

A popular photo motive in Harlem - apart from the classical brownstone houses - is The Apollo Theater at 253rd West 125th Street between Adam Clayton Blvd and Frederick Douglas Blvd. Lauryn Hill is one of many artists who made the debut in front of a bigger audience here. The Apollo amateur nights start every Wednesday at 7.30pm. Previous contest winners include Mary J. Blige, Angie Stone, Bob Marley & The Wailers, Fugees, Otis Redding, Prince, Stevie Wonder, India Arie, Aretha Franklin, Jay-Z, and Alicia Keyes.

If you happen to be in New York City on a Sunday morning, take the subway to 116th Street in Harlem where there are more Baptist Churches than in any other part of New York City. The gospel service begins at ten and can sometimes be heard from the street. We discovered a beautiful Baptist Church at St. Nicholas Avenue between Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd and Lenox Ave/Malcolm X Blvd not far from Central Park. I had never heard gospel before and everything was such a contrast to the reserved atmosphere in Swedish churches - in a good way.

Williamsburg is a part of Brooklyn and like a mix of New York City and Europe. Everything is personal. You won’t see any large coffee or fast food chains here as on Manhattan, I hope it stays that way. The only picture I had of Williamsburg was from the Swedish culture journalist Nina Solomin’s “ok, amen”. This book about her time with the ultra-orthodox Jews in Williamsburg gives a unique insight in a radically different culture and mentality. You can recognize the Chasids on their black hats, black coats and corkscrew curls. Even though they live in the heart of a world metropolis, they live more or less isolated from their surroundings.

Williamsburg is very different from Manhattan, in a good way, and I think everyone visiting New York should travel here at least once. The subway’s L-line (the grey on the map) starts at the 8^th Avenue on Manhattan and continues along 14^th Street through whole Brooklyn. The Bedford Avenue subway station in Brooklyn is only one stop from Manhattan.  If you choose the J-, M-, and Z-lines, you will end up further south closer to the blocks where the Chasids live.