photo journal for New York City

New York City
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From 1892 to 1954 millions of immigrants passed through Ellis Island to New York Harbour - it’s estimated that 40 per cent of Americans can trace their ancestors to that port of entry. With an extensive multicultural network staying on to build up New York, it’s no wonder that it holds such iconic status across the world (and the US). It’s also no surprise that today it’s a rare event for someone to arrive in ‘the city that never sleeps’ without some preconceptions of what to expect.

If you’ve tapped previous visitors (or locals) for recommendations you may find yourself with a list, long enough to fill a novella, covering iconic spots, neighbourhood mainstays and trendy new openings. In which case, you’ll be confident that you will always have somewhere to rest your feet close to the city’s many museums and sights.

Those recommendations will definitely help with the overwhelming amount of choice, but there is still some room for self-discovery. Take your own time to wander the concrete jungle, you’ll likely stumble upon something hauntingly familiar, from the doorway where you’ve seen Carrie Bradshaw hailing taxis to the Ghostbusters headquarters, and it is that discovery, of your own making, that will leave you addicted to the city, pining for your return.

two towers rise from behind the trees across an algae covered pond, there is grass in the foreground

San Remo Towers from Central Park Ramble Lookout

West Village, New York City

The Empire State Building can be seen behind an older building in the foreground

The Empire State Building seen from Ace Hotel, New York City

buildings can be seen with a spire of a church seen in the foreground

Buildings near to World Trade Center, the spire of the historic Trinity Church can be seen.

the Statue of Liberty

The Statue of Liberty seen from the Statten Island Ferry

A sign comes out the side of a stone building. The sign reads "The Dead Rabbit" below a muscular white dressed in a suit

The Dead Rabbit, a famous Irish pub in New York City’s financial district.

three Irish coffees sit on a table with Dead Rabbit coasters

Irish Coffees at The Dead Rabbit

colourful graffiti shows five profiles looking out and staring into the distance

‘Ellis Island’ by Brazilian artist and muralist Eduardo Kobra on City-as-School public school in West Village. The work features five faces of different ethnicities as a reference to the millions of people who leave their countries for better living conditions in other countries. It’s the largest of Kobra’s ‘Colors of Freedom’ series.

LOVE sculpture in bold didone type

Robert Indiana’s famous ‘LOVE’ sculpture on The High Line, New York City

A red brick building and building link can be seen over a road

View of the Meat Packing District from New York City’s High Line

cables are seen connecting to the tower on the Brooklyn Bridge

The Brooklyn Bridge was opened in 1883 and at the time was the longest suspension bridge in the world.

The Brooklyn Bridge is at the bottom of a street in DUMBO

Looking up at the Brooklyn Bridge from DUMBO

New York City seen from Williamsburg

Looking for more restaurants, bars or hotels in New York? Maybe our map can help.

For more destinations in the Americas check out our photo journal for Mexico City & photo journal for San Miguel de Allende.