For me New York is the most exciting city in the world. Even though I have been there 10 times I never ever get tired of given there is so much to do, so much to see.

Where to start?

Today – let’s look at three different parts of the city, the city with endless possibilities for exciting adventures.

Harlem

There was a time when Harlem was a hellhole, a cesspool of crime and corruption. On our first trip to New York my wife, Linda, and I discovered that Harlem was off limits to tourists. The only way to see it was to travel by a sightseeing bus. What we saw was not pretty. Entire streets blocked by police with shotguns, checking anyone who wanted to to enter a particular street.

The homeless everywhere, garbage everywhere, drug addicts openly buying drugs and shooting up.

But no more.

Today Harlem is a vibrant New York neighbourhood – perfectly safe, the open street drug problem gone, great restaurants to enjoy, an area rich in culture and history.

The main street in Harlem is 125 Street also known as Martin Luther King Jr. Bouldvard. To get there from Manhattan you take the 125 th. subway which lands you right there. From there it’s a short walk to the world famous Apollo Theatre, an old-fashioned theatre, where great performers show their stuff, similar to many of the world’s great theatres.

Not far from the Apollo is the Red Rooster restaurant, helmed by renowned chef Marcus Samuelson, serving fabulous food, many of it of the comfort genre, especially its yardbird chicken, a hallmark dish of southern cooking.

When the restaurant opened in 2010 it marked the beginning of the Renaissance revival Harlem underwent, a departure from the crime infested, derelict arena the area had become.

Harlem is a great place to check out the brownstone architecture set amidst leafy streets, a few minutes away from the hustle and bustle of its main thoroughfares.

Central Park

The park – one of the world’s best known, big enough to hold 605 football fields, contains eight ponds and lakes, has 10,000 park benches.

More than 42 million people visit the park yearly. It is the most filmed location in the world. This lush 843-acre patch of nature is home to scenic hills; meadows; playgrounds; skating rinks; ball fields; and many well-known attractions, including Strawberry Fields (homage to the late John Lennon) Belvedere Castle (home to sweeping vistas of the park) and the Central Park Zoo (home to many exotic animals).
There are plenty of other attractions – ponds, statutes, beautiful walkways.

And there are choices on how to see the park in all its glory – biking, horse drawn carriages or walking.

Times Square

People hate it or love it.

I love it – this crossroads of the world, that attracts up to 370,000 visitors daily.

The hustle and bustle, the people from all over the world, the garish, loud, neon signs, the 24/7 buzz, makes Times Square special and legendary.

Times Square got its name in 1904 after New York Times Building that once resided on 42nd Street.

Times Square runs between 42nd and 47th Streets, Broadway and Seventh Avenue in the heart of Midtown Manhattan.