The definitive guide to New York City: Where to go shopping, dining, drinking, and lodging in the Big Apple

"NYC is the city you want to get right," says Lucy Thackray, "whether it's a hotel in the neighborhood you want to explore the most, the dinner bill that's totally worth it, or the sightseeing shortlist."It's a once-in-a-lifetime experience, but it's also a complicated network of horn-blaring vehicles and harried commuters that could irritate you. With its tip-demanding taxi drivers, amazing eateries, sour deli owners, expensive museums, hedonistic rooftops, and off-the-beaten-path landmarks, New York City has its own microculture.

To get the most of it, you'll need to plan ahead a little bit. This includes deciding which neighborhoods you want to visit, which attractions you want to see, and making reservations at restaurants that tend to fill up months in advance. However, the rewards are explosive: even a brief vacation may be filled with world-class culture, late nights, the tastiest dinners ever, and unique New York experiences. Even if your wallet is a little lighter at the end of it all, your memories will remain clear.Around the world, this skyline is the subject of migratory fantasies, movie marketing, and student posters. It's worthwhile to observe from above. With a serene, gallery-like setting and an audio-visual lift to reach its dizzying heights, Rockefeller Center's Top of the Rock is a decent exhibit. However, the Empire State Building, with its Art Deco details and (caged) outdoor viewing deck that has been featured in countless movies, will appeal to romantics who have a romantic bent for New York. The best way to wake up from jet lag is to see a 360-degree panorama as the wind is blowing your hair around. The observatory is open until 2am, so you can experience some magic beyond midnight. Tickets for adults are $44, children under 12 are $38, and children under six are admitted free.

One of the largest and greatest museums in the world is the Metropolitan Museum in New York City, which houses artifacts as varied as Egyptian temples, medieval church gates, and couture gowns. Polished, enormous, and resonating with space, it offers a captivating journey across global history. Don't miss the Frank Lloyd Wright Room, a living room created by the modernist architect, the striking "Washington Crossing the Delaware" and other portraits of the Founding Fathers in the American Wing, or the spacious Greek and Roman sculpture court (Gallery 162). Children under 12 are free, adults $30.