Top Five Reasons You Should Totally Visit New York City

New York City! Have you been wanting to go but haven’t found the motivation? 

Maybe it’s on your bucket list. Maybe you went for work and only caught a glimpse. Or maybe you’ve been for a family vacation as a kid, but left wanting to do and see more. Or maybe there’s another reason you’re toying with the idea of an NYC getaway.

As a local tour guide here in Manhattan, I gotta say, I genuinely love New York. I could easily come up with a million reasons for you to visit. But since I can’t write a 40,000-word blog, let’s just stick to the top five and save the rest for later.

Here are the five top reasons you should visit New York City.

1. The buildings

Visiting New York City gives you the chance to stand — in person — at the very bottom and very top of the iconic Empire State Building. From the sidewalk you can take in every Art Deco detail up close and then you can head up to the 102nd floor and live out your King Kong fantasies while taking in an epic view. 

The architecture on display in NYC, both old and new, is truly something to behold. Buildings often take on a life of their own from the passion and vision that goes into their design. Whether you want to see a skyscraper that’s over 1,700 feet tall or a church that’s over 250 years old, New York has got you covered.

You can visit some of the world’s tallest observation decks, such as Top of the Rock, Summit One Vanderbilt, or Edge, and feel like you’re on top of the world. 

Discover the history of NYC’s visionary neighborhood and scenic High Line

Hudson Yards Tour With Optional Edge and Vessel Upgrades

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If you want to see stunning cathedrals like St. Patrick’s or Trinity Church or the newly renovated Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church at Ground Zero, NYC has those, too. You can even gaze at a rare combination of church and skyscraper: the 1913 neo-Gothic landmark, the Woolworth Building, its pointed windows and soaring towers giving it the nickname “Cathedral of Commerce.”

Just walking through the streets of Manhattan and gazing up is an experience in itself. You’ll be awestruck by the grandeur, the decorative details, and diversity of historical eras. If this sounds interesting, you should check out our Lower Manhattan Walking Tour!

Bonus: Even the bridges here are photo-worthy works of architecture. The Brooklyn Bridge is probably the most famous, but there are a host of others worth seeing. Here’s a photo gallery to prove it.

2. NYC food

What kind of food do you love? Or is there a food you’ve always wanted to try but can’t get it where you live? 

Well, chances are high that you can find both when you visit New York City. From street food to Michelin-starred dining, New York offers a taste of every kind of food from nearly every part of the world at every conceivable price point. As a local, I can promise you, there are so many great places to eat in New York!

As an international foodie destination, NYC is host to culinary pros from all across the globe. There are offerings from celebrity chefs like The Food Network’s Guy Fieri and Alex Guarnaschelli, Tom Collichio from “Top Chef,” as well as Marcus Samuelson, Wolfgang Puck, and “The Cake Boss,” Buddy Valastro.

Check out social media’s latest hotspots for viral sensations and underground secrets. Be adventurous and try something you’ve never had in one the thousands of immigrant Indian, Columbian, or Georgian community joints. 

And, as always, New York is the place to find the best bagels, hot dogs, cheesecake, pizza, and Italian and Chinese food (for the latter, visit Little Italy and Chinatown). And there are thousands of options across the five boroughs.

Some of the best cooks in the world dream of coming to NYC to serve up their signature dishes, and you will head home with your own dreamy memories of having eaten these incredible bites.

3. New York’s theater scene

Broadway is truly the American capital of theater. You can see some of the best theater in the world in New York. Some of the greatest writers, actors, and singers of the last 100 years made their name on a Broadway stage. At any show, you might see the next rising star. And these days, you can’t turn a corner without finding real live Hollywood stars like Denzel Washington or George Clooney making their own Broadway dreams come true.

The Times Square Theatre District (ever expanding as it may be) is home to a rotating roster of amazing talent, jaw-dropping stagecraft and special effects that appeal to every member of the family. Discovery is a big part of any New York theater adventure — finding the best shows, the best deals, the behind-the-scenes stories, and the photos that help you cherish the memories.

Go behind the Broadway scenes with an NYC theater professional

Broadway and Times Square Insider Tour

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If Broadway is beyond your budget, you can also check out New York’s thriving off-Broadway scene, offering something for every taste and price point. From stand-up comedy to burlesque to orchestral pop music concerts, New York is always at the cutting edge of the performing arts scene.

4. The culture

New York has museums, parks, shopping, zoos, botanical gardens, and much more.

Part of this wealth of culture comes from the city’s five distinct boroughs — Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens, Manhattan, and Staten Island — that each have incredible history, art, and adventures.

Beyond Manhattan to the heart of New York

NYC Bus Tour of Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens in English

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New York has been a global capital for the curation and creation of some of the world’s most important art, with awe-inspiring classic collections at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Brooklyn Museum as well as newer works at the MoMA and the Guggenheim. 

In each neighborhood, you may find cultural enclaves from around the world — China, Italy, India, the Dominican Republic, Ukraine, Korea, and more — along with that culture’s street art, food, goods, and language. Take the time to explore with a local, and you can get to know the people carving out their own little piece of the American dream while contributing to NYC’s singular cultural tapestry. 

And no matter where you are, you can sit on a bench and people-watch, observing the wild fashion, plucky dogs, and 8.5 million completely unique human beings walking around. 

5. The New York City experience

They call it the city that never sleeps, and it’s true. New York is a 24/7 urban circus with surprises at every turn. 

When you visit New York City, you are stepping into another world. Walk through SoHo and you might spot a celebrity. Meander through Central Park and find a castle you can climb. See if you can master the complicated rainbow that is the subway system by the time you leave.

If you just get out and stroll like the locals, you stand a pretty good chance of catching an unexpected performance, seeing unusual public art (like the bicycling animals above in Lower Manhattan), and many other highly Instagrammable moments to cherish, whether you post them or keep them to yourself.  

You came all the way to the Big Apple, so get out there and take a big bite! 

A city of experiential wonders

Did you know that New York is full of incredible experiential activities? Consider this a bonus for my list of five reasons to visit New York.

So many of the things to do are thoroughly immersive. For starters, there’s the Museum of Ice Cream, the “Squid Game” experience, the SPYSCAPE museum, and a new ride at Rockefeller Center, called Skylift, that lets you sit on a steel beam with your feet dangling 69 stories over the city below, just to name a few. (Read our review on Mercer Labs, pictured above, in our list of new experiences for 2025. You can also see pics of the ice cream museum in our roundup of top NYC exhibits.)

And some might also consider shopping at Bergdorf Goodman or Printemps — especially with their gorgeous new Red Room — an experience in itself. And I’d have to agree!

If I’ve talked you into visiting New York, I hope you’ll take time to see it with a local. Check out all of our tours of New York City to see just how much we love this place — and just how much there is to discover.

Your NYC adventure is waiting. See you there!