New York

To immerse yourself in New York as soon as possible, start your day on Union Square. This huge square is in the image of the city: noisy, exciting and eclectic. Hip-hop dancers, chess players, cartoonists, music groups and a organic market are in a happy mess. From Union Square, on 14th Street, go up Broadway to 44th Street. You will cross the Flatiron Building and Washington Square Park on 23rd Street, Korea Town and Herald Square on 32nd Street. Stop at Macy's, the world's largest shopping mall, and at Manhattan Mall on 34th Street to buy Levi's jeans which are not expensive in JC Penney. Continue on Broadway to Times Square on 44th Street. Walking on Broadway is also the best way to discover the verticality of the city. From Union Square, the height of the buildings is progressive till Times Square. After shooting the huge ads, head to the Empire State Building to enjoy one of the most incredible views in the world. Then go to the 5th Avenue to the New York Public Library, recognizable by two stone lions in front of the entrance. Adjacent to the library, Bryant Park is always very lively during summer and winter as well. Turn right to Grand Central, the Fine arts-style masterpiece. Continue east, along 42nd Street. Admire the Chrysler Building, the Art Deco jewel, and walk to the United Nations headquarters, impressive city in the city and state in the State (and the only place where you can buy the famous stamp of the United Nations). Stroll through Tudor City, with a few blocks across the United Nations, where you can admire the beautiful buildings and enjoy the peaceful atmosphere there. Go back to 5th Avenue by 46th Street and go up to St Patrick Cathedral and Rockefeller Center. Discover: its Channel Gardens, its statue of Prometheus and its Lower Plaza, where a giant Christmas tree and a huge rink is set during winter. And if you haven't climbed to the Empire State summit, try the Rockefeller, the Top of The Rock which is less crowded. There, you'd better visit the MoMA.

Head to Downtown for a passage to Ground Zero, the site, which became memorial, where the Twin Towers stood. You can get closer to the new One World Trade Center, the highest skyscraper in the city and the West. Go to the City Hall and at the foot of the Woolworth Building. Cross the Brooklyn Bridge in both directions for the magnificent view over the south of the city. Once back in Manhattan, go down the Broadway to Battery Park. You will cross on the road, for a glance or a visit, Wall Street with the New York Stock Exchange and the Federal Hall, the Museum of the American Indian on Bowling Green or the Museum of Jewish Heritage of Battery Park. From here, go aboard the ferry to reach the statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, a small island through which you cross (from all over the world), the ancestors of one quarter of the American population. Back, take a walk through the South Street Seaport, along and around Fulton Street and the Fish market, one of the oldest neighbourhoods in New York City and the hotspot of mafia. Dine in Chinatown and go on outing in a chic SoHo lounge, a wine bar in Greenwich Village or a trendy nightclub from the Meatpacking District.

What could be better than a long walk in Central park, the lung of New York to start the day? You can even rent a bicycle to tour it (this wouldn't last a whole day on foot). Stop on the big lawn of the park, at 86th street to watch a baseball game. Next, go to the Museum Mile (in the Upper East Side), where close to 15 beautiful museums stands along the park over 1.5 km. The most famous of them, the Metropolitan Museum of Art (the equivalent of the Louvre) is a must. You can spend a few hours exploring its sumptuous galleries. Between the Frick Collection, Neue Galerie, and the Guggenheim (to name but the most famous), the choice will not be easy, but why not visit all, and going back the next day? Below Central Park is the museum of modern art, the MoMA which is worth a visit. You can continue with a more extensive visit of the Museum Mile over two days. You won't regret it.

After the splendour of museums and the great tourist areas, hiking in the East Village and the Lower East Side allow you to breathe a little, to go away from from the crowds and buildings and to immerse yourself in the atmosphere of these neighbourhoods. Start by having a meal at one of the typical Deli's of the corner, and then explore this multi-ethnic neighbourhood (Eastern Europe Jewish, south of the Lower East Side, Polish and Ukrainian to 2nd Avenue, Indian on Curry Row) and local bars. Many shops of secondhand clothes, young designers, deco and antique items await you. Go south and go to Chinatown (which fascinates with its activity) and NoLita, north of Little Italy (with elegant shops). What to finish your world trip in a day in a beautiful way.

Go to Harlem and its old brick houses, stroll in this district in the midst of a renaissance around 125th Street and enjoy the soul food or a gospel. Visit the campus of Columbia University, one of the most prestigious faculties in the United States. Stroll in the south of Upper West Side between 80th Street and 59th Street. Stop at Central Park West, at 72nd Street. On one side of the street, Dakota Hotel, where John Lennon came out before being murdered in 1980. In front of the hotel, in the park, a plaque to his memory.

The diversity of this suburb of Manhattan deserves that you spend a day there. The atmosphere is different, quieter and more relaxing there. Cross the emblematic Brooklyn Bridge in the morning. You will be at a Bohemian quarter populated by artists with cobbled streets and old houses: DUMBO (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass). Visit of the Brooklyn Museum of Art, of which the esplanade, recently renovated and resolutely modern, contrasts with the rest of the building. What you should not miss: the collection on ancient Egypt, one of the most beautiful in the world. Continue your day by visiting the adjacent and charming Brooklyn Botanic Garden (admire a stunningly beautiful garden, especially in June, before taking a walk in the old Brooklyn Heights area (near Brooklyn Bridge), where the buildings are among the most beautiful in the city. Walk along the promenade facing the buildings of Downtown and admire a spectacular sunset. Go to Williamsburg in the evening. Stroll through Bedford Ave to find a good restaurant then on the parallel Berry and Driggs streets for a nice bar. Finally, walk to the East River to have an unforgettable view of Manhattan at night.

Last day. Relax, simple walks in the very charming and intimate area of Greenwich Village. Take a photo of the building where the Friends serie actors lived at the crossing of Grove and Bedford Ave. Make a detour at the Meatpacking District, a district that stands out between outdated meat warehouse, trendy shops, fashion restaurants and clubs, and discover Chelsea and its galleries. Finally, make a last walk on the Highline, a green lane suspended 20 meters from the ground. A quiet, relaxing place, yet in the heart of Manhattan. Back to the hotel and heading to the airport.