Best Places to Visit In New York

A vacation to the Big Apple can be, in a word, overwhelming. There are lots of activities and so many places to see that no matter the amount of time spent in the city, you won't ever leave with the feeling that you have seen everything you desired. Whether you are interested in the big attractions such as the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building, or merely hitting a few of the amazing night clubs, there are countless things to do in New York City.

The best thing you can do to get the most out of your time in The Big Apple is to plan as much as you are able to in advance. The goal is obviously to identify the Best Places to visit in New York but  don't forget to leave a little space for impromptu actions. You might be thinking about going to some of the famous New York museums one day, but you want to be open to any possibilities you see along the way. You don't want to miss an opportunity simply because you would like to stick to a schedule.

Of all the things to do in New York City, visiting the Statue of Liberty is certainly top of the 'Best Places to Visit' list. This is one of the most famous monuments in the world, and it can be a great way to start a memorable trip to the big city. Another Best Place to visit in New York is Ellis Island where you can experience some of the extraordinary history that took place in this area.

The Empire State Building, though, challenges the Statue as the most popular destination for New York visitors. From the top of the building, you will see a large part of the city, the rivers, Central Park, and up to five different states on a clear day. Millions of people have stopped at this incredible building over the decades, and you will be treated to a unique experience from the lobby all the way up to the 86th floor observatory.



Should you be looking for slightly more cultural things to do in New York City, there are plenty of choices. New York museums, for example, give you a range of things to see and do if you are enthusiastic about history, culture, science, fine art, and contemporary art. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the American Museum of Natural History, the Guggenheim, and the Museum of Modern Art are all very popular selections.

Of course, when you arrive in New York, you'll have a lot of other options for places to visit. If museums and tourist attractions don't keep your interest, there are several amazing dance clubs, bars, and social activities that make the New York nightlife something you will never forget. Whether you are looking for an elegant environment for a tranquil drink to finish your day, or a loud, glowing club where you can dance till the morning comes around, you can find something here.

There are also a lot of things to do in New York if you are a sports fanatic. New York is home to some of the biggest professional sports clubs in the United States, and going to the stadiums and arenas will be an unforgettable experience. New Yorkers are very serious about their sports, and you could easily get caught up with the exhilaration of the event.

Keep in mind that when you plan out your trip to New York, make sure you have accounted for all the sights and activities you want to include, but leave room for the unpredictable. If you spend enough time in New York, you are sure to encounter something you never expected.

Editors note: Although New York does not appear here as one of the Cheapest Places to Live or Best Place to Retire those who live here are passionate about their city. But, for the outsider it could very well fall on one of the most expensive places to live and certainly one of the busiest!


About our Guest Author: Craig Mather - Craig says, "There are a variety things to do in NYC. It's best to buy Empire State building and tickets for the Statue of Liberty to fully experience these attractions. You'll never run out of sightseeing opportunities when you are visiting the Big Apple!"

Priciest Places to Live

I'm going to skip ahead for just a moment here in our review of the Best Places to Live according to International Living's Quality of Life Index for 2011. Germany is ranked 10th on the index and while I will have more to say about Germany when I get to that part of the list I came across something in the news today which I found interesting and a little humorous.

Germany's English news, The Local, reported this morning, "Survey reveals Priciest Places to Live". Now just to clarify this is German news speaking specifically about Germany, not the 'priciest places in the world' - I actually think I wrote about that a while back. Anyhow, the article goes on to say the Munich residents are paying double the national average for real estate and rentals. I had to chuckle a little. It just made me realize our perspectives are so different around the world. In smaller European countries citizens expect prices and cost of living to be relatively consistent throughout the country and double from one area to another is considered quite extreme. It's funny to those of us who live in the massive countries of North America. Yesterday I wrote about Canada's Cheapest Place to Live, Nova Scotia. Where a nice three bedroom home on a large plot of land can be found for under $150,000 all the while no one even raises an eyebrow to condominiums selling in Toronto or Vancouver for millions of dollars. The same goes for the United States. Last year Detroit reported the cheapest house sale ever at under $10,000 while New York City and L.A. have their multi-million dolar condo markets. In North America we don't think twice about real estate varying ten fold or more.

Back in Germany eight most expensive places to live are all in Bavaria while Hamburg was ranked the most costly place to live. The eastern areas with the Saxony town of Görlitz in particular represented the least expensive places to live in Germany.

Source: The Local:

Cheapest Places to Live in Canada - Toronto & Montreal NOT!

Yesterday the National/Financial Post's Eric Lam revealed that Toronto and Montreal are a couple of the most expensive cities to live in. Not just in Canada but the world!

Cheapest Place to Live in Canada - Not!

He wrote about a USB study which was released yesterday noting that these Canadian Cities are even more expensive than London or Dubai. Interesting that he or the study never mentioned Vancouver or Victoria which are often assumed to be very expensive to liv in.

So, if you're searching for the cheapest places to live than you may want to avoid cities on this list of the most expensive:

1. Oslo

2. Zurich

3. Geneva

These cities took top spots as the most costly cities to live in.

4. Tokyo

5. Copenhagen

6. New York

7. Stockholm

Although he doesn't state it specifically by inference Toronto and Montreal come in at 8th and 9th while London is the 10th most expensive city to live in.

And the cheapest cities to live in -

Bucharest, Manila and Mumbai.

One wild card here was that Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia was also in the five cheapest cities to live in.

Search Amazon.com for the Cheapest Places to Live

Read about it here Toronto, Montreal among most expensive cities

Cheapest Place to Live in Switzerland

Switzerland is typically not known for a low cost of living but a recent study revealed the Cheapest place to live in Switzerland

People who live in Appenzell Inner Rhodes which can be found in the eastern part of Switzerland, have the highest level of disposable income after tax and major expenses like housing. On the other hand Geneva residents have been found to have less than people in any other people in Switzerland making it the most expensive place to live.

Bank Credit Suisse conducted the survey and measured a wide range of costs including taxes, social security, health insurance, utility bills, housing prices and rent.

The survey revealed the cost of living varied tremendously depending on where people choose to live in Switzerland. Individual cantons and local municipalities have the power to set their own tax rates and this can have a big impact on the cost of living in Switzerland.

The rural canton of Appenzell Inner Rhodes again topped the list as the most inexpensive place to live, as it did in 2006 when the survey was last conducted.

The report said the canton was "the most appealing place to live for the broad middle classes". This is due to relatively low real estate prices, moderate tax rates and the country's lowest health insurance premiums.

Geneva remained at the bottom of the list of 26 cantons with high property prices and hefty taxes. Obwalden climbed five places to 2nd place after it slashed taxes in 2007. Zug fell 13 places to 18 as the cost of real estate sky rocketed over the past two years.

Technorati Tags: Switzerland, Places to Live

Cheapest Place to Live in Australia

Adelaide is one of the cheapest places to live in Australia. The cost of living for average daily consumption is cheap however, from a lifestyle stand point some people consider Adelaide a bit too quiet, maybe even boring.

Adelaide has had slower growth than the rest of Australia in the past few decades keeping prices down. This gives it the biggest advantage of a low cost of living. Adelaide has the cheapest real-estate of any major Australian city. Employment is another story though and finding a job can be more difficult than other larger, more popular Australian cities. Professions  like nursing or teaching continue to be in demand here though so if either of those are your speciality than Adelaide might be quite a good choice. In fact nurses and teachers are in demand throughout Australia. The lower cost of living here results in people in these professions enjoying a higher standard of living in Adelaide than they would have in Sydney or Melbourne.

Adelaide is on roughly the same latitude as Sydney but has a very different climate. The winters are colder and have more precipitation than Sydney. The summers however are normally hotter and drier. Brisbane is another place one might consider as a cheap place to live but maybe not for long. Brisbane still has a very wide variety of prices but it is currently going through a big boom, so prices will inevitably rise.

Melbourne is much cooler than all other Australian cities.  It is quite similar to London, the people are very friendly and like all other cities depending on where you choose to live within the city will dictate how much you pay. Melbourne can certainly be expensive but it is still cheaper than Sydney. Queensland is also cheaper than Sydney. Its a beautiful spot but can often be quite hot.

Sydney is quite expensive in most places and may even be considered the most expensive place in Australia. Technorati Tags: best places to live, cheapest places to live

Cheapest Place to Live in France

Regret the delay getting this going! As you know we just finished up our review of the Best Places to Live in the World now let's see if we can find the Cheapest Places to Live in each of those countries.

France topped our list of the Best Place to Live according to International Livings Quality of Life Index. When it comes to France many people immediately think of Paris and also think of all the stories they have heard about how expensive Paris is. But just like the U.S. or any other country for that matter there are uber expensive places to live and if one looks they can find a Cheap Place to Live even in the most expensive countries.

Get out of Town to find a cheap place to live!

In France like most places you've just got to 'get out of town' to find a cheap place to live!

Just a few hours from Paris you will find the city of Metz. The cost of living including housing and food is cheaper in Metz. Versailles is another community which offers inexpensive shopping while food and rent costs are some of the lowest in all of France. Groceries, childcare, rent & housing and transportation too are all quite affordable in Versailles and it could very well be the Cheapest Place to Live in France if you still want to comfort and luxuries which come form city living.

Follow students for a Cheap Place to Live!

University towns like Montpellier are often quite affordable and cheap places to live as the disproportionate student population helps bring the price of many things down including groceries, clothing and rent.

The Cheapest most Expensive Place to Live

Nice on the French Riviera is beautiful and expensive but it is the Cheapest Place to Live on the French Riviera. The small Monarchy of Monaco is also located on the French Riviera and is one of the best places to live in the world - especially if you're rich and famous!

Detroit Cheapest - Hong Kong, not so much!

Well it looks like Detroit may very well earn the 2009  title as the 'Cheapest Place to Live'. What with homes being sold for as little as one dollar - thanks mainly to the near collapse of the North American auto industry. But on the other side of the world it seems the opposite has been happening. Forbes recently reported that Hong Kong broke the world record for the most expensive real estate in the world when a duplex apartment sold for 56 million dollars! What is also interesting is that in Asia rental rates in most cities have continued to rise despite the world wide economic downturn. When you compare renting to income in Asian countries purchasing an apartment is now more expensive than it was before this financial crisis started.

It will be interesting to see if either of these spots garner any attention in the 2010 Top Places to Live Abroad Index published every year by International Living.

For a very interesting and detailed account check out Forbes Hana Alberts article about the Most Expensive Places to live in Asia. Source: Forbes