For several years, I was fan of always coming to New York City because of the constant excitement, but after moving here, the excitement starts to go away. All the sites and attractions eventually become second-nature and eventually the excitement of going to all these tourist attractions start to fade away.

For the tourist, I would highly recommend staying at least four or five days before leaving because there is just so much to do.

As a tourist, it is really important to know this information. After a very recent fare hike by the MTA, the cost of the subway has gone up dramatically. If you were to go to five different places a day (total of 20-25 subway rides), that would cost anywhere from $40-50. Do not waste too much money on a taxi unless you are in a dire rush though. Even though you may be staying for only 4 or 5 days, you may want to consider buying the Unlimited 7-Day pass, which is only $27 (according to mta.info). Buying a one day pass is not reasonable if you are staying for more than 5 days. If you do not want to go to too many places outside of your hotel, then you may want to just buy the single ride Metrocards (buy at least $10.00 for a 15% discount, which is automatic).

TIP: Start your day early. If you are in a hotel, you should try and get up by 7:30 AM to get prepared as well as eating breakfast. If you are on a tight budget, do not eat hotel food unless they offer free breakfast. There should be several McDonalds, Dunkin Donuts, or any other fast food chains or cheap restaurants on your way. You may ask your hotel receptionist for some cheap eats. You should try and get started no later than 8:45 AM.

What to do from South to North:

1. Visit the Statue of Liberty. This is the landmark of American freedom and it is just breathtaking after seeing it up-close. You should go back here at night to see the Statue of Liberty lit up. What's even better is that they recently opened up the crown after several years of closing it down, which will allow visitors to actually go into the crown for a better view of New York City. In order to get to the Statue of Liberty, take the 1 Train to South Ferry or take the 4 or 5 train to Bowling Green. If you ask around people should be able to provide you with the right directions. This should take a good two hours.

2. If you are really bored and would like a free excursion, you may want to consider riding the Staten Island Ferry. There is no cost and it gives a breathtaking view of New York City's Financial District. This ferry will take you to Staten Island; there is not much to do there, so once you get to Staten Island, simply turn back. The whole roundtrip should take around 45 minutes to one hour.

3. Visit the Financial District, the home of one of the most advanced financial capitals in the world. The New York Stock Exchange and Federal Hall (where George Washington gave his inaugural speech) are very popular places to visit. Because of tightened regulations, you may not enter the NYSE, yet you could visit Federal Hall for free. When you're there, you may want to walk a little to visit the Federal Reserve Bank, which houses a beautiful gallery of rare coins. If you are a coin or $2 bill buff, you may want to go to the nearby Chase bank to get some fresh $2 bills or $1 coins. They should usually have really fresh bills because they are really near the FRB. Also you may want to visit the Trinity Church, which you simply can not miss if you are on Wall Street. To get to these places, you have to take the 4, 5 (Green), 2 or 3 (Red) to Wall Street, the 1 (Red) to Rector Street or the R or W (Yellow) to Wall Street. If you do visit all of the sites, this should take you a good two or three hours. From here, you can also walk west to see the site of the World Trade Center.

4. One of the greatest landmarks of American architecture is the Brooklyn Bridge. I would not bother going on any of the other bridges if you do not have any time. If it is a sunny and cool day, you may want to take a nice walk or jog because the view is breathtaking and a little scary, but it is worth it. You may also want to conclude your day here at night as the view should be even more spectacular. The only thing I may say is a drawback is the traffic surrounding you. The best way to get here is the 4,5, or 6 train to Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall. The walk should last around 1 hour to 1.5 hours, depending on if you want to walk the whole thing. If you have an extra 30-45 minutes, you may want to visit DUMBO, which is a small emerging neighborhood in Brooklyn right next to the Brooklyn Bridge.

5. Chinatown or Flushing, Queens

If you REALLY want to immerse yourself in Chinese culture, then you must visit either one of these or even both of these places. Chinatown is not a clean-cut neighborhood, but a busy and bustling area that is filled with good food and fake items. If you ask anyone that may not look like a tourist, but you think may speak English, you may want to ask where the best restaurant is or you could simply go in and discover a restaurant. Beware throughout New York City of all the counterfeit items. Unless you really, really need a watch, I would not recommend buying these items; I guess you could buy them as a souvenir... To get to Chinatown, look at the map for Spring Street or Canal Street. Be careful because if the dot where the stop is located is black, then you should see what train goes there (not all trains with the same color go to all the stops because some trains run 'express', that is, they skip a few stops). Flushing, which is in a borough called Queens (not far from LaGuardia Airport), is a little further away, but the food here, especially the dumplings, are great and is great if you have a little more time. To get to Flushing, take the 7 train to the last stop, Main Street- Flushing. If there is a Red Diamond lit up around the 7 and you're going in the afternoon (after 3:30), then you could get there a lot faster. The green circle around the 7 will take a little longer because it runs local. The view from the 7 train once the train goes above ground is really nice.

6. I may be going a little out of order... but, if you are into the art scene, then you may want to visit SoHo or Chelsea. From Chinatown, SoHo is just a small walk. There should be several unique art galleries and shopping places. A lot of the boutique stores may be very expensive.

7. After Chelsea, you may want to go to the Empire State Building, which is a site that many tourists go to. I would recommend going on a clear night to see the night Manhattan skyline. Going in the day is fine as well. To get here, you can take the B,D, F, V, N, Q, R or W trains to 34th Street-Herald Square. Once you get out, you may also want to quickly visit the humungous Macy's or Koreatown (good food) on 32nd Street. Also, if you are really on a tight budget and want to really get some snacks or at least something to drink, go immediately to 32nd Street from the subway station. On one side there is a Koreatown (a building should have a blue symbol with Woori Bank) and on the other side, there should be another street where you are facing a huge builing (which leads to Penn Station). There you will also see a Jack's 99 cent store, which is probably the best 99 cent store I have been to. It literally has cheap food and drinks that I never thought could be found at these prices in NY. You may want to come here for some snacks or drinks instead of going to Duane Reade or Walgreens if you are in the area. If you plan on just buying a gallon of water, then just go to Duane Reade.

8. Again, I am going a little out of order, but you may also want to visit the Flatiron building, which is around the low 20s Street along Broadway, I think. This is really only if you have a little time. The famous triangle building is here; other than that and the continuous shops and restaurants, there really is not much to do here.

9. If you are a fashion maniac, you may want to visit the garment district. This place has all sorts of fabric and whatnot along a few avenues. The prices should be pretty cheap. Mind you, the area may not look that nice, but you may want to brave it. I do not know if this place is still in the area, but you may want to check out a place called Mood (I don't think it's on the first floor)...it is a very popular place for fabrics. All the other stores on the first floor may have good fabrics as well...

10. On the 40's Streets, there are too many things to do. I will try my best to list everything. On 42nd Street, you should visit the humungous library on 41st and 5th Ave. There should be two lion statues on the entrance. The library is just stunning; the place basically looks like a huge palace. After this, you may want to visit Grand Central for a moment (42nd and Lexington- east of 5th Ave). This is a popular place as well. Look up at the ceiling in the main open area to see a piece of magnificent art. If you proceed west and north to around 44th Ave, you can not miss Times Square. If you have time, see a Broadway show or Madame Toussaud's Wax Museum. They could be quite expensive, from what I know. Do not forget to see the NASDAQ building as well. If you have kids, you may want to take them to the Toys R Us store, which is really strange and amazing. Your child should love it. If you have any teenagers, they may go to the Virgin Megastore, which has a multitude of items. If you come even at 2AM, there probably will be several people in the area. If you go east, you should be able to see the Chrystler Building and the UN building along 45th Street. Heading up a little more, you end up at Rockefeller Center, home of NBC and other major news corporations. Here, the rink may be open for ice skating, or you may want to visit the Top of the Rock for a spectacular view of Manhattan as well. If you could afford some luxury, you may want to go to the Rainbow Room as well (Formal dress required), an elegant restaurant with a supposedly great view. Also, you may also want to visit St. Patrick's Cathedral, which is just beautiful and awe-inspiring as well.

To get tickets to your Broadway Show or your Yankees or NY Mets Baseball tickets, purchase them at Tickets Now.  It is good to be prepared just in case tickets are sold out.

The next ten blocks are also jam-packed with things to do, but this block may take most of the money out of your wallet.  As you move up from Rockefeller Center, you will see a definite change from office buildings to high end stores like Macy's, Juicy Couture, Tiffany's, and much, much more.  If you come during the Christmas season, there are plenty of decorations outside, and the window displays may be worth the visit.  If you have the money to splurge a few hundred or even a few thousand on some gifts, this is the place to be.  There are some really exclusive stores as well that many may not have heard of.  Also, you may want to check out Columbus Circle at 59th Street where there is a large shopping mall filled with retail chain stores.  Along the fifties also houses the Apple store and many other large retail stores.  The building is quite neat and it is only a minute away by walk from Central Park.  Other than the shopping, the famous Plaza Hotel is along 59th Street on the east side.  If you are into the classics and cultural shows, you may want to see if Carnegie Hall may have any shows.  Other than this and the endless restaurants, there really is not much else to see.  These blocks may be one of the most expensive blocks; so if you are prone to impulsive buying, I would not recommend these streets :-).

Now from 60th Street up to about 110th Street, Manhattan is divided into the east and west side.  If you plan on taking the subway, make sure you take the right one and the right subway.  Just a little tip on the subway here.  There are a total of four trains, two blue and two orange.  Unless you want to get to Harlem or the Bronx post-haste, please follow these instructions carefully.  Most of the museums are along the 70s and 80s Street.   Do you research on which ones you want to go to and plan accordingly.  If you do enjoy walking, then you could walk across Central Park to get to the other side, but let's just say it may not be the easiest adventure for some... (like me).  For museums on the west side (Museum of Natural Science), you could take the B or C trains, but do NOT take the A or D trains (they will go from 59th to 125th Street.  For the East side, to get to the Met, you could take any green train to 86th Street and for the Whitney, you could take the 6 train to the seventies.  Other than the museums, there are a bunch of nice restaurants and boutique shops in these areas.  There is also a change in the atmosphere compared to Midtown... the sixties to eighties streets should be a lot quieter, but still should have the city charm.

Between Harlem and 110th Street, you may want to check out the other famous cathedral (west side) as well as Columbia University (116th-120th Street) on the West side.

Around 120th Street is Harlem.  Harlem is the place of the birth of the Harlem Renaissance, which was the artistic and cultural movement in the 1920's of African Americans.  Here, there is a distinct African American culture, and here, you may want to see if you can get any authentic African food.  Also, be sure to check out Apollo theater and possibly see if you could get into a show. 

I hope that you enjoyed this article. I will try to continue to expand this with more sites, videos, locations and more in the near future.