Discovering and Enjoying All That New York City Has To Offer
By Mayor Michael Bloomberg
In difficult economic times, more people are postponing trips and planning “stay-cations”—vacations right in their own backyards. And the good news is: whether you hail from the five boroughs, New Jersey, Connecticut, Long Island, or Westchester, your backyard—New York City—happens to be the most exciting place in the world.
Exploring all the city has to offer has never been easier. That’s because last week, we opened a new high-tech information center right in the heart of Midtown Manhattan on Seventh Avenue between 52nd and 53rd Streets. The new Information Center offers a range of user-friendly tools. For example, our new Interactive Maps allow users to browse the five boroughs, click on categories of interest—such as museums and galleries or restaurants—and create personal itineraries that can be printed out, e-mailed, or texted to a cell phone or other mobile device. Visitors can also save their itineraries to a special disc, and then take the disc over to a video wall where they’ll be able to take a virtual tour of their itinerary through a three-dimensional Google Earth map of the city.
As fun as it is to soar through the virtual city, nothing can beat the real experience of being in New York. Now, that experience is even more affordable thanks to a number of savings promotions available on the City’s new and improved tourism and information website at nycgo.com.
Log on to the website and click on “NYC Winter Deal-O-Matic” to download more than 200 exclusive offers and discounts on dining, shopping, museums, and more. Many of the city’s hotels are offering special winter discounts as well. For example, our signature “Third Night” promotion gives visitors a third night free in some of the city’s finest hotels and the “NYC Sunday Stays” program offers up to 30 percent reductions on room rates combined with upgrades, complementary breakfasts, and other bonuses.
Visitors to the website can also now view event listings on a new Cultural Calendar created by our Department of Cultural Affairs, map their trips using Google Maps, and even book hotels and reserve tables in restaurants.
No city on earth can match New York’s incredible energy and diversity—that’s why a record 47 million people came to visit us last year. Thanks to the new NYC Information Center and its online sidekick, nycgo.com, those of us who are lucky enough to live here—or right nearby—have more opportunities than ever to discover new things to see and do. So what are you waiting for? This is New York City—your city—and now it’s at your fingertips. #
