In case you are in the Big Apple...

UPTOWN is walking/going NORTH

DOWNTOWN is walkin/going SOUTH

Therefore, southern Manhattan is referred as downtown. There is nothing to see much beyond Central Park as you move uptown.

All the long length roads are referred to as Avenues and have names+numbers (1-9). All the width rows are referred to as Streets and have numbers. Downtown would have lower numbers (until there are only named streets like Wall Street, Canal Street, Maiden Lane, etc.), while uptown will have higher street number (34^th street will have Penn Station, Times Sq is near 42^nd Street, Central Park spans between 60-XX streets). Taxis are not that expensive so would suggest taking one if it is too late and you are tired or, just to get the nearest subway. Subways are $2/trip but can get a day pass for $7, which is recommended if you are going to downtown then back up to midtown and then a couple of stops more. Subways roughly follow the structure of the Manhattan geography and the map (free) will show the stops as per avenues/streets. Only thing to be careful about subways (in addition to not going to Brooklyn!) is whether the train is going ‘uptown’ or ‘downtown’ and if it is ‘Express’ when it will NOT stop at small stations (though on weekends all should be ‘all-stops’).

There is also PATH train that one can take from WTC, near 34^th Street and some Avenue, that will take one to Jersey City. It is different from a Subway and just connects NJ and NY across the Hudson river. Penn Station will have NJ Transit trains that are for suburban commute into New Jersey.

Downtown: Look at Statue of Liberty from Battery Park and you are already there in the Financial District; walk uptown towards World Financial Centre (along the Hudson river) and on the main lobby from the 1^st floor of one of the towers you can take a look at the erstwhile WTC site; walk across the freeway and you will hit Wall Street where NYSE is then walk towards South Street Seaport (where you would cross 180 Maiden Lane building - my Goldman office). You can see Brooklyn Bridge from SSS. To walk on it (like SRK) you will need to walk a little bit further uptown to find the walkway – but if it is windy then it will be really cold. Starbucks Coffee needs to be tried (there is one in every direction!) but for a quick/cheap coffee and doughnuts, Dunkin’ Doughnuts is good. Near Wall Street and right in front of WTC is a big Century 21 store that is a good shopping store.

Midtown: Greenwich Village (for partying late in the night?); If at Times Square then walk to Empire State Building to see it (no need to go up) and/or to Rockefeller Center (opposite directions) and the NBC studios. There is a TKTS office at Times Square (bang in the middle) – check the time it opens in the morning and go an hour before in the line; can get cheaper tickets between $40-60: worth it. Phantom of the Opera, Lion King, 42^nd Street, Wicked are highly recommended shows. Try ‘Cold Stone Creamery’ (near the Port Authority bus station) for ice cream and there is also a movie theater near there, as is Madame Tussaud’s wax museum ($35) across the street. Macy’s near Penn Station (34^th) street is a good place to shop for clothes.

Slightly Uptown: Central Park (for a walk?) then go to Museum of Modern Art (free). Guggenheim is nearby somewhere and so is Natural History Museum (but check first!). If you walk towards downtown from Central Park on 5^th Avenue you will see all the famed designer shops (like Saks), etc.