Midtown

Midtown is the heart of New York City -- the center of commerce, media, shopping, transportation, tourism. It's what most people think of when they think of the city. It's a vibrant area known as much for its nose-to-the-grindstone business ethic and its shop-till-you-drop appeal. Per square foot, Midtown has more major landmarks -- Grand Central Terminal, Rockefeller Center, Times Square, and the United Nations -- than any other part of the city.

Rockefeller Center is in almost every movie filmed here, 5th Avenue is probably the best-known shopping street in the world, Grand Central is not only a commuter hub but an exquisitely beautiful building with its own diversions, and speaking of buildings, architecture buffs won't know where to look first. And the justifiably renowned Museum of Modern Art, along with several other museums, is here.

Whirling in a chaos of flashing lights, honking horns, and shoulder-to-shoulder crowds, Times Square is the most frenetic part of New York City. Hordes of people arrive every hour by subway, bus, car, or on foot, drawn by its undeniable gravitational pull. What brings them here? There's not much to do -- no great shopping, comparatively few notable restaurants, and, except when they're raising the curtains in the theaters, a dearth of cultural offerings. Simply put, Times Square is a destination in itself.

If you harbor even the vaguest hope that Times Square is still a showcase for sleazy good times, you'll be disappointed. No longer the epicenter of sin in the world's biggest, baddest city, Times Square has been well scrubbed and sanitized and is geared firmly toward family fun. Perky TV show Good Morning America calls the Square home, as does Virgin Records, MTV, Disney, and Toys "R" Us. So do take the kids but make sure to keep an eye (and perhaps a hand) on them lest they get swept away by the crowds.