We discover the ten best things you can do for free in one of the most exciting cities in the world – New York.

New York City

The Essential NYC Guide: 10 Free Things To Do And See

Manhattan has budget-friendly hotels in many of its great neighborhoods, so book your room fast!

Manhattan

The 10 Best Cheap Hotels in Manhattan

The Big Apple isn’t known only for its skyscrapers and monuments, it’s also known for its quirky small businesses and stores.

A Guide to New York’s Best Independent Shops and Businesses

We take a look at the 10 most interesting places to see and things to do while visiting the East Village.

Top 10 Things To Do and See in Manhattan's East Village

We profile ten of the most picturesque towns and villages north of New York City.

New York

10 Beautiful Towns to Visit in Upstate New York

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A densely populated metropolis nearly half of whose residents were born outside the USA, New York City really embraces the term “melting pot.” Every corner of the world is packed into the Big Apple’s five boroughs, from vibrant enclaves such as Little Guyana in Queens and midtown’s Koreatown to lower Manhattan’s bustling Chinatown and Little Italy.


The city wears its history of welcoming outsiders with pride. The Tenement Museum, on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, brings the stories of New York’s immigrant communities to life, while Ellis Island and the iconic Statue of Liberty are enduring reminders of the freedom and opportunity America represents for exiles.

Introducing New York City

The majority of New York’s best-known tourist attractions can be found in Manhattan. Just south of Central Park, midtown – home to Times Square, Broadway and many iconic skyscrapers – has all the glitz and glamor of the city that never sleeps. Lower Manhattan is crammed with cool districts, including the West and East villages, the très chic Nolita neighborhood and the shopping destination SoHo.


Many visitors spend their entire visit in Manhattan alone, but the city’s four outer boroughs have plenty of their own charm and things to do. Brooklyn is the hippest of the bunch, boasting experimental nightclubs, gorgeous brownstone buildings and unrivaled views of Manhattan’s skyline across the East River. Queens is blessed with green spaces and great restaurants, while the Bronx has Yankee Stadium and the New York Botanical Garden. Known for its free commuter ferry, Staten Island is the least busy and greenest of the five, giving New Yorkers a much-needed breath of fresh air.

Best of New York tourism

New York City neighborhoods

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A leading figure of the Latin American Boom, the writer and essayist Carlos Fuentes was part of a flourishing continental literary movement in the 1960’s and 1970’s.

North America

Mexico

Mexico City

Carlos Fuentes and the Latin American Boom

Learn why Mexico City's floating gardens are such an important part of the local ecology and why the city's future depends on them.

Why the Xochimilco Canals Matter to Mexico City

Leaps of faith into the messy world of political autonomy don't often work, but Cherán, an indigenous Mexican town, seems to be doing just fine.

Welcome to Mexico’s Indigenous Town Succeeding at Political Autonomy

A stalwart of the Mexico City street entertainment scene, the organ grinders of the Mexican capital are supposedly a dying breed. Find out why.

Meet Mexico City’s Street Organ Grinders

Little known outside of Mexico, Luis Estrada is the director whose films you should watch this winter

The Must-See Films of Controversial Director Luis Estrada

Explore the boxing gym behind five world champions, including middleweight champion Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez.

Guadalajara

The Ramshackle Boxing Gym That Has Produced Five World Champions

Mexico has been marching against gay marriage rights in the past weeks, but public outrage is on the horizon; read some of the most recent examples.

Mexico’s Anti-Gay Protests Provoke Public Reaction

Find out how fans and 'Chucky' Lozano caused a mini-earthquake during Mexico's World Cup upset over Germany. 

How World Cup Celebrations Caused an Artificial Earthquake in Mexico

Discover what the Mexican Day of the Dead celebrations really mean to a local woman in this touching interview.

A Local Injects Life into Day of the Dead Celebrations

Eschewing fast fashion and favouring local artisanal embroidery, meet the Agua de Chile brand that's reinventing and revitalising the Mexican fashion world.

Agua de Chile: Empowering Women Through Fashion

‘Blue Skies’ shows the traumatic experiences of six Uyghur men wrongly imprisoned in Guantánamo for 8 years and their release and relocation to Palau.

Stateless and Stranded: Guantánamo Detainees in Palau

Read on for our guide to the best local food in the upscale, residential municipality of Zapopan, Guadalajara, and discover some excellent brunch spots.

The Top 10 Brunch Spots In Zapopan, Guadalajara

A new trend of recording wealthy and arrogant people in Mexico has put their bratty behavior in the spotlight

The Lords and Ladies: Meet Mexico's Infamous Viral Stars

La Candelaria is the oldest neighbourhood in Bogota and is super haunted: here's the story of the ghosts of this area and where you can find them.

The Mystery of the Ghosts of La Candelaria and Where to Find Them

Mexican travelers are choosing not to travel to the United States and it's costing the country billions.

U.S. Economy Takes Hit as Mexican Tourists Stay Home

NYC is full of amazing food for amazingly low prices. Read our list of the best meals in the city for under $5, and then hit the town to satisfy your craving.

The Best Cheap Eats in NYC for Under $5

On your next first date, let your surroundings be your wingman. Read our guide to the best first date bars in Brooklyn, New York City.

11 Great First Date Bars in Brooklyn, New York City

Check out this Chelsea dining guide, featuring eight more exceptional, must-try restaurants.

The Best Restaurants In Chelsea, New York

The Best Travel, Food and Culture Guides for New York, USA - Local News & Top Things to Do