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What they never told you about New York

A trip to New York represents a milestone in anybody’s travel record. It signifies being right at the epicentre of culture, cinema, music and art while also experiencing the endless natural parks in which you can lose yourself for an entire afternoon. It means relaxing in the Riu Plaza New York Times Square, our city hotel, after a day of strolling the fascinating avenues that stretch out for kilometres. If this is your first experience of this great city, we can tell you about six New York curiosities for first-time visitors.

• Welcome to the monumental city. Telling you that New York is a city full of enormous buildings is nothing new, but if we also explain that the same goes for the parks, shops, food and drink then maybe you’ll think twice about ordering that double helping of your favourite dish.

• A Mecca for lovers of TV series… and cinema in general. If you are happy to spend entire afternoons watching episodes of Friends or dream of going down the unmistakable red staircase in Times Square, then this is your city. New York has been the inspiration for iconic films such West Side Story, Manhattan and Breakfast at Tiffany’s, among many others, and provided the setting for legendary series such as How I Met Your Mother, Mad Men and Sex and the City. The fact is that around 40,000 audiovisual productions are made in the city each and every year.
• Brooklyn Bridge. It was, for 20 years, the planet’s longest suspension bridge and also the strongest! Built in 1883, to test its resilience, they organised a procession in which 21 elephants had to cross it from start to finish. To great success!

• Williamsburg is very fashionable. Life does exist beyond Fifth Avenue, and it’s to be found in the neighbourhood of Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Waiting for you there is a great deal of urban art, vegetarian restaurants offering sophisticated cuisine (because it really is possible to eat healthily in the city), flea markets, music, literature… Welcome to New York’s bohemian side.

• New Yorkers… are friendly! Yes, they really are. Even though that may seem strange from the way they stride down the avenues at top speed. As soon as they see you are having trouble reading a map, they don’t hesitate in lending a hand. A piece of advice? If you are going to stop to check your whereabouts, don’t do it in the middle of the pavement – find yourself a doorway or porch in which to shelter. They will thank you for it.

New York has so many things to offer that, until you visit it, you won’t be able to appreciate it all. Don’t hesitate any longer; come and get to know one of the world’s greatest cities by basing yourself in the Riu Plaza New York Times Square. You’ll love it!