Do It Yourself
Practical guides for planning and running your own trip.
Walking New York: Five Routes That Explain the City
New York is a walking city that punishes people who try to see it from a bus window. Five self-guided routes, each two to three hours, each covering ground a tour would skip.
Thirty Free Things to Do in New York That Are Actually Worth Doing
Not a list of parks padded out to reach a number. Free museums, free ferries, free concerts, free views and free evenings, all of which people pay for elsewhere.
The Best Time of Year to Visit New York
Every month has a case for it and two of them are genuinely difficult. Here is what the city is actually like season by season, including the weather nobody warns you about.
How the New York Grid Works, and Where It Doesn't
Twenty blocks to a mile, avenues run north–south, streets run east–west, and everything below Houston ignores all of it. The five minutes that make Manhattan navigable.
Where to Stay in New York: Choosing a Neighbourhood
The neighbourhood you book matters more than the hotel. Here is what each one is actually like at eight in the morning and eleven at night, and who each one suits.