I.　　Lonely Planet Best Of guides are the ultimate pocket guide for short-trip visitors. The guides highlight the best city experiences, sights and trends.

II.　　Center of the universe? In a New York minute, pal. Hit the streets with our guide to NYC’s stunning monuments, striking arts, vibrant neighborhoods and world-class shops, eateries and nightlife. Selective and engaging, Best of New York City fits the whole apple neatly in your pocket.

　　1.THE CITY with easy-to-use fold-out maps, detailed itineraries and walking tours including Greenwich Village and Central Park

　　2.SEE THE SIGHTS of bustling Fifth Avenue, glittering Times Square, booming Brooklyn or from the top of the Empire State Building – highlights blanket the boroughs

　　3.SAVOR THE FLAVORS at succulent steakhouses, avant-garde bistros, street-side cafés, elegant lounges, old-school diners and oh-so-cheesey pizzerias – tastes for all budgets

　　4.SHOP IN STYLE among the world’s greatest department stores, fashion houses, record shops, antiques showrooms and art galleries armed with savvy reviews

　　5.DREAM SWEETLY in a mod boutique hotel, historic grand dame, charming brownstone or hidden-away B&B

　　New York City

　　The city(pop., 2000: 8,008,278), southeastern New York, at the mouth of the Hudson River. The largest city in the U.S. and an important seaport, it consists of five boroughs: the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island. The site of a Dutch trading post on Manhattan Island, it was colonized as New Amsterdam by Dutch director general Peter Minuit, who bought it from the Indians in 1626. The colony surrendered to the British in 1664 and was renamed New York. It was the capital of the state (1784–97) and of the U.S. (1789–90). The economy grew after the opening of the Erie Canal in 1825, and the city expanded rapidly after the American Civil War, developing transportation and communications systems. In 1898 the five boroughs were merged into a single city. Long a magnet for immigrants to the U.S., it is a centre of world trade and finance, media, art, entertainment, and fashion. Because of its prominence and its central role in world commerce, the city was a target for acts of terrorism. In September 2001, hijackers intentionally flew airliners into the twin towers of the World Trade Center, destroying them and destroying or damaging several adjacent buildings; the attacks killed some 2,800 people.