When it was completed in 1883, the Brooklyn Bridge was a marvel of civil engineering—the longest suspension bridge in the world.

Over 150,000 people walked across the bridge opening day. Today, the number of car crossings per day approaches that number, but the best views of the crisscrossing steel cables, neo-Gothic stone archways, and majestic cityscapes are still to be had by the commuters, tourists, and idling New Yorkers who cross the span by foot or bicycle.

Stop under the arches to trace the history of the bridge, including the story of famed engineer Washington Roebling, who inherited the construction project after his father's death, and completed it via telescope from his apartment while suffering from the bends. Access the bridge near City Hall on the Manhattan side, or take the A train to High Street in Brooklyn and look for the stairs to the bridge walkway at Cadman Plaza East and Prospect Street, under the bridge's approach.

Always be alert on the path; bicyclists gaining momentum on the way down from the center tend to swerve outside the dedicated lane.

Once you're across the East River from Manhattan, there are many nice places to eat and shop.

The largest Asian community in North America has expanded its territory over the years, reaching into the Lower East Side and Little Italy; Manhattan's Chinatown now extends from Worth St. to Broome St. between Broadway and Madison St., but the main streets are Canal and Mott. The area is packed with markets overflowing with vegetables and fish, restaurants and noodle shops, stores selling everything from silk robes to discount luggage, and basement massage parlors where you can get a good, cheap shiatsu. If you don't like crowds, though, beware: It's a virtual mosh pit of humanity down here, and challenging to negotiate on foot. But there's also a spiritual side, particularly in the Eastern States Buddhist Temple on Mott St., where golden Buddhas are lit by candlelight.

Automotive tycoon Walter Chrysler wanted to build the tallest building in the world, and when this stainless-steel skyscraper opened in 1930, it was—at least until the Empire State Building was completed a few months later. His edifice may no longer have the height advantage, but architecture critics (and many New Yorkers) give it the edge on style, thanks to the automotive themes that rev up its Jazz Age design—the overlapping hubcaps that make up the building's crown and the eagle hood ornaments that extend from eight corners of the 61st floor. It's a romantic building, particularly when lit up at night. Visitors can also check out the lobby during regular business hours, with its airplane ceiling mural and carved-wood elevator doors.

From Houston Street up to 14th Street, and east from Broadway to Avenue C, the East Village has been home to 19th-century millionaires, waves of immigrants, and more recently, decades of counterculture. The Beat Generation arrived in the '50s, hippies in the '60s, punks in the '70s, and Madonna in the '80s. Today, gentrification has made it safe for the rest of us.

The seedy drug dens of Alphabet City (Avenues A, B, and C) now house upscale restaurants and of-the-moment bars; Tompkins Square Park, where squatters incited by the police rioted in 1998, is now filled with strollers and dog-walkers; and an array of shopping choices means you can procure anything from New Age decoupage to a bustier designed by Chloë Sevigny or a garden gnome from the estate of Squire Van Tuyl, thanks to quirky auction house Everything Must Go (www.139norfolk.com). But don't worry, there are still plenty of places in the neighborhood to get a tattoo—or a haircut that will drive your parents nuts.

Reborn as "Grand Central Station," the reconfigured depot’s most prominent feature was undoubtedly its enormous train shed. Constructed of glass and steel, the 100-foot wide by 650-foot long structure rivaled the Eiffel Tower and Crystal Palace for primacy as the most dramatic engineering achievement of the 19th century. The updated station also featured a "classical" façade, a unified 16,000 square foot waiting room, and distinctive ornamentation, including monumental cast-iron eagles with wingspans of 13-feet

The West Village extends from Houston to 14th streets and from the Hudson River to Broadway, where the East Village unofficially begins. Farmland in colonial times, it's now home to some of the most beautiful streets in the city: leafy, sometimes cobbled lanes dotted with 18th- and 19th-century brownstones and outdoor cafés. Poets, artists, writers, and anyone with an alternative lifestyle has long been drawn here. The gay community that used to make its headquarters along Christopher Street has mostly moved to Chelsea with the artists, but still takes to the Village streets for Gay Pride Day the last Sunday of June and for the nation's largest Halloween parade. Bleecker Street, which cuts a diagonal swath through the village from Hudson Street to Sixth Avenue, has become the epicenter of interest for visitors, thanks in part to landmarks such as Magnolia Bakery and a micro-neighborhood of swanky boutiques.

Not so long ago, this was New York City's version of the Wild West—a warren of cobblestone streets abutting the West Side Highway, home to butchers and alternative-lifestyle night owls. Very little of that world exists now that the beef carcasses have moved out and the megaclubs, boutiques, and restaurants have moved in, with the stiletto-and-Prada crowd tottering swiftly behind.
Lately places seem to open up more quickly than one can follow—the Hotel Gansevoort and clubs like Aer already seem kind of, well, old. While the neighborhood is fun and the shopping can be stellar (or should that be Stella?), it's also seeing the inevitable backlash—stop by during the week; weekends are elbow-to-elbow with way-too-drunk amateurs. Still, everyone can agree that the High Line elevated park and the hip (and affordable) Standard Hotel have gone a long way towards bringing the best of Meatpacking's past into its hip future.

John D. Rockefeller Jr.'s Art Deco masterpiece, Radio City Music Hall, was the first component of his eponymous Midtown development. The stage, with its signature 60-foot-tall proscenium arch, is still a venue for major concerts and events, as well as the totally campy Christmas Spectacular, featuring the high-kicking Rockettes. On a backstage tour, you can watch them rehearse, and admire the ornate ceilings, plush red seats, and the hydraulic system that's been in use since the 1930s.

it's almost obligatory to take a spin around the skating rink, flanked by skyscrapers and open from October through early April.
The 70th-story Top of the Rock observation deck, originally opened by Rockefeller in 1933, reopened in November 2005.

Affectionately known as "St. John the Unfinished" by inhabitants of its Morningside Heights neighborhood, the world's largest Gothic cathedral has staunchly remained under construction since the laying of its cornerstone in 1892. Construction was already slated to continue for decades when a 2001 fire forced yet another halt.

New York's newest park, the High Line is brilliantly executed, hugely popular, and has become an instant must-see. Occupying an unused elevated rail line that parallels the Hudson River in lower Manhattan, the 1.5 mile–long promenade embodies the spirit of the Meatpacking District and West Chelsea—a nexus of art, design, commerce, and nightlife. Begin by climbing the stairs at Gansevoort Street (there are several other entrances, including two with elevators), and walk along the concrete and wood pavings, grooved to echo the former train tracks.

The High Line is a mile-and-a-half-long elevated park, running through the West Side neighborhoods of the Meatpacking District, West Chelsea and Clinton/Hell's Kitchen.

Home to the United Nations, these six midtown blocks along the East River are an international territory collectively owned by the 192 member nations. Security is expectedly tight, but the public is permitted inside the General Assembly and Conference buildings, built in 1952 by a team of architects that included Le Corbusier and Oscar Niemeyer. Tours are more like a history lesson than a sneak peek behind the scenes—you won't see Ban Ki-moon brush by you in the hallway, but you will learn a lot about the UN's founding and its past and present peacekeeping operations. Artwork (gifts from member nations) adorns the halls; the disarmament exhibit of post-bomb remnants from Hiroshima (deformed jars, burned clothes, a charred statue) is a chilling reminder of what happens when nuclear weapons are used. Visitors are permitted a glimpse inside the General Assembly hall and the Security Council chambers (when those delegates are not meeting). Expect long lines; catch one of the morning tours (beginning at 9:30 a.m.) or visit midweek to avoid the crowds. Children under five are not admitted.