Ahh the big apple. This 24-hour non-stop bustling city is home to the Knick’s Madison Square Garden, Times Square and Broadway. It’s the birthplace of hip hop and “Sex and the City;” A sprawling urban landscape filled with supermodels and the world’s top fashion designers.
Welcome to New York.
This is a city that just might have it all. From world-renowned dining to five-star hotels to historic museums and live entertainment—New York City has such a vast array of entertainment—that
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So many things to pick in the city with so much to do. When this site expands I'll have lots to talk about, but I'm going to mention right now an awesome secret. If you like... More
Endless food and entertainment. Don't get caught up in the times square Madame Tussauds thing. That is not New York. Places like 6th street indian food. Williamsburg bars.... More
The area north of 96th street is best known as the cultural attraction of NYC. While Harlem can be visited throughout the year, February (very cold) and August (very hot) tend to... More
New York's East River is the unlikely home to the city's number one swimming experience this summer - a floating pool on a barge. Oliver Burkeman goes poolside
Even in the muggy heat of New York in August, when the prospect of immersing oneself in cold water is enormously seductive, there are some places most people wouldn't choose to go swimming. Near the top of that list would probably be the murky, polluted East River, the fabled dumping ground for those who fell from favour with the Mafia. Now take that thought one step further: what about a stretch of the East River just a short distance from a sewage treatment plant?
Counter intuitively, this is the location for what must surely be New York's most appealing swimming experience this summer. Barretto Point Park, on the Bronx side of the river, is the mooring place this year for the Floating Pool Lady, a half-Olympic sized swimming pool on a giant barge. After spending last summer near the Brooklyn Bridge, the pool has been towed to a part of the city acutely lacking in public recreational facilities. With the exception of Yankee Stadium, the Bronx rarely features on tourist itineraries. But the chance to swim in a glisteningly clean waterborne pool, with views of the Empire State Building on the horizon, is one excellent reason to consider a trip.
It would be wrong to describe the experience as idyllic: "fascinating" might be a better word. The subway ejects me at a Bronx intersection heaving with traffic, and a shuttle bus completes the journey to the park, through street after street of low-slung warehouses and truck repair workshops. Industrial chimneys tower over the pool, while the roar of jets taking off and landing at La Guardia airport, across the river in Queens, is almost constant. And yet, once I've slipped into the cool water, there's a curious tranquillity to it all. Miles from the thrum of midtown, the sky feels big, and the air - perhaps deceptively - clear. The Manhattan skyline looms in the hazy distance. Life slows down a little.
Peace and quiet is limited, though, thanks to the vocal enthusiasm with which parks department staff enforce the draconian pool rules. It's far better to treat this as part of the experience, rather than trying to resist. Don't imagine stepping on to the gangplank to the pool without being able to show a padlock, a towel and a swimming costume (even if you don't plan to swim yourself). Don't enter the pool area without being visibly wet from the shower (unless you don't mind being yelled at). And don't wear any shirts or T-shirts at the poolside unless they're white. According to local legend, coloured items were banned because they could be used to demonstrate gang affiliation. The official position is that the chlorine might cause bleaching.
Much as I might have preferred less haranguing, the strict rules seem to work. The pool and well-designed modern changing rooms are all safe, clean, and entirely orderly. But "serious" swimming is probably best not attempted except during the official lanes period of 7am-8.30am. The pool's main clientele consists of Bronx high-school children, far too busy flirting with each other to clear a path for me to swim lengths.
The sinister histories of this part of the city enhance the sense of wandering far from the tourist trail. Nearby is Rikers Island, New York's prison facility. Closer still is North Brother Island, once the site of a smallpox hospital. Typhoid Mary, the notorious domestic servant who infected more than 50 people in turn-of-the-century New York, was forcibly quarantined for two decades on the island, which was also where the steamship General Slocum caught fire in 1891, killing more than 1,000 people. Even the floating pool itself connects swimmers to history: in former times, the city operated around 15 such barges.
These days, North Brother Island sits silent, abandoned, and covered in dense forest. I lean against the barge railings to take a closer look at this urban oddity - a deserted island, in the middle of New York. I'm just slipping into a reverie when a voice makes me start.
"Sir!" a parks worker is shouting, as she strides in my direction. "SIR! There is NO LEANING ON THE RAILINGS!"
? The Floating Pool at Barretto Point Park is open daily from 7am-3pm and 4pm-7pm, until 7 September. Admission is free, but a padlock and towel are compulsory. Take the 6 subway line to Hunts Point Avenue in the Bronx, then transfer for free to the pool shuttle bus, which departs at 7.34am, then every half hour from 8.14am to 7.44pm, from outside the BP gas station. More information at nycgovparks.org
Why now? This is the best time of the year for cheap deals to NYC. And right now, the city, like the rest of the country, is still buzzing with Obamania.
Getting there In February, Expedia.co.uk is offering three nights room-only at the Philippe Starck-designed Hudson Hotel from £369pp - or, for an extra £100, stay at the legendary Waldorf Astoria. Both include flights from Heathrow with North West Airlines.
What to do With the pound getting a kicking, shopping's not the best option; instead make the most of the hundreds of things to do for free. On Fridays the Guggenheim and the Modern are two of the many museums offering free entry (see tinyurl.com/55udo), while freenyc.net lists an extensive directory of clubs and gigs without cover charges, and budgettravel.com lists free tours, including Central Park and Times Square (tinyurl.com/4v6r75).
Could Valentine's Day come at a worse time of year? Your credit card has barely recovered from the pre-Christmas knees-ups, present buying and over-priced New Year festivities when, wham, bam, it's time to splash out on something glam. This year the timing feels particularly cruel. But for anyone contemplating knitting or growing a present, we've found a solution. One that doesn't involve you becoming uncharacteristically cheesy. In fact, there's a touch of seediness about it - but in a good way. It's the "by-the-hour hotel", the cash-strapped lover's way to inject some affordable fun into your romance. The world leaders in the love hotel are Japan and Brazil ,where it's perfectly respectable for dating or married couples to check in for an afternoon's nookie. But other countries are starting to catch on. The Guardian's Travel team risked its office reputation by making numerous phone calls asking whether hotels do "by the hour". Here's our pick of the best around the world.
Hotel Amour, Paris, France
In a former life, Hotel Amour, near Pigalle, was a pay-by-the-hour establishment; then graffiti artist Andre Emmanuel got his hands on it and transformed it into one of the city's most sought-after boutique pads. Rooms are painted lipstick red, adorned with risqué art and free of phones, TV and internet. Its core clientele are stylish weekenders, attracted by its funky decor (Emmanuel's graffiti covers the walls) and the hip SoPi (south of Pigalle) location, otherwise known as the 9th arrondissement. But in a nod to its once sleazy past, it also offers a day rate. A louche afternoon in a sexy Paris hotel? If that doesn't impress, nothing will.
? Rooms are available from 12pm-3pm from ?84 (£76), a 20% discount on the normal rate , (must be booked on the same morning). 8 rue Navarin, Paris, +33 1 48 78 31-80. Website presently under construction
Hotel Loire, Osaka, Japan
Illicit affairs have been conducted in Japan's love hotels for decades, but these days they are just as likely to cater to bonafide couples who want to spice up their love life. There are thousands to choose from, with Hello Kitty proving a popular if disturbing in-room theme. But we've plumped for Hotel Loire on the outskirts of Osaka. Its trump card is the Alien Abduction playroom where, for around £30, you get to act out your intergalactic fantasies in a mock space capsule. If that's a bit too out there, the PA Plaza in Tokyo, is much more down to earth. Its rooms play on more obvious themes - the Island Resort room has, er, a potted palm tree and in-room Jacuzzi, while Modern Britain sports matching pink flowery curtains, sofa and bedspread - it's romantic Britain circa 1975.
? Hotel Loire, 7-9-13 Miyakenaka, Osaka, from Y3,899 (£30). A "break" (bookable between 6am and midnight) at the PA Plaza is two hours and costs Y5,600 Mon-Fri and Y6,200 Sat-Sun. A 30-minute extension costs Y1,400. +81 (0)3 3780 5211, paplaza.com .
The Liberty Inn hotel, New York, US
"Your Rendezvous for Romance" is this hotel's strapline. You may beg to differ, once you've seen the bedspreads, naff ceiling murals and the slightly corporate looking chairs and tables. But we say embrace the tackiness. New Yorkers certainly have. New York Magazine recently voted the Liberty the Best By the Hour hotel in the city. Rooms feature "mood lighting", six adult movie channels on the plasma screen TVs and - if you splash out an extra $15 for the Romantic Interlude rooms - a two-person whirlpool. Woohoo!
? Two hours from $60 (£41), three hours from $70. 51 Tenth Ave, at 14th St. +1 212 741 2333, libertyinnnyc.com.
VIP's, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
In a country as proud of its libido as its footballing prowess - yet where most young people live at home until they get married - the love motel is a national institution. Rooms range from the functional to five-star love nests complete with theatres (video camera optional), swimming pools, saunas and mini discos. The VIP's motel in Rio, two minutes' drive from the trendy beachside suburb of Leblon, is the epitome of discretion (two private parking spaces per room and the staff never see you), and style with private poolside views of the Atlantic below and Christ the Redeemer looking down from the mountain above. Good Catholics can book a suite out of his view. VIP's rooms are so tastefully decorated, and well located, you might consider staying here even if you're not getting jiggy with it.
? Rooms from R$95-R$640 (£28-£190) for eight hours. +55 21 3322 5868; vipsmotel.com.br.
Hotel General La Paz, Buenos Aires, Argentina
They may not be as well known as Brazil's love motels, but in Argentina they're just as common with virtually one on every block. Known as "temporary lodgings", or telos, they provide some much-needed privacy to young couples living with their parents. They range from the downright downmarket, where you may have to wait your turn with other couples until the sheets are changed in an available room, to classier joints. The General Paz falls into the latter category, with suites so plush you may not want to leave after your allotted "turno".
? A three-hour turno costs from 260 pesos - 430 pesos (£52-96). Av General Paz 3921 y Monteagudo (1672); +54 11 4752 0777. For a full directory of Telos go to alberguestransitorios.com.
The Hoxton, London, UK
No doubt there are plenty of sleazy boltholes around the capital but we have our standards, you know. Our suggestion is the stylish Hoxton, which has daytime deals on its "private offices" - aka its bedrooms - for a bargain £19. They're aimed at business people who need some desk space while they're in town, but there's nothing to stop you inviting your partner to step into your office. On leaving, the bars and restaurants of trendy Shoreditch are but a brief stroll away.
? £19 from 10am to 4pm (must be booked a day in advance). 81 Great Eastern Street, London, +44 (0)20 7550 1000, hoxtonhotels.com.
Hotel Orient, Vienna, Austria
Who'd have thought it. Vienna, with its hushed galleries and trad coffee shops, has a naughty side. Then again, it's most famous painting is Klimt's The Kiss. If the 20-room Hotel Orient's Kaiser suite sounds a bit too full on for your liking, try the more romantic sounding 1001 Nights.
? Three hours cost from ?59 per room, Tiefer Graben 30, +43 1 533 73 07, hotelorient.at .
La Franca, Barcelona, Spain
La Franca claims to be the best hotel in the city for couples. Rooms are clean and tastefully decorated, albeit with a sort of 1980s-style elegance - think black and white striped wallpaper and a round bed in Le Gran Suite. There is no hourly rate here but La Franca sneaks on to the list because it's aimed solely at couples and aims to please, promising "discrecion absoluta". Even the car park bays have curtains! Plus the rooms are so cheap it wouldn't matter if, in a reckless mood, you decided to spend just a few hours rather than a full night.
? Rooms available from ?52. La Franca Xica 40; + 934 231 417, lafransa.com
The public bus system may not have a tour guide or an upper deck, but you can plan your own route, score a window seat and see the sights the way New Yorkers do.
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