New York City has a great action-packed weekend planned for its visitors during the Easter Weekend. You can take in the fun of the Easter Parade and Bonnet Parade - a tradition that dates back to Civil War days - where hundreds of people parade up and down Fifth Avenue in full Easter garb. Alternatively, you can enjoy a wide variety of family-oriented fun in other venues around the city, with the Eggstravaganza event in Central Park a firm favorite for people of all age groups. Hungry visitors can enjoy great traditional Easter dinners or brunches at a number of top eateries.

Next week we’ll be posting on where to enjoy Easter Brunch and more on the New York City Easter Parade.

With accommodation and shopping in New York costing more than other vacation destinations in the world, it is great to know that there are plenty of exciting and worthwhile places to visit that are totally free of charge.

1. Central Park: Possibly the most famous of New York City’s landmarks, this expansive park of over 843 acres is the perfect escape destination from the sky-scrapers and hustle and bustle of the Big City. Includes parks, pathways, a zoo, lakes, play areas, sculpture and other exciting features.

2. Staten Island Ferry: Not the fanciest of vessels, but a visitor can grab a great view of Lower Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty.

3. Grand Central Station: Might not be considered a typical tourist spot, but this building originally constructed in 1913 has recently been renovated and restored.

4. Times Square: Become one of the 26 million people who visit Times Square every year to see some of the Broadway shows, fancy dining venues, exquisite lights and experience the general vibe.

5. Rockefeller Center: A classic Art-Deco building constructed during the 1930s, this location is a combination of very interesting and attractive features.

6. St. Patrick’s Cathedral: This cathedral first opened to the public in 1879 and is the largest gothic-style Catholic Cathedral in the country.

7. New York Public Library: A large marble building constructed in 1911, the library has an extremely impressive collection of books as well as several interesting temporary exhibitions.

For a list of other great things to see and do in New York City both free and paid, check out our attractions guide.

The Four Seasons Hotel New York is located in Manhattan’s chief shopping and business district, between Park and Madison Avenues. This impressive hotel boasts gorgeous views and supreme style and offers guest the utmost luxurious standards.

The Four Seasons offers guests almost everything they could possibly desire. Culinary needs will be catered for with the hotels two exclusive restaurants (??L’Atelier de Jo�l Robuchon’ and ??57′), two lounge bars (??The Bar’ and ??TY’) as well as an extremely wide range of food and beverages on the room service menu.

A fully equipped spa ready to pamper any desiring guest is also on the premises, offering massages, body treatment, hand and foot care and facials. A guest’s pampering can continue in the Four Seasons’ Fitness Center by using the exercise equipment provided or by ordering a personal fitness trainer to come to one’s hotel room.

Four Seasons is also known as a family-friendly holiday and aims to be the perfect holiday base for families visiting the Big Apple. Children’s special needs are catered for such as child-proofing gadgets, crib and bed guards, complimentary baby toiletries, complimentary toys and books, baby sitting service and a DVD lending library.

Businessman will also have their needs catered for at the Four Seasons with around-the-clock communication services, computer rooms, conference rooms, secretarial services, internet access and travel arrangements.

The Four Seasons Hotel is a centrally located, luxurious holiday destination within itself and the perfect vantage point for a vacation in New York. Head to New York Journey for a detailed review of the Four Seasons Hotel.

New York City is home of the delis. A classic New York eatery offering traditionally food of Jewish origin, delis are a permanent feature in any local’s food fest. Here are some of the best Delis in New York:

• Carnegie Deli - Famous for its huge sandwiches, pastrami and corned beef; a true New York deli experience.
• Katz’s Deli - Located in the Lower East Side, reputed as one of the area’s best delis.
• Barney Greengrass - A classic Jewish eatery, offering great brunches and delicious fish dishes.
• Ess-a-Bagel - Reputed as being one of the best places to get a bagel in New York City, this restaurant offers a wide range of spreads to fill the classic round roll.
• Zabar’s Café - A New York classic with a wide range of deli meats, coffees, fish and types of bread.
• Stage Deli - Many of the waiters at this deli are trying to break into the theatre scene, so guests are often entertained with theatrical pieces and song renditions.
• Sarge’s Deli - Open 24/7, this deli also serves alcohol and is famed for the ??Deli Wellington’ dish.
• Ben’s Kosher Deli - This deli hosts the annual Most Ball Eating Contest and mixes old deli classics with new exciting dishes.
• Artie’s Deli - One of the premier delis in New York City, this joint is named after restaurateur Artie Cutler. Known for its old-school classic meal options.
• Eisenberg Sandwich Shop - A ??pre-war’ serving classics such as chopped liver and tuna salad, at reasonable prices.

Click for a guide of other great NYC restaurants from pizzerias to Chinese food to Italian restaurants.

If you love the glitz and glam of the entertainment world, you don’t need to travel to Hollywood to get a feel for the industry. New York City is home and backdrop to some of the greatest television shows and movies that have ever graced the silver screens, and by joining one of the ??On Location Tours’, you too can experience the excitement of this world.

Sex and the City Hotpots

This unique On Location tour will take you to most of the spots around New York City that were seen in the famous television series, ??Sex and the City??. Visitors get to follow in the footsteps of Miranda, Carrie, Charlotte and Samantha - all from the comfort of a luxury tour bus - for over 3 and a half hours. The bus leaves in front of the Pulitzer Fountain outside the Plaza Hotel daily (except Christmas Day). The tour includes over forty locations seen in the series, including Aidan’s furniture store and the famous store in Soho where Carrie bought her shoes. The tour includes several stop offs including Carrie’s apartment balcony, Charlotte’s art gallery and the bakery where the stars bought their cupcakes. A true treat for ??Sex and the City?? fans!

New York TV and Movie Sites

This 3? hour bus tour will take you to over 100 locations that represent the true history of television and film in New York City. Besides the entertainment aspect of the tour, this is also an excellent way to see Manhattan from the comfort of a luxury coach bus. The tour will also take visitors to peek at the homes of some of New York’s celebrities. Some of the highlights of the tour include a visit to the apartment building where the stars of the hit TV series, ??Friends?? lived and the steps of the townhouse belonging to the Cosby family. The tour also includes a stopover at the diner made famous in films such ??Men in Black and ??Manhattan?? and the firehouse used in the movie, ??Ghostbusters??. The tour begins in Times Square and then heads down south to Greenwich Village and the East Village, before heading up to the Upper East Side and along Central Park on 5^th Avenue before returning to Times Square.

Sopranos Sites

Nothing embodies the spirit of true New York entertainment such as the hit series, ??The Sopranos??. This four-hour tour leaves every Saturday and Sunday in front of the Garment District Button (39^th Street/7^th Avenue) and will take you to over 40 locations made famous by the television program. Highlights of the tour include a look into the Bada Bing, some of the sites filmed in the opening credits (including Pizzaland and the Muffler Man) and a visit the high school where A.J. dumped pizza into the swimming pool. The tour also includes an interesting talk on The Sopranos, over a cannoli - in true Italian spirit! The tour includes several quick stop offs and three extended stops at various locations around the city.

For more information on browse through our directory of New York City tours.

Are there any great tours you’ve been on in NYC?

The St. Patrick’s Day Parade is a historical event that has been taking place in New York since 1762 and has been marching for 256 consecutive years. The original St. Patrick’s Day marchers would gather at their local churches or their organizations’ headquarters and proudly march to the Old St Patrick’s Cathedral. The Archbishop would greet the groups, followed by speeches by politicians and other notables. Once the official ceremony was over, the marchers would disperse and possibly continue their celebrations at a pub.

The parade is traditionally honored by a Grand Marshal and this year the title goes to Raymond L. Flynn. The parade will be reviewed by His Eminence Cardinal Edward Eagan, Archbishop of New York from the steps of the St. Patrick’s Cathedral as well as from the Official Reviewing Stand located on 64th Street and 5th Avenue.

This year, the parade takes place Saturday 17th March and begins at 11am. The 150,000 strong crowd will march up 5th Avenue, starting at 44th Street and proceeding to 86th Street. The marchers gather in groups of clans, and clad in green, they proceed down 5th Avenue.

Traditionally, St. Patrick’s Day Parade does not allow any floats, cars or any other commercial aspects to taint the festivities. Those who have the privilege of looking on will be entertained by bagpipes, bands and orchestras, as well as an opportunity to see many strange items of green attire.

The best spots to catch a glimpse are towards the north end of the parade route, removed from the throng of shoppers and workers that crowd the sidewalks below 59th Street. The best position is sitting on the upper steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art where one can grab a great view and even a close up of the marchers when they turn east on 86th Street.

St. Patrick’s Day Parade is an icon of the diversity of New York’s culture and is one day in the year that everyone in the city becomes Irish!

In Ireland, St Patrick’s Day is celebrated as a religious holiday and is generally taken as a rather serious affair. In New York, however, things are quite the opposite. Many Irish citizens have made it a ritual of crossing the ocean and arriving in New York to celebrate a rather different atmosphere of the holiday. Between church services, parades or pubs, there is a wide range of exciting Irish events occurring around St. Patrick’s Day.

Primarily, St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated in the streets and this is marked by a significant increase in the number of green seen around. New Yorkers celebrate St. Patrick’s Day by going green - you will find green clothes, green hair, green hats, green flowers as well as some rather interesting delicacies such as green beer and green bagels??.

For those looking for a bit of spirituality on St. Patrick’s Day in New York, the St. Patrick’s Cathedral is the perfect place to visit. The Cathedral is located on 50th Street and 5th Avenue in Manhattan and is an impressive building, both inside and out.

If you are looking for a more traditional Irish pub atmosphere, then New York City is rich with celebration locations. It should be remembered though, that these pubs get extremely full on St. Patrick’s Day, so some forward planning and booking ahead could be useful.

A Handful of Some of New York’s Many Irish Pubs:

• Baggot Inn: An intimate Irish pub which hosts both live music and poetry readings, open from late morning to early morning, for ages 21 and up.

• Blarney Star: Specializing in local Irish talent and hosting Friday night concerts for visiting and local Irish bands. The pub also offers dining options and is open to all ages.

• Clancy’s: A relaxed, friendly Irish pub offering great American / Irish food.

• Dempsey’s Pub: Located in the East Village, this pub has traditional Irish music every Tuesday night. Wednesday night is Bluegrass music.

• Doc Watson’s: Known as New York’s best kept secret, it is a hot-spot for celebrating St Patrick’s Day.

• Kate Kearney’s: A combination between a bar and a restaurant, offering live traditional and Irish country music most nights of the week.

• MacMenamin’s Irish Pub: Offering imported drinks, quick pub food and outdoor seating.

• McSorley’s Ale House: The oldest pub in operation, celebrating a respectful 147 years, reputed as selling their own light and dark brewed beers.

• PJ Carney’s Pub: Located in the classy 7th Avenue, known for its great food, beer and atmosphere.

Head to New York Journey for more information on the city’s best restaurants.

New York is the melting pot of civilization, or so the city-dwellers like to think. There are people from every culture and country pounded into New York’s beating city and each culture has its own exciting holiday traditions which they enjoy celebrating.

New York has been proudly hosting the Irish holiday of St Patrick’s Day since 1766 when the first St Patrick’s Day Parade took place. In 1766 Irishmen from the Revolutionary War brought their culture to New York City, but since then, the culture of St Patrick’s Day has spread.

St Patrick’s Day is celebrated in several shapes and forms around the city - in pubs, through fairs, Irish music contents, parades and more. Come to New York to celebrate this great Irish festival the Big Apple way.

New York Journey features more information on the history of New York City.

When the snow falls in New York City and covers the metropolis in a sheet of gorgeous white, New Yorkers are filled with excitement at the prospects of ice skating on the city’s designated rinks. As soon as the ice is strong enough, the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation designate outdoor safe skating areas across the five boroughs. These ice skating areas are clearly signposted around the city, informing the residents that they are safe for winter sports.

There are several options to skate in the city’s numerous ice skating rinks from around October through to April.

• Abe Stark Rink, located at the Coney Island Boardwalk in Brooklyn is open from October to April, on weekends.
• Kate Wollman Rink is located on Prospect Park and runs from November through to March. The rink is open all day, throughout the week and provides plenty of extras such as a gift shop and cafeteria.
• Lasker Rink, in Manhattan’s Central Park, is open from October to April, during the week and on weekends.
• The Pond at Bryant Park is a free-entrance ice skating rink offering lessons, birthday party solutions and even skate sharpening service.
• Wollman Rink, just north of Central Park, is open from the end of October until April. This rink is open throughout the week and also has special ice dance sessions. The Wollman’s Skating School is associated with the rink.
• World Fair Ice Skating Rink is open from October to April and located in the Flushing Meadows Corona Park.
• Staten Island War Memorial Rink is located in Clove Lakes Park, from October to April, on weekends.
• Rockefeller Center Ice Arena is an exclusive ice skating rink located at the Rockefeller Center and offers exciting options like marriage proposals on the ice rink and romantic dinner-skate combinations.

For more details on other things to do in New York City, take a look through our attractions or tours guides.