Museums in New York

There are hundreds of museums and galleries in New York. However today we are going to speak about the most visited and popular museums in NY.

Metropolitan Museum of Art

Metropolitan Museum of Art is the third most visited museum in the world after Louvre and British museums. More than 5 million people visit the museum each year. The Metropolitan Museum of Art is boasting a collection of millions of artworks and decorative objects tended by some of the nation's foremost scholars and conservators. Its main building on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, with its majestic Beaux-Arts facade and dramatic central staircase, has gone through several expansions to accommodate the steady growth in its collection through gifts and strategic purchases (Among the most heralded in recent years was the 2004 purchase of a painting of a Madonna and Child by the early Renaissance master Duccio for more than $45 million).

Among the principal strengths of the Met's collection are its vast European paintings and sculpture holdings, including masterworks of the Italian, Dutch, French and Spanish schools, and its American Wing, with its legendary holdings in painting, sculpture, drawing, furniture, silver, textiles and glass. The museum's arms and armor collection is among the world's most comprehensive, as is its trove of ancient Egyptian art. (The first-century B.C. Temple of Dendur has been reassembled in a glass-pyramid extension of the museum to look much as it may have in ancient times.) Another lure for visitors is the museum's wing for classical antiquities, centered on a soaring light-drenched court populated by Roman and Greek statuary.

Fees:

General Fee for Adults is $25, for seniors (65 and older) $17,

Students can buy tickets for $12, for children (under 12) free.

MoMa

Museum of Modern Art (MoMa) is the seventh most visited museum in the world. More than 3 million people visit the museum each year. New York's famous Rockefeller family was largely responsible for the creation of the Museum of Modern Art. Abby Aldrich Rockefeller proposed the idea for the museum. She enlisted the help of two dear friends, Lillie Bliss and Mary Quinn Sullivan, and together the ladies succeeded in opening the first modern art museum just a few days after the stock market crash of 1929.

Today, according to the museum's records, it houses 150,000 pieces including works of architecture and design, drawings, paintings, sculpture, photographs, prints, illustrated books, film, and electronic media. The library and archives holds another 300,000 items.

Some of the museum's top works of art include Monet's Water Lilies, Van Gogh's Starry Night, Dali's Persistence of Time, Andy Warhol's Gold Marilyn Monroe and Wyeth's Christina's World. Other notable artists whose works are included in the collection are Rousseau, Matisse, Cézanne, Picasso, Pollock, Kahlo, Mondriaan, Léger, and Lichtenstein.

Fees:

General Fee for Adults is $22.5, for seniors (65 and older) $16,

Students can buy tickets for $12, for children (under 16) free.

The Guggenheim Museum

The Guggenheim Museum, designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright, is known for its spiral structure and unique museum experience. Displays of modern paintings, sculpture and film rotate throughout the year at the Guggenheim Museum.

This revolutionary building is a fitting memorial to Guggenheim. Thanks to its founder’s forward-thinking views on the art of his time, the Guggenheim Museum has one of the largest collections of Vasily Kandinsky’s art in the world in addition to works by such modern masters as Marc Chagall, Franz Marc, Amedeo Modigliani, and Pablo Picasso. The collection has since evolved through major acquisitions: Karl Nierendorf’s inventory of German Expressionist and early Abstract Expressionist art; Peggy Guggenheim’s collection of abstract and Surrealist painting and sculpture; Justin K. Thannhauser’s array of early modern masterpieces; important works from the estates of Katherine S. Dreier and Rebay; Dr. Giuseppe Panza di Biumo’s vast holdings of European and American Minimalist, Post-Minimalist, Environmental, and Conceptual art; an extensive contribution from the Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation; and the Bohen Foundation’s gift of contemporary photography, video, and installation art.

Fees:

General Fee for Adults is $18, for seniors (65 and older) $15,

Students can buy tickets for $15, for children (under 12) free.

The American Museum of Natural History

The American Museum of Natural History, whose complex of 27 interconnected buildings sit in an 18-acre park off Central Park West in Manhattan, is home to 45 permanent exhibition halls, a library and a planetarium, as well as space for temporary exhibits and for research by its scientific staff.

The institution began as a museum and library in 1869, with a mission to foster the study of science. It sponsored exploratory expeditions to what were then remote areas of the globe, like far-flung Pacific islands and the interior of Africa. These research trips helped build its collection of more than 32 million specimens and artifacts, and the effort continues today with some 120 expeditions and field projects conducted annually throughout the world.

Generations of children have flocked to the Fossil Halls, where the famous dinosaurs reign. The museum, which has the world's largest collection of vertebrate fossils, renovated the Fossil Halls in the mid 1990s to create a continuous loop on the fourth floor that tells the story of vertebrate evolution through more 600 specimens (nearly 85 percent are real fossils, not casts).

Another museum favorite is the 94-foot-long model of a blue whale, which dominates the Milstein Hall of Ocean Life on the first floor, surrounded by videos of ocean life. The Hayden Planetarium is in the Rose Center for Earth and Science, an illuminated sphere inside a transparent cube designed by James Stewart Polshek that opened in 2000.

Among the most impressive sights at the museum are its internationally renowned dioramas, where science meets art. Painters, photographers, naturalists and taxidermists recreate geographically precise scenes from nature and then populate them by mounting anatomically correct specimens: thundering elephants, the American bison, African lions, the wading birds of the Everglades and many others.

Fees:

General Fee for Adults is $19, for seniors (65 and older) $14.50,

Students can buy tickets for $14.50, for children (under 12) $10.50.

Transportation in Istanbul

Transportation in Istanbul

Istanbul is a city where two continents meet: Asia and Europe. You can have breakfast in Asia and enjoy your lunch in Europe! To move around both continents you will need to use one of the two bridges or a boat. Tourists usually have problems with transportation in Istanbul because the geography of the city does not help very much. This post will  help you to understand how to move around Istanbul.

Istanbul’s traffic is consistently heavy, therefore, it is always crucial to check the traffic conditions and learn your destination before setting out in the city.

Istanbul is one of the most crowded metropolises not only in Turkey but in the world with its population of over 15 million. Two million of the 6,5 million registered cars in Turkey are on the road in Istanbul. There is very dense traffic and it is very important to consider such points as the density of traffic and distance before you set off.

The rush hour in Istanbul is between 07.00 - 10.00 in the morning  and between 17.30 - 20.00 in the evening. It is recommended to travel around the city outside these hours.

There is no traffic jam in the morning around the hotel and tourist districts (Taksim-Beyoglu and Sultan Ahmet). If you are enjoying your day in Sultan Ahmet district (where the Blue Mosque and Saint Sophia are located) and need to go back to your hotel, avoid the traffic jam and try to stay in Sultan Ahmet district until 19:30 - 20:00 o'clock. The best way to get around Old Istanbul’s compact medieval core is on foot.

Taxis - Taksi: There are a lot of taxis in Istanbul, Turks use it a lot and you can catch one very easily. Taxis are yellow and you can see the word "Taksi" written on it. The use of the taximeter is obligatory in Turkey.

Public Transportation: 

Tickets: Tickets to trains, metros, underground train (tunnel), funicular and boats is called "Jeton" and you can easily buy them in kiosks close to each station.

If you are going to stay long in Istanbul, it is advised to buy smart tickets called "Akbil" to travel cheaper in the city. Akbil is a ticket system valid on all means of transportation like bus, train, tram and subway, and it is easy to carry.

The metro is not very used by tourists because  it does not connect to any historical point of the city. Istanbul's metro consists of two lines, the northern line is currently just a short stub connecting Taksim to 4. Levent. If you want to visit the most modern shopping mall of Istanbul you can take the metro at Taksim and go until the last stop (4. Levent). You will come directly to Kanyon Shopping Mall. Istanbul metro is very modern and cover a restrict area of the city. There is also a funicular system connecting Taksim to Kabatas where you can get on ferries and cross to the Anatolian side. This type of transportation is very useful for the tourists that want to go from Taksim to Sultan Ahmet region (where is located the Blue Mosque and Saint Sophia) and to the Grand Bazar as a complement to the tramway railway.

The southern line is most useful for visitors, connecting Aksaray (with its connections to the tram line) to Atatürk Airport, via the Otogar.

Tourism Bus: The ministry of tourism of Turkey offers the service of a red bus with two floors with open roof in Istanbul for tourists. You can catch the bus at Sultan Ahmet's region, in front of Saint Sophia’s Museum.

Tramway Railway: The tramway railway or simply Tramway is a great way of get around in Istanbul. You definitively should use the tramway if you want to go from Taksim to the area of Sultan Ahmet  and Grand Bazaar. Every 5 minutes a tramway passes in the train stop.

"Sea bus" Catamaran
-Passenger catamarans zoom around the city at rush hour, and out to the Princes Islands  several times daily. There are even Sea of Marmara routes to Yalova and Bandirma on the sea's southern shore.

Boat-For the tourists it is interesting to take a one hour boat tour starting the tour at Ortakoy and returning to the same point. This boat tour is done in summer-spring-autumn at the afternoon with the duration of one hour and you will be able to see part of the Bosphorus Strait (the boat make a tour until the second bridge). 

Another option would be taking a boat at Ortakoy or Uskudar and visiting the Maiden’s Tower. At the Maiden's Tower you can drink coffee or tea and watch the panorama including the Topkapi Palace and the old Constantinople. For the ones who stay longer in Istanbul and want to make a longer boat tour, I suggest taking the boat at Eminonu and going until Anadolu Kavagi. The trip will take one and a half hour.

Paris Museums and Galleries

Museums in Paris

Paris is very rich for its Museums and Galleries. There are more than 100 museums in the City. You can find museums and galleries of all type, however if you are visiting Paris for several days, you couldn’t see all of them. Here is the basic information about my favorite 5 museums.

The Louvre

The Louvre arguably is the world's most famous art museum. It was established in 1793, and is one of the oldest museums in Europe. Its collections spans from the birth of great civilizations up to the 19th century. The Louvre's most popular piece is Leonardo da Vinci's "Mona Lisa." Around 6 million tourists visit the museum each year. 

The Louvre was built by Philippe Auguste in 1204 and was originally the royal castle and later transformed by Charles V between 1364 and 1380 and was entirely rebuilt from the time of François I to the 19th century. Once upon a time a palace of French kings and princes, the Louvre is today the Palace of Arts and holds one of the richest museums in the world. Its collection, which ranges from Egyptian art of 5000 BC to nineteenth-century work, is divided into seven departments: Oriental and Islamic Antiquities; Egyptian Antiques; Greek, Roman and Etruscan Antiques; Painting; Sculpture; Decorative Arts; as well as Graphic Arts.

In 1981 President of the French Republic François Mitterrand initiated a rehabilitation project called Le Grand Louvre. The visible part of this iceberg like building-site, being the Glass Pyramid designed by famous architect Ieoh Ming Pei, opens the outstanding perspective toward the Grande Arche de la Défense with the Arc de Triomphe in the middle. The Pyramid gives now access to the main entrance, letting a delightful golden light filter through the glass surface illuminating the floor below.

This is one of the greatest art collections in the world. The core collection was formed by François Ist, and added to by Henri II and Catherine de Medicis. The Old Master collection was developed by Louis XIV and important Spanish and Dutch works acquired by Louis XVI. Most painting lovers come to view the exceptional collection of European paintings, which range from I400 to I900. The Grand Gallery running along the south of the building is a stupendous piece of design, which showed the world, what a picture gallery should look like. Pierced by large windows, its walls are hung with some of the finest works of the Italian Renaissance. On this level is also the Spanish collection and the large scale nineteenth-century French paintings. On the upper level artists from northern Europe are well represented, along with earlier paintings from the French school.

After spending around 2 hours, you can become acquainted with some of the most famous paintings in the world. For example, try to interpret the enigmatic smile of Leonardo Da Vinci's Mona Lisa, or admire the perfect proportions of the Venus of Milo (Sully wing). Michelangelo, Bellin, Donatello and Maillol are some of the great sculptors also represented here.

Fees

Permanent collections and temporary exhibitions (Richelieu, Sully and Denon) cost 7,50 euros from 9am to 3pm.; 5 euros after 3pm and all Sunday long. The ticket of entry to the museum also gives access to all the temporary exhibitions, except for the exhibitions of the Napoleon hall.

Temporary exhibitions of the hall Napoleon cost 7 euros; Ticket twinned 11,50 euros of 9pm to 3pm; 9,50 euros after 3pm and all Sunday long the twinned ticket gives access to the permanent collections and all the temporary exposures of the museum.

The ticket remains valid all the day, even if the visitor leaves the museum temporarily.

The Orsay Museum

The Orsay museum may not be the massive size of Louvre, but its Impressionist collection is among the best in the world. The museum is housed in a former rail station, and has the atmosphere and personality to match. The Musee d'Orsay attracts more than 2 million visitors annually. 

Built in the year 1900 by Victor Laloux, this train station was meant to service the Orleans line. Unfortunately, the line ceased because the platforms were not long enough. After being used for a variety of purposes, the whole building was entirely refitted inside and transformed into an art museum covering the period from 1850 to 1914, with an area of 50 000 m2.

The collection is made up mostly from the late works of the Louvre and the Impressionist paintings from the nearby museum Jeu de Paume. You can also find works from the mid-nineteenth century to the early twentieth, chronologically bridging the Louvre and the Pompidou Center.

Displayed on the ground floor, are earlier works devoted to sculpture with Dance. The hall has two rows of smaller rooms, which are filled with works, by Daumier, Millet, Rousseau, Corot and peasant paintings.

In the last room, you can find such works by Courbet. And if you like Monet, there is a room dedicated to him. Other artists are present such as Bazille, Delacroix, Puvis de Chavanne, Degas and Gustave Moreau.

And if you are a fan of Oriental Art, you will enjoy the ingeniously designed gallery.

On the second floor you can see such popular art of the nineteenth century and rooms with furniture and decoration by well-respected "fin-de-siecle painters" (Monet, Pissaro, Renoir, Degas, Sisley and Van Gogh, Cezanne, Gauguin and Toulouse-Lautrec). The building is extremely large and much works have been taken out of reserve stock to fill out the displays. It is advised to start on the ground level with the Impressionist painters and then take the escalators to the upper floor to see the Impressionists and their successors.

Fees

Full fare: 7 euros. Sundays: 5 euros.

Free the first Sunday of each month; free below 18 years old.

Center Pompidou

Not far from Les Halles, the funky and hip Centre Pompidou or better known as the Pompidou Center features a wonderful collection of modern art within its creatively designed building. It also features a cinema, concerts and children's activities. The Pompidou Center attracts 5.5 million visitors annually.

The Pompidou Center is divided into five floors: temporary exhibitions in the Grande Galerie on the fifth floor; museum of Modern Art from 1905 to present time on third and fourth floors. The huge public library covers three floors with books, videodiscs, microfilms, and videos... A movie-theater celebrating the 7th art with festivals according to special themes on 1st floor.

Don't leave before taking a ride on the escalators. As you go up, you will discover Paris as a horizontal skyline appears: the Sacré-Coeur, St-Eustache, the Eiffel Tower, Notre-Dame, the Panthéon, the Tour St-Jacques, and La Défense. From the platform at the top you can look down on the château-style chimneys of the Hôtel de Ville, with their flowerpot offspring sprouting over the lower rooftops. Designed for 6000 visitors a day, it has had more like 25,000 - proof of its outstanding success as an enduringly popular building. 

Fees

One day in Center: 10 euros; Reduced tariff: 8 euros.

Valid Ticket the very same day for all the exposures in progress.

The Museum and the Workshop Brancusi Exhibitions: 8,50 euros or 6,50 euros; 

Reduced tariff: 6,50 euros or 4,50 euros.

Picasso Museum 

The Picasso museum is housed in one of the nicest mansions of the Marais district in Paris built in the XVIIth century for Pierre Aubert Lord of Fontenay. Devoted solely to the artist, the museum provides a unique opportunity to follow Picasso's development throughout his career, from 1894 to 1972.

The collection was started by works the French State received in payment of death duties after Picasso passed away in 1973, then in 1990, after the death of his widow.

However, you will find that there is few paintings for the French state which did not invest as did the Swiss, American and Soviet avant-garde collectors. It comprises more than 250 paintings, 160 sculptures, 1500 drawings, his entire engraving works, ceramics etc. Contrary to the painting collection, the sculptures are unique, and contain everything of note made by Picasso including The Goal and the Bull 's Head - a cast bronze piece combining a bicycle saddle beneath a handle bar. And most interesting is Picasso's own art collection, which includes primitive Nimba masks from New Guinea, Grebo masks, Iberian bronzes, sketches by Giorgio de Chirico and Degas, and paintings by Corot, Cezanne, Chardin, Renoir, Matisse, and others. Not to miss the paintings of his family and wives which are very touching and most endearing. Throughout the chronological sequence, the photographs are vital in showing this charismatic man seen at work and at play by friends and family.

During the 1930's, during the Spanish Civil War, when Picasso was going through his worst personal and political crises, you will discover such portraits like Dora Maar and that of Marie-Therese. These events played an important role in Picasso's style. A decade later, Picasso was a member of the Communist Party - his cards are on show along with a drawing entitied Staline à la Santé (Here's to Stalin), and his delegate credentials for the 1948 World Bongress of Peace. The Massacre en Coree (1951) demonstrates the lasting pacifist commitment in his work.

Fees

Adults : 5,50 euros; 18-25: 4 euros; free below 18 years old.

Museum of Modern Art

The Museum of Modern Art is well worth visiting for its selection of the major art movements of the twentieth century. Built for the World Fair in 1937, this building has two parts that are linked by a white stone portico. The Musée d'Art Moderne was also named the Palais de Tokyo.

The museum is well worth visiting for its selection of the major art movements of the twentieth century. You can find well-known artists such as Vlaminck, Zadkine, Picasso, Braque, Juan Gris, Valadon, Matisse, Dufy, Utrillo, Delaunays, Chagall, Modigliani, Léger and many others, as well as by sculpture and painting by contemporary artists. Among the most spectacular works on permanent show are Roben and Sonia Delaunay's huge whirling wheels and cogs of rainbow color the pale leaping figures of Matisse's La Danse and Dufy's enormous mural, La Fée Electricité, illustrating the story of electricity from Aristotle to the then modern power station, in 250 lyrical, colorful panels filling three entire walls is considered like one of the biggest interior paintings. The upper floors of the gallery are reserved for all sorts of contemporary and experimental work, including music and photography.

In the bookshop are a number of artists' designs, among them a set of Sonia Delaunay's playing cards, guaranteed to rejuvenate the most jaded cardsharp.

Fees

Adults: 9 euros; Reduced tariff: from 4.5 euros to 7 euros; free below 14 years old.

New York City - Manhattan

                                               New York City

Manhattan is the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. It is a huge city with several district articles containing sightseeing, restaurant, nightlife and accommodation listings. Manhattan has many famous landmarks, tourist attractions, museums, and universities. The Metropolitan Museum of art, Museum of Modern Art, Empire State building, Wall Street,  Madison Avenue,  34th Street,  Broadway. Manhattan is so well known that even the names of its streets have become iconic and understood the world over. Manhattan has the world's brightest and most renowned theater district; Manhattan has Central Park, Rockefeller Center, the Guggenheim Museum, and the World Trade Center site; and Manhattan comprises iconic neighborhoods like Harlem, the Upper East Side, Times Square, and Greenwich Village. It is also the location of the UN Headquarters. 

A stretch of Broadway is known worldwide as the heart of the American theatre industry. One famous stretch near Times Square, where Broadway crosses Seventh Avenue in midtown Manhattan, is the home of many  Broadway theatres, housing an ever-changing array of commercial, large-scale plays, particularly musicals. This area of Manhattan is often called the Theater District or the Great White Way, a nickname originating in the headline "Found on the Great White Way" in the February 3, 1902 edition of the New York Evening Telegram.

The Broadway Theatre is one of only five playhouses that front on the street named Broadway. It opened in 1924 as B. S. Moss’s Colony, a premiere film house. The most notable film that played there in the early years was Walt Disney’s Steamboat Willie which opened in 1928, and introduced American audiences to an adorable rodent named Mickey Mouse. The theatre went “legit” from 1930 to 1934, when it was re-christened the Broadway. From 1934 to 1940, the house was once again dedicated to motion picture exhibition, and offered the premiere of Disney’s Fantasia in 1939. In 1940, however, it returned to legitimate stage production and, except for a brief stint as a Cinerama movie theatre in the 1950s, has remained in the business of showcasing live theatre ever since. Nowadays there are a lot of shows performeda at Broadway, which are worldwide famous such as The Lion king,  Chicago, Wicked, Jersey Boys, Mary Poppins, Ghost and etc. 

One of New York City's most popular tourist attractions, the Metropolitan Museum of Art welcomes over 5 million visitors a year. With a permanent collection containing over two million cultural treasures from six continents, the Metropolitan Museum of Art is widely regarded as one of the most important museums in the world. Also known as The Met, this museum contains an extensive collection of permanent exhibits and several changing exhibit halls. Museum-goers worldwide remark that of all the museums in New York City.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art is by far the largest and most comprehensive. It is recommended for visitors either leave a full day to explore the museum or else decide in advance which exhibits to see and which ones they want to leave for another day. Divided into nineteen separate sections ranging from ancient to contemporary art from a wide variety of cultures around the world, you're sure to find something that interests you here. At over one hundred forty years old, this is one of the oldest NYC museums still in operation. In addition to viewing its extensive collection of art, Metropolitan Museum of Art visitors can lunch in the Roof Garden, where a new single-artist sculptural exhibition is held every year.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art is home to works of art whose creation spans millenia and the globe. From Ancient Egyptian, Greco-Roman, Asian and Oceanic art, to art from the old masters of Europe, from American pastoralism to modern photography and everything in between, a variety of masterpieces are permanently installed here. An entire hall is dedicated to arms and armor, and another exhibition section contains only books, including bound art from masters like Durer and Athanasius Kircher. Jacques-Louis David's The Death of Socrates, Van Gogh's Self-Portrait with a Straw Hat and Vermeer's Young Woman with a Water Pitcher represent some of the many masterworks on exhibition in this New York Museum. Modern and contemporary art is represented both on the the Rooftop Garden and in the 60,000 square foot Modern Art section of the museum. Containing masterpieces like Max Beckmann's Beginning, Jasper Johns's White Flag, and Picasso's Portrait of Gertrude Stein, the Metropolitan Museum of Art is clearly a treasure for the ages.

Rome. General Information

Rome

Rome today is one of the most important tourist destinations of the world, due to the incalculable immensity of its archaeological and artistic treasures, as well as for the charm of its unique traditions, the beauty of its panoramic views, and the majesty of its magnificent "villas" (parks). Among the most significant resources are the many museums – (Musei Capitolini, the Vatican Museums, Galleria Borghese, including those dedicated to modern and contemporary art and great many others) – aqueducts, fountains, churches, palaces, historical buildings, the monuments and ruins of the Roman forum, and the Catacombs. Rome is the 3rd most visited city in the EU, after London and Paris. The Colosseum and the Vatican Museums are the 39th and 37th (respectively) most visited places in the world, according to a recent study.

Rome is also widely recognized as a world fashion capital.  Although not as important as  Milan,  Rome is the world's 4th most important center for fashion in the world. Major luxury fashion houses and jewelry chains,  such as Bulgari,  Fendi,  Laura Biagotti and Brioni, just to name a few,  are headquartered or were founded in the city. 
The best times to have roman holidays are in spring (late March through May)  and fall  (September through mid-November) - though know that it does tend to rain bit more in October. The best way to see the city is to walk.

Things to do in Rome are lot.  After seeing all sights you must throw a coin into the Trevi Fountain. 

Legend sais that you will return to Rome if you throw a coin into the water.

The Spanish Steps - steps extending from Piazza di Spagna to Trinita dei Monti, were originally named after the Spanish Embassy adjacent. Ascend further from the top of the steps to get good views of Rome. The steps had a major restoration in 1995-6, and the once popular art of lunching on the steps is frowned upon, and fines can be levied. At the foot of the steps is the Keats-Shelley Memorial House The area around the steps offers designer shops, restaurants and bars.

Amble around antique markets. Markets in Rome are a great opportunity to really breathe city life, strolling around the stalls. 
Looking, touching, getting bargains or just simply buying a souvenir. 
The markets open at about 9-10 o'clock in the morning and close at sunset.

Photograph and visit the city's best piazzas.  From the shadows of the ancient, winding streets of the historic center you suddenly come upon the breathtaking magnificence of Piazza Navona, born as a place of spectacle and still today a spectacular open air show; an architectural miracle in the heart of the Eternal City, filled with masterpieces in perfect harmony with each other. This piazza, which displays the genius of Bernini and Borromini, is one of the finest Baroque Masterpiece in papal Rome. Its harmony and colors, combined with its elegance, give it a charm that is enhanced by the surprising contrast of architecturally sober houses alternating with a number of monumental Buildings.

Of all Rome's piazzas, this isola pedonale (pedestrian precinct) is one where the liveliness of Roman life is most tangible. It has long been a meeting place for the inhabitants of Rome. In past, in addition to the market, processions and spectacles where held here - included "naumachiae", or mock naval battles. Today life in the piazza revolves around the open-air-cafés and the seasonal fairs. Of these the most popular is the one held in December and early January where toys and crib figures are sold. Its theme if the Feast of Epiphany as well as Christmas, so la Befana (the Epiphany witch, who his roughly the Italian equivalent of Father Christmas) features prominently. In the summer the piazza provides a continous festival of painters, caricaturists, fortune-teller and buskers, who entertain visitors until the small hours.

The Porta del Popolo on the north side of the Piazza marks one end, while the East is dominated by the passeggiata del Pincio. This piazza served as an exposition hall, a stadium, and a theater for popular plays. The face of the piazza changed a great deal from the 1400's to the 1800's, with the reconstruction of the Church of Santa Maria del Popolo, the placement of the Flaminian obelisk at the center of the piazza, and the addition of neo-classical elements by Giuseppe Valadier.

New York - General Information

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. As many as 800 languages are spoken in New York, making it the most linguistically diverse city in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and entertainment. The home of the United Nations Headquarters. New York is an important center for international diplomacy and has been described as the cultural capital of the world.

New York City is in reality a collection of many neighborhoods scattered among the city's five boroughs - Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens and Staten Island - each exhibiting its own lifestyle. Moving from one city neighborhood to the next may be like passing from one country to another.

New York City's boroughs are home to some of the world's most recognizable, cherished landmarks and attractions. From Times Square and Central Park to the Empire State Building and The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the island of Manhattan packs more legendary icons into one compact area than any other place on Earth - and that's to say nothing of the City's four other boroughs, each of which contains its own roster of must-see destinations. With so much to see and do, a trip to NYC may seem a little overwhelming. To help, we've rounded up attractions that belong on any visitor's to-see list.

Statue of Liberty

Many of New York City's major monuments and attractions are America's iconic landmarks - the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, the Empire State Building and the Brooklyn Bridge. But that's only the beginning.
The Statue of Liberty is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, designed by Frederic Bartholdi,  Enlightening the World.  It was a gift of friendship from the people of France to the people of the United States and is a universal symbol of freedom and democracy. It was dedicated on October 28, 1886, designated as a National Monument in 1924 and restored for her centennial on July 4, 1986.

The Statue of Liberty greeted millions of immigrants as they came to America by ship in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and is a globally recognized symbol of the United States and its democracy.

Times Square

Times Square is a major intersection in New York City that was named after the Times Building (now One Times Square), where The New York Times was formerly headquartered. Times Square, iconified as "The Crossroads of the World", is the brightly illuminated hub of the Broadway theater district, one of the world's busiest pedestrian intersections, and a major center of the world's entertainment industry.
New York City's financial district, anchored by Wall Street in Lower Manhattan, functions as the financial capital of the world and is home to the New York Stock Exchange, the world's largest stock exchange by total market capitalization of its listed companies.

This is a city made for pedestrians: Manhattan's grid makes for easy orientation, subway stations are relatively close together, and there are so many other pedestrians that you'll find strength in numbers when you choose to cross against the light.

Brooklyn Bridge

The Brooklyn Bridge opened in 1883 as the longest suspension bridge in the world at the time. It was designated a National Historic Landmark by the National Park Service, and a New York City Landmark by the Landmarks Preservation Commission. it connects the New York City boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn by spanning the East River. With a main span of 1,595.5 feet (486.3 m). The Brooklyn Bridge was initially designed by German immigrant John Augustus Roebling. More than 120,000 vehicles, 4,000 pedestrians and 3,100 bicyclists cross the Brooklyn Bridge every day. With over 127 years of heavy use, this iconic East River crossing is now one of three DOT bridges in the New York City area rated "poor" in a 2007 state inspection. The rating means components of the bridge - ramps, approaches, and decking - are in need of rehabilitation.

Madrid - General Information

Madrid 

Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan area is the third largest in the European Union after London and Paris. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million. Madrid is now the fourth most visited capital city in Europe.  The city is located in the heart of the peninsula and the right in the center of the Castillian plain 646 meters above sea level. As the capital city of Spain, a cosmopolitan city, a business center, headquarters for the Public Administration, Government, Spanish Parliament and the home of the Spanish Royal Family, Madrid also plays a major role in both the banking and industrial sector. It is considered the major financial centre of Southern Europe. Madrid also ranks among the 12 greenest European cities in 2010. This is a city as at home in the nightclubs and bars that give the streets their soundtrack as it is in the hallowed halls of high culture. 

Its landmarks include the Royal Palace of Madrid; the Teatro Real (Royal theatre); the Buen Retiro park; the 19th-century National Library building; a large number of National museums, and the Golden Triangle of Art, located along the Paseo del Prado and comprising three art museums: Prado Museum, the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, a museum of modern art, and the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, which completes the shortcomings of the other two museums.

The Royal Palace of Madrid

The Royal Palace of Madrid  is the official residence for the Royal family, but these days they only use it for state ceremonies. The rest of the time it's open to the public. It was built during the 18th and 19th centuries, and is a monumental building. The present day Royal Palace of Madrid was decorated to the tastes of Charles III, and is extremely lavish inside. Visitors can wander through many of the rooms and banqueting halls. With 2,800 rooms, over forty balconies, parade grounds, a plaza and a large landscaped park, the Royal Palace is an immense landmark that should be visited with plenty of time to spare.

The Teatro Real

The Teatro Real Located just in front of the Palacio Real of Madrid, the beautiful Teatro Madrid was originally the official residence of the Spain's Queen Isabel II. It was first inaugurated as an opera house in 1850, with a performance of Donizetti's "La Favorite"and has served gloriously in this role since. Today you can enjoy a variety of excellent programs and operas in this historic theater. 

It has been the scene of lyric productions but has also played host to parliamentary sessions and has even been used as a dance hall during the last century and a half.

The Buen Retiro park is the first biggest park of Madrid city. It has 1.4 km2 (350 acres) at the edge of the city center. It was created as a royal park; it belonged to the Real Sitio del Buen Retiro palace. In 1632, the palace was built by King Philips IV as a retreat for the Royal family. It's a magnificent park, filled with beautiful sculpture and monuments, galleries, a peaceful lake and host to a variety of events.It is a spectacular urban oasis of aromatic bay leaf trees, ponds, rose gardens, stunning fountains and museums.

National Library

The National Library of Spain (Biblioteca Nacional) is situated in an impressive neoclassical building to one side of Plaza de Colón. It has a rectangular floor plan and is neoclassical in style. Work began on its construction in 1866 and was completed in 1892. Come and visit this library which is a monument in itself. Special mention should be made of its broad exterior staircase and its main façade, with a Corinthian style, square-fronted portico, finished with sculptures by the artist Agustín Querol, representing the Triumph of the Sciences and the Arts. The facade of three entrance archways and wrought-iron gates is fantastically beautiful. The building also hosts statues of Alfonso X (The Wise) and San Isidoro before grand main staircase.   The National Library houses a bibliographic archive of incalculable value, comprised of books from the early days of print, engravings, musical scores, manuscripts, editorial rarities and a host of printed documents.

Prado Museum

Prado Museum is the jewel of Madrid, housed in a neo-classical 18th century building designed by Juan de Villanueva, located on the beautiful Paseo del Prado. The Prado Museum opened in 1819 during the reign of Fernando VII, as a public repository for the massive Spanish royal art collection, including paintings from the Habsburgs, Bourbons and the Church. The Prado was the first public art museum of its time and today holds impressive collections, particularly of the Spanish, Italian and Flemish schools. The Prado boasts the world's finest collection of Spanish art, with extensive examples of works by El Greco, Velazquez, Goya, and Murillo. Visitors can also explore a fine collection of works by Flemish painter Peter Paul Rubens and Dutch painter Hieronymus Bosch as well as a number of Italian masterpieces.