Nothing, absolutely nothing, can prepare one for the first sight of New York City. Driving in from John F Kennedy International Airport – a taxi is de rigueur – it is almost as though one has somehow missed “runway earth” and landed on a strange and distant planet. Skyscrapers rise above mist or cloud, swirling rain or hazy heat – it always seems to be one or the other.

The unknown and yet hauntingly familiar shapes, outlines and silhouettes of tall buildings crowd the horizon, trademark yellow cabs rush everywhere – as if they have life of their own – and the hissing steam from subway trains escapes upward, to pavement level, through a maze of subterranean vents. Both jet lag and sleep deprivation have been cited as reasons for the emotional impact of arrival – but this city simply resonates to a signature tune all of its own.

In December the air is crisp and biting – but the skies may still be blue and the exciting window displays on the crowded avenues are irresistibly inviting. The streets scream “theme-park Christmas” and the sparkling, fairy-lit trees on Fifth Avenue; the plump Father Christmases in every doorway; the tinsel plumes on the horse-drawn hansom cabs waiting in Grand Army Plaza; the happy shoppers and the expensive, seemingly endless decorations – provide a vivid and unforgettable scene. To top it all there is psychedelic illumination from the flashing neon signs – emitting countless bursts of jagged colour.

The raison d’être of New York City is “location”. The long finger of Manhattan stretches out into the Upper Bay. It is bounded by the East and Hudson rivers and a grid-iron of easy-to-find, numbered streets almost renders Sat-Nav redundant. Streets run across the city and are sorted descending from north to south while the avenues, intersecting at right angles, are numbered from east to west. (Fifth Avenue is the dividing line between East and West street addresses.) Central Park: 843 acres bordered by Fifth Avenue and Central Park West – effectively 8th Avenue – and by 59th and 110th Streets, predictably, takes centre stage.

Any tour of the city should begin on Fifth Avenue. This American showcase glitters with bejewelled shops, among them Tiffany’s. A giant Christmas tree outside the Rockefeller Centre – always touted as the tallest in the world – is on display from November through January and in this Christmas card setting, ice-skaters are an added attraction as they glide gracefully over a frozen rink. From the “Top of the Rock” a stunning 360º panoramic view of the city can be seen. By night Times Square sparkles below and the bright lights of Broadway – snaking its way up towards the Bronx – cut a luminous dash. (50th Street and 5th Avenue)

Across the street, and in no danger of being overshadowed by its towering neighbours, stands the Gothic splendour of St Patrick’s Cathedral. Its peaceful interior allows for quiet moments of reflection amidst the bustle of midtown Manhattan. It is open daily.

The grand old lady of 34th Street, the Empire State Building, first tossed her elegant head into the clouds way back in 1931. Then she was the tallest and the most photographed celebrity in town. Since then she has been attacked by King Kong, starred alongside Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr, provided the show-stopper for Sleepless in Seattle and seen her status eroded by a new generation of designer skyscrapers.

An evening rendezvous on the viewing platform (86th floor) is still one of life’s great romantic moments. It is open daily from 8am to midnight – last visit 11.15pm.

Unwrapping New York’s sights is like making the difficult choice of which Christmas present to open first. My personal favourite is the Upper East Side. Here you will find the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Guggenheim Museum and the Frick Collection.

Only the Louvre can compete with the Metropolitan and then it’s a toss-up. Visiting the Met is an unforgettable, experience. A cornucopia of priceless works of art, artefacts and antiques, sculptures and ancient Grecian urns is on display – be sure to see the celebrated self-portrait by Rembrandt. And if you have ever wondered, while visiting Venice, why the Doge’s palace has so little furniture – wonder no more: the long arm of the Metropolitan Art Museum has reached out and taken all. This is a place in which to lose oneself – to dream and to discover.

Time stands still as you view the splendours encased in the Corridors of Egyptology (where Carnarvon’s collection, mummies, obelisks and also a whole city are on display) or the Wing of American Art where a score of houses from yesteryear re-creates a period scene. To fully explore this Beaux Arts realm you will need to return and, if you do so on a Friday or Saturday evening, a string quartet will play an accompanying serenade. The museum is closed on Mondays. Exhibitions rotate.

Frank Lloyd Wright designed the spectacular Solomon R Guggenheim Museum – and it shows. This shell-like, curved building – floodlit at night – is quite superb and the architectural style deserves to be widely employed: spiralling ramps along the interior walls allow for unbroken progress while viewing the collections on display. For a dizzying bird’s-eye-view of the space-age lobby far below the magnificent glass dome – take the elevator to the top floor. Exhibitions here are primarily of modern and contemporary art.

The museum is closed on Mondays.

At Fifth Ave and 70th Street – the prestigious address of the former steel magnate Henry Clay Frick – stands a lesser-known museum. Today it houses the priceless art collection he bequeathed to the nation and here you will find outstanding masterpieces by Whistler, Vermeer, Holbein, Gainsborough, Ingres and more – all displayed to perfection against a background of exquisite French furnishings, rare Limoges enamels and oriental rugs. This is a real gem: do not miss it. The museum is closed on Mondays.

Drop in on the American Museum of Natural History – Upper West Side – for a rare educational glimpse at the real stars of this land: a showcase of huge dinosaurs – both fossilised bones and reconstructions. Then enjoy an anthropological lesson on the culture of American Indians – macabre shrunken heads form part of the display. The museum is open daily.

Continue the West-Side Story with a visit to The Cloisters in Fort Tryon Park. Overlooking the Hudson River and set in parkland – this is a museum like no other: a monastery, assembled stone by old stone from medieval cloisters in southern France. (If you do not have history – you can always buy it!) In this rich and unique mix of ancient, vaulted loggias; enclosed quadrangles; stained-glass windows; rare tapestries and Gregorian chant – you will discover thousands of works of art dating back to the 9th century and once-upon-a-time gardens featuring herbs and shrubs from a bygone age. Here, painstakingly reassembled, the Middle Ages live again. The Cloisters is closed on Mondays.

Close by the Dyckman Farmhouse Museum – Broadway and 204th Street – offers an opportunity to relive the history of colonial times and its name recalls the fact that New York was once New Amsterdam. In 1626 the Dutch reputedly paid the Indians the equivalent of $24 in baubles, brass ornaments and beads – for the whole of Manhattan. Thirty-eight years later an English fleet, sent by the Duke of York, captured the strategic settlement – and New York was born.

On the East Side, Madison and Park Avenues run parallel to Fifth. While Madison boasts the swankiest boutiques in town – Park is where architecture walks on tiptoe! Here, old meets new and east meets west in the most amazing relief.

On the horizon, the monolith Met Life building spans the Avenue – its flattened summit blocking the view. Perhaps the famous Seagram skyscraper is still the most breathtaking? This bronze, glass box – erected in 1930 – remains a masterpiece of corporate modernism but, close on its heels, follow the Lever Building (a green glass tower supported on stilts) and the soaring Union Carbide glass palace – now the Chase Manhattan Bank.

The art deco design of the plush Waldorf-Astoria merits a second (and a third) glance while the older, oriental-style of the Church of St Bartholomew is in fascinating contrast.

An iron grid at pavement level – one block away on Lexington Avenue – attracts movie buffs and has achieved star status. Here Marilyn Monroe’s white dress once famously billowed in the breeze.

Shopping in New York has iconic status and in December an army of shoppers, from all over the world, arrives to raid the gift-wrapped stores in search of brightly-boxed booty. Among the best known treasure troves are Bloomingdales on Lexington Avenue (in Dutch the name means vale of flowers) – a world unto itself; the quintessential Macys on 34th Street – said to be the largest store in the world and the stylish Saks of Fifth Avenue.

New York City merits five stars for hospitality, and hotels are legendary. Best in town is The Pierre – 5th Avenue and 61st Street. This imposing Georgian structure was inspired by a French chateau, is topped by a copper tower and overlooks the green oasis of Central Park. You can taste the refinement.

We opted to stay nearby at the charming Essex House – 160 Central Park South. The classic luxury of this delightful hotel pays homage to its art deco heritage and is comfort personified.

The acknowledged Grande Dame of the Avenue of the Americas is the centrally located, 2 000-room New York Hilton – 53rd Street and 6th Avenue – another good choice.

An inspired venue for dinner is the beautifully decorated Tavern-on-the-Green (within Central Park). On cold winter nights fairy-tale, snow-covered trees – seen through the windows of the dazzling crystal and flower-filled dining room – create a heart-warming display.

Midtown provides its own permanent, festive display: a colourful array of flags from around the world flutters symbolically outside the impressive home of the United Nations.

No visit to NYC would be complete without a guided tour of the UN. Over the years the member states – there are 192 of them – have vied with each other to present incredible gifts. In the lobby, the focal points of attention are the Gold Pendulum (presented by the Netherlands) and the Silver Sputnik (a gift from the then Soviet Union). On the eastern wall there is an entrancing, blue stained-glass window by Marc Chagall – to the memory of Dag Hammerskjold. The central feature in the Security Council is a thought-provoking giant mural depicting a phoenix rising from ashes that symbolises hope after the destruction of World War II. Other treasures include an intricate rug from Iran, a wonderful tapestry from Belgium and an impressive gift from the children of Brazil.

The Delegates’ Dining Room is open to the public for lunch (reservations are essential) and offers a fine view over the East River, an international menu (try the scallops) and the chance to eavesdrop on some intriguing political conversation.

Head south towards Lower Manhattan – past the vibrant, bohemian neighbourhoods of Greenwich Village then on towards the distinctive, Gothic arches of Brooklyn Bridge. This landmark – rising steeply on the horizon, and spanning the dark East River – was first opened to horse-drawn traffic in 1883. Beyond rises the mighty Woolworth Building and further south the solid slabs of Wall Street flex their collective, financial muscle.

To truly assess a city one should look above the sight line. Here, in the midst of the downtown skyscrapers, is an eerie space and a ghostly, remembered outline. Ground Zero (bounded by West, Church, Liberty and Vesey streets) remains wrapped in steel mesh and shrouded in emotion. Evocative photographs and posters recall the shock and terror of a September morning: the unwritten message is one of hope.

And, on an island across the Bay, stands just such an icon of liberty and hope. Board the early morning ferry from Battery Park while the mists are still creeping up from the shoreline. Then, the vista from the deck resembles a story time moment as towering structures thrust proud summits into the cloud – standing together in awesome coalition. Since 1886, the Statue of Liberty – a present from the people of France – has held her torch aloft to friendship and freedom. For a breathtaking, full-circle view of the harbour – take a 10-story elevator ride to the observatory in the pedestal of the famous Green Lady: symbol of peace between nations. Her crown is on a level with helicopters (and angels). What a gift.

New York is, quite simply, the most amazing city in the world.

Getting there: South African citizens need a visa for the United States. Check with the American Embassy or with your travel agent and allow enough time for an interview.

Fly BA to Heathrow and connect to New York.

Fly SAA from Johannesburg direct to New York.

Fly Delta from Johannesburg via Miami to New York.

Weather: The best times to visit New York are in spring and autumn – April/May and September. - Weekend Argus

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