Photos: The Big Apple

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  1. A green oasis

    Central Park was the first public park built in America. Its 843 acres include 136 acres of woodlands, 250 acres of lawns, and 150 acres of water in 7 waterbodies, making up 6 percent of Manhattan's total acreage. Central Park was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1965 and a New York City Landmark in 1974. More than 25 million visitors enjoy Central Park each year. (Kathy Willens / AP) Back to slideshow navigation
  2. Parking space

    Central Park includes walking tracks, ice-skating rinks, and numerous grassy areas. There are 51 sculptures in the Park and 36 bridges and arches. (NYC & Company, Inc.) Back to slideshow navigation
  3. Grand Central

    Grand Central Terminal is more than the world’s largest train station. It is also a major tourist draw. Grand Central features restaurants and cocktail lounges, casual eateries and dozens of specialty shops. Additionally, Grand Central is a venue for various public events, from tennis exhibits to the annual Holiday Fair. Visitors can take a guided tour of the renovated landmark, or they can take their own walking tour. • HD View: Grand Central Terminal Click to view an interactive, high-definition panorama of Grand Central Terminal. (Bryan Bedder / Getty Images) Back to slideshow navigation
  4. Fast food

    Street vendors sell food in midtown in New York. You can get anything from hotdogs to cupcakes on the city's streets. (Jonathan D. Woods / msnbc.com) Back to slideshow navigation
  5. Chilling out

    Skaters glide around the rink at the Rockefeller Center Ice Rink. The ice rink, open between October and April, has attracted more than 250,000 people a year since it first opened on Dec. 25, 1936. (Spencer Platt / Getty Images) Back to slideshow navigation
  6. A New York icon

    A general view at night of the Empire State Building taken from the Top Of The Rock at Rockefeller Plaza in Midtown Manhattan. At 102 stories high, the Empire State Building is the second tallest skyscraper in America and the 11th tallest in the world. • HD View: Midtown Manhattan Click to view an interactive, high-definition panorama of midtown Manhattan. (Dave Etheridge-Barnes / Getty Images) Back to slideshow navigation
  7. Holy landmark

    Saint Patrick's Cathedral is the largest decorated gothic-style Catholic Cathedral in the U.S. The Cathedral's construction began in 1858, and opened its doors in 1879. (Vincenzo Pinto / AFP - Getty Images) Back to slideshow navigation
  8. Gateway to 'Chicago'

    One of the most popular areas to catch a Broadway show is on West 44th Street in New York’s Theater District. Forty-three shows opened on Broadway in the 2008-09 season, grossing more than $943 million. (Richard Drew / AP) Back to slideshow navigation
  9. J.Lo's Tussaud trousseau

    Visitors scrutinize a wax figure of Jennifer Lopez, outfitted in a wedding dress, at Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum. The museum is open to tourists every day of the year, including major holidays. A general all-day pass costs $35. (Richard Drew / AP) Back to slideshow navigation
  10. Artistic impressions

    Visitors admire Barnett Newman’s “Broken Obelisk,” left, in the main atrium of the Museum of Modern Art. MoMa’s collection includes exhibits featuring architecture and design, drawings, photography, paintings and sculptures, and more, and tickets cost $20 for an adult. (Kids under 16 can enter for free.) (Mandel Ngan / AFP - Getty Images) Back to slideshow navigation
  11. Fashionable avenue

    Pedestrians walk by a fashion display in a window along Fifth Avenue in New York City. Despite a continuing grim economy, stores along Manhattan's Fifth Avenue are holding strong. (Spencer Platt / Getty Images) Back to slideshow navigation
  12. Historic venue

    The celebrated Carnegie Hall opened in 1891, with Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky conducting the inaugural concert. Some of the most popular classical musicians, as well as dancers, authors and politicians have appeared on its stage. (NYC & Company, Inc.) Back to slideshow navigation
  13. In living color

    Times Square was named after the Times building, housing the former offices of the New York Times newspaper. Its animated, digital advertisements have made the area a popular destination for tourists and Manhattan businesses. • Photosynth: Times Square View an interactive 3-D image of Times Square at night. (Paul Segner / msnbc.com) Back to slideshow navigation
  14. Get your groove on

    Hundreds of people are seen dancing on salsa night during Midsummer Night Swing at Lincoln Center’s Josie Robertson Plaza. The Lincoln Center is located on 16 acres in New York City. (Timothy A. Clary / AFP - Getty Images) Back to slideshow navigation
  15. Sandstone monument

    Visitors tour the Temple of Dendur -- a Nubian temple that was built by the Roman governor of Egypt, Petronius, around 15 B.C. -- at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. (Jonathan D. Woods / msnbc.com) Back to slideshow navigation
  16. The sea in the city

    A 94-foot-long blue whale model hangs over the exhibit space at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. (Spencer Platt / Getty Images) Back to slideshow navigation
  17. Classic Art Deco

    The Chrysler Building (seen from the roof of the Met Life building), was completed in 1930. It was the first man-made structure to stand taller than 1,000 feet (1,046 feet). It was also the world's tallest, before being surpassed in height by the Empire State Building at 1,250 feet. (Mario Tama / Getty Images) Back to slideshow navigation
  18. Race to the top

    People walk through the Art Deco-style lobby of Manhattan's Chrysler Building, built to glorify the U.S. auto industry in the late 1920's. At 1,046 feet high, the Chrysler Building was the first building to top the then tallest structure, the Eiffel Tower in Paris. (Emmanuel Dunand / AFP - Getty Images) Back to slideshow navigation
  19. Bridging the gap

    The Brooklyn Bridge, one of the oldest suspension bridges in the U.S., stretches 5,989 feet over the East River, connecting to Manhattan and Brooklyn. It opened for use on May 24, 1883 when 1,800 vehicles and 150,300 people crossed. The bridge cost $15.5 million to build and approximately 27 people died during its construction. (Eric Feferberg / AFP - Getty Images) Back to slideshow navigation
  20. Taste of Asia

    Vendors and locals shuffle about Mott Street in Chinatown. New York City's Chinatown is the largest Chinatown in the U.S. — and the site of the largest concentration of Chinese in the western hemisphere. (Jonathan D. Woods / msnbc.com) Back to slideshow navigation
  21. Archway to the park

    The Empire State Building rises in the distance behind the arch in Washington Square Park, a landmark in the Manhattan neighborhood of Greenwich Village. (Richard Drew / AP) Back to slideshow navigation
  22. Night at the Apollo

    Patrons line up outside the Apollo Theater in Harlem to see Amateur Night. Since 1934, Amateur Night at the Apollo has launched the careers of famous entertainers such as Billie Holiday, James Brown, The Isley Brothers, Luther Vandross, Michael Jackson, Lauryn Hill, and many others. (Jonathan D. Woods / msnbc.com) Back to slideshow navigation
  23. Play ball!

    Spectators walk through the Great Hall before a New York Yankees game at Yankee Stadium. (Ezra Shaw / Getty Images) Back to slideshow navigation
  24. A new Yankees Stadium

    The New York Yankees play against the Chicago Cubs at Yankee Stadium on April 3, 2009 -- the first game to be played in the new Yankee Stadium. The Yankees won 7–4. (Ezra Shaw / Getty Images) Back to slideshow navigation
  25. Rebuilding in remembrance

    A wide-angle view of the construction at the World Trade Center site in lower Manhattan. The site is being rebuilt with six new skyscrapers and a memorial to the casualties of the 9-11 attacks. • HD View: See World Trade Center site now Click to view an interactive, high-definition picture of the construction at the World Trade Center site as it stands in summer 2009. (John Makely / msnbc.com) Back to slideshow navigation
  26. Bull-dogged

    Pedestrians walk past the "Charging Bull" -- the unofficial symbol of Wall Street -- in the financial district. The 7,000 pound bronze sculpture is said to provide good financial luck to both stock traders and tourists. (Mandel Ngan / AFP - Getty Images) Back to slideshow navigation
  27. Land of the free enterprise

    The area around the New York Stock Exchange is one of the busiest sections of town. (Mario Tama / Getty Images) Back to slideshow navigation
  28. Moving experience

    Ellis Island, at the mouth of the Hudson River in New York Harbor, is the symbol of American immigration. From January 1, 1892, until November 12, 1954, this location was the main entry point for immigrants entering the United States. The Ellis Island Immigration Museum is part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument and is one of the country's most popular historic sites. (Paul Hawthorne / Getty Images) Back to slideshow navigation
  29. Carnival by the shore

    A couple walks along the Coney Island boardwalk, opened in 1923. Coney Island features entertainment parks, rides, an aquarium, a public beach, a boardwalk, fishing, and Nathan's restaurant. (Adam Rountree / Getty Images) Back to slideshow navigation
  30. She still carries a torch for you

    Tourists photograph the Statue of Liberty as they arrive by ferry from Manhattan. (Timothy A. Clary / AFP/Getty Images) Back to slideshow navigation
  31. The way to go!

    Traveling by subway is one of the best ways to get around the city. More than 4.3 million people ride the New York subway system every day. It is one of the oldest and most extensive public transportation systems in the world. (Mario Tama / Getty Images) Back to slideshow navigation
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updated 12/2/2009 9:52:59 AM ET 2009-12-02T14:52:59

The Real Deal: Round-trip airfare on Southwest, three nights' accommodations at the W New York, and hotel taxes, from $468 per person — plus about $35 in airport taxes.

When: Depart Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays, Jan. 4–April 3, 2010.

Gateways: Baltimore, D.C.; add $69 for Chicago; $120 for San Antonio; $135 for Albuquerque, Austin; $168 for Houston; $186 for Phoenix; $237 for Oakland.

The fine print: Does not include about $35 per person in airport taxes. Based on double occupancy; single supplement is $116. Read these guidelines before you book any Real Deal.

Book by: Dec. 11, 2009.

Contact: Southwest Vacations, 800/243-8372, southwestvacations.com.

Why it's a deal: In a recent Kayak search, we found a $133 flight for travel in mid-January (U.S. Airways). The hotel stay would cost about $470 per person with taxes included. Booking independently, you would expect to pay about $603. This package is $503, all taxes included — a savings of $100.

More: You can add nights at the W, but the cost will vary depending on booking dates. The Warwick New York Hotel and W New York-Times Square hotels are also available, at prices that vary depending on dates.

Copyright © 2012 Newsweek Budget Travel, Inc.

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    The Big Apple

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    New York City, air/3 nights, from $468