ONCE you have manoeuvred through the obstacle course of Immigration and tried desperately to explain to the cab driver where you want to go, the business of arriving in one of New York's bustling airports can leave you feeling exhausted and jet-lagged.
But 10 minutes later all these hassles fade as, speeding along the freeway, you catch sight of Manhattan's skyline. This is what visiting New York is all about.
It can be difficult, dirty, intimidating. But get through all that and by the end of your trip it will be impossible to disagree with the native New Yorker's answer to everything: 'There's no place like New York!' Beginning life around 300 years ago as a native American settlement, New York was transformed first into a colonial commercial port and then into the quintessential urban metropolis. To the rest of the world it symbolises America, yet at the same time it is the most un-American of cities.
New York should really be described as a World City, because it has been built on non-stop immigration from the four corners of the globe. This you discover the moment you set foot on the streets - rather than the good old American drawl, your ears will most likely be assaulted by Spanish and Chinese, Russian and Bengali.
Nothing can compare to the excitement of visiting New York, no matter what your interests. Art, music, museums, restaurants, clubbing, architecture, sports, fashion - anything and everything you want. No city could be more perfect for a 24-hour guide, because the cliche is true: New York never sleeps.
Don't expect a relaxing holiday, because whether it's your first visit or your 20th, this is not the place to stay huddled in a hotel room watching cable TV. Somehow the city manages to give both visitors and inhabitants an extra jolt of energy, the feeling that if you're sitting still then you must be missing something.
How does the city continue to maintain its electric atmosphere? The answer, again, is the real secret behind New York - immigration.
