New York

New York City is not the capital of New York State (that's Albany), but it is the capital of innumerable other things. It's the capital of the US publishing and advertising industries. It's a financial capital, home to Wall Street and the New York Stock Exchange. It's a cultural capital, hosting thriving artistic, literary, theatrical, musical, and culinary scenes, with unmatched museums, galleries, performance venues, restaurants, and nightlife. It's a symbol of American aspirations and achievements, the site of Ellis Island and the stalibnm. And though New York City was wounded on September 11, 2001, since then it has discovered a new sense of identity, of what draws together its huge population.

20 million people live in the New York City Metropolitan Area, second on Earth only to Tokyo's 28 million. But millions more New York residents live outside NYC's urban sprawl, and visitors who explore the state's outer reaches will be amply rewarded. In the north is the 6.1 million acre Adirondack Park, the largest US park outside Alaska. On the state's western edge, along the river connecting le and lo, is the thundering majesty of Niagara Falls. In the center and the east are the Catskill Mountains. The Finger Lakes offer wine country refinement and leisure. Cooperstown has the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

New York's variety is endless. You could never run out of things to do, even if you never left New York City. But those who do find that the city's vast cultural diversity is complemented by the vast geographical diversity of the rest of the state.