Guest Post by Lisa Fantino

New York, New York – the town so nice they named it twice has lots to do for those visiting for the first time or even city folk who want to play tourists-for-a-day. Here are the Top 5 travel attractions you shouldn’t miss in New York:

1. A Circle Line cruise around Manhattan is lovely on a beautiful day.  The cruises range in length from 75 minutes to 3 hours and there’s even a powerboat cruise called The Beast for those who want a pure adrenalin rush.
2. The Metropolitan Museum of Art is a bit far from midtown on the upper east side but it’s worth the trip.  It’s located at Fifth Avenue and East 82^nd Street and you could easily spend half a day there.  At night and on weekends, the Museum’s Rooftop Garden Café has become quite the picturesque spot to grab a martini until 8pm.  And don’t forget to visit the Egyptian Gallery, the mummies and The Temple of Dendur; the new American Wing; and the Roman and Greek galleries are best bets!
3. Forget the double decker tour buses and get out and walk.  Fifth Avenue between 34^th Street and 60^th Street is just made for walking and cheap souvenirs.  You can really walk away with ten “I Love NY” t-shirts for ten bucks.  Who cares if they fall apart after the 1^st wash, at least the folks at home will know you thought of them!  The Diamond District will be marked by huge diamond-looking street lights at the corner of Fifth and 47^th Street; Rockefeller Center will catch your eye at Fifth and 50^th, directly opposite the magnificent St. Patrick’s Cathedral; not to mention the shopping, everything from Saks Fifth Avenue and Tiffany’s to the huge Nike store and H & M………..oh, and did I mention the Empire State Building at Fifth and 34^th Street and the Top O’ the Rock observation deck at Fifth and 49^th Street.  Fifth Avenue offers so much to do that it needs its own Top 5 list!
4. Hayden Planetarium takes you outside of the city and into another universe.  The exhibits are very interactive and the star show is wonderful.  The Planetarium is on the upper west side of the city, at Central park West and 79^th Street, but you can plan a whole day there to include the Museum of Natural History and IMAX theater which are also part of the complex.
5. No trip to NYC would be complete without taking in a Broadway show.  You can wait in line for hours to get cheap, same day tickets at the Times Square Ticket Booth or you can visit their booth at the South Street Seaport, where the lines are generally shorter.  If not, plan ahead and go to Broadway.Com before your visit and you may find promo codes for shows still in previews or shows which are not doing so well at the box office.  And if you’re not sure where to dine before or after the show, 2 of my favorites on Restaurant Row are The Firebird Café or Barbetta…….or Utsav Indian Restaurant at 46^th and Sixth …………all are within a five minute walk of the Theater District.

I hope you enjoy New York.  It has so much to offer and is one helluva town!

Lisa Fantino is an award-winning journalist and attorney and the creative force behind Wanderlust Women Travel and the soon to be launched Wanderlust Weddings.  She also writes travel features for MNUI Travel Insurance and blogs as Lady Litigator.

Guest post by Robin Locker

I live in the beautiful Hudson Valley in upstate New York.  I have lived several places in my life, but this is where I was raised and I am happy to call it home.  Much has changed over the years, but it is a fabulous travel destination and only a short drive or train ride north of New York City.  These are my top five attractions for anyone traveling here.

1. Walkway over the Hudson.  Newly opened last fall, the once neglected railroad bridge is now a walkway that spans the Hudson River from Poughkeepsie to Highland.  The walkway, which is a New York State Park, offers great views both up and down river and is the highest and longest pedestrian bridge of its kind.  At the present time admission is free.
   
2. Vanderbilt Mansion. Now part of the National Parks Service this beautiful historic mansion is popular with tourists and locals alike.  You can take a tour of the mansion, have a picnic or stroll around the beautiful grounds which offer stunning views of the river and on a clear day, the Catskill Mountains. There are also formal gardens that shouldn’t be missed if you visit in the warmer months.
   
3. Culinary Institute of America.  This prestigious culinary school, located in Hyde Park, sits on a prime piece of real estate directly on the Hudson River. The views are as beautiful as the architecture of the buildings on campus, which have been around for 60 years.  It boasts four restaurants and a bakery all run by the students.  The campus gift shop sells CIA brand cookware and tons of cookbooks.  Reservations are a must.
   
4. Shawangunk Wine Trail.  Eleven family-owned wineries all with drop-dead views are nestled among the Shawangunk Mountains in both Orange and Ulster counties. All of the wines are produced using traditional methods brought to the region by early French Huguenot settlers. All offer many varieties of white, red, sparkling and dessert – some even award-winning. Special events are held throughout the year.
5. Dia.  Art lovers shouldn’t miss a visit to the only modern art museum in the area, which is located in Beacon.  Open since 2003, the museum, which was converted from an abandoned Nabisco box printing factory, is used to house its renowned collection of art from the 1960′s to present.

Robin Locker is a France and Italy travel consultant, freelance travel writer and photographer who hopes to one day realize her dream of living La Dolce Vita in her beloved Italy. She writes about travel for MNUI travel insurance and on her own site, My Melange. She is addicted to social media – you can follow her on Twitter @MyMelange.

I was wondering one day that since Eastern and South-eastern parts of USA are facing Atlantic ocean, there must be lots of nice beaches along the coastline which are worth travelling if I have the budget, one day . I was right on this. After watching one of the travel documentary over TV recommending the top 10 beaches in US and surfing around net that I realised there are in fact lots of them which are brilliant for travel but unfortunately very little of them are widely publicized in Malaysia. Apart from the previous 2 destinations along the same coastline, I found another wellknown beach city, Hilton Head Island which is great for golfers.

Hilton Head is an island located in South Carolina, USA, 20 miles (32 km) north of Savannah, Georgia. It is a popular vacation destination with over 2 Millions travelers all over the world visiting Hilton Head each and every years. Travelers love the island because of its eco-friendly environment with majority of lands are still occupied by trees and wildlife. 

Hilton Head South Carolina is the home of wildlife, alligators, deer, Loggerhead Sea Turtles, hundreds of species of birds, and dolphins are still living here. Most natural properties of Hilton Head island are still very well preserved by the local government of Carolina. Many of the Hilton Head island rentals are occupied by visitors who come here for wildlife admiration and photography which is especially tempting to me . 

My new toy really got me crazy for the past week. All my leisure has been spent on photo shooting, camera setting, feature testing, trying hard to learn more on photography by reading photo magazine and also surfing net for beautiful photo shots by other experts (regretfully little on blogging ). While searching for great photos, I found this great shot from a great city which I have missed out so far and it is Key West Island in the southernmost part of Florida, US. Key West is a vacation destination for energetic and sporty travelers who love watersport and offshore fishing.  

This island is only about 4 miles (6.4 km) long and 2 miles (3.2 km) wide. Despite its relatively small size, Key West Island is so fascinating that 1st time visitors who come here could never imagine that so much things could be done here; From land activities of historical site seeing, wandering about aquarium, museum, shopping mall to water activities of scuba diving, snorkeling, sailing, kayaking and fishing. Key West Fishing is especially interesting to me where offshore fishing guarantees for successful returns with an abundance of fish such as marlin, sailfish, mahi-mahi, tuna, wahoo, cobia, and king mackerel if you know their names.

Having tropical weather all year round with very little rainfall, any time of the year is perfect for a vacation on this very special island. For me, blue sky and bright sun certainly interests me most. Sunset cruise is also the main tourists attraction where vacation travelers could admire the beautiful sunset on board with a drink and relax while looking out for dolphins, turtles, and sea birds. There are also celebrations being held regularily at Mallory Square where cruise are docked and Duval Street where is home for famous dining and fashion outlets.

From photos that I extracted from other Key West information websites, it shows that Key West is the perfect place to take lots of photos with my new toy(I’m so crazy about photo taking nowadays albeit quantities are more than quality ). I’m so tempted to visit there perhaps as a feeder trip to my dream vacation to Miami’s South Beach, one day! – Travel Feeder.

Some might not have heard about Sea Isle City before, me either. I got to know this island city from the recent tropical storm disaster (Hana) that hit most of the South Eastern part of USA’s Atlantic Ocean’s coastline, started worst in Haiti and weakening towards North Carolina, without hitting Sea Isle City. Sea Isle City is one of the most popular family travel destination in Cape May County, New Jersey of United States. It is located  along the Atlantic Ocean, east of USA and not water. Though it is widely considered as an island city, Sea Isle actually shares its land on Ludlam Island with neighbor, Strathmere.

With more than 30% of residents being Irish ancestry, Sea Isle City is a beach town with most of its housing used for vacation rentals and second homes. It has a 1.5 mile beachfront promenade and several arcades, shops, restaurants and bars in the center of town. Visitors from all over the world come here for its serene environment. You can stay in one of those beach front bangalows, relaxing under the beautiful sun while kids are having fun on the beach and enjoying sun setting at the same time. It is just a perfect holiday destination for families. For those who are adventurous can even drive down to the nearby Atlantic casinos for some luck try!

If you are wondering any city rentals Sea Isle travel agency could help arranging accomodation in Sea Isle, FREDA Real Estate Agency located in Landis Avenue of Sea Isle City is one of the trusted company in the city. It serves Sea Isle City Rentals and Sale needs since 1955. For those who are interested to visit Sea Isle for a family vacation, you can rent either a resort chalet, condo or townhouse for a period in the city. For your information, many of the properties there are actually second homes to expariates. You can log on to Freda’s website for more information. If you have any other family travel destination to share with other travelers, do let me know by commenting this post. Cheers! – Travel Feeder.