Up close to spellbinding beauty of the city that never sleeps

YOU can never truly appreciate the beauty of one of the world's most famous cities until it is staring you in the face.

It's only when you are standing more than 800 feet above the city, with the Statue of Liberty on one side and the Empire State Building on the other, that the Big Apple finally becomes real.

Atop the world-famous Rockefeller Centre at midnight, standing far too high to hear any sound below, the once-foreboding buildings glisten beautifully like diamonds.

It was this view which summed up a whirlwind four-day trip of New York.

From the moment the plane landed at Newark Liberty International Airport, I felt like I was in a different world.

New Yorkers say it's easy to spot the tourists roaming about their city – they're the ones with their necks at a 180-degree angle as they comprehend the height of the buildings. It took me at least two days to stop doing this, especially since even my hotel was more than 20 floors high.

They call the Hotel Beacon, on 75th and Broadway, the jewel of the Upper West Side and this was no exaggeration.

I had the pleasure of staying in a suite with king-size bed, kitchenette, marble bathroom, living room and two 32-inch flat-screen TVs. The hotel boasts around 260 rooms, conference facilities and even its own Broadway theatre, the Beacon, just next door.

I had already been spoiled by the luxurious facilities of Birmingham International Airport, not to mention the hospitality of the Continental Airlines flight, so the hotel was the icing on the cake.

But there was very little time to spend in my miniature palace, with so much to see and do in New York.

An absolute must is, of course, the Empire State Building. With stunning interior architecture, and even more stunning views from its 86th-floor observation deck, the skyscraper made famous by King Kong exceeded all expectations.

Most attractions in New York come complete with ridiculously long queues but one way to avoid this to buy your tickets in advance. Visit http://nycgo.com, to buy books of free passes to suit your trip.

Another great way to see the city and its five boroughs – Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island and The Bronx – is by helicopter. On an eight-minute flight over the city and its Hudson River, I had another chance to appreciate the glorious views.

The city's most vulnerable side was all too clear when we arrived at Manhattan's Financial District and Ground Zero – the site of the former World Trade Center.

With the National September 11 Memorial and Museum currently under construction, very little can be seen of the site but, nearby, stands the Tribute WTC Visitor Center. Here was a chance to understand the raw emotion of 9/11.

And, not too far away in Battery Park, the Sphere – the sculpture which once stood in the plaza between the towers – stands as another memorial, with an eternally burning flame.

The beauty of Battery Park is matched only, and possible exceeded by, the 843-acre Central Park. As my trip was blessed with gorgeous sunshine and plenty of hot weather, I spent a happy afternoon in this vast grassland.

The Big Apple is also home to various museums and galleries and my visit to the Museum of Natural History was certainly a highlight.

Endless amounts of department stores and malls also await keen shoppers, with Macy's – the "world's largest store" – and Bloomingdale's top of the list.

Returning to Derby with just two new dresses in my luggage took plenty of self-restraint; serious shopaholics should consider taking an extra suitcase.

Eating in New York is certainly not a problem; more cafes, delicatessens and Starbucks outlets grace the streets than can be counted. For those with more refined tastes, the 21 Club, a famous speakeasy during the 1920s Prohibition, or the Tribeca Grill, co-owned by Robert De Niro, are easy choices.

If you manage to find time between everything else, it's always worth catching a Broadway show and I was treated to a spellbinding production of The Lion King at the Minskoff Theatre, which was like nothing I had ever seen before.

Outside of Manhattan, I enjoyed the challenge of crossing the mile-long Brooklyn Bridge and grabbed the camera for a ferry ride to Staten Island.

Four days, however, was not near enough to see it all and I had to skip the Guggenheim Museum, Liberty Island, with the Statue of Liberty, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Timing is key to making the most of your trip to the city. If nothing else, it is about bringing to life a city that only seems to exist on the big screen and, for five days, I was able to see – and enjoy – the real New York.