New York City

There's something undeniably ironic-and deliciously American-about standing elbow-to-elbow in a crowded ferry, sailing toward Lady Liberty herself, a symbol of openness while being herded like cattle through security checks that rival JFK airport. Yet, stepping onto Liberty Island, wind tousling your hair and phone perpetually pointed skyward, you can't help but feel a quiet thrill-you're in the shadow of the same copper giant that greeted weary newcomers chasing the American dream. Ellis Island, its solemn halls echoing with the whispers of hopeful immigrants past, is a humbling experience that feels both weighty and oddly uplifting. Go early-preferably the first ferry of the day-to dodge relentless selfie-stick wielders and throngs of fanny-packed tourists. Book tickets online several weeks ahead (seriously, waiting in standby lines is like punishment for procrastinators), and prepare to shell out around $25 per person for ferry access, more if you want the coveted crown climb. Bring comfy shoes, sunscreen, and water-the island's concession prices practically declare war on your wallet. Sure, at the end of the day it's a tourist ritual, crowded and cliche, but it's also undeniably profound. Plus, at your next dinner party, casually dropping your harrowing tale of security checkpoints and majestic vistas makes you sound sophisticated, adventurous, and faintly patriotic. Totally worth it.

There's something wonderfully over-the-top about catching a Broadway show in Manhattan's Theater District-an unapologetic spectacle of glittering marquees, pungent hotdog carts, and tourists snapping selfies beneath neon lights originally intended to dazzle Depression-era audiences out of their gloom. Book your tickets weeks ahead unless you're partial to competing with scalpers or settling for obstructed views behind somebody wearing a towering hat. Your bankroll will take a minor beating-expect to part ways with at least $100 for decent seats, but there's always the scrappy charm of last-minute rush tickets if you're feeling lucky and nimble enough to queue early. Evening performances, cloaked in the city's electric buzz, deliver maximum atmosphere, though weekend matinees have their own nostalgic charm, brimming with ladies clutching oversized handbags full of contraband candy. Bring patience, comfortable shoes, and a sense of humor when navigating bathrooms smaller than a Manhattan studio apartment. And trust me, even if jazz hands and spontaneous musical numbers usually make you cringe, a Broadway experience is one of those gloriously absurd New York rites of passage you'll relish recounting later-preferably over drinks.

Suspended precariously above the East River like an oversized cocktail olive dangling above Manhattan's urban martini, the Roosevelt Island Tram is the quirky, mid-air spectacle you didn't know your New York itinerary needed. Originally opened in 1976 as a commuter lifeline-back when Roosevelt Island was aspiring to be the utopian neighborhood nobody had heard of-the tram now serves as equal parts tourist jaunt, local curiosity, and cinematic icon (thank you, Spider-Man). To avoid elbowing through selfie sticks and tourists in activewear, hop aboard early morning or after dark when Manhattan's kaleidoscopic skyline is at its moodiest. A MetroCard swipe ($2.90, same price as a subway ride) grants you five dazzling, vertigo-tinged minutes suspended above taxis and tugboats, so no special budgeting needed-just bring your bravado and a smartphone camera poised for prime Instagram envy. Sure, the subway gets you there too, but where else in New York can you casually float past skyscrapers in what feels like a glass fish tank, while pondering the oddity that Roosevelt Island was once home to an asylum, a penitentiary, and now, improbably, a Starbucks? Trust me, your friends back home won't care about your Times Square selfies nearly as much as your story of riding a glorified ski lift through Manhattan's concrete canyon.