Referred to as the fluttering proverbial butterfly, New York City's visiting baby boomers are not the usual aging hipsters. Viewed as energetic and active participants of life, the activities and sights of New York City offer these tech-savvy individuals a break away from it all-a place to change gears from a world made by the boomers themselves. Reshaping the tourist market to fit their personal needs, this baby-boom generation appreciates the finer things in life at a relaxed pace.

New York City's famous magical Broadway shows are a major draw for those who are here for a return visit, or for those arriving for a very first time. To lock in ticket prices and avoiding sell-outs for a favorite Broadway show will require an advance booking for a wide range of choices from musicals to special shows, always offering something for everyone and for every pocketbook size. Packages can be booked in advance for dinner packages that include favorite show tickets and a pre-paid dinner at the nearby finest Manhattan restaurants. Special hotel packages are also available for those who are here for several days of visiting or business, with show tickets and the finest of Manhattan hotels offering transportation to the show and back.

Having tea in the famous New York City "high-tea rooms" in the Upper West Side, or enjoying unique dining with live opera or show tunes are available throughout New York City, with every type of meal and cultural taste of the world being offered. One example is a whole month of sopranos and tenors, organized for over 25 years by the Italian Heritage and Culture Committee of New York for special events, concerts, exhibits, and lectures to celebrate New York City's Italian culture. If walking and eating are a favorite enjoyment, the Walking and Eating Tour of Greenwich Village is located in a historical neighborhood of artists and writers, having successfully resisted the "gentrification" fallen of its neighbors. Repeat tourists have warmed to its very quaint looks and the feel of overseas Europe with narrow, winding streets lined with historical 1800 brownstones-coming back year after year to savor the past.

Requiring advance preparations, another celebration that New York City embraces for its visitors is December's eight-day Festival of Lights to celebrate the Jewish Hanukkah with a full schedule of events and festivities, located in Manhattan. Celebrating Jewish national survival and religious freedom, the lighting of the World's Largest Hanukkah Menorah is larger than life-a 32-foot high, two-ton candelabra lit by a cherry picker. Once this is completed, the night is celebrated with folk dancing and eating of the holiday jelly donuts (sufganiyot), along with many other special ceremonies.

For those who enjoy walking and a more relaxed pace, New York City offers private and public walking tours with five of the most popular tours available-Midtown Architectural, Gargoyles in Manhattan, Upper East Side Millionaires Mile 1, Little Italy, NoLIta & Five Point, and Lower East Side Jewish Heritage 2. Uniting the past through each area's history, architecture, with added pictures and stories-many other neighborhood walks are available with reservations not required for most of them. If architecture and turn of the century mansions are appreciated along with varied cultural themes and diverse neighborhoods, this is an excellent tourist activity to appreciate New York City's past, present, and future-a change of pace from the hustle and bustle of the downtown crowds.

Learn more about this author, Nancy L. Young-Houser.
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