You don't have to travel to New York to know all about the streets, avenues and establishments which make up the most exciting city in the world. You just have to watch TV or catch a film now and then.

We’ve seen Greenwich Village in Friends, Park Avenue in Sex and the City, Fifth Avenue in The Devil Wears Prada, The Carnegie Deli in Law & Order and Joe's Pizza in Spider-Man 2, to name just a few sites shown while filming in "the city."

No, you don't have to visit New York . . . but, take it from these two former "cityites," you definitely should. Especially now, when the euro is as strong against the dollar, as Superman (Metropolis is actually Manhattan) is against Lex Luthor. But unbelievable bargains, like Nike shoes for 16 euros and a HP computer with 17 inch screen for 450 euros, are only one reason, albeit a darn good one, to visit The Big Apple. 

First of all, crime is at a near all-time low, the subways are safe, and, in spite of the economic crisis, the people seem happy. Cheerful greetings between strangers passing on sidewalks and conversations between shoppers in supermarkets are common occurrences, and the act of drivers stopping for pedestrians to cross the street is practically a way of life.

One of the more radical changes to the New York street scene in recent years is the turning of Times Square (Broadway and 42^nd Street) into a pedestrian promenade, complete with complimentary lounge chairs, where you can sit and watch a film on the Times Square Tower's big screen, or simply gaze at the world passing by.

The promenade, inaugurated last May, has been a huge success with both locals and tourists.

"All I need now is sand and a bucket and I'll be okay," commented Mike Luckman, a native New Yorker.

"I'm in town from Toronto, and I never expected something like this," said one out-of-towner. "It's great. Congratulations New York."

Of course, New York City isn't only Manhattan. There are four other boroughs: the Bronx, Brooklyn, Staten Island and Queens, which, with 283 square kilometres, is the largest borough, and the second largest, after Brooklyn, in population with nearly two million people.

But, what makes Queens truly unique, and a must-see for all visitors, are its diverse ethnic areas. For example, the densely-populated Flushing community, about the size of Hersonissos, is almost entirely populated by Asian immigrants, estimated to be well over 200,000. What that means to the visitor is a wealth of oriental shops with exciting imports and a wide variety of authentic foods from all the Chinese provinces, plus hundreds of Thai, Vietnamese, Korean, Malaysian and Cambodian restaurants to choose from.

Then, adjacent to Flushing, is the community of Jackson Heights which comprises a Latin American population almost equal to that of the neighbouring Asians. Here you will find wonderful little grocery stores, bodegas, and restaurants serving authentic cuisine from Cuba, Spain, Brazil, Argentina, Peru, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Columbia and Dominican Republic, among others. Again, these are local neighbourhood taverns, serving great food at very reasonable prices.

In addition to these ethnic choices, Queens has some of the best Italian eateries in the city (try Don Peppi in Richmond Hill, for linguini with white clam sauce to die for) and Parkside Restaurant in Corona for osso bucca that practically melts in your mouth (after dinner, to work off those calories, you can play a game of bocce in the adjacent park).

And, for the beef connoisseur, there's Uncle Jack's Steak House in Bayside, which features the world famous Kobe beef. However, possibly the best porterhouse steak in the world is found just over the Queens border in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn.  Peter Luger's Steak House, at the same location since opening its doors in 1887, has been named by food critics as the best steak house in America for 24 consecutive years.

Of course, New York has a lot more to offer than bargain shopping and the best restaurants from throughout the world. There are still the famous traditional sites like the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building and the New York Aquarium in Coney Island, which, by the way, is the first aquarium in America and still the best. And, while in Coney Island (back to food) it's almost mandatory to stop at Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Stand, which has been serving up the best frankfurters in the world since 1916. 

There's no need to go into the entire New York City guidebook. As we all know, there are enough famous sites to keep the most diligent visitor hopping for weeks. But for these two "tourists," it was the dining and shopping that made for a perfect holiday. That is, until we entered JFK Airport for our flight from hell home on Olympic Airlines But, that's another story.