TRAVELING WITH THE SPECIALIST – HALLOWEEN IN NEW YORK

Meet at Milan airport with the tour leader who will be with you for the duration of the trip. Depart for New York by scheduled flight: lunch and snacks on board. Upon arrival, meet with the guide and private transfer to the hotel, during which an initial introduction to the city will be provided. Arrive at the hotel (Double Tree Times Square West) and settle into the reserved rooms. As dusk falls, the first lights of the skyscrapers begin to be more visible, and the setting sun reflects off the mirrored walls of the buildings, providing a truly cinematic glimpse! Free dinner. Overnight stay at the hotel.

Continental breakfast at the hotel. Full day dedicated to a guided tour of Midtown and Brooklyn, and the various neighborhoods and boroughs, each the product of a specific past, linked to ethnic flows that shaped its traditions, tastes, customs and even architectural style. It will start with a visit to one of the city's newest landmarks: the futuristic Hudson Yards architectural complex, a jaw-dropping construction feat consisting of several buildings built along the Hudson River near a railroad depot in the Chelsea neighborhood, characterized by low-rise buildings compared to other parts of the city, art galleries, and Chelsea Market, one of Manhattan's most famous food markets. Hudson Yards, with the iconic building called "The Vessel," represents the largest private construction project in U.S. history and took six years to complete. This is where the Highline starts, which we will walk through, the elevated public park built along the tracks of a railroad that once served to transport goods from the port to large warehouses in the area. Today the Highline is one of the city's most visited attractions (about 10 million people a year), and around this pathway with small streams, 250 different plants and wooden chaise lounges for watching the sunset, art workshops and showrooms of major designers have sprung up with large windows. From the Highline's elevated position, one will be able to admire the neighborhood below, the Meatpacking District, once home to butcher stores and now a very fashionable area, where we find the showrooms of the world's leading fashion designers, exclusive stores and, of course, starred restaurants specializing in meat dishes. Having reached the end of the short Highline route, we will begin our walk in Greenwich Village, the neighborhood cherished by artists and musicians, which has maintained that small art community atmosphere over the years. Inhabited in colonial times by the Dutch and British, and then beloved by beatniks in the 1960s and 1970s, the Village is still home to music clubs, small independent stores, bookstores and fantastic restaurants. Here one forgets that one is in a big metropolis, and everything, starting with the low houses and slowed-down pace, makes one believe that one is in a small town, growing around the beautiful Washington Square. Those who wish can photograph the exterior of Carrie Bradshaw's house, seen in the TV series Sex and the City, or the small bar where Bob Dylan first performed. At the end of the walk, those who wish can treat themselves to the Village, which is the site of the famous Halloween Parade, and is the perfect area to photograph fall/Hallowen-themed decorations and arrangements framing the staircase entrances to houses. (Those staying at the Vilage for the Parade should plan to return to the hotel independently). Otherwise, one can choose to follow other events taking place in the city and parks around Halloween. Free dinner and overnight stay.

Continental breakfast at the hotel. Today's morning will be devoted to Downtown. Along the route that will take us to the southern end of Manhattan Island, the oldest part, a photo stop will be made in the Tailors and Tailors' District (Garment District), where we will see the famous iron building (Flatiron), completed in 1902 and at the time the tallest building in the city. Followed by a guided tour of Lower Manhattan and the Financial District. It will start from the southern tip of Manhattan (Battery Park) to Ellis Island and Liberty Island. The first stop will be at the Statue of Liberty, given to Americans by the French and the work of the same architect who created the Eiffel Tower, who used his mother's face as inspiration. The Statue of Liberty, which turns its gaze to the sea and not to the land, symbolizes the welcome and sense of welcome to migrants, who arrived from the sea often after weeks of difficult and trying journeys, to start a new life in a land about which little was known, almost without any baggage brought with them, with hesitancy and fear. It is because of people who year after year performed this act of courage that we owe the birth of the nation as we know it now. At Ellis Island you can visit the beautiful Immigration Museum that allows you to relive all the various steps that took place once they arrived in the U.S. Here people were examined and interrogated, if necessary placed under observation, and then finally, if all went well, they were taken by boat To Manhattan where they often had friends or relatives waiting. It was for many families the beginning of a dream for which they had invested everything they had. Return to Downtown in the late morning and walk around the landmarks of Downtown's financial district: Wall Street with its famous bull statue, the beautiful Trinity Church, the Federal Reserve Bank, which is the place that stores the most gold bars in the world, and the many classical and art deco buildings, such as the one that houses the museum dedicated to Native American Indians. Free time for lunch in the conservatory at the new Brookfield Place complex at the new World Trace Center, an architectural marvel offering various dining options and a beautiful outdoor area with tables by the Hudson River. Return to Downtown and stop for free lunch at Brookfield Place. The afternoon will see the two huge tanks designed by architects Arad and Walker in the space once occupied by the Twin Towers. This project bears the name "Reflecting Absence," and on the edges are engraved in metal the names of the 3,000 people who lost their lives, surrounded by a forest of 400 trees. These include what is called the "Survivor Tree," a tree that miraculously survived the attacks and has now become for all New Yorkers a symbol of the city's resilience. We will conclude our tour of Downtown with the futuristic World Trade Center subway station, known as the Oculus, a central hub for Lower Manhattan, which is located in the underground area once between Tower 2 and Tower 3. This hugely important project, not only for its architectural impact but also for its symbolic significance, was entrusted to renowned Spanish architect and engineer Santiago Calatrava, who created a true vision representing the rebirth of New York City. Return to the hotel. Free dinner and overnight stay at the hotel.

Continental breakfast at the hotel. The day will begin with a walk in Central Park with the chaperone: the defined park actually experiences an explosion of colors in the fall season and, thanks to the typical Indian summer climate on the East Coast, it is really pleasant to discover its nooks and crannies and the many views. Central Park is the largest urban park in New York City and one of the most important in the world. It is more than 4 km long and 800 m wide. In the 340 hectares it occupies you will find gardens, artificial lakes, waterfalls and zonesimilar to those of a real forest. Within the park there is, in addition, the Central Park Zoo. In addition to being Manhattan's main lung, this park is a favorite place for New Yorkers to walk, sunbathe and play sports. Designed by garden designer Frederick Law Olmsted and architect Calvert Vaux, Central Park was completed in 1873 and is now the most visited public park in the United States. The setting for many films, videos, and advertising photographs, it has some iconic and must-see locations, such as the Bow Bridge, the Jaqueline Kennedy Reservoir with herons, swans, and ducks, the smaller pond traditionally used by lovers of small remote-controlled boats, and the area dedicated to John Lennon, in front of the Dakota Building where he lived, distinguished by the "Imagine" mosaic and many flowers. There are also "quite Zones" for those seeking silence and relaxation. From the park you have spectacular views of the skyscrapers and beautiful luxury condominiums that line the Upper East and Upper west Side, the two side contours of the park; these are Manhattan's most exclusive and elegant residential neighborhoods, where the most prestigious schools are also located. As you stroll through the streets of great beauty, you can admire stupendous Halloween decorations, sometimes decidedly impressive and original.The eastern side of the Park consists of the famous "Museum Mile," a street along which an incredible array of museums are concentrated, such as the Guggenheim, the Met (Metropolitan Museum of Art), the Museum of the City of New York, the National Design Museum, and many others. Free lunch. In the afternoon free time at leisure for individual visits and/or shopping. Farewell dinner at a restaurant. Overnight.

Continental breakfast at the hotel. Those who wish can go early in the morning to visit the Rockefeller Center Observatory called Top of the Rock to get one last view of the city from above. In the afternoon, transfer to the airport in time for the return flight. Departure for Italy. Dinner and overnight stay on board.

Breakfast on board. Arrival in Italy and completion of services.