If you think of only “the Big Apple” when you hear New York, you’re getting just a taste of the state’s offerings.

New York City has the biggest, the brightest and the boldest of everything from towering skyscrapers to Broadway. Climb to the top of the Empire State Building for excellent views. Take the Staten Island Ferry to see Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty, which have welcomed millions of immigrants to U.S. shores. Stop for a moment of somber reflection at the new World Trade Center, memorializing the tragic events of 9/11. Eat New York’s best pizza in Brooklyn, see the Mets play baseball in Queens and visit the Bronx Zoo. Don’t forget Manhattan’s seemingly uncountable museums and galleries; the Museum of Modern Art, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and The Metropolitan Museum of Art, better known as The Met, are just a few of the iconic cultural institutions. 

On nearby Long Island swim or surf in the Atlantic. View colorful bathhouses along Brighton Beach. Ride a hot air balloon or skydive. See Port Jefferson, the Maritime Museum, Fire Island animal sanctuary and lighthouse and high-end estates in the Hamptons and Montauk.

Follow the Hudson Valley out of the city to upstate New York. Enjoy an evening of symphony music under the stars at Tanglewood. Go boating in the 1000 Islands or hiking in the Catskills. See where millions flocked to the Woodstock music festival in 1969. The Capital Region features Albany’s state buildings and Saratoga Springs performing arts.

Within a 3-hour drive from New York City, enjoy the Adirondack Mountains’ unspoiled wilderness. In summer, kayak, sail or swim in the many lakes. In winter cross-country ski right in the small towns or downhill ski at Gore, Whiteface or Belleayre, among the best slopes in the east. Visit Lake Placid, host of the 1980 Winter Olympics.

Enjoy pristine waters in the long, slender Finger Lakes carved from shale by glaciers. Bike through Amish country. Stop at U-pick farms for berries, apples and seasonal vegetables.

Finally reach Lake Erie on the western end of the state with mighty Niagara Falls and musical Chautauqua Institute. All this explains why millions say “I Love New York.”