For those who predicted the death of New York City in the early 2020s, please note inbound visitation in 2023 increased to 93 percent of the city’s record 2019 total and is on track to reach 64.5 million domestic and international business and leisure visitors by the end of 2024 — a $74 billion economic impact across the city’s 470 square miles of land and water.

During 2024 all five New York City boroughs boomed with major building projects, many hospitality-related, with airport construction, new hotels and cultural venues, plus enough new green spaces and sports facilities to take NYC into the next decade and beyond.

Following the recently completed Terminal 8 expansion project, John F. Kennedy International Airport announced a $125 million commercial redevelopment initiative, including 300-plus new concessions and 60-plus new retail offerings emphasizing local, minority- and women-owned businesses. JFK also started groundbreaking work on the $4.2 million redevelopment of Terminal 6 to occupy the site of former terminals 6 and 7. JFK continues to phase in Terminal 1’s $9.5 billion expansion, adding 23 gates and 300,000 square feet of dining, retail, lounges and recreation spaces.

At Newark Liberty International Airport, considered one of NYC’s three major airports, the new Terminal A earlier this year earned the prestigious 5-star rating from Skytrax. It joins New York’s LaGuardia Airport’s Terminal B, also completing a major revitalization project, as the only two airport terminals in North America awarded Skytrax’s highest rating.

© Waldorf Astoria New York

As the city expects increased numbers of business and leisure visitors in the years ahead, the hotel industry keeps up, with 78 projects set to deliver an additional 13,549 hotel rooms, the 10th-largest pipeline by projects of any U.S. market, according to Lodging Econometrics.

The 69-room Warren Street Hotel in Manhattan’s trendy Tribeca neighborhood opened this year with Hudson River views and Warren Street Bar & Restaurant. A modern, 101-room Tru by Hilton property opened mid-year in Gowanus, a revitalized former Brooklyn industrial district. The Surrey, A Corinthia Hotel on Manhattan’s Upper East Side opened with 70 rooms and 30 suites in early October with all the glamour and sophistication typical of the neighborhood.

The 173-room Xadia Hotel will take up 29 floors of the 42-story Crown Building overlooking Bryant Park in Midtown Manhattan when it opens in mid-2025. Now under construction, the building designed by Marin Architects will include an eclectic rooftop bar and restaurant.

Following a major renovation and restoration, the famous Waldorf Astoria New York will reopen spring 2025, featuring public and event spaces along with luxury condominiums and 375 guestrooms and suites designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and renowned interior designer Pierre-Yves Rochon. NYC also continues to expand its green spaces. Currently under construction at Hudson River Park’s Pier 97, Clinton Cove Park area will include a new playground with water spray features, sunset plaza seating and an activity field.

Brooklyn Bridge Park extends 1.3 miles along the East River, offering unparalleled views of the lower Manhattan skyline and preserving iconic scenes of the industrial waterfront while providing beaches, recreation and dining venues. Bronx Point, a 530,000-square-foot, mixed-use project, will offer housing, retail and public spaces; a waterfront promenade; and cultural programming, including the Hip Hop Museum to pay homage to the birthplace of hip-hop.

© Joanna Tricorache

New York City Football Club will fully finance and build New York’s first professional soccer stadium, featuring 25,000 seats, as part of the Willets Point project in Queens. Publicly and privately funded amenities will include a new public school, public open space, a hotel and ground-floor retail space.

“New York City and New Jersey will host the FIFA World Cup 2026 Final, which will be a historic moment for NYC and our host partners in New Jersey, as we bring the world’s largest sporting event to the world’s biggest stage,” said Fred Dixon, president and CEO, New York City Tourism + Conventions. “This will be a great experience for fans that embraces our region’s love for the game while showcasing the rich diversity, vibrancy and excitement of the five boroughs as the ultimate destination in the summer of 2026.”

With the creation of a new soccer-specific stadium, Willets Point will become the city’s premier sports hub, with the New York Mets’ Citi Field and U.S. Tennis Association’s Billie Jean King National Tennis Center both within walking distance of a New York City subway and Long Island Rail Road stations.

SCENIC DRIVES
From Midtown Manhattan take the West Side Highway (Route 9A) north along the Hudson River to George Washington Bridge, then west to New Jersey. Look for the exit to Palisades Parkway North and follow signs to Bear Mountain State Park. The park features many hiking and biking trails, lakes and scenic views. The Bear Mountain Inn, a member of Historic Hotels of America, opened in 1915, offers original architecture and good cuisine.

Return to NYC via Bear Mountain Bridge to the Hudson River’s East Bank; drive south on Route 9 to Route I-87. Along the way visit Kykuit, the Rockefeller Estate in Sleepy Hollow, or stop in the small towns along the river.

To explore Northern Long Island’s historic towns, start at Unisphere (the stainless-steel globe constructed for the 1964 New York World’s Fair), located at Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens. Drive east along Northern Boulevard (Route 25A) through Flushing and northern Nassau and Suffolk counties for about 45 minutes until you reach historic towns along Long Island Sound such as Roslyn (settled 1643), Sea Cliff (1700s), Oyster Bay (1653) and Cold Spring Harbor (1730). Scenic state parks, nature preserves and beaches dot the Long Island coast.