Immensity, diversity, and a tradition of defying tradition characterize the city known as “the Crossroads of the World.” Since its earliest days, iconoclastic New York has scoffed at the timid offerings of other American cities, striving instead to embody the American ideal at its most grand. It boasts the most immigrants, the tallest skyscrapers, and the trickiest con artists. Even the vast gray blocks of concrete have their own gritty charm. Returning from a dull vacation in rural Westchester, resident talespinner O. Henry noted, “there was too much fresh scenery and fresh air. What I need is a steam-heated flat and no vacation or exercise.”

However, if you wish to discover the city’s more delicate offerings, fear not. New York City is full of folks. The stars are covered with a blanket of pollution. The buildings are tall, the subway smelly, the people rushed, the beggars everywhere…BUT for every inch of grime, there’s a yard of silver lining. Countless people mean countless pockets of culture—every kind of ethnicity, food, art, energy, language, attitude. Despite the crowds, there are places to be alone and reflect, but choose to plunge into the fray and you meet the most fascinating types, full of stories, curmudgeonly humor, innovative ideas…and, yes, madness. The collage of architecture, from colonial to art deco to Jetsons, reveals the stratae of history that NYC embodies. Meanwhile, there’s flamenco at an outdoor cafe, jazz underground at night, jungle/illbient under a bridge, Eurotechno at a flashy club. Whatever your tastes, there’s something for you. If millions of penniless immigrants disembarked here and quickly learned to survive, then you, fearless budget traveler, will undoubtedly soar.

MORNING IN THE BIG APPLE

After taking New York up on its invitation to “never sleep,” you can bask in the spectacular silence of broad avenues just before rush hour descends. From the Upper East Side to the crooked alleys of Greenwich Village, the city is a different place at the wee hours. And while it is not completely deserted, it is empty enough to make you feel that it belongs to you alone. Each of these excursions should last you a whole morning. In operation for 160 years, the Fulton Street Fish Market, the largest fish market in the country, opens daily at 4am. From 7am to 9am a group of older Chinese men gather each morning from spring through fall to give sun to the songbirds in Sara Delano Roosevelt Park. Intended as a distraction from vice, this old tradition ends in a symphony from the songbirds who have just woken up with the sun. For the pre-dawn riser with an unquenchable wanderlust, the Boat Livery, Inc., on City Island in the Bronx rents out skiffs and, for the real sailor, offers $1 glasses of Bud at the bar, from 5am.

A NEW YORK FULL-FAT FEAST

New York has the most diverse range of cuisine in the world — but since this is, after all, America, begin your indulgence at the pan-ethnic McDonald’s, 160 Broadway, at Liberty St. Trust us on this one: this Mickey D’s is not to be missed. Move on to Chinatown where Cecilia Tam of the Hong Kong Egg Cake Co., cooks up a dozen of her soft, sweet egg cakes fresh from the skillet. Sweet-lovers will want to make a quick stop at Veniero’s in the East Village for artery-clogging fun with Italian pastries. Lansman! Get thee to a knishery! Yonah Schimmel Knishery in the Lower East Side still serves up Rabbi Schimmel’s signature knish…mmm…delish. Find out what finger-lickin’ really means at Copeland’s in Harlem. With smothered chicken and fried pork chops, Copeland’s soul food takes the cholesterol crown.

THE ALLEN-CLUSIVE TOUR

Any Woody Allen tour should begin at his humble abode on Central Park East. Woody lives on the 900 block of Fifth Avenue; if you camp out here, you’re likely to catch a glimpse of the comic guru strolling with Soon Yi or fumbling for his keys. Since the closing of Michael’s Pub in 1997, Woody has tooted his clarinet on Monday nights at Cafe Carlyle in the Carlyle Hotel. Those interested in the young Woody should visit Flatbush, Brooklyn where Woody was born Allen Stuart Konigsberg. Skip the trials of a bespectacled boy’s youth and head straight for Greenwich Village’s New York University, from which Woody was suspended. He went on to finish at City College, in Central Harlem. Classic New York scenes from Woody’s movies are as common as virgins in a convent. The famous “bridge scene” from Manhattan is a shot of the 59th Street Bridge; Woody sits with Diane Keaton at 57th St., just west of Sutton Place. Young Alvy Singer of Annie Hall grew up in the house under the Coney Island Rollercoaster; the house still rattles underneath. To round it all off, you can spend the night in Hotel 17, on 17th St., where Alan Alda and Diane Keaton find a body in Manhattan Murder Mystery.