When it comes to the art of seduction, New York has two cards up its sleeve: charm and spontaneity. People often fall in love with what they came looking for -- the Empire State Building, lit up in red, white, and blue; Central Park under a blanket of snow, its trees sparkling as if encased in crystal; or the Statue of Liberty, which neither cliché nor cheap souvenir can render common. For those who grew up with glossy magazine and soft-focus film images of New York, standing in front of one of its landmarks is still a moment of discovery. The remarkable thing is that New York looks even better up-close, in person. "It's just like the movies!" is a constant delighted refrain.

No matter how grandiose or beautiful New York's sights are, their combined scale may seem overwhelming, and that's when irrepressible human endeavor steps in to tame its environment. Whether you want to call it spontaneity or chaos, there are a million different New York moments that can catch you off-guard and sweep you off your feet. It could happen in Grand Central Terminal upon witnessing doo-wop harmonists stop rushing commuters in their tracks with a rich serenade. You could turn a corner and run into a full-blown Russian winter festival or a production assistant barking orders to clear the way for a film shoot. Your moment of enchantment could be Fellini-esque, when you catch sight of an old man in a suit slowly pedaling a multicolor, tinsel-wrapped Huffy bike the wrong way down Park Avenue. Anything can happen here -- stuff so strange, you couldn't make it up.

Change is a constant in this city, so when people ask with concern from afar, "How is New York doing?" the answer is both "moving on" and "the same as ever." The September 11, 2001 terrorist attack was the lowest of blows upon an icon of the city and all of its hard-working, wise-cracking, loving, and beloved people. The enormous loss of life, followed by a spate of anthrax scares, left normally tough-skinned and confident New Yorkers feeling vulnerable.

But New York is still the city that never sleeps. The Broadway shows are larger than life, the art exhibitions open your eyes to beauty and possibility, the orchestral concerts and ballets can move you to tears, and the shopping opportunities are amazing. Not to mention that the pizzas and bagels, available 24 hours throughout Manhattan, are the best in the nation.