What is the safest big city in America? New York! Despite those gritty police dramas you love to stream, NYC’s focus on neighborhood policing resulted in the lowest crime rate since the 1950s last year. The Economist’s Safe Cities Index 2017 listed it among 25 safest cities in the world. Could you still have your pocket picked on the subway? Absolutely. But with some common sense (read: don’t carry your wallet or phone in your back pocket!) and my streetwise safety tips, you’ll be fine—even if you’re traveling alone or with young children.

1. Stay aware of your surroundings

Thieves love to prey on tourists and busy parents, so try not to get distracted reading a map or watching a street performer on a crowded street corner. Some pickpockets work in teams—one creating a commotion by falling or dropping something, while the other nabs wallets from anyone who stops to help. Others watch to see where you keep your wallet when you purchase food on the street. The easiest way to foil them is to make sure your money, ID and credit cards are inaccessible, preferably in a money pouch under your clothes or a purse slung across the front of your body. One more tip: carry only what you need for the day and leave your expensive jewelry at home.

Summertime and the livin’ is … busy—on both sides of the Hudson River. If you plan to visit NYC between Memorial Day and Labor Day, book with us early to be sure you get your first choice and mark your calendar with these (mostly free!) events in Manhattan, Jersey City and Hoboken.

Behold Manhattanhenge!

You’ll get four chances this summer to view a phenomenon that mimics the mystery of Stonehenge at the summer solstice. On these days, the setting sun perfectly aligns with Manhattan’s street grid, sending its rays streaming down NYC’s East-West streets. Talk about an Instagram-able moment!

For the best views, stake out a place facing west on 14^th Street, 23^rd Street, 35^th Street, 42^nd Street or 57^th Street about 30 minutes before sunset. On May 29 at 8:13 p.m., half of the sun will appear on the grid, followed by the full sun on May 30 at 8:14 p.m. After the summer solstice in June, Manhattanhenge will happen in reverse in July. You’ll see the full sun on July 12 at 8:20 p.m. and half on July 13 at 8:21 p.m.

Hard to imagination, but Chelsea was once a sprawling estate owned by a British veteran of the French and Indian War, who named it for a London veteran’s hospital. Time marched on and this westside neighborhood on the banks of the Hudson River became an industrial hub, home to the Nabisco National Biscuit Corporation, known for iconic snacks such as Fig Newtons, Mallomars and Oreo cookies. Decades after Nabisco moved its operations to New Jersey, Chelsea reinvented itself again—as the darling of New York City’s art scene.

In the late 1990s, Chelsea’s abandoned warehouses and garages on the streets between Tenth and Eleventh Avenues and 16th and 28th Streets began drawing artists and designers away from SoHo. Today it is a new global center of contemporary art—home to more than 200 art galleries showcasing the work of established and up-and-coming artists and sculptors. Renowned fashion designers Cristóbal Balenciaga, Alexander McQueen, Stella McCartney, Christian Louboutin and Rei Kawakubo (Comme des Garçons) have boutiques here. A handful of cutting-edge theatre and dance companies operate here. Upscale Chelsea Market, on the ground floor of Nabisco’s former headquarters, is a hive of bakeries, restaurants and wine stores.

And above it all, runs a 1.45-mile (2.33 kilometers) pedestrian park called the High Line, with spectacular views of the city and the Hudson River.