NYC Sites & Attractions
Lincoln Center, the World’s leading performing arts center is located in the heart of New York City on a 16-acre campus, it houses 11 prestigious cultural organizations including the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the Film Society of Lincoln Center, Jazz at Lincoln Center, The Julliard School, Lincoln Center Theater, the Metropolitan Opera, the New York City Ballet, the New York Philharmonic, the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, the School of American Ballet, and Lincoln Center itself. Paving the way to world class performance since 1962, Lincoln Center invites art savants and newcomers alike to see what it feels like to let art in. Lincoln Center employs some 9,000 full-time, part-time, and contract workers. Each year, Lincoln Center welcomes 5 million visitors, 3.6 million performance attendees, and thousands of artists—and can seat 26,543 audience members at one time. Renowned for an eclectic mix of thousands of events held annually and a groundswell of creative energy all throughout the masterfully designed campus, you could come every day of the year and still only scratch the surface.
The city’s most legendary apartment building, the Dakota built in 1884, towered over the Upper West Side and was an immediate success with all its apartments rented on opening day. Designed by Henry J. Hardenbergh, who would later design the Plaza Hotel, the building had tennis courts and a croquet field on the adjoining 175-foot-long lot on West 72nd Street that was later developed after World War II as a separate apartment building. Because elevators were quite new at the time and as was the concept of apartment living for the well-to-do, the eighth and ninth floors of the building were originally used for servants’ quarters and laundry.
Many of residents of its cooperative apartments have been celebrities including Leonard Bernstein, the composer and conductor, Lauren Bacall, the actress, Judy Garland, the singer, William Inge, the playwright, Jo Mielziner, the stage designer, Rex Reed, the columnist. John Lennon was it’s most famous resident, he was slain on 8th December 1980 by Mark Chapman. Yoko Ono continues to live in apartment No. 72 and has another apartment just for her furs and memorabilia.
On July 21, 1853, the New York State Legislature enacted into law the setting aside of more than 750 acres of land central to Manhattan Island to create America’s first major landscaped public park; they would soon refer to it as “the Central Park.” Advocates of creating the park–primarily wealthy merchants and landowners–admired the public grounds of London and Paris and urged that New York needed a comparable facility to establish its international reputation. Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, the winners of the 1858 design competition for Central Park, along with other socially conscious reformers understood that the creation of a great public park would improve public health and contribute greatly to the formation of a civil society as well as offer families an attractive setting for carriage rides and provide working-class New Yorkers with a healthy alternative to the saloon. Today Central Park has never been more beautiful or better managed in the Park’s 156-year history, and the Conservancy is proud to be the leader of the Park’s longest period of sustained health and beauty.
Strawberry Fields is a living memorial to the world-famous singer, songwriter and peace activist, John Lennon. During his career with the Beatles and in his solo work, Lennon’s music gave hope and inspiration for world peace and his memory and mission lives on in Strawberry Fields.
This tranquil section of Central Park was named after one of Lennon’s favorite songs, “Strawberry Fields Forever.” The mosaic was created by Italian craftsmen and given as a gift by the city of Naples., it bears the word of another of Lennon’s songs: Imagine.
Strawberry Fields was officially dedicated on October 9, 1985, the 45th anniversary of Lennon’s birth. Lennon’s widow, Yoko Ono Lennon, worked with landscape architect Bruce Kelly and Central Park Conservancy to create a meditative spot. A designated Quiet Zone in the Park, the memorial is shaded by stately American elms and lined with benches. In the warmer months, flowers bloom all around the area. Along the path near the mosaic, you’ll find a bronze plaque that lists the 121 countries that endorse Strawberry Fields as a Garden of Peace.
The Museum Mile is a stretch along 5th Avenue full of museums and other fine arts institutions in Manhattan. If you are in New York for a short stay and need to cram in lots of sightseeing, Museum Mile is a must. The tree lined walk down the side of Central Park is a beautiful way to check out the numerous museums in this stretch which include but not limited to; El Museo del Barrio at 104th Street, Museum of the City of New York at 103rd Street, Jewish Museum at 92nd Street, Cooper-Hewitt National Museum of Design at 91st Street, National Academy Museum and School of Fine Arts at 89th Street, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum at 88th Street, Metropolitan Museum of Art from 82nd to 86th Streets, and Goethe House German Cultural Center at 82nd Street.
Fifth Avenue spreads along 5 miles of the most valuable real-estate in Manhattan: 102 streets (8th street to 110th street.) It’s a magnet for the rich & famous, who come from all around the globe to live, work, and play here.
For over 150 years, Fifth Avenue has hosted many studios and laboratories where artists, scientists and inventors (including Tesla) have made it the place to be for both industry and art. Rockefeller Center and the Empire State Building, two of the highest and most famous buildings, make Fifth Avenue home to 2 out of 3 observatories in New York State. There are famous churches and so much to see.
But Fifth Avenue is perhaps best known for the shopping! The Gap faces Armani, Abercrombie and Fitch faces Gucci and Bergdorf Goodman. Lord ‘n Taylor and Saks still change their windows every month and during the holiday compete for holiday splendor like nowhere else in the world. Fifth Avenue is the home of some of the most elegant jewelers, offering only the best. In fact, Fifth Avenue is often called “The Diamond Avenue.” There are more than 400 spots on 5th Ave and more to come; 5 miles of fun, astonishment, and dreams. (5th Ave Visitors Guide of NYC)
St. Patrick’s Cathedral was built in the democratic spirit, paid for not only by the contributions of thousands of poor immigrants as well as prominent citizens. The construction of St. Patrick’s Cathedral began in 1858 and opened its doors in 1879.
This international landmark is a beacon of hope for those who share the Catholic faith and a source of inspiration to the more than five million visitors of every religious denomination welcomed here each year. No single generation builds a cathedral. The vibrancy of its windows, the beauty of its music and the purpose of its charitable outreach call us to respond to our shared humanity.
Although John D. Rockefeller Jr. spent most of his life engaged in philanthropy, his single, defining business venture was the creation of the “city within a city”. Constructed during the Great Depression’s worst years, the project gainfully employed over 40,000 people. When Rockefeller Center officially opened in May 1933 30 Rockefeller Plaza boasted a grand lobby decorated by accomplished European artists, Frank Brangwyn and José Maria Sert.
Throughout the 1930s, Rockefeller Center steadily improved, including some accidental innovations like the Christmas Tree tradition in 1931 and the skating rink in 1936. By 1939, more than 125,000 people were visiting Rockefeller Center daily; on its own, it would have been the 51st largest city in the U.S. Today at this “city within a city” there are many ways and things to do while visiting, one things including Top of the Rock. From the floor see breathe taking views of Manhattan and the surrounding city, plus perfect views of the Empire State Building and the World Trade Center.
- NBC- Rockefeller Center is also home to the headquarters of the NBC Network as well as stage to the Today Show and Saturday Night Live.
Radio City Music Hall
When the stock market crashed in 1929, John D. Rockefeller, Jr. held a $91 million, 24-year lease on a piece of midtown Manhattan property properly known as “the speakeasy belt.” The plan was to gentrify the neighborhood by building a new Metropolitan Opera House on the site.
Together Rockefeller, RCA and Roxy realized a fantastic dream – a theatre unlike any in the world, and the first completed project within the complex that RCA head David Sarnoff dubbed “Radio City.” Radio City Music Hall was to be a palace for the people. A place of beauty offering high-quality entertainment at prices ordinary people could afford. It was intended to entertain and amuse, but also to elevate and inspire. (Radio City)
On the evening of February 1, 1913, public dignitaries and officials from the New York Central Railroad joined thousands of New Yorkers for the grand opening of a transportation depot on the east side of Manhattan. At 12:01 am, the first passengers boarded trains departing from the new Grand Central Terminal, and within the first day 150,000 commuters had passed through its doors. The world’s largest train station continues to impress 100 years later, with more than 750,000 visitors every day—that’s four times the traffic New York’s JFK Airport handles. (History)
Times Square is a major commercial intersection and neighborhood in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, at the junction of Broadway and Seventh Avenue, and stretching from West 42nd to West 47th Streets. Brightly adorned with billboards and advertisements, Times Square is sometimes referred to as The Crossroads of the World, The Center of the Universe, the heart of The Great White Way, and the “heart of the world”. One of the world’s busiest pedestrian intersections, it is also the hub of the Broadway Theater District and a major center of the world’s entertainment industry. Times Square is one of the world’s most visited tourist attractions, drawing an estimated 50 million visitors annually. Approximately 330,000 people pass through Times Square daily, many of them tourists, while over 460,000 pedestrians walk through Times Square on its busiest days
Bryant Park is a privately managed public park located in the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is located between Fifth and Sixth Avenues and between 40th and 42nd Streets in Midtown Manhattan. Although technically the Main Branch of the New York Public Library is located within the park, effectively it forms the park’s functional eastern boundary, making Sixth Avenue the park’s primary entrance. Bryant Park is located entirely over an underground structure that houses the library’s stacks, which were built in the 1980s when the park was closed to the public and excavated; the new library facilities were built below ground level while the park was restored above it.
“The site chosen for the home of the new Public Library was the Croton Reservoir, a popular strolling place that occupied a two-block section of Fifth Avenue between 40th and 42nd Streets. Dr. John Shaw Billings, one of the most brilliant librarians of his day, was named director.
Billings knew exactly what he wanted. His design, briefly sketched on a scrap of paper, became the early blueprint for the majestic structure that has become the landmark building, known for the lions without and the learning within. Billings’s plan called for an enormous reading room topping seven floors of stacks and the most rapid delivery system in the world to get the Library’s resources as swiftly as possible into the hands of those who requested them.” (New York Public Library)
“The distinctive triangular shape of the Flatiron Building, designed by Chicago architect Daniel Burnham and built in 1902, allowed it to fill the wedge-shaped property located at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and Broadway. The building was intended to serve as offices for the George A. Fuller Company, a major Chicago contracting firm. At 22 stories and 307 feet, the Flatiron was never the city’s tallest building, but always one of its most dramatic-looking, and its popularity with photographers and artists has made it an enduring symbol of New York for more than a century.” (History)
Madison Square Park has existed as an urban public space since 1686. Named for James Madison, fourth President of the United States, Madison Square was formally opened as a public park in 1847. It was the birthplace of Baseball and was also called home in the beginning of 1876 for the arm and torch of the Statue of Liberty for six years to raise funds for construction of the statue and base.
The Empire State Building was completed in 1931 on May 1st. One this date President Hoover marked the conation by turning on the magnificent building’s lights by simply pressing a button all the way from Washington D.C., this just being symbolic of course while the lights were really being turned on by someone in NYC. The idea for this amazing building sprouted from the ego of John Jakob Raskob and not wanting to be bested by the height of the desalting Chrysler Building standing at 1,046 feet. In just over a year the Empire State Building was complete3d under budget at $40 Million, during certain points of construction the frame grew an amazing four and a half stories a week! At the end of construction the Empire State Building stood at 102 stories and 1,454 feet to the top of it’s lightning rod making it the tallest building in the world until 1972 when New York’s World Trade Center was completed. Today the honor of tallest building in the world belongs to Dubai’s Burj Khalifa tower, which soars 2,717 feet into the sky while the new World Trade center in NYC is honored with the title of tallest building in the Western Hemisphere. (History)
Named meaning South of Houston, SoHo is a neighborhood in Lower Manhattan, which in recent history came to the public’s attention for being the location of many artists’ lofts and art galleries, but is now better known for its variety of shops ranging from trendy upscale boutiques to national and international chain store outlets. The area’s history is an archetypal example of inner-city regeneration and gentrification, encompassing socio-economic, cultural, political and architectural developments. (Wiki)
Greenwich Village often referred to by locals as simply “the Village“, is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan. Greenwich Village has been known as an artists’ haven, the Bohemian capital, the cradle of the modern LGBT movement, and the East Coast birthplace of both the Beat and ’60s counterculture movements. Groenwijck, one of the Dutch names for the village (meaning “Green District”), was Anglicized to Greenwich. New York University (NYU) is located in Greenwich Village. (wiki)
Washington Square Park is a 9.75-acre public park in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Lower Manhattan. One of the best known of New York City’s 1,900 public parks, it is a landmark as well as a meeting place and center for cultural activity. The Park is an open space, dominated by the Washington Square Arch at the northern gateway to the park.. The Park’s fountain area has long been one of the city’s popular spots for residents and tourists. Most of the buildings surrounding the park now belong to New York University, but many have at one time served as homes and studios for artists. Some of the buildings have been built by NYU while others have been converted from their former uses into academic and residential buildings. (wiki)
Macy’s Harold Square
Macy’s Herald Square, originally known as the R. H. Macy and Company Store, is the flagship of Macy’s department stores, located on Herald Square in Manhattan. The building’s 2.2 million square feet made it the world’s largest department store from 1924 until 2009, when the South Korean chain Shinsegae opened a store of nearly 3.16 million square feet in Bussan. As of 2011, the store has stood at the site for 110 years. (wiki)
Herald Square is formed by the intersection of Broadway, Sixth Avenue and 34th Street in t Manhattan Named for the New York Herald, a now-defunct newspaper formerly headquartered there, it also gives its name to the surrounding area. The intersection is a typical Manhattan bow-tie square that consists of two named sections: Herald Square to the north (uptown) and Greeley Square to the south (downtown). (wiki)
Manhattan’s Chinatown is a neighborhood in Lower Manhattan bordering the Lower East Side to its east, Little Italy to its north, Civic Center to its south, and Tribeca to its west. With an estimated population of 90,000 to 100,000 people, Manhattan’s Chinatown is also one of the oldest ethnic Chinese enclaves outside of China. The Manhattan Chinatown is one of nine Chinatown neighborhoods in New York City and is not only known primarily by its growing Asian population but also for its open markets, cheap shopping for tourists. (wiki)
Little Italy is a neighborhood in lower Manhattan, New York City, once known for its large population of Italian Americans. Today the neighborhood consists of only a few Italian stores and restaurants. It is bounded on the west by Tribeca and Soho, on the south by Chinatown, on the east by the Bowery and Lower East Side, and on the north by Nolita, (North of Little Italy) (wiki)
The South Street Seaport is a historic area in Manhattan, centered where Fulton Street meets the East River, and adjacent to the Financial District. The Seaport is a designated historic district. It features some of the oldest architecture in downtown Manhattan, and includes the largest concentration of restored early 19th-century commercial buildings in the city. This includes renovated original mercantile buildings, renovated sailing ships, the former Fulton Fish Market, and modern tourist malls featuring food, shopping, and nightlife, with a view of the Brooklyn Bridge. (iwiki)
The Brooklyn Bridge is a hybrid cable-stayed/suspension bridge in New York City and is one of the oldest bridges of either type in the United States. Completed in 1883, it connects the boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn by spanning the East River. It has a main span of 1,595.5 feet and was the first steel-wire suspension bridge constructed. It was originally referred to as the New York and Brooklyn Bridge and as the East River Bridge, but it was later dubbed the Brooklyn Bridge, a name coming from an earlier January 25, 1867, letter to the editor of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, and formally so named by the city government in 1915. Since its opening, it has become an icon of New York City, and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1964 and a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 1972. (iwiki)
Trinity Church, at 75 Broadway in Lower Manhattan, is a historic, active, well-endowed parish church in the Episcopal Diocese of New York. Trinity Church is near the intersection of Wall Street and Broadway.
The Financial District, also commonly referred to as FiDi, is a neighborhood located at the southern tip of of Manhattan which comprises the offices and headquarters of many of the city’s major financial institutions, including the New York Stock Exchange and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Anchored by Wall Street in the Financial District, New York City has been called both the most economically powerful city and the leading financial center of the world, and the New York Stock Exchange is the world’s largest stock exchange by total market capitalization. Several other major exchanges have or had headquarters in the Financial District, including the New York Mercantile Exchange, NASDAQ, the New York Board of Trade, and the former American Stock Exchange.
The neighborhood roughly overlaps with the boundaries of the New Amsterdam settlement in the late 17th century. The Financial District has witnessed growth in its population to approximately 43,000 as of 2014, nearly double the 23,000 recorded at the 2000 Census. (wiki)
Wall Street is a 0.7-mile-long street running eight blocks, roughly northwest to southeast, from Broadway to South Street on the East River in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan. Over time, the term has become a metonym for the financial markets of the United States as a whole, the American financial sector (even if financial firms are not physically located there), or signifying New York-based financial interests.
The New York Stock Exchange, is an American stock exchange located at 11 Wall Street, Lower Manhattan, New York City, New York. It is by far the world’s largest stock exchange by market capitalization of its listed companies at USD $21.3 trillion as of June 2017. The average daily trading value was approximately US$169 billion in 2013. The NYSE trading floor is located at 11 Wall Street and is composed of 21 rooms used for the facilitation of trading. A fifth trading room, located at 30 Broad Street, was closed in February 2007. The main building and the 11 Wall Street building were designated National Historic Landmarks in 1978. (wiki)
Charging Bull, which is sometimes referred to as the Wall Street Bull or the Bowling Green Bull, is a bronze sculpture, originally guerilla art, by Arturo Di Modica that stands in the Financial District in Lower Manhattan. Visit and rub the Bull or good luck and future wealth.
Brookfield Place, originally known as the World Financial Center, is located across from the World Trade Center and overlooks the Hudson River. It has been home to offices of various companies including Merrill Lynch, RBC Capital Markets, Nomura Group, American Express and Brookfield Asset Management, among others. In 2014, the complex was given its current name following the completion of extensive renovations. Today this beautiful complex is home to several high end stores in their shopping center, various delicious big name food venders in their food area and an indoor area called their “Winter Garden,” a great place to relax all year around under gorgeous palm trees or Christmas trees in winter. Brook Filed Place hosts many art installations, events in their marina and every winter a fun and exciting ice rink for all to enjoy.
The 9/11 Memorial World Trade Center Site
“Honoring the lives of those who were lost is at the heart of our mission. Occupying eight of the 16 acres at the World Trade Center, the Memorial is a tribute to the past and a place of hope for the future.” (9/11 Memorial) One this site today can be found two reflection pools sit to represent the location of each of the towers.
https://www.911memorial.org/
“The 9/11 Memorial Museum serves as the country’s principal institution concerned with exploring the implications of the events of 9/11, documenting the impact of those events and exploring 9/11’s continuing significance.” (9/11 Memorial) Inside the museum view artifacts from this day in history, family members stories of those lost and survivors stories. This museum is a beautiful and breathtaking chance to learn and reflect on the events of 9/11 and events leading to it.
“Standing as a shining beacon for the new Downtown, and a bold addition the skyline, One World Trade Center is safe, sustainable, and artistically dynamic. Soaring to a symbolic 1,776 feet — it is the Western Hemisphere’s tallest building, and already an iconic New York landmark.” (WTC) OWTC opened its doors in October 2014; it has 104 floors, 54 high speed elevators, a 55 foot high lobby ceiling and houses 3 million square feet of rentable space. Since May of 2015, at the top of the WTC one can now see beautiful 360 degree views of NYC it is famous observatory.
Facing the New York Harbor and the Statue of Liberty Battery Park is a 25-acre public park located at the southern tip of Manhattan. The area and park are named for the artillery batteries that were positioned there in the city’s early years to protect the settlement behind them. (wiki) Here you can visit a variety of monuments, meet the ferry for the Statue of Liberty, take beautiful walks along the water and visit few different museums along its path.
“The Statue of Liberty is more than a monument. She is a beloved friend, a living symbol of freedom to millions around the world. These exhibits are a tribute to the people who created her, to those who built and paid for her, to the ideals she represents, and to the hopes she inspires. The Statue of Liberty exhibit, which opened in July 1986 and is located on the second floor in the pedestal of the Statue, traces the history and symbolism of the Statue of Liberty through museum objects, photographs, prints, videos and oral histories. In addition to historical artifacts and descriptive text, full scale replicas of the Statue’s face and foot are also on display. “ (Liberty Ellis Foundation) http://www.libertyellisfoundation.org/about-the-statue-of-liberty
Ellis Island is a historical site that opened in 1892 as an immigration station, a purpose it served for more than 60 years until it closed in 1954. Located at the mouth of Hudson River between New York and New Jersey, Ellis Island saw millions of newly arrived immigrants pass through its doors–in fact, it has been estimated that close to 40 percent of all current U.S. citizens can trace at least one of their ancestors to Ellis Island. http://www.history.com/topics/ellis-island
The High Line or High Line Park is a public park built on a historic freight rail line elevated above the streets on Manhattan’s West Side. It runs from Gansevoort Street in the Meatpacking District to West 34th Street, between 10th and 12th Avenues. This beautiful Manhattan getaway is a great place to relax, grab a bite to eat at Chelsea Market and find some exciting events for the family. (Friends of the High Line)
The island was called Minnehanonck by the Lenape and Varkens Eylandt by New Netherlanders, and during the colonial era and later as Blackwell‘s Island. It was known as Welfare Island when it was used principally for hospitals, from 1921 to 1973. It was renamed Roosevelt Island in 1973 (wiki). While the bridge to Roosevelt Island was under construction the tram was build as an alternative. However it became part of everyday life of commuters and one of the NYC treasures. Making it the only aerial commuter in the entire country.
Coney Island was originally part of the colonial town of Gravesend. By the mid-19th century, it became a seaside resort, and by the late 19th century, amusement parks were also built at the location. The attractions reached a historical peak during the first half of the 20th century, declining in popularity after World War II and following years of neglect. The area was revitalized with the opening of the MCU Park in 2001 and several amusement rides in the 2010s(wiki). It also has New York Aquarium with famous Nathan’s hot dog stance.
American Museum of Natural History
The founding of the museum realized the dream of naturalist Dr. Albert S. Bickmore. Bickmore, a one-time student of Harvard zoologist Louis Agassiz, lobbied tirelessly for years for the establishment of a natural history museum in New York. His proposal, backed by his powerful sponsors, won the support of the Governor of New York, John Thompson Hoffman, who signed a bill officially creating the American Museum of Natural History on April 6, 1869. In 1874, the cornerstone was laid for the museum’s first building, which is now hidden from view by the many buildings in the complex that today occupy most of Manhattan Square. The original Victorian Gothic building, which was opened in 1877, was designed by Calvert Vaux and J. Wrey Mould, both already closely identified with the architecture of Central Park. (wiki)
The New York Botanical Garden is an iconic living museum, a major educational institution, and a renowned plant research and conservation organization. Founded in 1891 and now a National Historic Landmark, it is one of the greatest botanical gardens in the world and the largest in any city in the United States, distinguished by the beauty of its diverse landscape and extensive collections and gardens, as well as by the scope and excellence of its programs. www.nybg.org/about/
Located near the Prospect Heights, Crown Heights, Flatbush, and Park Slope neighborhoods of Brooklyn and founded in 1895, the Beaux-Arts building, designed by McKim, Mead and White, was planned to be the largest art museum in the world. The museum initially struggled to maintain its building and collection, only to be revitalized in the late 20th century, thanks to major renovations. Significant areas of the collection include antiquities, specifically their collection of Egyptian antiquities spanning over 3,000 years. European, African, Oceanic, and Japanese art make for notable antiquities collections as well. American art is heavily represented, starting at the Colonial period. Artists represented in the collection include Mark Rothko, Edward Hopper, Norman Rockwell, Winslow Homer, Edgar Degas, Georgia O’Keeffe, and Max Weber. The museum also has a “Memorial Sculpture Garden” which features salvaged architectural elements from throughout New York City (wiki). It also has Brooklyn Botanic Garden next to it.