A city as iconic as New York comes with its share of landmarks, but no Google Image search or postcard can hold a candle to seeing places like the Empire State Building or Grand Central Terminal in person—especially when you take tours and make your own postcards!
This world-famous museum is comprised of several different Halls, each dedicated to a particular theme. The museum's exhibition-halls house a stunning array of artifacts and specimens from all corners of the world and all historical periods. These illuminate the natural history o...
Central Park West at 79th StreetThe Guggenheim holds a unique place in the history of New York City's museums. Established some sixty years ago by philanthropist Solomon R. Guggenheim and artist-advisor Hilla Rebay, it first assumed temporary residence in a former automobile showroom on East 54th Street in New ...
1071 Fifth Avenue (at 89th Street)The Metropolitan Museum is extraordinary in scope and size, and a visitor to this world-famous museum should plan on staying the entire day. In formation since 1870, the Metropolitan Museum's collection now contains more than three million works of art from all points of the comp...
1000 Fifth Avenue (82nd Street)New York's "flagship" park of 843 acres, 26,000 trees, and almost 9,000 benches has had a rather checkered history. Planning began around 1868, when city commissioners chose the "Greensward Plan" developed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux. In the ensu...
59th to 110th StreetsFrom the hustle of the Port Authority Bus Terminal to the bustle of Seventh Avenue and 42nd Street, much of New York’s dazzling vibrancy and energy emanates from this area stretching from Times Square to Central Park South. Packed with theaters, tourist attractions and tall offic...
42nd Street at BroadwayEvery visitor to New York has heard about Central Park, but Brooklyn's massive Prospect Park rightfully deserves its fame. Featuring fantastic events, green spaces, and the famous Grand Army Plaza arch at the main entrance to the Park, built in 1892, the "Jewel of Brooklyn&q...
Grand Army Plaza to Parkside AveOn September 11, 2011, the long-awaited memorial to the 2,982 victims of the 9/11 attacks was dedicated and, on the following day, opened to the public, officially unveiling the two nearly one-acre-sized footprints set one story deep into the plaza in the exact places where both ...
One Liberty Plaza, 20th FloorNew York's extraordinary railroad station, designed in Beaux-Arts style by Reed & Stem and Warren & Wetmore, was constructed from 1903 to 1913, improving on the earlier Grand Central Depot (a massive glass-and-iron train shed, opened 1871). It is perhaps best approached f...
100 East 42nd Street (Park Avenue South)The High Line is a 1.45-mile-long (22 blocks) abandoned elevated railway, that stretches from the Hudson Rail Yard at 34th Street down through the West Chelsea gallery neighborhood where it continues on to Gansevoort Street in the Meatpacking district. It has recently been develo...
West 30th Street to Gansevoort Street (bet 10th and 11th Avenues)New York’s waterways are once again thriving, and aside from the profusion of new ferry services, this old reliable standby still plies the water between Staten Island and Manhattan around the clock every day of the year. Best of all, it has been free of charge since 1997. Take a...
Whitehall Terminal, Lower Manhattan (State Street)The legendary building soaring more than 100 stories over Manhattan's skyline made famous by the movie King Kong, the Empire State Building was for 40 years the world's tallest building. Its gorgeous Art Deco details and beautiful marble lobby make it the perfect stop for visitor...
350 Fifth Avenue (34th Street)The world's first steel suspension bridge, built some 120 years ago, remains a fascinating must-do attraction for city residents and tourists alike. Few walks offer a more dramatic view of the skyline, of boats gliding across the East River, the Statue of Liberty in the distant h...
Manhattan Side: City Hall<br>Brooklyn Side: The AnchorageFew brief ferry trips can be more exciting; departing from Battery Park at the southern tip of Manhattan, both the spectacular New York skyline and the magnificent Statue of Liberty loom large in the distance. A potent symbol of freedom and democracy, the Statue was a gift from t...
Liberty IslandTwo and a half miles on the Atlantic Ocean. Crowded but the easiest beach to get to from most parts of New York City. Almost a century before the boardwalk opened along the Atlantic Ocean, Coney Island was on its way to becoming the nation’s most popular pleasure ground. In 1824 ...
West 16 Street at Ancestors CircleFrom the City of New York/Parks & Recreation Historical Signs Program: Washington Square Park is named for George Washington (1732-1799), who served as Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War and presided over the Constitutional Convention in P...
W. 4th St. (Between University Pl. and MacDougal St.)After several failed retail ventures, Rowland Hussey Macy's determination and ingenuity paid off at the age of thirty-six with the launch of R.H. Macy and Co. He adopted a red star as his symbol of success, dating back to his days as a sailor. First day sales totaled $11.06 but b...
151 W. 34th St.After its completion in 1929, William van Alen’s 77-story Chrysler Building was the world’s tallest building at 925 feet for just a brief period. A proposed redesign of the Bank of Manhattan tower threatened the Chrysler Building by a mere two feet, so Walter P. Chrysler hastily ...
405 Lexington Avenue (bet. 42nd and 43rd streets)