New York City, New York - Attractions

On Your Own

Like most of the great world cities, New York has an abundance of great attractions.

A number of multi-attraction schemes give reduced prices and line-skipping privileges.

• Explorer Pass[1]. Allows you to choose 7, 5 or 3 top attractions to visit. Cardholders have 30 days to use the card after visiting the first attraction. Attractions to choose from include Top of the Rock Observation, Rockefeller Center Tour, Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, Museum of Modern Art, Metropolitan Museum of Art, NBC Studio Tour, movie tours, cruises, and more. Also included with the card are shopping, dining, and additional attraction discounts
• CityPass[2]. Gets you into 5 top New York attractions within 9 days of first use for a much reduced rate. The attractions are American Museum of Natural History, Guggenheim Museum, Museum of Modern Art, Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises and Empire State Building Observatory. $53 adult, $41 youth aged 6–17 (reduced from combined regular admission of $105.50 and $82.50 respectively). Intrepid Sea Air Space Museum has been closed for renovation till May 2008.
• Historic House Trust of New York[3] is a non-profit organization founded in 1989 to preserve and promote the historic houses located in New York City parks.

Landmarks

• Statue of Liberty.[4] The ferry ($12) leaves every 25 minutes from Battery Park and stops at Liberty Island and Ellis Island[5][6]. You must (in advance) reserve a time slot to enter the museum at the base of the statue, and then undergo cumbersome security procedures to actually enter the museum in the statue's pedestal (visitors are no longer allowed in the crown, much less the torch). The Immigration Museum at Ellis Island is worth a visit, and it is free. Both Liberty Island and Ellis Island are open every day of the year except December 25 from 9:30 a.m. until 5:00 p.m (with extended hours in the summer).

• Brooklyn Bridge[7]. You may walk across this historic bridge in either direction (takes about 30 minutes each way), or bike across it, for no toll. The view is quite nice going into Manhattan. On the Brooklyn side, you can get pizza, or dine by the waterfront in the DUMBO (Down Under [the] Manhattan Bridge Overpass) area, which is gentrifying with lofts and cool dining places. You can also take the F train to York St, hang out in the DUMBO area and then walk across the bridge back into Manhattan.

• New York (city)/Central Park|Central Park with its lawns, trees and lakes is popular for recreation and concerts and is home to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Central Park Zoo.

• Times Square, centered on 42nd Street and Broadway—a place filled with video screens and LED signs. A world wonder or a tourist nightmare depending on your perspective, the "New" Times Square is a family-friendly theme park of themed restaurants, theaters and hotels, as well as a developing business district. Those looking for the seedy Times Square of old will find it around the Port Authority Bus Terminal, and around Broadway several blocks to the south.

• Lincoln Center, Broadway at 64th Street.[8]The world's largest cultural complex. See theater, symphonies, ballet, opera, movies, art exhibits or just wander the architecturally beautiful buildings. Subway: 1 to 66th St. or walkable from A, B, C and D trains at 59th St. or the 2 and 3 trains to 72nd St. The buildings are modern, and even have modern chandeliers. There are two opera companies, and the famous Julliard School of Music is also here. Within a few blocks are a large Barnes and Noble Bookstore, three "art-house" movie theatres and an AMC movie theater which includes New York's only commerical IMAX screen.

• Rockefeller Plaza, 630 5th Avenue. The Christmas Tree, the Skating Rink, the shops and hubbub—you can't miss it. The Christmas Tree and the Skating Rink are not year round. You may take skating lessons. There are several dining establishments overlooking this area. The art deco buildings of Rockefeller Center are quite cool. Saks Fifth Avenue is across the street, and there are many other stores throughout the complex. Subway: B, D, F, V to 47–50th Streets-Rockefeller Center.

• Top of the Rock, Rockefeller Plaza.[9]As the name suggests, the Top of the Rock is the observation level of the Rockefeller Center. Amazing views of New York City, without the crowds accustomed to the Empire State Building.

• The United Nations, 1st Avenue at 46th Street.[10]Offers a park overlooking the East River and tours of the general assembly and secretariat.

• Empire State Building, Fifth Avenue at 34th Street.[11]

• World Trade Center Site, Trinity Place and Fulton Street. The site of the September 11th terrorist attacks has become popular with visitors (and it was popular with visitors even before the attacks, as a couple of landmark buildings stood there). Various plaques are on display documenting the history of the WTC.

• New York Stock Exchange 20 Broad Street (at Wall Street). The most important stock exchange in the world, the NYSE is the most watched indicator of economic performance in the global economy. The activity on the trading floor is astonishing. Visitors should beware, however, that security is tight, and sudden closures are a possibility. Visitor admittance to the interior has been suspended indefinitely. Subway: 4, 5 to Wall Street; J, M, Z to Broad Street (weekdays only)

• New York Public Library, Corner of Fifth Avenue between 40th and 42nd Streets. After the Library of Congress, this is the largest non-academic library in the United States. It is housed in a beautiful building by Carrer and Hastings, which is seen as the greatest example of Beaux Arts architecture. The main reading room is magnificent, and the library contains numerous important rare items, like Jefferson's handwritten copy of the Declaration of Independence.

• Grand Central Terminal, 42nd Street and Park Avenue. One of the busiest train stations in the world, Grand Central is also a must for architecture lovers. Its vaulted ceiling, covered with a medieval zodiac design, is staggering.

Museums and Galleries

New York has some of the finest museums in the world. All the public museums (notably including the Metropolitan Museum), which are run by the city, accept donations for an entrance fee, but private museums (especially the Museum of Modern Art) can be very expensive. In addition to the major museums, hundreds of small galleries are spread throughout the city. Many galleries and museums in New York close on Mondays, so be sure to check hours before visiting. The following is just a list of highlights; see district pages for more listings.

Arts and Culture

• Brooklyn Museum of Art, on Eastern Parkway (Eastern Parkway stop on the 2 or 3 train) is a large museum which contains excellent collections of Egyptian art, Assyrian reliefs, 19th-century American art, and art from Africa and Oceania, among other things. Right past the museum are the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens (separate admission charge), so you can easily visit both in one pleasant afternoon.

• The Cloisters[12]. Located on four acres overlooking the Hudson River in northern Manhattan's Fort Tryon Park, the building incorporates elements from five medieval French cloisters—quadrangles enclosed by a roofed or vaulted passageway, or arcade—and from other monastic sites in southern France. Its gardens are a great way to spend a nice afternoon. Pay for the Cloisters or the Metropolitan Museum and see both for the price of one (although note that payment at both places is by donation, in any case).

• Guggenheim [13]. The architecture is much more interesting than the collection it hosts, although the spiraling galleries are not ideal for exhibiting art works. It was designed by the famous American architect Frank Lloyd Wright and was built in 1959.

• International Center of Photography 1133 Sixth Avenue (at 43rd Street). Devoted solely to photography, this museum a block from Times Square always has interesting exhibits running.

• Museum of Sex[14] 233 Fifth Avenue (at 27th Street). A museum which relates to the evolution of sex. It features images, films, and sex devices being used. They also sell some adult collections.

• Museum of Modern Art(MoMA), 11 West 53 St (between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. Subway: E or V to Fifth Ave/53 St; B, D, or F to 47–50 Streets/Rockefeller Center), (212) 708-9400, [15]. Sa–M, W–Th 10:30am–5:30pm, F 10:30am–8pm, closed every Tu and Thanksgiving Day and 25 Dec. In Nov 2004 the museum reopened after expansion and renovation. $20 adult, $12 student, free for under 17s; free for all Fr 4–8pm. Quite lengthy queue to get one's baggage checked. Moreover, all expensive items must be carried on person (laptops, phones, cameras) as the staff refuse to check such items. This is the most comprehensive collection of modern art in the world, and, like the American Museum of Natural History and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, is so large as to require multiple visits to see all of the works on display. If you are in a hurry and want to see only the crowd-pleasers, head to the fifth floor, where you'll find works like Van Gogh's Starry Night and Picasso's Les Demoiselles d’Avignon. Also make sure to take time to visit the museum's extensive (and sometimes whimsical) industrial design collection.

• Metropolitan Museum of Art[16]. Founded in 1870, the Metropolitan Museum is located in New York City's Central Park along Fifth Avenue. The Museum's two-million-square-foot building has vast holdings that represent a series of collections, each of which ranks in its category among the finest in the world. The American Wing, for example, houses the world's most comprehensive collection of American paintings, sculpture, and decorative arts, presently including 24 period rooms that offer an unparalleled view of American history and domestic life. The Museum's approximately 2,500 European paintings form one of the greatest such collections in the world's Rembrandts and Vermeers alone are among the choicest, not to mention the collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist canvases. Virtually all of the 36,000 objects constituting the greatest collection of Egyptian art outside Cairo are on display, while the Islamic art collection is one of the world's finest. Other major collections belonging to the Museum include arms and armor, Asian art, costumes, European sculpture and decorative arts, medieval and Renaissance art, musical instruments, drawings, prints, antiquities from around the ancient world, photography, and modern art.

• Madame Tussauds[17]. New York City's branch of the famous London wax museum. Features detailed life-like wax models of celebrities and other famous public figures.

• PS1 Contemporary Art Center 22–25 Jackson Avenue (Queens), (718) 784-2084[18]. Open noon–6pm Thursday through Monday. An affiliate of The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA).

• Whitney Museum of American Art Contemporary American art, permanent collection and rotating exhibitions. The Whitney is associated with Fisher-Landau Center in Queens, and the Whitney Museum at Altria, a smaller exhibition space in midtown.

Science and Technology

• American Museum of Natural History in the New York (city)/Upper West Side|Upper West Side of New York (city)/Manhattan|Manhattan[19]. Visits to the museum are by donation, You do not have to pay the recommended fee so you can only give them 2 dollars. Hayden Planetarium, immediately to its north on 81st St, charges a separate admission fee.

• Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, Pier 86, 12th Ave & 46th St, (212) 245-0072 [20]. Apr–Sep M–F 10am–5pm, Sa–Su 10am–6pm; Oct–Mar Tu–Su 10am–5pm. $16.50 adult. The museum will close beginning Oct 1, 2006 until mid 2008 for renovations.

• Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology (Museum at FIT), 7th Avenue at 27th St, (212) 217-5970 [21]. Open Tu–F noon–8pm; Sa 10am–5pm. Free.

Parks

Though the image many people have of Manhattan is endless skyscrapers and packed sidewalks, the city also boasts numerous lovely parks, ranging from small squares to the 850-acre Central Park, and there are worthwhile parks in every borough. From the views of the New Jersey Palisades from Fort Tryon Park in Upper Manhattan, to the grand Pelham Bay Park in The Bronx, and the famous Flushing Meadow Park in Corona, Queens, site of the U.S. Open Tennis Tournament, there is more than enough to keep any visitor busy. And most any park is a great spot to rest, read, or just relax and watch the people streaming past. To find out more about New York City parks, look at the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation website.

Suggested Itineraries

Tours

• <do name = "Citysightsny" address = "234 w.42nd st., Times Square" directions = "Lobby of Madame Tussauds" phone = "1-212-812-2700" email = "info@citysightsny.com" url= "http://www.citysightsny.com" hours ="" price="">They operate a fleet of deluxe motorcoaches and new double-decker buses with seating on the top deck only.</do>

• <do name = "Gray Line" address = "777 Eighth Avenue" directions = "Between 47th and 48th Streets" phone = "1-800-669-0051" email= "GRAYLINENEWYORK@COACHUSA.COM" fax = "+1-(212)-445-0850" url = "http://www.grayline.com/franchise.cfm/action/details/id/22" hours = "" price="">offers open-top, double-decker bus tours. The traffic congestion makes this tour a bit slow at times. But you may want to take the tour to get the lay of the land and discover what you want to visit later. </do>

• <do name = "Big Apple Greeter" address = "1 Centre Street" directions = "" phone = "+1-(212)-669-8159" email= "visitrequest@bigapplegreeter.org" fax = "+1-(212)-669-3685" url = "http://www.bigapplegreeter.org/" hours = "" price="">A non-profit organization that matches visitors with friendly and enthusiastic New Yorkers who are happy to share the city they love. Services are offered Free of Charge. </do>

• <do name = "HI Hostel" address = "891 Amsterdam Avenue" directions = "" phone = "+1-(212)-932-2300" email= "reservation@hinewyork.org" fax = "+1-(212)-932-2574" url = "http://www.hinewyork.org/" hours = "" price="">Offers some unique tours to people staying there (see Hostels section), such as an interesting Harlem Gospel walking tour—a Sunday morning tour of south Harlem ending with a church experience in a Harlem church. Cost is $7 and the guide is quite knowledgeable. Try 'Jerry's Grand Tour', a full 16 hour tour of New York. They also often have discount coupons for various activities such as Broadway shows—check at the front desk. </do>

• <do name = "Big Onion Walking Tours" address = "476 13th Street" directions = "" phone = "+1-(212)-439-1090" email= "info@bigonion.com" fax = "+1-(718)-499-0023" url = "http://www.bigonion.com/" hours = "" price="">An inexpensive and engaging way to gain historical perspectives on several neighborhoods.</do>

• <do name = "New York Fun Tours" address = "Greenwich Village" directions = "" phone = "1-800-979-3370" email="info@newyorkfuntours.com" fax = "" url = "http://www.newyorkfuntours.com/convertible" hours = "" price="$125">Private exclusive chauffeured New York City Tour in a Classic Chevrolet Convertible.</do>

• <do name = "The Brooklyn Tour" address = "Greenwich Village" directions = "" phone = "1-800-979-3370" email="info@thebrooklyntour.com" fax = "" url = "http://www.thebrooklyntour.com/" hours = "" price="$95">Includes round trip transportation from Manhattan and a comprehensive 3 hour tour of Brooklyn's unique history, food and culture. </do>

• <do name = "Foods of New York Tours, Inc." address = "Greenwich Village" directions = "" phone = "1-800-979-3370" email="todd@foodsofny.com" fax = "" url = "http://www.foodsofny.com/" hours = "" price="$40">Explore the winding tree-lined streets of the historic West Village. Seek out classic "mom and pop" specialty food shops, Italian eateries, and charming neighborhood restaurants. </do>

• <do name = "East Village Tours" address = "East Village" directions = "" phone = "646-810-2576" email="tour@evcm.org" fax = "" url="http://www.east-village.com/tour" hours = "Tuesday thru Sunday at 11:00 AM" price="$5-$12">Tour one of the most infamous and historical neighborhoods in the world with an experienced and knowledgeable guide from East-Village.com. Native Americans, Dutch settlers, the Stuyvesant farm, the "melting pot", immigration, tenements, architecture, street gangs, social clubs, Yiddish Theater, cultural expansion, industrialization, labor movements, protests, riots, jazz, poetry, the beat generation, folk music, experimental theater, yippies, punk rock, urban art, pop-culture, squatting, Loisaida, community gardens, and much more.</do>