1. Statue of Liberty
The Statue of Liberty was France's gift to America. It was built in 1886 and remains a famous world symbol of freedom and one of the greatest American icons. It is the world's largest statue and stands just less than 152 feet tall from the base to the torch, and weighs approximately 450,000 pounds. The statue offers a fine view of the New York Harbor and lower Manhattan. It is located on Liberty Island and a short boat ride is required to get to the statue. To see the statue from shore, Battery Park sits on the southern tip of Manhattan and affords great views of New York Harbor and the Statue of Liberty. From here visitors can catch the ferry to the statue and Ellis Island.
2. Empire State Building
The Empire State Building is New York's most famous landmark. The 381 m tall,102-storey building was the tallest in the world until the 1 World Trade Center tower rose higher 41 years later. Topped with a mooring mast for airships, the Empire State Building immediately became a landmark and a symbol for NYC when it opened in 1931. There are actually two observatories atop the Empire State Building. The 86th Floor Observatory (1,050 feet) is reached by high speed, automatic elevators, and has both a glass-enclosed area, which is heated in winter and cooled in summer, and spacious outdoor promenades on all four sides of the Building. The 102nd Floor Observatory stands 1,250 feet above the bustling streets below. On clear days visitors can see for distances up to 80 miles, looking into the neighboring states of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Massachusetts, as well as New York.
3. Central Park
Central Park is the playground of New Yorker's. This huge park in the city center is one of the things that makes New York such a beautiful city and not simply a concrete jungle. The park has many attractions within its borders and has been featured in countless TV shows and movies. Some of the places of note within this green space that visitors will probably be familiar with are Strawberry Fields, the Central Park Zoo, and the Lake, which is used for skating in winter, and paddling in summer.
4. Broadway and Shubert Alley
Taking in a Broadway show is one of the highlights of a visit to New York City. Considered the pinnacle of American theater, it has long been world renowned for its performances. This is the place to come to see the latest shows and the long running classics. Broadway usually refers simply to Broadway theater which encompasses a large number of theater venues in the theatre district and along the street of Broadway. For the most popular shows tickets should be purchased well in advance.
5. Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, or "The Met" as it is commonly known, was founded in 1870.The permanent collection at the Met contains over 2 million works of art. Highlights of the collection include American decorative arts, arms and armor, costumes, Egyptian art, musical instruments, and photographs, along with much more. The Cloisters in northern Manhattan is a branch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art which focuses on the art and architecture of medieval Europe.
6. Rockefeller Center
Rockefeller Center is a vast entertainment and shopping complex in the middle of Manhattan, and home to NBC-TV and radio and other media. There is an outdoor skating rink which is incredibly popular in winter. At Christmas a huge tree stands out front. Inside are shops, restaurants, and an observation deck. In front of the International Building is a famous sculpture of Atlas. The centerpiece is the 70-storey RCA Building, a slender, towering structure that offers views of midtown Manhattan.
7. Fifth Avenue
Fifth Avenue has long had a reputation as New York's premier shopping area. Many top end designers have their flagship stores located along this famous avenue. Cartier, Tiffany, Bergdorf-Goodman, the famous Apple Store Fifth Avenue, and of course Saks Fifth Avenue, as well as many others line the posh avenue. Even none shoppers can enjoy a walk along Fifth Avenue.
7. Brooklyn Bridge
The Brooklyn Bridge, completed in 1883, was the world's first bridge to be constructed of steel. It spans the East River from Manhattan. The bridge is an American landmark that has inspired generations of poets, songwriters and painters. Engineer John Roebling conceived of the bridge in 1855 and worked out every detail from its two granite towers to its four suspended steel cables. In June 1869 while determining the Brooklyn tower site, a ferry crushed Roebling's foot. Three weeks later, before ground had been broken, Roebling died of tetanus. Roebling's son, Washington, picked up the reins and executed his Father's grand plans. In 1872, however, Washington developed caisson's disease which robbed him of his seeing, walking and writing facilities. The bridge features two powerful stone towers which are connected at the top with Gothic-shaped arches. They carry four cables that cross the East River.
8. Times Square
Formerly Longacre Square, Times Square was named in 1904 after the New York Times tower. The newspaper first posted current headlines along its famous moving sign, the world's first, in 1928. Long the heart of the Theater District, Times Square fell into decay during the Depression when many theaters shut down. The city cleaned up the area by inviting corporations such as Disney to move into the area. Today, Times Square has become a much safer place, day and night, with shopping, theaters and restaurants galore, not to mention its mammoth billboards.
9. Chrysler Building
The Chrysler Building is one of New York's most recognizable landmarks. Though never occupied by the Chrysler car company, the Art Deco building remains firmly associated with the auto giant. Its spire resembles a car radiator grill with a series of triangular windows. The gargoyles adorning the exterior are modeled after hood ornaments. Built in 1929, the Chrysler Building was briefly the world's tallest building and remains the epitome of Art Deco architecture.
10. New York Public Library
The New York Public Library's main branch was designed by architects, Carrere & Hastings, in the Beaux Arts style. The library, with its impressive rooms, is a prominent city attraction that has been featured in many movies and TV shows over the years. Visitors may even feel a sense of familiarity upon entering. Although colloquially known as the main branch, the proper name is actually the Stephen A Schwartzman building. It opened in 1911 to immediate acclaim. An enormous library, the Main Reading Room alone stretches two city blocks and the Periodicals Room holds 10,000 current magazines. The collection at this location is vast to say the least.
11. Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum is home to one of the world's finest collections of modern art. The unique building, likened to a giant white shell, was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1943. Visitors take the elevator to the top floor and walk down the spiral ramp while viewing paintings. The works of Picasso, Chagall, Modigliani, Kandinsky, Leger, Manet and many others are displayed.Wright's single spiral ramp is ingenious and functional, while the outer "shell" design was aimed to make the building appear like a piece of sculpture.
12. Wall Street
Stretching for 8 city blocks from Broadway to South Street is the world famous Wall Street. This street and the surrounding area are home to some of the most important exchanges in the world including the New York Stock Exchange, the NASDAQ, and the New York Mercantile Exchange. Also located nearby are the impressive Trinity Church and the Federal Reserve. Wall Street is a popular tourist attraction and it is common to see a large number of tourists walking around craning their necks looking up at the impressive skyscrapers.
13. St. Patrick's Cathedral
St. Patrick's Cathedral is one of New York's finest examples of Gothic Revival, with its massive bronze doors (weighing 20,000 lb each), white marble facade, 330 ft spires, the Great Organ, rose window, bronze baldachin, 2,400 seating capacity, and the statue of Pieta at the side of the Lady Chapel. With more than 5.5 million visitors annually, the cathedral is a major destination for believers and tourists alike. The building was erected in 1879 and has been carefully restored and maintained throughout its existence.
14. South Street Seaport
The South Street Seaport was New York's port during the 19th century. Today, after restoration and development, the seaport is brimming with stores, restaurants, historic buildings and museums, the Fulton Fish Market, and views of the Brooklyn Bridge and the East River.
15. Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall opened in 1891 as New York's first great concert hall. Musicians from Tchaikovsky, who conducted on opening night, to Leonard Bernstein and The Beatles have filled the hall. It is said to have some of the best acoustics in the world. .For over a century, Carnegie Hall has been the place where distinctive artists of all stripes have come to make their names in New York City. This tradition of excellence has made Carnegie Hall an essential part of the city’s cultural fabric and the worlds most famous concert hall.
16. Radio City Music Hall
Lying in the shadow of Rockefeller Center is Radio City Music Hall. This 1932 Art Deco theater offers musical extravaganzas and films, as well as guided tours. The building was built and financed by the Rockefellers during the 1930s. Radio City Music Hall is among the largest indoor theaters in the world and its prominent marquee stretches for an entire city block. More than 300 million patrons have passed through its doors over the years and today it remains a popular entertainment venue hosting major events like the Grammy Awards and the Tony Awards.
17. Grand Central Station
The building opened in 1913 as a Beaux Arts terminal for the subway and train stations. Outside, the 42nd Street colonnaded faces and the statuary on top are highlights. Inside, the Grand Staircase (of marble steps) and the Grand Central Oyster Bar are lovely touches. The unique ceiling shows a celestial scene and has been restored to its full glory. In addition to its main purpose, Grand Central Terminal has an extensive selection of retail shops and restaurants to service the many thousands of people passing through on a daily basis.
18. Chinatown
New York's Chinatown has become a center for Chinese restaurants, antique and craft shops, temples, and festivals. This densely packed area is always a lively and colorful spot in the city, and a prominent tourist attraction. The streets are generally crowded with people and, where space allows, outdoor stalls with fruits and other goods. The biggest festival is Chinese New Year which takes place sometime in February each year.
19. Bryant Park
Bryant Park was a seedy area known for crime, and a hangout for undesirables, until 1989 when the city reclaimed it and turned it into an oasis for workers and visitors. The grounds feature monuments and gardens, and "Le Carrousel", a popular carousel. A games area makes available chess boards, checkers, and backgammon boards for a small fee. If you don't want to play it is still interesting to watch others playing on a summer's day.
20. Coney Island
Coney Island is a peninsular residential neighborhood, beach, and leisure/entertainment destination on the Atlantic Ocean in the southwestern part of the borough of Brooklyn, New York City. New Yorkers have been escaping to Coney Island to enjoy the amusement rides and beach.
21. New York Helicopter Flight: Grand Island
See the entire City of New York on a comprehensive 25-minute helicopter tour of the Big Apple! As well as the most popular sights, such as the Statue of Liberty, Ground Zero and New York Harbor, you will fly over Central Park, landmarks like the George Washington Bridge and New Yankee Stadium, and enjoy spectacular views over New York's five boroughs on this Grand Island helicopter tour.
22. New York City Hop On Hop Off Bus Tour
A hop-on-hop-off bus tour is the ideal way to explore every corner of the Big Apple and, with lively tour guides to keep you entertained and informed, you are sure to learn facts old and new about the city that never sleeps.
23. Manhattan Island Cruise
Sit back and unwind on a relaxing two and a half hour cruise around Manhattan Island. You'll see all the sights on the only New York cruise to circumnavigate Manhattan in its entirety.
24. Prospect Park
After Olmsted and Vaux unveiled Central Park in 1859, they turned their attention south to create this bucolic Brooklyn destination. There’s plenty of room in the Long Meadow and Nethermead to bliss out on a patch of grass, while the Ravine, a towering indigenous forest, offers a woodland respite unparalleled in the borough.
25. American Museum of Natural History
No matter which wing you wander through or where your curiosities lie (dinosaurs, gems or something else entirely)its hard to explore this Upper West Side fixture without being awestruck. Youll immediately spot the rotundas hulking Barosaurus skeleton replica, but delving further into the museums collection, youll find actual specimens, such as Deinonychus, in the fourth-floor fossil halls. When you tire of dinos, head to the human origins and culture halls to learn more about our evolutionary history.
26. Yankee Stadium
The current field opened in 2009 to much fanfare and stands opposite the now flattened original. It may not be the House That Ruth Built, but many elements of the new arena the limestone exterior, the gatelike frieze around the top mimic the old, plus cup holders at every seat and a high-def scoreboard are noticeable improvements.
27. Bronx Zoo Wildlife Conservation Society
Tweeting cobras and peahens aside, this wildlife park garners fans far and wide for a number of reasons approximately 5,000 animals call it home. Strolling through the 265 acres, visitors spot such exotic and endangered creatures as the Coquerels sifaka (a type of lemur), the fossa (a predatory, tree-climbing mammal) and snow leopards. More common favorites, including gorillas and polar bears, also reside at the nature park. Keep an eye out for the daily penguin and sea lion feedings, plus other rotating activities.
28. New York Botanical Garden
Every city park offers its own brand of verdant escapism, but this lush expanse goes beyond landscaped flora. In addition to housing swaths of vegetation—including the 50-acre forest, featuring some of the oldest trees in the city the garden cultivates a rotating roster of shows that nod to the worlds most cherished green spaces.
29. Flushing Meadows Corona Park
Give the citys fourth-biggest park a day and itll show you the world: Its most enduring icon is the Unisphere, the mammoth steel globe created for the 1964 Worlds Fair. But theres also first-rate culture and sports at the New York Hall of Science, Arthur Ashe Stadium and Citi Field (depending on how the Mets are doing). The rolling green fields also encompass a zoo, a boating lake, a skate park, a barbecue area, playfields, and a $66 million aquatic and hockey center. In 2011, wetland plants such as swamp azalea and swamp milkweed were added to better handle the parks water runoff, improving the catch and release fishing in Meadow Lake.
30. United Nations Headquarters
United Nations Headquarters
Technically, the U.N. complex is international territory. The striking, 39-story Secretariat Building (designed by Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer) is the complexs most eye-catching structure, but its not open to the public. Visitors can instead tour the midcentury assembly room whenever dignitaries arent using it, or enjoy free art in the lobby.
