New York travel guide: Travel tips, reviews, photos, & videos from real travelers.

Attractions

Category: Architectural Building
New York City, New York, United States
17 W 32nd St, New York, NY 10001 US
http://www.esbnyc.com/index2.cfm

The Empire State Building is the crown jewel of the iconic New York City skyline. Located at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and West 34th Street, construction began on the building in January of 1930 and was completed in May of 1931 as part of an unofficial competition between the Chrysler Building and 40 Wall Street to become the world’s tallest building (Empire won). At 102 floors and 1,453 feet, 8 9/16 inches to the top of the lightning rod the Empire State Building is an incredibly popular tourist attraction. Expect to wait at least two hours to reach the observation deck at the top of the building, but also expect your breath to be taken away by the thrilling panoramic view that extends over for distances up to 80 miles, looking into the neighboring states of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Massachusetts, as well as New York. However, if you are afraid of heights you might as well save yourself the twenty bucks and admire the architecture from the street. You might strain your neck looking up though!

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Category: Statue
New York City, New York, United States
Liberty Island, New York US
http://www.statueofliberty.org/

It’s hard to think of a more powerful symbol of the freedom and opportunity than the Statue of Liberty. Located on Liberty Island, a small uninhabited patch of land in Upper New York Bay, the famous statue was often the first glimpse of America for European immigrants. The copper-clad statue, dedicated on October 28, 1886, was a gesture of friendship from France to the United States in order to commemorate the centennial of the signing of the United States Declaration of Independence. Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi sculpted the statue while Alexandre Eiffel (designer of the Eiffel Tower) engineered the internal structure. At 111 feet and 6 inches the statue has a 35 foot waist line and a crown with seven rays (representing the 7 continents). Fun Fact: The statue also used to be a copper-red color, but due to the exposure to water and carbon dioxide the structure began to oxidize and slowly turn into the famous green color it is today!

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Category: Town Center / Square / Plaza
New York City, New York, United States
7th and Broadway, New York, NY 10036, US
http://www.timessquarenyc.org/

According to Google Earth, Times Square marks the very center of New York City, and after a visit, one might even assume it marks the center of the modern world. Flanked on all sides by bright lights that would make Las Vegas jealous, monstrous Jumbo-trons that would make Bono jealous and enough art, culture and commerce to make any major city jealous, Times Square is quintessentially New York and quintessentially American. With every major form of entertainment and distraction within eye sight, Times Square used to be a seedy and dangerous place, but thanks to the clean up efforts of Mayors Ed Koch and Rudy Giuliani the square has since become much cleaner and safer. Featuring everything from massive chain restaurants, Broadway theaters and even silver and gold painted street performers, Times Square is sensory overload to the nth degree. Put it simply, if you find yourself bored in Times Square, there must be something wrong with you.

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Category: Shopping
New York City, New York, United States
601 5th Ave, New York, NY 10017 US
http://www.rockefellercenter.com/home.html

Rockefeller Center was named after and financed entirely by John D. Rockefeller in the largest private building project of modern times. Located on 22 acres in Midtown Manhattan, Rockefeller Center is home to some of the most famous buildings and tourist locations in America including the GE Building (home of NBC studios) and Radio City Music Hall. Featured in countless films and TV shows (including the current NBC hit 30 Rock and The Today Show) this famous patch of land also contains some priceless works of art by revered artists such as Paul Manship’s bronze Prometheus and Lee Lawrie’s statue of Atlas facing 5th Avenue. And of course, come Christmas time the iconic Rockefeller Christmas tree lights up the famous Ice Rink at Rockefeller for some of the best (and worst) ice skating this side of the Hudson. Think of Rockefeller Center as a slightly less stressful and more upscale alternative to Times Square.

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Category: Urban Park
New York City, New York, United States
Central Park, New York City, NY US
http://www.centralparknyc.org

In the midst of the hustle and bustle of the concrete jungle of New York City lies a curious spectacle: 843 acres of rolling hills, green grass, and majestic trees. This is Central Park, the most visited park in America with over 25 million people gracing its borders to play with their dogs, enjoy time with friends, or simply to relax in an environment rarely found in the media saturated and densely populated streets of Manhattan. The history of the park began in 1857 when an independent board of commissioners sponsored a public competition to design the new Central Park. Out of 33 entries, the commissioners chose the Greensward plan by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux which took about twenty years to complete. The park has experienced much change and renovation since, but much of the original design and intent of the Greensward plan remains. The park is free to the public and is open from 6 A.M to 1 A.M 365 days a year.

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