New York City Ballet

Top choice in Upper West Side & Central Park

LoginSave

This prestigious company was first directed by renowned Russian-born choreographer George Balanchine in the 1940s. Today, it's the largest ballet organization in the US, performing 23 weeks a year at Lincoln Center’s David H Koch Theater. Rush tickets for those under age 30 are $30. During the holidays the troupe is best known for its annual production of The Nutcracker (tickets go on sale in September: book early).

There are also select one-hour Family Saturday performances, appropriate for young audiences ($22 per ticket, on sale first week of August).

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

  • A woman takes notes in front of a sculpture at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

    Metropolitan Museum of Art

    1.2 MILES

    What started with a handful of paintings brought over from Europe or donated by a coterie of philanthropically minded robber barons in the 19th century…

  • OCTOBER 2015: Visitors paddle in boats near a bridge at Central Park..

    Central Park

    1.18 MILES

    One of the world’s most renowned green spaces, Central Park comprises 843 acres of rolling meadows, boulder-studded outcroppings, elm-lined walkways,…

  • Ellis Island and the Immigration Museum

    Ellis Island

    5.81 MILES

    Located in New York Harbor, Ellis Island is the US's most famous and historically important gateway and is home to one of the country’s most moving…

  • Beautiful view of Manhattan during a summer sunset

    Empire State Building

    1.63 MILES

    The Chrysler Building may be prettier, and One World Trade Center taller, but the queen bee of the New York skyline remains the Empire State Building. NYC…

  • NEW YORK - MAY 29 : ONE WORLD OBSERVATORY grand opening day on May 29, 2015. It is open year round. Starting May 29th until September 7th from 9 a.m. until midnight

    One World Observatory

    4.35 MILES

    Spanning three levels at the top of the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere, One World Observatory offers dazzling panoramic views over Manhattan's…

  • SolomonR. Guggenheim Museum, detailed view

    Guggenheim Museum

    1.52 MILES

    A New York icon, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, more commonly known as the Guggenheim, is an internationally-renowned art museum and one of the most…

  • Statue of Liberty

    Statue of Liberty

    6.54 MILES

    It’s been over a century since Lady Liberty made her debut appearance on the New York skyline, but this iconic statue is still one of the city’s most…

  • NEW YORK CITY, USA - JUNE 18 2016 - Panoramic view of the interior National 9/11 Memorial Museum. The Last Column Remnants and Slurry Wall. Ground Zero in Lower Manhattan, New York City, USA

    National September 11 Memorial Museum

    4.44 MILES

    When the twin towers of the World Trade Center toppled during the awful events of 11 September 2001, it led to years of soul-searching about what would be…

View more attractions

Nearby Upper West Side & Central Park attractions

1. David Rubenstein Atrium

0.06 MILES

The David Rubenstein Atrium is a modern public space behind the Empire Hotel offering a lounge area (with free wi-fi), a cafe, and a TKTS booth selling…

2. Lincoln Center

0.08 MILES

This stark arrangement of gleaming modernist temples houses some of Manhattan’s most important performance companies: the New York Philharmonic, the New…

3. American Folk Art Museum

0.14 MILES

This small institution offers rotating exhibitions in three small galleries. Past exhibits have included quilts made by 19th-century soldiers and…

4. Museum of Arts & Design

0.33 MILES

MAD offers four floors of superlative design and handicrafts, from blown glass and carved wood to elaborate metal jewelry. Temporary exhibitions are…

5. Hearst Tower

0.38 MILES

This 46-floor tower is one of NYC's most creative works of contemporary architecture, not to mention one of its greenest; around 90% of its structural…

6. Dakota Building

0.52 MILES

A turreted, gabled building described in 1884 as so far uptown it was in 'the Dakotas,' this sand-colored gem quickly became the epitome of cool, housing…

7. Strawberry Fields

0.56 MILES

Standing inside the park across from the famous Dakota Building, where John Lennon was fatally shot in 1980, is this poignant, tear-shaped garden – a…

8. The Mall

0.61 MILES

This Parisian-style promenade – allegedly the only straight line in Central Park – lined with rare North American elms, is flanked by statues of literati…