Sights in New York City
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Metropolitan Museum of Art
With more than five million visitors per year, the Met is New York’s most popular single-site tourist attraction, with one of the richest coffers in the arts world. The Met is a self-contained cultural city-state, with two million individual objects in its collection and an annual budget of over $120 million. Since completing a multimillion-dollar remodeling project that brought works out of storage, renovated the halls of 19th- and early 20th-century paintings and sculptures, expanded the Ancient Hellenistic and Roman areas and sparklingly remade the American Wing, the place is looking more divine than ever – despite operating in the midst of a financial crisis that has…
reviewed
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Central Park
Like the city’s subway system, the vast and majestic Central Park, an 843-acre rectangle of open space in the middle of Manhattan, is a great class leveler – which is exactly what it was envisioned to be. Created in the 1860s and ’70s by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux on the marshy northern fringe of the city, the immense park was designed as a leisure space for all New Yorkers, regardless of color, class or creed. And it’s an oasis from the insanity: the lush lawns, cool forests, flowering gardens, glassy bodies of water and meandering, wooded paths providing the dose of serene nature that New Yorkers crave. Olmsted and Vaux (who also created Prospect Park in Bro…
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New York Public Library
This main research building of NYC’s public library system was, until recently, called the Humanities & Social Sciences Library; that all changed when billionaire businessman and library trustee Stephen A Schwarzman donated $100 million to the NYPL’s expansion, and the powers-that-be renamed it the Stephen A Schwarzman Building. Bought or not, though, it remains one of several specialist research libraries in the NYPL system, as well as one of the best free attractions in the city – a monument to learning, housed in a grand, Beaux Arts building that reflects its big-money industrialist roots. When it was dedicated in 1911, New York’s flagship library ranked as the largest…
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Statue of Liberty
One of the most recognizable icons in the world, the Statue of Liberty is a symbol of kinship and freedom formed out of 31 tons of copper and standing 93m from ground to torch-tip. A joint effort between America and France to commemorate the centennial of the Declaration of Independence, it was created by commissioned sculptor Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi. The artist spent most of 20 years turning his dream – to create the monument and mount it in the New York Harbor – into reality. Along the way it was hindered by serious financial problems, but was helped in part by the fund-raising efforts of newspaper publisher Joseph Pulitzer, as well as poet Emma Lazarus, who in 1883 …
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Brooklyn Bridge
A New York icon, the Brooklyn Bridge was the world’s first steel suspension bridge. When it opened in 1883, the 1596ft span between its two support towers was the longest in history. Although its construction was fraught with disaster, the bridge became a magnificent example of urban design, inspiring poets, writers and painters. Today, the Brooklyn Bridge continues to dazzle – many regard it as the most beautiful bridge in the world.
The Prussian-born engineer John Roebling, who was knocked off a pier in Fulton Landing in June 1869, designed the bridge, which spans the East River from Manhattan to Brooklyn; he died of tetanus poisoning before construction of the brid…
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Lower East Side Tenement Museum
This museum puts the neighborhood’s heartbreaking but inspiring heritage on full display in three recreations of turn-of-the-20th-century tenements, including the late-19th-century home and garment shop of the Levine family from Poland, and two immigrant dwellings from the Great Depressions of 1873 and 1929. The visitor center shows a video detailing the difficult life endured by the people who once lived in the surrounding buildings, which more often than not had no running water or electricity. Museum visits are available only as part of scheduled tours (the price of which is included in the admission), which typically operate daily. But call ahead or check the website …
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Frick Collection
This spectacular art collection sits in a mansion built by businessman Henry Clay Frick in 1914, one of the many such residences that made up ‘Millionaires’ Row.’ Most of these mansions proved too expensive for succeeding generations and were eventually destroyed, but the wily and very wealthy Frick, a Pittsburgh steel magnate, established a trust to open his private art collection as a museum. It’s a shame that the 2nd floor of the residence is not open for viewing, though the 12 rooms on the ground floor are grand enough and the garden beckons visitors on nice days. The Frick’s Oval Room is graced by Jean-Antoine Houdon’s stunning figure Diana the Huntress. The intimate…
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Bryant Park
Nestled behind the grand New York Public Library building is this lovely square of green – once a patch of squalor, referred to as ‘Needle Park’ throughout the ’80s – where local Midtown workers gather for lunchtime picnics on warm afternoons. Among its offerings are impressive skyscraper views, European-style coffee kiosks, the Brooklyn-constructed, French-inspired Le Carrousel offering rides for $2, and frequent special events, from readings to concerts. This is where the famed Fashion Week tent goes up every winter, and is also the site of the wonderful, outdoor Bryant Park Summer Film Festival, which packs the lawn with post-work crowds lugging cheese-and-wine picnics…
reviewed
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High Line
For years now, the big buzz in Chelsea and Hell’s Kitchen has been all about the coming of the High Line, the first section of which finally and officially opened to the public in the summer of 2009. Now you can stroll, sit and picnic 30ft above the city below on what was, since the 1960s, an abandoned stretch of elevated railroad track. The perks thus far are numerous, and include stunning vistas of the Hudson River, public art installations, fat lounge chairs for soaking up some sun, willowy stretches of native-inspired landscaping (including a mini-forest of trees), a cupcake vendor and a thoroughly unique perspective on the neighborhood streets below – especially at t…
reviewed
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Museum of Modern Art
Founded in 1929, MoMA is one of NYC’s most popular museums, home to more than 100,000 pieces of modern artwork, most by heavy hitters – Matisse, Picasso, Cezanne, Rothko, Pollock and many others. It’s dedicated to showcasing artwork based on the emerging creative ideas of the late 19th century through to those that dominate today. It’s easy to get lost in the vast collection for an entire day; if you want to maximize your time and create a plan of attack ahead of time, download the museum’s floor plan and visitor guide (available in several languages) from the website beforehand. Recent special exhibitions inside the high-ceilinged galleries have included ‘Monet’s Water L…
reviewed
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Ellis Island
An icon of mythical proportions for the descendents of those who passed through here, this island and its hulking building served as New York’s main immigration station from 1892 until 1954, processing the amazing number of 12,000 individuals daily, from countries including Ireland, England, Germany and Austria. The process involved getting the once-over by doctors, being assigned new names if their own were too difficult to spell or pronounce, and basically getting the green light to start their new, hopeful and often frighteningly difficult lives here in the teeming city of New York. In its later years, after WWI and during the paranoia of the ‘Red Scare’ in this countr…
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Grand Central Terminal
Completed in 1913, Grand Central Terminal – more commonly, if technically incorrectly, called Grand Central Station – is another of New York’s stunning Beaux Arts buildings, boasting 75ft-high, glass-encased catwalks and a vaulted ceiling bearing a mural of the constellations streaming across it – backwards (the designer must’ve been dyslexic). The balconies overlooking the main concourse afford an expansive view; perch yourself on one of these at around 5pm on a weekday to get a glimpse of the grace that this terminal commands under pressure. It’s quite amazing how this dramatic space evokes the romance of train travel at the turn of the 20th century while also enduring …
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Lincoln Center
The 16-acre Lincoln Center complex includes a dozen large performance spaces built in the 1960s, which controversially replaced a group of tenements called San Juan Hill, where exterior shots for the movie West Side Story were filmed. The latest controversy has been a massive redesign, by New York ‘starchitects’ Diller Scofidio + Renfro, which began in 2007 as a way to usher in Lincoln Center’s 50th anniversary celebration. That milestone came and went in 2009 and, though much of the work has been finished, construction still dragged on at the time of writing. Still, some of the new additions are worth taking a look at, including Alice Tully Hall and its modern-glass faca…
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Rockefeller Center
Built during the height of the Great Depression in the 1930s, the 22-acre Rockefeller Center, named after developer John D Rockefeller, Jr, was the first project to combine retail, entertainment and office space in what is often referred to as a ‘city within a city.’ Built over nine years by 70,000 workers, this complex features several outdoor plazas and 19 buildings (14 of which are the original art-deco structures), and spans from 48th to 51st Sts and Fifth to Seventh Aves. In 1987 it was declared a National Landmark, recognized for its unique combination of modernist architecture with a concentration of commercial and business enterprises. Most popular highlights incl…
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Top of the Rock
This open-air observation deck at the top of Rockefeller Center first wowed New Yorkers back in 1933. Designed in homage to ocean liners popular in the day, it was an incredible place – 70 stories above Midtown – from which to view the city. But it became off-limits for almost two decades starting in 1986, when renovation of the stunning Rainbow Room restaurant five floors below cut off access to the roof. The observation deck was reopened with much fanfare in 2005, and since then it’s been proving to be an even better bet than the Empire State Building: it’s much less crowded and has wider observation decks that span several levels – some are indoors, some are outside wi…
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Brooklyn Museum of Art
Though it’s the country’s biggest art museum after the Met, with 1.5 million pieces and the largest Egyptian collection in the Americas, it sees far fewer visitors. The five-floor Beaux Arts building – built by McKim, Mead and White to be the world’s biggest museum in 1897 – is big, yet only a fifth of its originally planned size. Highlights are many. For much of the year, visitors linger by the museum’s glass esplanade entry to watch the fountains. Inside, the African Arts display (near the ground-floor cafe) offers several short video loops about fascinating traditional masks and costumes; the huge Egyptian collection on the 2nd floor features 13th-century mummy boards.…
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Philadelphia Museum of Art
Just two short hours outside of NYC sits one of the most historic cities on the eastern seaboard, fairly overflowing with important sites from America’s colonial days and its fight for independence. But for most people, Philly is famous for one thing and one thing only: it was the gritty city that served as a backdrop for fictional underdog boxer Rocky Balboa. Who can resist temptation to shadow-box at the top of the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, just like Rocky did?
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American Museum of Natural History
Founded in 1869, this classic museum for kids of all ages contains halls of fascinating wonderlands holding more than 30 million artifacts; its interactive exhibits, both in the original museum and its newest section, the Rose Center for Earth & Space, are also out of this world. The most famous attractions are its three large dinosaur halls, with various skeletons for ogling, and the enormous (fake) blue whale that hangs from the ceiling of the Hall of Ocean Life. Kids of all ages will find something to be intrigued by, whether it’s the stuffed Alaskan brown bear, the Star of India sapphire in the Hall of Minerals & Gems, the IMAX film on jungle life, or the skullcap of …
reviewed
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Green-Wood Cemetery
Once New York’s most-visited tourist attraction, the gorgeous and historic Green-Wood Cemetery is set on Brooklyn’s highest point, a series of leafy hills interconnected by looping roads and trails. Founded in 1838, it remains one of New York’s premier spots for life eternal. Some 600,000 people are buried here – that’s at least 530 miles, head to toe – including folks like Leonard Bernstein, mobster Joey Gallo and several victims of September 11. The park is a hike south of Park Slope; the easiest access is by subway. Walk up from the subway station to the Fifth Ave entrance, pick up a free map at the entrance, and ask about events like walking tours or visit on Wednes…
reviewed
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Brooklyn Academy of Music
The oldest concert center in the USA, the Brooklyn Academy of Music is known for edgier, more modern dance and music shows than its Manhattan counterparts, particularly during the autumn Next Wave festival. (Folks like Ingmar Bergman and Sufjan Stevens have staged shows here.) The complex contains a 2109-seat opera house, an 874-seat theatre and the four-screen Rose Cinemas, which screen indie and foreign films. At 8pm on weekend nights, the upstairs BAMCafe stages an interesting lineup of free live shows.
reviewed
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South Street Seaport Museum
Opened in 1967, this museum offers a glimpse of the seaport’s history and a survey of the world’s great ocean liners, with permanent exhibits and various other sites dotted around the 11-block area. Included in the museum are three galleries, an antique printing shop, a children’s center, a maritime crafts center and historic ships: just south of Pier 17 stands a group of tall-masted sailing ships – the Peking, Wavertree, Pioneer, Ambrose and HelenMcAllister, among others – and the admission price to the museum includes access to their windswept decks and intimate interiors. For a really special treat, join a sailing tour aboard the gorgeous, iron-hulled Pioneer…
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African Burial Ground
Sitting among the financial movers and shakers and beautiful, old, official buildings is a quiet piece of very important history: the African Burial Ground. During preliminary construction of a downtown office building in 1991, builders were shocked to find more than 400 stacked wooden caskets, discovered only 16 to 28ft below street level. When it became clear that the boxes held the remains of enslaved Africans (nearby Trinity Church graveyard had banned the burial of Africans at the time), construction was halted, an investigation was launched and all hell broke loose. As a result, the site became permanently protected as a National Historic Landmark, and today it’s pa…
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Yankee Stadium
The Boston Red Sox like to talk about their record of two World Series championships in the last 80 years, but the Yankees have won a mere 27 in that period. The team’s magic appears to have moved with them across 161st St to the new Yankee Stadium, where they played their first season in 2009 – winning the World Series there in a six-game slugfest against the Phillies. The Yankees play from April to October.
The new stadium offers hour-long guided tours of the on-site museum, the dugout, press box, clubhouse, field and Monument Park (with plaques commemorating greats like Babe Ruth and Joe DiMaggio). You can purchase tickets in advance through Ticketmaster.
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Pierpont Morgan Library
This library, recently reopened after a beautiful and extensive renovation, is part of the 45-room mansion once owned by steel magnate JP Morgan. His collection features a phenomenal array of manuscripts, tapestries and books (with no fewer than three Gutenberg Bibles), a study filled with Italian Renaissance artwork, a marble rotunda and the three-tiered East Room main library. The rotating exhibits here – like the recent 18th-century French drawings by artists including Antoine Watteau and Claude Gillot, or a collection of Jane Austen’s letters and manuscripts – are really top-notch.
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Brooklyn Botanic Garden
One of Brooklyn’s great attractions, this 52-acre garden – most easily accessed from the entrance next to the Brooklyn Museum – features 10,000 plants. The best area is the Japanese Hill-and-Pond garden, where you can see turtles swimming by a Shinto shrine. Other gardens are linked by trails. Try to time a visit with the beginning of May for the massive Sakura Matsuri (Cherry Blossom Festival), when trees turn pink and the festival hosts Japanese events such as taiko drumming and staged tales of samurai lore.
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