Load up on freshly baked bread, cheeses, sushi, rotisserie chicken or items off the sprawling, self-serve hot-buffet and cold-salad counters, then stroll across the road for a memorable picnic in the park.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Midtown attractions

1. Museum of Arts & Design

0.09 MILES

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

2. Hearst Tower

0.15 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…

3. David Rubenstein Atrium

0.19 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…

4. Lincoln Center

0.31 MILES

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

5. American Folk Art Museum

0.33 MILES

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

6. Brill Building

0.54 MILES

This humble-looking building is widely considered the most important generator of popular songs in the Western world. By 1962, more than 160 music…

7. Central Park Zoo

0.56 MILES

This small zoo, which gained fame for its part in the animated movie Madagascar, is home to penguins, snow leopards and lemurs. Feeding times in the sea…

8. The Mall

0.56 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…