Must-see attractions in Midtown

  • Beautiful view of Manhattan during a summer sunset

    Empire State Building

    Midtown

    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, NY - AUGUST 15 2005: The Museum of Modern Art on August 15, 2005  in New York City. MOMA is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan. (Photo by Athanasios Gioumpasis/Getty Images)

    Museum of Modern Art

    Midtown

    Superstar of the modern-art scene, MoMA's galleries are a Who’s Who of artistic heavyweights: Van Gogh, Matisse, Picasso, Warhol, Lichtenstein, Rothko,…

  • Grand Central nights

    Grand Central Terminal

    Midtown

    Completed in 1913, Grand Central Terminal – commonly, if incorrectly, called Grand Central Station – is one of New York’s most venerated beaux-arts…

  • Chrysler Building , New York City

    Chrysler Building

    Midtown

    Designed by William Van Alen and completed in 1930, the 77-floor Chrysler Building is the pinup for New York's purest art deco architecture, guarded by…

  • Rockefeller Center

    Rockefeller Center

    Midtown

    This 22-acre 'city within a city' debuted at the height of the Great Depression, with developer John D Rockefeller Jr footing the $100-million price tag…

  • Radio City Music Hall, Midtown. ©Dan Herrick/Lonely Planet.

    Radio City Music Hall

    Midtown

    This spectacular moderne movie palace was the brainchild of vaudeville producer Samuel Lionel 'Roxy' Rothafel. Never one for understatement, Roxy launched…

  • NEW YORK CITY,USA-AUGUST 5,2013:one of the terraces on the rockefeller center where many tourists climb to get a view from above of New York.

    Top of the Rock

    Midtown

    When it comes to views in New York City, you’ll be spoiled for choice. The One World Observatory may have the edge for height, and the Empire State…

  • The aircraft carrier USS Intrepid at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum on 13 October 2016.

    Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum

    Midtown

    In WWII, under heavy enemy fire, the USS Intrepid endured a torpedo strike and four kamikaze attacks, but this hulking aircraft carrier survived to tell…

  • April 2019: Visitors on staircases at Vessel, which is part of the Hudson Yards Redevelopment Project.

    Hudson Yards

    Midtown

    After six years of construction and $25 billion of investment, the first phase of Manhattan's new megadevelopment 'neighborhood' on the Hudson finally…

  • Interior of New York Public Library, Manhattan, New York City, USA

    New York Public Library

    Midtown

    Loyally guarded by 'Patience' and 'Fortitude' (the marble lions overlooking Fifth Ave), this beaux-arts show-off is one of NYC's best free attractions…

  • 500px Photo ID: 69665117 - www.astphotodesign.com

    Times Square

    Midtown

    Love it or hate it, the intersection of Broadway and Seventh Ave (aka Times Square) pumps out the NYC of the global imagination – yellow cabs, golden…

  • Exterior of Saint Patrick's Cathedral on Fifth Avenue.

    St Patrick's Cathedral

    Midtown

    America's largest Catholic cathedral graces Fifth Ave with Gothic Revival splendor. Built at a cost of nearly $2 million during the Civil War (and spiffed…

  • Fifth Avenue

    Midtown

    Immortalized in film and song, Fifth Ave first developed its high-class reputation in the early 20th century, when it was known for its 'country' air and…

  • Bryant Park in April 2022, New York City

    Bryant Park

    Midtown

    European coffee kiosks, alfresco chess games, summer film screenings and winter ice skating: it's hard to believe that this leafy oasis was a crime-ridden…

  • Miwa Yanagi's "Zero Hour: Tokyo Rose's Last Tape" at Japan Society on Thursday, January 29, 2015.This image:Scene from "Zero Hour."(Photo by Hiroyuki Ito/Getty Images)

    Japan Society

    Midtown

    Elegant exhibitions of both traditional and contemporary Japanese art, textiles and design are the main draw at this calming cultural center, complete…

  • Franklin D Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park

    Midtown

    Dramatic design, presidential inspiration and a refreshing perspective on the NYC skyline make for an arresting trio at the Franklin D Roosevelt Four…

  • United Nations

    Midtown

    New York is the home of the UN, a worldwide organization overseeing international law, security and human rights. The Le Corbusier–designed Secretariat…

  • Morgan Library & Museum

    Midtown

    Incorporating the mansion once owned by steel magnate JP Morgan, this sumptuous cultural center houses a phenomenal array of manuscripts, tapestries and…

  • Museum at FIT

    Midtown

    Fashionistas won't want to miss a visit to the fabulous sartorial exhibits at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), which holds one of the world's…

  • A view of the Renwick Ruin with the Manhattan skyline in the background.

    Southpoint Park

    Midtown

    At the southernmost point on Roosevelt Island – which sits in the East River just off midtown Manhattan – is a grassy preserve with breathtaking views and…

  • Roosevelt Island

    Midtown

    Floating in the East River between Manhattan’s eastern edge and Queens, New York’s anomalous, planned neighborhood sits on a tiny island no wider than a…

  • Citigroup Center

    Midtown

    With its striking triangular-cut roof and candy-like striped facade, Hugh Stubbins' 59-story Citigroup Center signaled a shift from the flat-roof sobriety…

  • 432 Park Avenue

    Midtown

    It's a case of 'thin is in' with the arrival of this 1396ft-tall, $1.3-billion residential tower by Uruguayan architect Rafael Viñoly. Its clean, white,…

  • Garment District

    Midtown

    Otherwise known as the Fashion District, this thread-obsessed territory might look like an unremarkable stretch of designers' offices and wholesale and…

  • Herald Square

    Midtown

    This crowded convergence is best known as the home of mammoth department store Macy's, where you can still ride some of the original wooden elevators. As…

  • Museum of Arts & Design

    Midtown

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

  • Hearst Tower

    Midtown

    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…

  • Chanin Building

    Midtown

    Beloved art deco took hold in the 1930s as architects turned away from history, creating unique buildings, configured with setbacks and decorated with…

  • Museum of Sex

    Midtown

    Get the lowdown on anything from online fetishes to stag films to homosexual necrophilia in the mallard duck at this slick ode to all things hot and…

  • Diamond District

    Midtown

    Like Diagon Alley in Harry Potter, the Diamond District is a world unto itself. Best experienced on weekdays, it's an industrious whirl of Hasidic Jewish…

  • Seagram Building

    Midtown

    A textbook regular, the 38-floor Seagram Building is one of the world's finest examples of the international style. Its lead architect, Ludwig Mies van…

  • Paley Center for Media

    Midtown

    This pop-culture repository offers more than 160,000 TV and radio programs from around the world on its computer catalog. Reliving your favorite TV shows…

  • Vessel (TKA)

    Midtown

    Sprouting 150ft high from the central plaza of Hudson Yards is the controversial construction called 'The Vessel.' Looking something like a giant, copper…

  • Bank of America Tower

    Midtown

    Designed by Cook & Fox Architects, the 58-floor Bank of America Tower is famed for its striking crystal shape, piercing 255ft spire, and enviable green…

  • Brill Building

    Midtown

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

  • Lever House

    Midtown

    Upon its debut in 1952, 21-story Lever House was at the height of the cutting-edge. The UN Secretariat Building was the only other skyscraper to feature a…

  • Le Carrousel

    Midtown

    Among Bryant Park's attractions is this French-inspired, Brooklyn-made carousel, with over a dozen delightfully baroque animals you can ride to the sounds…