Tourist attractions New York

This lithe 70-story skyscraper is Rockefeller Center's tallest and finest structure. It's well-known to American TV viewers as the headquarters of NBC television studios, which offers a popular studio tour. The top-floor observatory contains exhibits..

This Beaux-Arts masterpiece (1911) by Carrère and Hastings contains some of the most spectacular interiors in the city, as well as one of the largest research collections in the world. The two marble lions—nicknamed Patience and Fortitude— that flank..

One of the world's preeminent cultural institutions, the MoMA offers an unparalleled overview of the modern visual arts, with collections encompassing painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, decorative arts, videos and the most comprehensive film ..

Often referred to as the "gateway to the nation,", this world-famous railroad terminal is a masterpiece of urban architecture. Today, more than 150,000 commuters a day pass through the terminal, which is a veritable city within a city. The ..

Strength and grace combine to make the Empire State Building the most famous sky­scraper in the world and the quintessential New York landmark. Topping out at 1,454 feet, it is the city's tallest building, and one of the few you can actually experien..

In the late 1920s, automobile magnate Walter P. Chrysler commissioned architect William Van Alen to design th tallest building in the world. Completed in 1930, the striking Chrysler Building was indeed the tallest, rising to 1,048ft (77 stories)—unti..

New York's most prestigious thoroughfare, Fifth Avenue (between 34th and 57th Streets) is studded with striking landmark skyscrapers (the Empire State Building), and churches (St. Patrick's Cathedral), famed department stores (Macy's, Saks) and grand..

Manhattan's beloved backyard, this 843-acre haven of greenery, light and air draws millions each year, residents and visitors alike. Siutated in the island's geographical center, Central Park measures 2.5mi long by half a mile wide, and is delightful..

An extraterritorial community within New York, the U.N. is abuzz with diplomats from all corners of the world, some in the native dress of their home countries, when the General Assembly is in session (Sept-Dec) and during various conferences held th..

Chelsea's many excellent art galleries occupy both street-level storefronts and upper-level lofts in the heart of the neighborhood. Act like a New Yorker and enjoy a leisurely wander, drifting in and out of the spaces that catch your eye.

A famed research facility, the AMNH makes the natural world as fascinating to today's young people as it was to those who never experienced television, air travel or the Internet. (It's not easy!) The vast halls present astounding collections of foss..

One of the world's most distinguished small museums, the Frick offers a unique opportunity to view an exceptional trove of Old Masters paintings, furnishings and decorative arts in the luxurious confines of a sumptuous mansion. Pittsburgh steel and r..

The Met is the largest museum in the Western hemisphere, and the pride of New York. The collection embraces two million objects tracing 5,000 years of human history, divided inito nineteen curatorial departments; and offers a veritable encyclopedia o..

Long an exclusive address for upperclass New York, this elegant avenue is almost entirely residential. Large apartment buildings attended by doormen face each other across the manicured median strip.

This 1913 skyscraper, the tallest in the world for 17 years, has been called a cathedral to commerce and it's no wonder. Standing 792 feet and one inch in height, the tower is ornamented with the gargoyles, flying buttresses and finials you're more l..

The first bridge (1883) to link Manhattan and Brooklyn, this famed structure was one of the great engineering triumphs of the 19C and the world's longest suspension bridge for 20 years. Stroll across it to enjoy one of the most dramatic walks in New ..

The Statue of Liberty, her torch upraised in welcome since 1886, was a gift to the US from the people of France. Alsatian sculptor Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi and French engineer Alexandre Gustave Eiffel created the 225-ton, 151ft colossus. The observ..

Built on a hilltop in a park overlooking the Hudson, the Cloisters (part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art) re-creates a fortified monastery by incorporating four reconstructed medieval cloisters. Housed within is an unrivaled collection of medieval ..

This trapezoidal plot formed by Broadway and Seventh Avenue between 42nd and 43rd streets has long been the epicenter of New York's live entertainment district. Though it fell into seamy squalor in the mid-20C, the area has been reclaimed, and today ..

This famed music hall opened its doors to the public in 1932, under the direction of Samuel "Roxy" Rothafel, to present variety shows. At the time, it was the largest indoor theater in the world. In order to become more profitable, the Musi..