| Top Things
to do in NY
Here's our highly
selective list of the very best things to see and do.
American Museum of
Natural History. With more than 36 million artifacts and
specimens, this the largest and most important museum of
natural history in the world. Forty-two exhibition halls
display an awe-inspiring collection of dinosaur skeletons, a
94-foot replica of a blue whale, the 563-carat Star of India
sapphire, and the 4.5-billion-year-old Ahnighito, the
largest meteorite ever retrieved from the Earth's surface.
Central Park W. at W. 79th St., tel. 212/769-5100.
Bronx Zoo. The
nation's largest urban zoo is home to more than 4,000
animals on 265 acres of woods, ponds, streams, and parkland.
Bronx River Pkwy. and Fordham Rd., tel. 718/367-1010.
Brooklyn Bridge. New
York's oldest and best-known span is just north of the South
Street Seaport. When completed in 1883, it was the world's
longest suspension bridge and the tallest structure in the
city. Walking across the Brooklyn Bridge is a peak New York
experience.
Central Park.
Landscape architects Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux
transformed 843 acres of land acquired by the city in 1856
into New York's most treasured public space. Bounded by 59th
and 110th streets, 5th Avenue, and Central Park West, the
park now contains grassy meadows, wooded groves, and formal
gardens; paths for jogging, strolling, horseback riding, and
biking; playing fields; a small zoo; an ice-skating rink; a
carousel; an outdoor theater; and numerous fountains and
sculptures.
Chrylser Building.
The most graceful of the city's skyscrapers, this
stainless-steel tower is famous for its radiator-cap
ornaments and gargoyles and for its graceful African marble
lobby. 42nd St. and Lexington Ave.
Ellis Island. Once
the main East Coast federal immigration facility, Ellis
Island reopened in 1990 after a $140 million restoration.
Between 1892 and 1954, 17 million men, women, and children
-- the ancestors of more than 40% of the Americans living
today -- were processed here. Ellis Island, tel.
212/363-3200.
Empire State Building.
It's no longer the world's tallest building, but the Art
Deco structure, which opened in 1931, is one of the world's
best-loved skyscrapers. Go to the concourse level to buy a
ticket for the 86th- and 102nd-floor observation decks. 5th
Ave. and 34th St., tel. 212/736-3100.
Frick Collection.
Housed in a Beaux Arts-style palace built by Pittsburgh coke
and steel baron Henry Clay Frick, the Frick Collection is
the city's finest small art museum. Specializing in European
works from the late 13th to the late 19th centuries, it has
masterpieces by Rembrandt, Fragonard, Bellini, Turner, and
Vermeer, among others. 1 E. 70th St., at 5th Ave., tel.
212/288-0700.
Greenwich Village.
With its narrow tree-lined streets, brick town houses, tiny
green parks, and hidden courtyards, Greenwich Village is the
closest thing to a small town in Manhattan. The Village is
ideal for strolling, window-shopping, and café hopping; it
extends from 14th Street south to Houston Street and from
the Hudson River piers to 5th Avenue.
Metropolitan Museum of
Art. On the edge of Central Park is the largest art
museum in the western hemisphere. Major displays cover
prehistoric to modern times and all areas of the world,
including impressive Greek and Egyptian collections and an
entire wing devoted to tribal arts. The museum has the
world's most comprehensive collection of American art, and
its holdings of European art are unequaled outside Europe.
Also here are the Temple of Dendur, an entire Roman temple
(circa 15 BC), and galleries devoted to musical instruments
and arms and armor. Walking tours and lectures are free with
admission. The separate Cloisters (tel. 212/923-3700)
building, transported stone by stone from France, overlooks
the Hudson River in Fort Tryon Park at the top of Manhattan;
it houses the museum's medieval collection. 5th Ave. at 82nd
St., tel. 212/879-5500.
Museum of Modern Art.
MoMA, an airy four-story structure built around a secluded
sculpture garden, is the city's -- and the world's --
foremost showcase for art of the 20th century. All the
greatest modern artists, from van Gogh to Picasso, Matisse
to Warhol, are represented. Photography, prints,
architecture, and design have their own galleries. 11 W.
53rd St., tel. 212/708-9480.
Rockefeller Center.
The heart of midtown is this complex of 19 buildings
occupying nearly 22 acres of prime real estate between 5th
and 7th avenues and 47th and 52nd streets. The outdoor ice
rink, on the Lower Plaza between 49th and 50th streets, is
the center's trademark. The ice rink becomes an open-air café
in warm weather. In December the plaza is decorated with a
huge Christmas tree. The backdrop for the Lower Plaza is
Rockefeller Center's tallest tower, the 70-story GE
Building. The 6,000-seat Art Deco Radio City Music
Hall, on the corner of 6th Avenue and West 50th Street,
is America's largest indoor theater and the home of the
fabled Rockettes chorus line.
Solomon R. Guggenheim
Museum. Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and expanded and
restored in 1992, the Guggenheim is a six-story spiral
rotunda that winds down past fine exemplars of modern art.
Exhibits alternate between new artists and modern masters;
the permanent collection includes more than 20 Picassos.
1071 5th Ave., at 88th St., tel. 212/423-3500.
Staten Island Ferry.
Still one of the cheapest thrills available, a ferry ride
across the harbor is even more breathtaking at night with
the billions of lights of Manhattan twinkling in the
distance. Ferry Terminal, southernmost tip of Manhattan,
tel. 718/390-5253.
Statue of Liberty.
Lady Liberty has enjoyed a remarkable resurgence of
popularity following her centennial restoration in 1986: You
may have to wait three hours to take the elevator 10 stories
to the top of the pedestal. The strong of heart and limb can
climb another 12 stories to the crown. Liberty Island, tel.
212/363-3200.
Times Square. One of
New York's principal energy centers, Times Square is one of
many New York City "squares" that are actually
triangles formed by the angle of Broadway slashing across a
major avenue -- in this case it crosses 7th Avenue at 42nd
Street. Redevelopment on and around 42nd Street, long in the
works, is dramatically transforming Times Square and the
surrounding Broadway Theater District: The lights are just
as bright, but not so tawdry.
The web site is free to use
and post to it. Tell all your friends there is finally a
place on the web to see what's going on in Chicago.
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