City Icons, Museums, and Libraries
Here are a few buildings and bridges that make NYC recognizable to almost everyone, (and some not so recognizable).
American Museum of Natural History and Hayden Planetarium (200 Central Park West) This is not my favorite museum although I do love the planetarium. If you have an interest in dinosaurs, the ocean, rocks, animals...basically anything "natural" then you would love it!
*Brooklyn Bridge
The simplest way from Manhattan is to take the 4, 5, or 6 train all the way to the end which is Brooklyn Bridge/City Hall. When you leave the subway station, you will find signs for a foot path to cross the bridge. If you're really interested in the bridge, watch the Ken Burns' doc on Netflix or read David McCullough's The Great Bridge. In March 2023 we took a personalized tour of the bridge with the great great grandson of the builders, Kriss Roebling. Highly recommend his tour.
Carnegie Hall (57th St at 7th Ave)
Cathedral of St John the Divine (Amsterdam bet 110th and 113th)
Timed tickets required; $15 for sightseeing purposes. Construction started in 1892 and I believe it continues. Beautiful great rose window; grounds include a Children's Sculpture Garden where in 2011 my friends and I played six-hand music on a piano decorated in black feathers that was part of that summer's Pop Up Pianos.
Columbia University
Walk onto the campus at Broadway and 116th St; historical tours offered.
The Dakota (72nd St and Central Park West)
Iconic building where John Lennon lived and where Yoko Ono still lives. Setting for horror flick Rosemary's Baby. Cross the street and enter the park at 72nd St for Strawberry Fields, the memorial to John Lennon.
Edge at Hudson Yards (30 Hudson Yards) View of the city from protruding observation deck with partial glass floor
Empire State Building (5th Ave at 34th St)
Observatory is open late.
Grand Central Terminal (89 E 42nd St) Look for the small, black brick near the ceiling. This is how the ceiling looked before the big restoration of 1990.
Grant's Tomb (122nd St and Riverside Drive)
Tomb of the 18th President of the US and his wife
Morgan Library and Museum (225 Madison Ave) A beautiful library with interesting pieces of the collection on display including manuscripts and letters by important American and European authors. A fascinating novel of historical fiction by Marie Benedict is THE PERSONAL LIBRARIAN. It tells the story of Belle De Costa Greene, JP Morgan's personal librarian, who kept a secret all the years of her employment. A bust of Ms Greene is on display.
*Museum at Eldridge Street, one of the first synagogues erected in the United States by Eastern European Jews (12 Eldridge St) Beautiful building recently restored; be sure to see the black and white photos downstairs that show the building before it was renovated.
*The National September 11 Memorial and Museum (180 Greenwich St)
The memorial is free and sits in the footprints of the original Twin Towers. The museum is certainly worth a visit. Very moving and informative.
New York Academy of Medicine Rare Book Library (1216 5th Ave) Amazing library with rare book room; call ahead and ask for a tour
*New York Public Library (476 5th Ave)
The stunning Beaux-Arts building designed by Thomas Hastings and John Carrère is worth a guided or even self-guided tour. Be sure to drop in the Rose Reading Room, check out the remaining wall portion of the old Croton Reservoir that was on the site before the library was built, and say hello to Patience and Fortitude, the lions guarding the library's entrance.
*The Oculus train station at the World Trade Center
Be sure to stop by for a look even if you don't need the subway!
*One World Observatory (One World Trade Center, 285 Fulton St)
The building is 1776' tall with observation windows at 1250'+ on floors 100-102. Highly recommended.
Riverside Church (490 Riverside Drive)
Gothic Revival style Christian church that opened in 1930
Skyscraper Museum (39 Battery Pl) An architecture museum founded in 1996; admission is free
Staten Island Ferry
Take a free ride from the southern tip of Manhattan to Staten Island and then board a second ferry taking you back to Manhattan for views of lower Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty. Round trip is about an hour. Don't go during rush hour!
Statue of Liberty
You can get a close up look at Lady Liberty by taking the boat and tour or you can sail by her for free on the Staten Island ferry.
St Patrick's Cathedral (5th Ave at 50th St) Little saints medals are available in the gift shop inside the cathedral. These have the cathedral stamped on the back and are around $7.
St Paul's Chapel (209 Broadway) A chapel and cemetery of Trinity Church
Tom's Restaurant (112th and Broadway)
Recognizable to Seinfeld fans as the facade for Monk's Cafe
Top of the Rock (30 Rockefeller Plaza)
The observation decks are located on the 67th, 69th and 70th floors and are open air. I prefer this view over the Empire State Building's because here you have a view of the ESB.
Transit Museum (99 Schermerhorn St, Brooklyn) This was so much fun when I finally made the time to get over to it. The museum is in an unused subway station so it's cold in the winter and hot in the summer. The lower area of the train track has several subway cars going back to some of the earliest. I loved this area of the museum.
Trinity Church (89 Broadway) Historic parish church opened in 1846
United Nations (46th St and 1st Ave)
Tours offered or just check out the grounds and walk inside to areas open to visitors.
Union Theological Seminary (3041 Broadway)
The Vessel at Hudson Yards Spiral staircase offering views of the city and the Hudson; google to get info about free tickets. I was not impressed with this...seemed to be a stairclimber at the gym offering only slightly better views.
Yankee Stadium (1 E 161 St, The Bronx) My husband had been to a Yankees game at Yankee Stadium but I had never been. We recently went (Sept 2022) trying to see Aaron Judge hit a record breaking homerun. It was lots of fun and I wondered why I had not been before. Easy to get there by subway from almost anywhere in the city. Of course there are lots of other sports to check out...the NY Liberty, Mets, Knicks, Nets, Giants, Jets, US Open among others)
On My NYC List to do: