It’s hard to understand why so many people are interested in visiting New York City until you’ve actually been there. There is so much to do and see, it’s almost impossible to narrow it down to just one activity. But if you’re looking for a list of places that won’t disappoint—and maybe even make you fall in love with the city—here are my favorite things to do:
The Empire State Building
The Empire State Building is the tallest building in New York City with a height of 1,250 feet. It was completed in 1931 and stands on Fifth Avenue between West 34th and 38th Streets. The first observatory deck is located on the 86th floor and provides spectacular views of Midtown Manhattan as well as Central Park. The second observatory deck is located on the 102nd floor and has similar views but also gives you access to an outdoor terrace, where you can take selfies against all that steel-blue sky. If that’s not enough for you, there’s also a third observation deck at 1 World Trade Center, which opened in 2014 after being built from 2008 to 2013.
The Empire State Building is one of America’s most iconic landmarks—and with good reason! It takes up almost half a square mile (about 400 acres) and has over 2300 windows; it also uses more than 2 million gallons of water each day to maintain its temperature inside at 68 degrees Fahrenheit year round!
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is a museum of art, and it is one of the largest art museums in the world. This museum has more than 2 million works of art and artifacts, including paintings, sculptures, prints, drawings, and decorative arts from many different periods.
The collection spans 5,000 years of global culture to provide an engaging perspective on people’s lives over time. The Metropolitan Museum offers a wider range of exhibitions than any other museum in New York City because it showcases works from all over the globe instead of focusing solely on Western culture as many other museums do. Visitors can see rotating displays that highlight specific areas such as Egyptian antiquities or contemporary African American artworks every few months or so in addition to several permanent installations throughout each year as well as special exhibits often featuring big names like Van Gogh or Picasso when they happen to be available
Central Park
Central Park is a large urban park in Manhattan, New York City. The park initially opened in 1857 and is the most visited urban park in the United States. It’s also one of the largest parks in all of North America, with 843 acres (3.41 km2) of space available for visitors to explore its rolling hills, lakes, and meadows.
The park was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, two architects who were known for their work on city parks across America. They used their experience from designing Central Park to help them create other parks like Prospect Park in Brooklyn and Riverside Park along Manhattan’s west side waterfront area. The duo won numerous awards including being appointed as the “first president” of both the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) in 1899 as well as the Architectural League of New York (ALNY).
The High Line
The High Line is a 1.5-mile elevated park built on a former railway track that runs through Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood, from Gansevoort Street to West 34th Street. The structure is made of steel and wood, with plants lining the sides so that it looks like an ordinary park. It has become one of New York City’s most popular tourist destinations and green spaces, attracting over 5 million visitors each year.
It was originally created as part of an urban planning project by landscape architect James Corner Field Operations in collaboration with Diller Scofidio + Renfro Architects and Piet Oudolf as part of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation’s (LMDC) master plan for the area immediately around it.
The High Line opened to the public in 2009 after being under construction since 2006; LMDC paid $50 million towards its construction costs while New York state contributed another $13 million towards the project’s total cost of $150 million according to Crain’s New York Business magazine report published November 2014
Times Square
Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, and neighborhood in the Midtown Manhattan section of New York City at the junction of Broadway and Seventh Avenue.
It stretches from West 42nd to West 47th Streets. Times Square – often called “The Crossroads of the World”, “The Center of the Universe”, and the “Great White Way” – is one of the world’s busiest pedestrian intersections, with around 400,000 pedestrians daily.[1] The square lies within the area between Seventh Avenue on its east, Eighth Avenue on its west, 39th Street on its south end (where 7th Avenue intersects Broadway), and 53rd Street on its north end (where 8th Avenue intersects Broadway).
Times Square has become one of New York’s most visited tourist attractions,[2] drawing an estimated 50 million visitors annually,[3] who spend the US $1 billion annually[4] to entertain themselves.[5][6][7]
Statue Of Liberty And Ellis Island
The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island are two must-see sites in New York City.
You can take a ferry to both places and they are open year-round, although the statue closes at 4:00 pm during the winter months. There is also a ferry to Liberty Island that takes you right up to the statue’s base, but it only runs from early April through late October.
If you’d like to explore more of New York Harbor on your visit, you can take a one-hour tour around Manhattan or even a three-hour cruise around New Jersey and Brooklyn as well!
Rockefeller Center
Rockefeller Center is one of the most popular destinations in Manhattan. It’s a great place to visit and take pictures, especially during Christmas time when all of the lights are on. You can also go ice skating there in the winter and summer! If you want a different view of New York City, go up to Top of Rock—it has an indoor observation deck that provides amazing views.
One World Observatory
One World Observatory is located at the top of One World Trade Center in New York City. It’s also known as One WTC, which is a little confusing because there are two other skyscrapers called One WTC: 4 Times Square and 20 Jay St. So, it may get confusing if you’re not familiar with Manhattan’s skyline! The observation deck offers views from all over the world for a very reasonable price. However, there is an entrance fee to go up to the observatory, so plan accordingly!
At One World Observatory you’ll be able to see both sunrise and sunset from every part of NYC—and as far away as Connecticut and New Jersey on clear days (weather permitting). You can also get into many different areas where there are interactive exhibits about famous landmarks around the globe; these include things like St Mark’s Basilica in Venice or Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur. The best thing about this attraction is that it’s open 365 days per year with extended hours during peak tourist seasons (i.e., summertime).
9/11 Memorial And Museum
The 9/11 Memorial and Museum, located at the World Trade Center site, is a place to reflect on the tragedy of September 11, 2001. The museum also houses artifacts from World Trade Center buildings 2, 4, and 5 as well as a powerful documentary film.
The museum offers many interactive exhibits including an audio tour narrated by family members who lost loved ones in the attacks or worked at ground zero; Waterfalls — which uses projected water images to represent the flow of time since 9/11; The Last Column — an engraved granite column that commemorates those who perished in 2001 and 2013 attacks at Dar es Salaam (1998) and Nairobi (2002); Remembrance Room — where visitors can pay tribute through name plates and personal messages placed on walls along with other items left behind by survivors after visiting Ground Zero site; Memorial Hallway — which features photographs of victims displayed alongside excerpts from their stories written by others. There are also various artifacts such as fire trucks used during rescue operations after the 9/11 attack displayed in this section along with some multimedia sections like A Walk Through Darkness — a powerful documentary film produced by filmmaker Steven Spielberg about American firefighter’s lives before responding during the terrorist attack on September 11th, 2001
Broadway Show
Broadway is a street in New York City that is home to the Theater District and some of the best theaters in the world. If you’re looking for a true New York experience, there’s no better way to do it than seeing a Broadway show!
Broadway shows are known for their quality and high production values. They also come with a hefty price tag, though; tickets can cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars for top-tier productions like The Lion King or Hamilton. However, if you don’t mind spending your hard-earned money on quality entertainment that will have everyone talking about how great your trip was while they were back at work next week, then this may be right up your alley!
National September 11 Memorial & Museum
The National September 11 Memorial & Museum is a must-see for anyone visiting New York City. The museum is open every day and is free to the public. It’s located next to the World Trade Center site, which makes it easy for tourists to find. The museum hours are 9:00 am – 7:00 pm daily, with the last entry at 6:00 pm on weekdays (and 5:30 pm on weekends). A gift shop and cafe are also available inside this beautiful memorial dedicated to those who were killed on September 11th, 2001.
Conclusion
These are just a few of the many things to do in Manhattan. The city is full of culture, history, and excitement that will keep you busy for days on end. If you have time, I recommend going through all of these things at least once before moving on from New York City.
