Midtown

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Destination City Map: New York

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Jam-packed with skyscrapers, Midtown bristles with the energy of a world-class business district. During rush hour, hordes of workers form a smooth, unstoppable sea, adding to the hectic pace that typifies this part of Manhattan. Home to powerful companies, chic boutiques, and fascinating museums, the area is doubly impressive when you consider that very little of what you see existed a century ago.

This walk begins at the Plaza Hotel on Central Park South, and heads south on Fifth Avenue, arguably the most famous street in the world. You will pass top-of-the-line stores such as FAO Schwarz and Tiffany & Co., along with the fanciful Trump Tower. The Museum of Modern Art and other nearby museums make for engaging side stops before continuing on down Fifth Avenue to St. Patrick’s Cathedral and Rockefeller Center. Here, you can break from the crowds and duck into the shops of the Diamond District, then call a time-out at the New York Public Library or a nearby café. The Empire State Building, with its observatory, will mark your next stop. Finally, you travel east to visit Grand Central Terminal, the Chrysler Building, and the United Nations. CONTINUED

- Plaza Hotel
- Rockefeller Center
- New York Public Library
- Empire State Building
- Grand Central Terminal
- United Nations

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Plaza Hotel

Midtown Manhattan skyscrapers

Photograph © Pete Souza

A National Historic Landmark, the Plaza Hotel (Central Park S. at Fifth Ave. +1 212 759 3000 or 800 759 3000) reigns as the queen of Fifth Avenue. Built in the style of a Renaissance château, the hotel has hosted the rich and famous for nearly a hundred years. With horse-drawn carriages near its entrance, colorful flags, and spiffy doormen, the Plaza paints a picture of sophistication. Elegant diners slink into the Palm Court or the more intimate Oak Room. Pass through the lobby to see the painting of “Eloise” (near the Central Park S. entrance), the fictional imp who romped through the hotel in Kay Thompson’s charming children’s book. Browse some of the shops and savor the lavish atmosphere.
Across Fifth Avenue, the 50-story General Motors Building houses the world’s ultimate toy store, FAO Schwarz (767 Fifth Ave. +1 212 644 9400). Tom Hanks tap-danced his way through a scene in Big here, and more than a few visitors may feel the urge to repeat the caper amid the super-size stuffed animals.
Adult collections await at the king of Midtown’s upscale department stores, Bergdorf Goodman (754 Fifth Ave. +1 212 753 7300), where Cornelius Vanderbilt II’s mansion stood before the skyscraper craze brought an end to the palatial houses that gave Fifth Avenue the nickname “Millionaires’ Row.”
The corner of 57th Street and Fifth Avenue tempts everyone who loves style and luxury. Burberrys (9 E. 57th St. +1 212 371 5010) has added to its array of stylish outerwear; CHANEL (15 E. 57th St. +1 212 355 5050) recently moved here and expanded its salon of fashion and scent; and Tiffany & Co. (727 Fifth Ave. +1 212 755 8000) showcases fabulous jewelry in display windows and greets customers with impeccable courtesy.

Trump Tower?s gilded escalators

Photograph © Pete Souza

As you proceed down Fifth Avenue, you see one of the newer additions to the skyline, Trump Tower (725 Fifth Ave. +1 212 832 2000). Built in 1983, the black tower features a 6-story atrium of pink marble and polished brass. There are classic shops here such as Cartier, along with piped-in trumpet music and a waterfall. The upper floors include offices and condominiums.
Takashimaya (693 Fifth Ave. +1 212 350 0100), one of Japan?s largest retailers, is a newcomer on this avenue whose international élan came from European stars such as Christian Dior (703 Fifth Ave. +1 212 223 4646)...until recently. The 20-story building opened in 1993, featuring American and Asian arts and crafts, household accessories, and furnishings. While you are in the neighborhood you might want to detour west on 55th Street to J.P.?s French Bakery (54 W. 55th St. +1 212 765 7575) for what some people claim to be the best croissants in the city.
Closed for renovations and rebuilding until spring of 2005, the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) (West 53rd St. between 5th and 6th Aves. +1 212 708 9480) has long been one of the highlights of Manhattan. (Until MoMA reopens, modern art lovers can get their fix at the museum's Queens location: QNS, the Museum of Modern Art in Queens, at 33rd St. at Queens Blvd, Long Island City, Queens. +1 212 708 9480). The museum was founded in 1929 and moved into its present quarters in 1939. Always controversial, MoMA hired architect Cesar Pelli in the early 1980s to add a 44-story condo tower to generate income. Purists lament the tower, but everyone enjoys the expanded galleries with glass walls overlooking the Sculpture Garden. Now, visitors can see rooms devoted to Picasso and Matisse and paintings such as van Gogh's "Starry Night" and Andrew Wyeth's "Christina's World." The photography collection is second to none, and you can see classic films in an ongoing series.

Taking in Tom Wesselmann?s Smoker, 1 (Mouth, 12), at MoMA

Photograph © Joe McNally

Across the street stands the MoMA Design Store (44 W. 53rd St. +1 212 708 9669), which sells elegant objects for home and office; and the American Craft Museum (40 W. 53rd St. +1 212 956 3535. Closed Mon.; Adm. fee), a humorous showcase for clay, metal, wood, glass, and fiber creations.
If you feel nostalgic for reruns of the old radio show Amos and Andy or the TV series All in the Family, stop at the Museum of Television and Radio (25 W. 52nd St. +1 212 621 6600. Closed Mon.; donation). Two theaters, screening rooms, and listening stations give nonstop entertainment, while the galleries have exhibits such as masks from Star Wars.
A sanctuary of a different sort awaits at Fifth Avenue and 51st Street. Dating from the 1870s, the French Gothic-style St. Patrick’s Cathedral (+1 212 753 2261) is among the world’s largest churches. With its 330-foot [100.6-meter] spires, 70 stained-glass windows, and flickering votive candles, the cathedral transports visitors light-years from Fifth Avenue. For an ironic touch, look for the church’s reflection in the black glass of the Olympic Tower next door.

Rockefeller Center

Statue of Prometheus at Rockefeller Center skating rink

Photograph © Pete Souza

Across the street stands Rockefeller Center (between 5th and 6th Aves., W. 51st to W. 48th Sts. +1 212 632 3975), which blankets 21 prime Manhattan acres [8.5 hectares] with 19 buildings, including Radio City Music Hall (1260 6th Ave. +1 212 632 4041), a venue for top performers. John D. Rockefeller II began building the world’s largest privately owned business-entertainment enclave in 1928. In addition to a sunken plaza that holds a skating rink in winter and an open-air restaurant in summer, the center also contains a barber shop, a post office, public rest rooms—and New York City’s famous gigantic Christmas tree. In many ways it really is New York’s town square.
To grasp the size and history here, head for the GE Building (30 Rockefeller Plaza), the limestone-and-aluminum tower overlooking the sunken plaza. At the information desk sign up for a free tour of the complex. Pick up maps and brochures about the center’s history. You may have to wait in line, but you can get tickets here for NBC Studio Tours and shows such as Saturday Night Live (+1 212 664 4000. Adm. fee). Katie Couric and company broadcast the Today Show from the picture-window studio on the street. The Rainbow Room (+1 212 632 5100) in the GE Building remains one of the country’s most celebrated top-floor dining experiences.
One block south, take a side trip to New York’s Diamond District (W. 47th St. between 5th and 6th Aves.). Thousands of dealers—many of whom are Hasidic Jews with beards, side curls, and black hats—fill the little shops on this street, conducting as much as 85 percent of America’s wholesale gem trade. Stop in any of these shops to buy (or fantasize about) an expensive souvenir.
If you want to peek into the world of New York’s gentry, take a stroll down West 44th Street. This block includes the Harvard Club (27 W. 44th St. Private) and the New York Yacht Club (37 W. 44th St. Private), where second-floor windows mimic the stern of a Dutch vessel. You can dine or have a drink at the Algonquin Hotel (59 W. 44th St. +1 212 840 6800), which is where Dorothy Parker and Robert Benchley held forth at the famous literary round table in the 1920s (the table, as well as the Rose Room, where they met, are long gone). Book a room in the Mansfield Hotel (12 W. 44th St. +1 212 944 6050), a classic boutique accommodation, if you want full immersion in the genteel lifestyle.

New York Public Library
When the city gets to be too much for Midtowners, they often head for the New York Public Library (between W. 42nd and W. 40th Sts. +1 212 869 8089. Closed Sun.; tours). Just climbing the steps between the lion statues of Patience and Fortitude can be a liberating experience as the crowds fade below and the marble facade of this beaux arts temple welcomes you. Undergoing extensive restoration, the library’s high ceilings, statues, and carvings inspire serenity in Astor Hall. But beneath the tranquility serious enterprises are afoot. With more than 17 million items, this building is one of the world’s largest research libraries, and its stacks run for 125 miles [201.2 kilometers]. Don’t miss Gilbert Stuart’s portrait of George Washington in Room 316.
You wouldn’t know it by looking at the large formal garden in neighboring Bryant Park, but many of the library’s stacks lie beneath the turf. The site of America’s first World Fair in 1853, Bryant Park earned a seedy reputation after the homeless and unemployed began gathering here during the Depression; it did not lose it until a commission restored the park in the late 1980s. Today, the park hosts a series of community events, including an outdoor summer film series. An outdoor café provides a quiet respite in summer.

Empire State Building
Walking south on Fifth Avenue again, you can’t miss your next stop looming above the corner of West 34th Street. The 1,454-foot [443.2-meter] tower of the Empire State Building (350 Fifth Ave.) is a New York landmark, the site of romantic scenes in An Affair to Remember and Sleepless in Seattle. The world’s tallest building when it opened in 1931, the Empire State now ranks third, but that doesn’t stop the flow of tourists—over 3.5 million a year. On most days lines begin to form for the Observatories (+1 212 736 3100. Adm. fee) before they open, and you could spend more than an hour waiting for a trip to the 86th floor open deck and the 102nd floor lookout. Some tourists opt for the New York Skyride (+1 212 564 2224. Adm. fee), a simulated helicopter tour around the city.
Leaving the Empire State Building, veer east on 34th Street, then north on Madison Avenue. Shade trees and turn-of-the-century mansions soften the city’s modern face before you reach the Italian palazzo housing the Pierpont Morgan Library (29 E. 36th St. +1 212 685 0610. Closed Mon.; Adm. fee). The famous banker J.P. Morgan collected rare books, illuminated manuscripts, and drawings. Here you can sit and wonder at rarities such as a Gutenberg Bible, view Morgan’s personal study, or relax in a garden café.

Grand Central Terminal
Walk a block east to Park Avenue and stroll up to the front doors of one of the great palaces of transportation, the mammoth, beaux arts-style Grand Central Terminal (E. 42nd St. and Park Ave. +1 212 532 4900 or 800-metro-info). Suffering constant use since its opening in 1913, Grand Central has recently been undergoing massive renovations—a pet project of the late Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis—to revive the beauty of the 60-foot [18.3-meter] windows, gigantic sculptures, vaulted ceilings, and marble concourses. Metro North trains depart from here today, but the bronze figure of Cornelius Vanderbilt on the southern facade recalls the era when the station was the imperial seat of his New York Central Railroad.
East on 42nd Street, you will see one last monument to commerce and ego. The facade of the Chrysler Building (405 Lexington Ave.) incorporates different parts of Chrysler automobiles. Considered the ultimate in art deco styling, the Chrysler was the world’s tallest building for two years, until the Empire State Building nosed it out in 1931. But what the Chrysler lost in height, it gained with boldness. Both outside and in, step back and try to count the dozens of design frills that mimic automobile styling.

United Nations

Security Council chamber, United Nations

Photograph © Pete Souza

Tranquility is elusive in Midtown, but the world strives for peace a few blocks east. Since its construction shortly after World War II, the United Nations (E. 45th St. and First Ave. +1 212 963 1234. Adm. fee) has become a symbol of world peace and multicultural harmony. Once the site of Turtle Bay, the U.N.’s 18 acres [7.3 hectares] are designated as international territory. The arched-roof General Assembly Building and the glass-fronted Secretariat Building are familiar sights, along with the flapping flags of 180 member nations. To learn about the struggle for world peace, enter through the 46th Street gate, go to the General Assembly Building, pass through a security check, and head for the information desk. But if you want immediate serenity, walk into the rose garden overlooking the East River and let the wind carry your worries away.