A traveller should visit New York City at least once in a lifetime. Visiting all the NYC attractions and best places in the city isn’t possible in a day or two as it may take time to choose your locations to visit because of endless possibilities in the city. Skyscrapers in the city like Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building to the One World Trade Center gives you a unique experience to explore New York. Holding a position of foodie heaven, 23,000 restaurants in the city serve an estimated 60 international cuisines. These are few world-famous NYC attractions everybody loves to visit.
1. Statue of Liberty
The Statue of Liberty was a friendship gift to The United State from France. It is recognized as the “Universal Symbol of Freedom & Democracy”. The statue is the figure of a robed Roman liberty goddess “Libertas“. There’s a torch in her right and a tabula ansata in her left hand. A broken chain and shackle is there in her feet as she walks forward, commemorating the recent national abolition of slavery. After this, the statue became an icon of freedom and the United States as well.
On the second floor of the pedestal inside the statue, an exhibit holds the features and a vast collection of pictures. Artefacts, prints and photographs tell the story of the statue and thru history. The exhibit also tells you the story of fundraising for the monument in the United States.
For the visitors, there’s an audio tour available if you don’t want a self-tour. That will give you a more clear picture of the history and the building of the monument.
2. The Central Park
Central Park is located between the Upper East and Upper West Sides of Manhattan. It covers an area of 843 acres and holds the position of the fifth-largest park in the city. Central Park is the most filmed location in the world and has a record of being the most visited urban park in the United States. As of 2016, the annual average of visitors in the park is 42 million.
The Park was opened in 1876 and still holds the title of one of the greatest achievements in artificial landscaping. Every point of the park has interesting vistas and walks. Facing the fifth avenue, the Metropolitan Museum of Art is also located in the park. The park has a zoo, an open-air theatre, fountains, a bandshell, 3 lakes, an ice-skating rink, and hundreds of small monuments.
3. Rockefeller Center
Covering 22 acres, the Rockefeller Center is a complex consisting of 19 commercial buildings. The complex is located between 48th Street and 51st Street in Midtown Manhattan. 14 Art Deco original buildings are commissioned by the Rockefeller family. The span area of the buildings is between Fifth Avenue and Sixth Avenue which is split Rockefeller plaza and a large sunken square. John D. Rockefeller Jr was the main person behind the complex construction idea. He took the land on lease from Columbia University in 1928.
Rockefeller Center is one of the best NYC attractions and a trip to New York is considered incomplete without visiting the complex. These are few things to do in the Rockefeller Center.
- Take a 360-degree view from the observation deck. There are 3 observation decks in the centre’s anchor building
- Practice your pirouette on the outdoor ice surface.
- Shop at the streets levels in Rockefeller centre. There are tons of retail options available.
- Spend some relaxing time in the greenery and flowers near the fountains at The Channel Gardens.
- Enjoy your lunch at Rainbow Room, the home of New York glamour and entertainment.
- The underground space provides good restaurants, attractive shops and subways to catch the B, D, F and M trains.
4. Empire State Building
The 102-story building, Empire state is a skyscraper and located in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It’s a design of Shreve, Lamb & Harmon build in 1931. The name of the building is derived from the nickname of New York City which is Empire State. The roof height of the building is 1,250 feet and including the antenna, it is 1454 feet tall.
There is also an observation deck at the top of the building. When the building was built, it became very difficult to convince the tourists to visit and businesses to rent. But when the movie “King Kong” was released, millions of people visited the building after watching king kong climbing the Empire State.
The elevator ride to the top takes less than one minute. You are free to roam around when you are at the top. Many of the famous places of NYC can be seen from the top of the Empire State Building. Which includes:
- The Statue of Liberty
- Central Park
- The Chrysler Building
- Rockefeller Center
- One World Trade Center
- Times Square
5. Brooklyn Bridge
The Brooklyn Bridge is a bridge connecting Manhattan Island and Brooklyn on Long Island. The Bridge is a hybrid suspension/cable-stayed Bridge that opened on May 24, 1883. It was the first fixed crossing of the East River. With a main span of 1,595.5 feet and a deck of 127 ft, it was the longest suspension bridge in the world at the time it was opened.
Because of its location, size, steel cables, and its granite towers, the Brooklyn Bridge is one of the most beautiful and photogenic places in NYC. It also offers one of the prettiest river views when you’re on the Brooklyn Bridge. Walking across the bridge, there’s a gorgeous 85 acre Brooklyn Bridge Park. The beautiful park has gardens, grassy lawns, playing fields, a beach, a roller sink and more.
6. Roosevelt Island
This narrow Island in New York is located in the East River. Roosevelt Island lies between the borough of Queens, on Long Island, to its east and Manhattan Island to its west. The Island is 2 miles long and has a maximum of 800 feet. It covers 147 acres in total. The Island was leased to the New York State Urban Development Corporation for 99 years in 1969 and its owned by New York City. Most of the buildings on the Island are rented buildings.
Roosevelt Island is one of the best NYC attractions for tourists. Tourists visiting the Island always cherish its beauty. There are plenty of things you can do on the Island.
- Have a gorgeous view of the East River and Manhattan’s Upper East Side from “The Roosevelt Island Tramway“.
- Inhale the fresh air at Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park. The park has a 60-square-foot granite open plaza, 120 Little Leaf Linden Trees and the Island’s edge made of 11,000 cubic yards of hand-placed granite.
- Witness the 50-foot-tall lighthouse designed by the famous architect James Renwick, Jr. Originally, the Lighthouse was build to help sailors navigate the East River’s treacherous waters.
- Ruins of the hospital which was shuttered down in 1950, are the place to capture the selfie nowadays. Because of several hospitals and prisons, Roosevelt Island was once known as a Welfare Island
7. New York Public Library
The NYPL is a public library with almost 53 Million Items at 92 locations. This is the second biggest library in the United States and the fourth-largest in the world. The library is a private library that is independently managed with public and private financing. In the Bronx, Manhattan and Staten Island, there are some branches of the library. NYPL also have affiliations with professional and academic libraries in the New York metropolitan area.
Library Highlights
Astor Hall: While entering from the Fifth Avenue entrance, Astor Hall leaves the first impression when you walk in. The arches made with white marble gives you a royal feel when you enter. This castle look attracts people to select it as their wedding venue or to rent it for other important events.
Rose Reading Room
This is the biggest room with endless books rows, hand-painted ceilings and all the dark wooden work. There is no other magnificent building in the city like this one.
McGraw Rotunda
Another charm of the library which is also rented out for its majestical architecture. McGraw Rotunda is located on the third floor of the building. So you have to climb the grand staircase to witness the royal marble arches.
Public Catalog Room
You can find the main librarian’s desk in the room and apply for the library card here. Back in time, users and students were provided handwritten library cards to find the books but now these cards are replaced by computers. The public Catalog Room is connected with Rose Reading Room and the McGraw Rotunda.
Rare Book Division
This section contains the library’s most cherished and oldest collection like European works from the 15th century and before, Gutenberg Bible, old atlases, first edition works by Shakespeare, the first Native American language Bible, and much more.
8. The High Line:
The High Line is a 1.45-mile-long New York’s one of the newest green spaces. The West Side Elevated Line opened in 1933. It was created for freight trains to pass above the city. The park is built along the rail track which is now a defunct elevated railway. The original tracks still can be seen along the walk-through path. The High Line is elevated 30-feet off the ground and provides a pleasant view of the Hudson River and NYC.
At the High Line, you’ll find Gifts and food vendors. In the garden, you’ll see the fresh and well-managed plants and grass that grew wild on the abandoned tracks. High Lines provides one of the best views of the city. In the summer it can be crowded, but the beauty of the High Line is admirable in the crowd as well.
The High Line highlights
WHITNEY MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART
The museum is designed by Renzo Piano and it’s the southern entrance to the High Line park. From the artists ranging from Louise Bourgeois to Keith Haring to Andy Warhol, the museum has one of the largest collections with more than 22,000 pieces of 20th- and 21st-century American art in the world.
CHELSEA MARKET
The market is home to restaurants, grocers, clothing brands and bookshops. The market complex alone occupies an entire block at 75 Ninth Avenue. In the market, you’ll find every food you wish to eat. Nabisco was located in the building and the Oreo cookie was invented at this place.
CHELSEA PIERS
Its games and sports complex is located on 23rd street along the Hudson River. Try your hands at rock climbing, ice-skating, golf, bowling, and even parkour. Toddler Gym and rock climbing are also available here for kids.