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Key Attractions The Statue of Liberty The ultimate symbol of the American Dream, Lady Liberty – who stands majestically over New York Harbour – is probably the most famous landmark in America. The Statue was donated to the United States by the people of France, in 1886, to commemorate the alliance of the two countries during the American Revolution. It was the first sight of the New World to be seen by the 12 million immigrants who passed through Ellis Island. Visitors can climb the statue or take the lift and the Ellis Island Immigration Museum, located at the base of the statue documents the history of the immigration station that operated from 1892 to 1954. New York Harbour Tel: (212) 363 3200. Transport: Circle Line Statue of Liberty Ferry (tel: (212) 269 5755) from South Ferry at Battery Park to Liberty and Ellis islands (costing US$8). The free 24-hour Staten Island Ferry (tel: (718) 815 2628) from Battery Park. Opening hours: Daily 0930-1700. Admission: Free. World Trade Center – Ground Zero Whether or not to visit Ground Zero is a personal choice but New Yorkers, as a whole, seem pleased that so many visitors want to come and pay tribute at the site. Tickets are now required to access the viewing platform, which provides a view of the ongoing work and brings home the scale of the devastation. Lower Manhattan Transport: Subway 1 or 9 to Chambers Street Opening hours: Daily 1100-1800. Admission: Free – time allocated tickets are available from the booth at South Street Seaport Museum, Manhattan. Brooklyn Bridge Dubbed the eighth wonder of the world, when it was completed in 1883, Brooklyn Bridge remains a masterful feat of engineering. The world’s first steel wire suspension bridge links Manhattan to Brooklyn, over the East River. The mile-long wooden promenade offers stunning views of the city. Park Row Transport: Subway 4, 5 or 6 to Brooklyn Bridge or City Hall. Opening hours: Daily 24 hours. Admission: Free. Empire State Building Immortalised in celluloid by Hollywood – from King Kong and Fay Wray to Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan – this stunning skyscraper is now once again the city’s tallest building. Completed in 1931, the 102-storey Empire State Building is a wonderful example of period architecture and the observatories on the 86th and 102nd floors offer magical and spectacular views of the city. Fifth Avenue at 34th Street Tel: (212) 736 3100. Fax: (212) 947 1360. Website: www.esbnyc.com Transport: Subway B, D or F to 34th Street. Opening hours: Daily 0930-2400. Admission: US$9, concessions available. Rockefeller Center Built in 1932-40, the Rockefeller Center is a masterpiece of urban design. The best approach is from the Channel Gardens, opposite Saks on Fifth Avenue – a popular lunchtime haunt flanked with shops and services – to arrive at the focal point of the complex, the sunken plaza, used as an ice rink in winter and an open-air restaurant in summer. Behind this, the sumptuous GE building dominates the scene with its Art Deco ambience inside and out. The Rockefeller Center is home to NBC, Radio City Music Hall and Christie's Auction House. NBC tours, lasting one and a half hours, are available and points of interest include the Today Show studio, the skating rink, the Prometheus and Atlas statues and the Channel Gardens. Fifth Avenue, 47th to 52nd Streets Tel: (212) 332 6868 or (212) 664 7174, to reserve a tour. Website: www.rockefellercenter.com Transport: Subway B, D, F, N, Q, R, 1 and 9 to Rockefeller Center. Opening hours: Mon-Sun 0930-1630 (tours run every half an hour) Admission: Adults US$10.00. Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) houses the most important modern art collection in the USA, covering a variety of media from the late 19th and 20th centuries, with impressive touring exhibitions. The museum is currently is the midst of a massive regeneration project that will add much needed extra exhibition space by 2005, however, is limiting what can be displayed in the meantime. 11 West 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Street Tel: (212) 708 9400. Website: www.moma.org Transport: Subway E or F to Fifth Avenue or 53rd Street. Opening hours: Sat-Tues and Thurs 1030-1745, Fri 1030-2030. Admission: US$12, concessions available; Fri 1630-2015 payment at patron's capacity and discretion. Soloman R Guggenheim Museum The Guggenheim Museum – a seven-storey conical building designed by US master architect Frank Lloyd Wright – is worth visiting if only for the building alone. Inside, it features an acclaimed collection of late 19th- and 20th-century art works, as well as touring exhibitions. There is also another Guggenheim in Soho. 1071 Fifth Avenue, at 89th Street Tel: (212) 423 3500. Website: www.guggenheim.org Transport: Subway 4, 5 or 6 to 86th Street. Opening hours: Sun-Wed 0900-1800, Fri and Sat 0900-2000. Admission: US$15, concessions available. Metropolitan Museum of Art Home to more than two million works of art spanning five millennia, ‘the Met’ is a cherished New York institution. It is the largest art museum in the western hemisphere and its collections are outstanding. 1000 Fifth Avenue, at 82nd Street Tel: (212) 535 7710. Website: www.metmuseum.org Transport: Subway 4, 5 or 6 to 86th Street. Opening hours: Tues-Sun 0930-1715, Fri and Sat 0930-2045. Admission: US$10 is suggested. Central Park New York’s famous playground, Central Park, in the centre of Manhattan, is a magnificent garden and a sanctuary from the city. Designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, it opened in 1876 and now offers numerous recreational and cultural outlets. The Belvedere Castle – a stone castle built on Vista Rock in the middle of the park – offers excellent views from its lookout, while the Shakespeare Garden, located behind the castle, contains flowers and herbs mentioned in the Bard’s plays. The Central Park Conservancy Tour offers various free walking tours of the park. The park also has a theatre and sports facilities, including tennis courts, ice rinks and lakes, in addition to the celebrated Central Park Zoo/Wildlife Conservation Center. Considered to be one of the world’s most appealing small zoos, it features a 2.2-hectare (5.5-acre) animal garden. The beautifully landscaped Central Garden and Sea Lion Pool is flanked on three sides by a glass-roofed colonnade, making it accessible even in wet weather. From 59th Street to 110th Street Tel: (212) 360 2727 (Central Park Conservancy Tour) or 861 6030 (Central Park Zoo/Wildlife Conservation Center). Website: www.centralparknyc.org Transport: Subway N or R to Fifth Avenue; or 4, 5 or 6 to 59th Street. Opening hours: Daily 1000-1630. Admission: Free. |
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