My New York Trip

Our Local Expert Says:

For just a few of the many diversions available in the park, check out some advanced roller blading skills at "The Hill" west of Sheep's Meadow, or have a drink/meal at the Boathouse, near 74th Street on the east side of Rowboat Lake and open all summer.

Description:

The idea for Central Park was born in 1858, which a competition was held to choose a design for what would be the first public park built in America. The winners were Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, whose Greensward plan proposed an entirely man-made park that would be intended only for public use, as a refuge from the relentless rhythms of New York City's already overcrowded streets. It took more than 15 years and $14 million (the equivalent of about $200 million today) to build the Park, with its 843 acres and six-mile perimeter extending from Central Park West to Fifth Avenue and from 59th Street to 110th Street. Those 843 acres include 136 acres of woodlands, 250 acres of lawns, and 7 different bodies of water totaling some 150 acres.

Starting in 1980, a public-private partnership between New York City and the Central Park Conservancy restored and preserved Central Park, and attendance has only been rising in recent years. Now, more than 25 million visitors per year stroll its 58 miles of pedestrian paths, go horseback riding on 4.5 miles of bridle paths, bike or jog on its 6.5 miles of winding roads, or simply relax on the grass or on the nearly 9,000 benches provided. The famous Tavern on the Green restaurant - the location of the finish line for the New York City Marathon - was originally a sheepfold, housing the shepherd and the flock that grazed Sheeps Meadow until 1934. In nice weather, the still lush meadow now welcomes hordes of sunbathers, picnickers, and people-watchers, all of whom enjoy lounging underneath some of the only sky in Manhattan unmarked by tall buildings. Other special features of the park include the Central Park Carousel, the Marionette Theater, the Central Park Wildlife Center, the Charles A. Dana Discovery Center, the Delacorte Theater, the Great Lawn, the Central Park Zoo, the Henry Luce Nature Observatory, Wollman Rink, Lasker Rink, the Loeb Boathouse, and the North Meadow.

Our Local Expert Says:

Natives may avoid Times Square whenever possible, but its neon lights and cast of weird characters (including the Naked Cowboy) make it a must-see for the first-time visitor.

Description:

Located at the junction of Broadway and Seventh Avenue and stretching from West 42nd to West 47th Street, its glittering lights and neon signs make Times Square one of the most iconic sights of New York City. Formerly the property of fur trading and real estate tycoon John Jacob Astor, the square got its name in the early 1900s when the New York Times moved into a new skyscraper on 42nd Street. After new subways brought thousands of commuters to 42nd Street, the city's theaters moved up from the Bowery and lower Broadway, and the area is now the center of New York's bustling theater district.

In the decades after the Great Depression, Times Square became known as a dangerous neighborhood and a symbol of the city's decline and corruption from the 1960s to the 1990s. After a long-term development plan and a comprehensive crackdown on crime by the city government, the infamous center of pickpockets and porno theaters has been thoroughly reinvented and filled with more upscale and tourist-friendly attractions, hotels, vendors, and street performers.

Our Local Expert Says:

If you're in the mood for a little exercise, walk or ride your bike across this famous bridge for some of the best views of the city.

Description:

Opened in 1883, the Brooklyn Bridge is one of the oldest suspension bridges in the United States. It stretches 5,989 feet (1825 meters) across the East River and connects the boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn. At the time of its construction, it was the largest suspension bridge in the world and the first steel-wire suspension bridge. The bridge was designed by the New Jersey architect John Augustus Roebling, who died before construction began after he contracted tetanus from a wound sustained in a ferry accident during surveys for the bridge project. Built from limestone, granite, and cement, the Brooklyn Bridge is an example of Gothic-style architecture, with its characteristic pointed arches topping twin passageways through huge stone towers. Because Roebling designed a bridge and truss system six times stronger than he thought it needed to be, the Brooklyn Bridge is still standing, while many other bridges built around the same time have had to be replaced.

In the past, the inside lanes of traffic on the bridge carried the elevated trains of the Brooklyn-Manhattan Transport (BMT) Corporation from stations in Brooklyn to a terminal at Manhattan's Park Row. Streetcars shared the other lanes with other traffic until the elevated trains stopped using the bridge in 1944 and the streetcars moved to the center lanes. Six years later, the streetcars also stopped running, and the bridge was rebuilt to its present configuration, with six lanes of automobile traffic. A separate walkway runs along the centerline for pedestrians and bicyclists, and boasts some of the best views of the Manhattan and Brooklyn skylines.

Our Local Expert Says:

Grabbing a bite to eat at Grand Central is easy these days, with a food concourse below ground offering a great selection of options from pizza to gourmet sandwiches to Indian food. For a classier meal or drink, there's always the Oyster Bar, a New York City institution.

Description:

Often called Grand Central Station, this major transportation hub located on the corner of Park Avenue and 42nd Street serves commuters on the New York City subway as well as the Metro-North Railroad, which travels to Westchester, Putnam, and Dutchess Counties in New York and Fairfield and New Haven counties in Connecticut. Aside from its importance as a transportation center, Grand Central Terminal is also one of New York's most durable landmarks, and a dramatic symbol of the hustle and bustle of the city. The decision to electrify New York's trains around 1900 meant that rail yard operations were moved underground and centered in a new, breathtaking Beaux-Arts terminal building, completed in 1913. Later, Grand Central was almost destroyed (the fate of the original Pennsylvania Station across town), but preservationists including Jacqueline Kennedy had it declared landmark in the mid-1960s.

Those approaching Grand Central Terminal from the south are rewarded with views of the building's impressive façade, topped by a 13-foot clock. The clock features the world's largest example of Tiffany glass and is surrounded by huge sculptures of the Roman gods Hercules, Minerva, and Mercury. The interior of the terminal's main concourse is 120 feet wide, 375 feet long, and 125 feet high, and is covered with an impressive vaulted ceiling, painted like an evening sky, with gilded stars and constellations (part of a recent four-year-long renovation). Some 125,000 commuters pass through the terminal every day, in addition to some 500,000 visitors.

Description:

In the midst of New York City is this working monument to world peace. The U.N. headquarters occupies 18 acres of international territory -- neither the city nor the United States has jurisdiction here -- along the East River from 42nd to 48th streets. Designed by an international team of architects (led by American Wallace K. Harrison and including Le Corbusier) and finished in 1952, the complex along the East River weds the 39-story glass slab Secretariat with the free-form General Assembly on beautifully landscaped grounds donated by John D. Rockefeller, Jr. The 180 member-nations use the facilities to arbitrate worldwide disputes.

Guided tours leave every half-hour or so and last 45 minutes to an hour. Your guide will take you to the General Assembly Hall and the Security Council Chamber and introduce the history and activities of the United Nations and its related organizations. Along the tour you'll see donated objects and artwork, including charred artifacts that survived the atomic bombs at Hiroshima and Nagasaki, stained-glass windows by Chagall, a replica of the first Sputnik, and a mosaic called The Golden Rule, based on a Norman Rockwell drawing, which was a gift from the United States in 1985.

If you take the time to wander the beautifully landscaped grounds, you'll be rewarded with lovely views and some surprises. The mammoth monument Good Defeats Evil, donated by the Soviet Union in 1990, fashioned a contemporary St. George slaying a dragon from parts of a Russian ballistic missile and an American Pershing missile.

For an unusual treat, try a multi-ethnic meal while visiting the U.N. at the Delegates' Dining Room (tel. 212/963-7625). Lunch is served from 11:30am to 2pm. Diners must be 12 years or older.

Description:

One of the major landmarks of New York City, the Madison Square Garden's theatre evokes sweet memories from visitors to this place. Though primarily known for the hosting of sports games, Madison Square Garden (MSG) is favoured by lovers of theatre as well. Check out the musical concerts at the Theatre of MSG. Watch your favorite pugilists fight to the finish as you hang on to the edge of your seat. Or spend some happy moments with your loved ones while enjoying the Family Shows. Regardless of what you choose, it's unlikely that you will leave this theatre without wanting to come back again.