When I think about New York City, I picture the skyline filled with towering skyscrapers, Wall Street, cultural diversity, busy streets with the endless hammering of taxi horns, and the New Year’s Eve ball drop at Times Square. All of this is in a specific part of New York City called Manhattan. Manhattan is one of five boroughs (county-like areas within New York’s city limits) that collectively form New York City. The others boroughs are The Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island which I have marked on the image below.

Manhattan itself has multiple sections within it (e.g., Lower, Midtown, and Upper). Let’s zoom in and take a look at Midtown Manhattan – the focus of this post. I’ve marked the map below with a few points of interest you may enjoy visiting on a trip to New York and will share a bit about these locations.

Seeing the Empire State Building was high on my list. It was completed in 1931 and built on the original site of the famous Waldorf-Astoria hotel. It stood as the world’s tallest building for nearly 40 years until the completion of the World Trade Center’s North Tower in Lower Manhattan in late-1970. Following the September 11 attacks in 2001, it was again the tallest building in New York City. It has since been surpassed by the new One World Trade Center located in lower Manhattan. Currently, the Empire State building is the sixth-tallest skyscraper in the United States, and the 45th-tallest in the world.

Another landmark skyscraper is the Chrysler building. The Chrysler Building. At the time of its completion in 1930, it was the tallest building in the world. A year later, the Empire State building would take that title. Currently, the building is ranked as the 94th tallest building in the world and #7 in the United States.

Not far from the Chrysler building is another New York landmark – Grand Central Terminal. Opened in 1913, Grand Central is a world-famous landmark and transportation hub in Midtown Manhattan. It is filled with shops, restaurants, art, and…commuters. With 750,000 visitors every day, Grand Central Terminal is one of the most-visited destinations in New York City, second only to Times Square. 

Speaking of Time Square, what a spectacle! Times Square is one of the world’s most visited tourist attractions and draws an estimated 50 million visitors annually. The area was originally known as Longacre Square and renamed Times Square in 1904 after the New York Times (a large U.S. media company) moved its headquarters to the site. It is now home the annual New Year’s Eve ball drop (began in 1907). This event alone draws over one million visitors each year. The area is surrounded by high-end and one-of-a-kind retail stores, corporate headquarters, huge flashing neon lights, and is packed with wide-eyed visitors. Even if you don’t like crowds, this a place you have to wade into at least once.

Just off Times Square is the theater district where you can take in a play or musical one evening.

I’m sure shopping (at least window shopping) will be high on the to-do list for many. You’ll want to at least take a stroll down Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue and check these flagship, high-end stores.

Rockefeller Center is another landmark attraction. NBC (a popular US TV network) has studios here. You can watch the Today show through the window and occasionally the hosts will come out and mingle…and even put you on TV. There are plenty of shops, restaurants, ice skating, and art around this massive complex to enjoy. Be sure to visit Top of the Rock for a breathtaking view of the city.

At the northern tip of Midtown Manhattan is Central Park. It is amazing that city planners had the foresight to protect this natural oasis from development. Central Park was opened to the public as a park in 1858. There have been periods of decline in its history but today it operates under a healthy budget and is surrounded by upscale communities on the upper east and upper west sides as the park as it extends northward from Midtown. I have been in the park several times and it is clear that New Yorkers are enjoying it for both exercise and more leisurely pursuits. I would encourage you to visit the park especially in late spring and summer. It is surreal to be standing in Central Park with skyscrapers rising above the large trees.

Heading back into Midtown, and landmark luxury hotel worth being on the lookout for is the Waldorf Astoria. Up until 1963, it was the tallest hotel in the world. Its early years were renowned for lavish dinner parties and galas and the hotel was often at the center of political and business conferences involving the rich and famous. The Waldorf Astoria and Towers has over 1400 rooms and suites. The suites are named after famous residents of a bygone era such as President Hoover (who lived there for 30 years), Cole Porter, Royal Suites (named after the Duke and Duchess of York), the MacArthur Suite (famous World War II General), the Churchill Suite, and the Frank Sinatra Suite.

If you enjoy military history, you might consider heading west to the Hudson River to visit the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum. The USS Intrepid (centerpiece of the museum) was launched in 1943 and served in the Pacific Theater during World War II. She survived five kamikaze attacks and one torpedo strike. The ship later served in the Cold War, Vietnam War, and as a NASA recovery vessel in the 1960s. NASA recovery support included the Mercury and Gemini space missions. Decommissioned in 1974, the USS Intrepid is berthed on the Hudson River.

Heading south from the USS Intrepid, make your way towards Hudson Yards. The skyscrapers below are striking with the sky reflecting off of them. If you look a little lower, you’ll notice a curious looking structure known as the The Vessel (which you can enter) along with portions of the Hudson rail yard. This area is in the midst of an urban revival with significant investment in restaurants, shops, parks, office, and residential development. I took the photo on the left from the High Line which is a former railroad track that has been converted into a beautiful 1.5 mile walkway with flowers and art. It is a gorgeous place to walk or go for a run.