WHAT TO SEE IN MIDTOWN MANHATTAN: ITINERARY FOR THE CENTER OF NEW YORK

The idea we all have about New York before meeting it in the first person is probably the same: a mass of huge skyscrapers, steamy sewers, bright signs, yellow cabs like crazy on the asphalt and men in suits and tourists on the sidewalks. Close your eyes and think of New York, have we succeeded? Well, all this set of stereotypes that we have tired of seeing in American films are concentrated in a specific area of ​​the city: Midtown Manhattan, one of the most interesting areas, full of life and things to see and do.

Here are some of the most emblematic buildings and places in New York such as the Empire State Building, Times Square or the Grand Central Terminal. As we love you so much, we have prepared a itinerary through downtown New York so you don't miss anything!

Before starting let us clarify a couple of things:

• If you want to visit the area with calm and tranquility we recommend you follow this itinerary throughout an entire day.
• If instead you want to make the most of your time in New York, you know that it can be done in half a day, combining it, for example, with the visit of Chelsea and Meatpacking District in the evening. Mind you… have a good breakfast because we're going to give you XD tralla
• We recommend you return to Midtown, especially to the Broadway and Times Square area at night ... when everything is even more magical.

ITINERARY BY MIDTOWN MANHATTAN

TIMES SQUARE

We begin the itinerary in Times Square, the always latent heart of New York and a madness of people, neons and shops. But pretty crazy, huh ?! Here you will have to do a few things:

• Find the naked cowboy (and his wife!). We did NOT see it 🙁
• See the most peculiar NYPD curator in Manhattan.
• Sit on the famous red stairs to have the best panoramic view of the area.
• Count the neon screens (there are many, we warn ... although surely you will quickly find the largest digital screen in the US).
• Go shopping (even if it is only to enter the M & Ms and the Mc Donalds).
• And take a million photos!

Remember that you are in the “Theater District” so if you have time and you feel like you can take a walk around Broadway to see the more than 40 theaters that concentrate on this street alone.

Curiosity: did you know that it was called Long Acre Square before? It changed its name after the New York Times established its offices there in 1904.

ROCKEFELLER CENTER (AND TOP OF THE ROCK)

It is a complex of 19 buildings, among which famous places such as the Radio City Hallthose of the NBC and the Top of the Rock, which many consider the New York's best viewpoint. If you travel during Christmas you must absolutely stop by to freak out with your Christmas tree and to see the lighting ceremony (and skate on its ice rink, of course). Here we tell you how to visit the Top of the Rock (coming soon)

Do you know who the Rockefellers are? A whole dynasty! Its predecessor was John Davison Rockefeller, an entrepreneur who secured the monopoly of the oil industry (he was the founder of Standard Oil).

Tip: the best time to climb the Top of the Rock is just before nightfall (so you can have two perspectives of the city: day and night). Eye: the tripods are not allowed, if you carry it you must leave it in the control area. Buy your tickets here in advance.

SAN PATRICIO CATHEDRAL

It is surprising to run into hundreds of skyscrapers, with a Gothic cathedral but… this is New York, baby! It began to be built in 1858 and was dedicated to the patron of Ireland (as we told you in the United States History post, the Irish were one of the most numerous immigrants).

Open every day from 6:30 a.m. to 8:45 p.m. Its entrance is free and it is very beautiful (It has Wifi!)

GRAND CENTRAL TERMINAL

The Grand Central Terminal in New York is one of the largest, most trafficked and beautiful train stations of the world. Around it there are a thousand and one mysteries and curiosities, here are some:

• What we see is the new station, which was built in 1913. The old one dated from 1871, but its reconstruction was decided to modernize it, since in 1902 a train, after having missed a traffic light, collided with another killing 60 people. Many still They still call her with her old name: "Grand Central Station".
• The sky that is painted in the vault from the great hall ... is painted upside down! Although many want to see this detail as a mystery to solve, it was actually a human error.
• There is a whispers gallery (Whispering Gallery) where, if you whisper something stuck to one of the columns, the person on the other side of the room will hear you. Magic? No: acoustic And yes, it's true ... checked! Many people come here to ask their partners to marry (although to my Rober he only said “hello Letyyyy” tsss).
• It came out in hundreds of films: from clasicazos (With the death in the heels) to movies more modernillas (Superman) and even in cartoons (Madagascar).

If you want to know more about this special corner of New York, for € 10 you can take a tour with super interesting audio guide!

CHRYSLER BUILDING

Within walking distance is the Chrysler Building, one of the New York's most mythical skyscrapers. Art deco style, what stands out most is its curious "roof", made of overlapping domes so characteristic.

Curiosity: the Chrysler was the tallest skyscraper in the world until another building dethroned him. Which one? The Empire State Building!

Tip: you can visit the lobby of the building ... are you going to miss it?

NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY

The New York Public Library has 3 floors, 20 reading rooms and thousands and thousands of books. It is an essential stop and that surely you saw in the occasional movie, like Ghostbusters or Tomorrow.

Tip: don't miss theRose Main Reading Room, a huge room with thousands of books and imposing oak tables where New Yorkers spend time reading or studying. Is beautiful!

BRYANT PARK

After this kick there is nothing better than resting, and Bryant Park is the perfect place to do it! He is small, flirtatious, full of life and… he has one of the New York's best public toilets, haha, as is 🙂 In addition there is free wifi, which always comes in handy. It also has an area with tables and chairs (like a good American park), but this one with freely available board games, come on, it's a perfect stop to relax and rest for a while.

Tip: around the park there are a few hot dog carts, but they asked us $ 3…. We caught it anyway because we were starving, but you know that most dog positions cost $ 1-1.5. Those of 2-3 $ are only in tourist super zone and for guides :-p But that sat us well, joe! There is also a Wholefoods, so if you want you can have a little box with food and eat it in the park ... it's a great deal!

EMPIRE STATE BUILDING

The most beloved building in the city (and the tallest in the world until 1972) is one of the things you should visit in New York yes or yes. There are no excuses. Especially since from the top of its 381 meters you can get One of the best views over New York.

Admission is $ 36, but if you have the City Pass or the New York Pass (and we recommend any of them) it is included, you can also climb twice on the same day (to see the city with daylight and to see it at night).

Tip: we went up at noon and we wanted to go back up at sunset. Nanai! With the citypass it is true that you can climb twice, but the second (from May to October) is from 22:00. The same was a past huh ... but we ran out of sunset 🙁

KOREATOWN

It is not the typical visit of New York but if you are like a lover of Asia ... come closer! It is a small area full of korean stores and restaurants. So you know: if you fancy a korean bbq, is your site. Of course, Chinatown is very cool, but this is another story, of course!

Where is it located? On 32nd Street, from 5th Avenue to 6th Avenue.

FLATIRON BUILDING

It is perhaps the New York's most peculiar building and one of the rarest in the world. Its name refers to its characteristic shape, and it looks like a huge flatiron (flatiron); This fact causes a wind tunnel to be generated around it that, in the past, cheered the afternoon to some other pillín: they waited for a girl to see how the air lifted her skirts!

Tip: come to see the nearby one gold watch and take one of the most emblematic photos of New York. It is located on Fifth Avenue, just in front of the Flatiron Building.

MORE THINGS TO SEE AND DO IN MIDTOWN

• Go to MoMA: If art is cool you should go. And better on Fridays, after 4pm it's free! Some of the works you can see here are: The ladies of Avignon (Picasso), The starry Night (Van Gogh), Dance (Matisse) and The Persistence of Memory (Dalí). We did not go, but we wrote it down when we will return to New York.
• Eat at Halal Guys: Buah, of the best meals / dinners we made in New York. It is a street food cart that prepares HUGE dishes of rice with meat and salad, delicious !! We ordered 2 dishes (combo) and we had half left over (we had breakfast the next day, and often breakfast XD) but you can order one for two people quietly! It is at 53 between 6ª and the 7ª.
• Stroll along Fifth Avenue: the most chic street in the city where to look at the windows and dream of winning the lottery.
• See a musical on Broadway: Another thing we did not do and we will do ... hopefully soon! Although the prices are not very backpacker, if you can afford it you will surely not regret it. Some of the most popular works are: Chicago, The Lion King, The Phantom of the Opera, or Cats,
• Relax in Madison Square Park: A beautiful little park next to the Flatiron. Here is the first restaurant of Shake shack, so you know ... take advantage of the break to recharge with a delicious hamburger 🙂
• Walk until you reach Central Park: but this deserves a special entrance and here it is ... everything to see and do in Central Park.
• Have a beer and a puppy for $ 3. Cheaper you will not find it almost certainly! The site in question is the Rudy's and has its roll. Choose a beer from the ones you see on the poster (they start at $ 3 a pint!) And don't forget to ask for the puppy, it's free! Remember that for each drink you should leave $ 1 tip to the waiter.

So far our recommendations of things to see and do in Midtown Manhattan. Do you know more essential places?

* The neighborhoods of Chelsea, Meatpacking and Hell's Kitchen are within Midtown Manhattan although we have a special post about them, and we treat them as “separate neighborhoods”… that deserve their little time 🙂

MIDTOWN POINT OF INTEREST MAP