Riverside Church

The Christmas Tree, the Skating Rink, NBC Studios, the shops and hubbub - you can't miss it. The Christmas Tree and the Skating Rink are naturally not year round, but in the summer, the complex is a hub for touristy operations. Within the striking Art Deco buildings of the complex are several dining establishments overlooking the area and many stores. See the Rockettes, another show, or just tour the famous Art Deco masterpiece. On the 70th floor of the Comcast Building (better known by some as "30 Rock") is this narrow observation deck, built to resemble the deck of a cruise ship. The deck affords uninterrupted views over Central Park to the north and across Midtown to the south.

The only US museum devoted to Puerto Rican culture.

This is historic home that was built by local businessman James Bouton in 1891. Eight years later, Conrad Voelcker bought the house, and the Voelcker family lived in the house for three generations. Today, it is a museum, and there is a Victorian garden and a bird sanctuary outside.

This pretty building was built as Brooklyn's city hall in 1851 and is still a very significant official building in very active use.

Probably the most famous of the Guggenheim foundations (others found in Bilbao and Venice), which hold avant-garde modern art by artists such as Kandinsky and Mondrian, the New York branch is housed in a unique and famous building designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and rendered in a rounded, organic form and completed in 1959. Be sure to take the elevator to the top floor, then follow the spiral viewing floors downwards to the street level. One of eight buildings by Wright to be listed as a world heritage site.

Exhibits on the history of highrise and skyscraper construction.

Built in 1765, this is the oldest house on Manhattan Island. It served as George Washington's headquarters in 1776. Now a museum set on a 1.5-acre park, it features a decorative-arts collection representing the colonial and Revolutionary War periods. Washington's office is among the 12 restored rooms.

At the southern tip of Manhattan, Battery Park is a waterfront green space, named for the artillery batteries which were installed here to protect the settlement of New York when it was under Dutch, then British rule. In the lead-up to the War of 1812, 40.70343-74.0168214 Castle Clinton was constructed as a fort to protect the city, and is now operated as a small museum. There are several memorials in the park, including 40.70387-74.0172715 The Sphere, a public art piece originally housed on the World Trade Center site which survived the events of September 11 and was moved to Battery Park. Ferries departing to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island (see below) depart from here.

Sitting on Vista Rock, one of the highest points in the park, the castle provides excellent views of Central Park, particularly to the north. It is a popular spot for photography and contains a visitor center and a nature conservatory. Just below the castle to the north is Turtle Pond, a small, swamp-like pond holding various fish, frogs, insects, and birds.

One of the greatest and most popular collections of modern art, on a par with the Tate Modern in London or Paris's Centre Georges Pompidou. Exceedingly popular so be warned: queues for tickets start early and stretch long. To avoid the crowds, turn up at the door at least a half hour before opening, then take the elevator to the top floor and work your way down. The building is as much a draw as the outstanding collection; possessing arguably the best collection of modern masterpieces world-wide, MoMA houses important art works from Van Gogh, Picasso, Monet, Matisse, Salvador Dalí, Paul Cézanne, Frida Kahlo, Piet Mondrian, and works by leading American artists such as Jackson Pollock, Jasper Johns, Edward Hopper, Andy Warhol, and Chuck Close. MoMA also holds renowned art photography and design collections. In addition to being the crown jewel of modern art museums, MoMA puts on a terrific repertory program in a nicely renovated theater below the museum.

Dates back to 1680, and held an abortive peace conference during the Revolutionary War.

Housed in the Alexander Hamilton US Custom House, this Smithsonian museum is the New York branch of the National Museum of the American Indian (the other branches are in Washington, D.C. and Maryland).

Americana including Audubon’s watercolors of birds.

Large garden and arboretum featuring a variety of plants, and also a Victorian-style wedding garden.

A branch of the Smithsonian Institution, the Cooper Hewitt is devoted to over 240 years of contemporary and historic design, with changing exhibits.