Times Square is a dazzling spectacle of video screens, LED signs, and flashing lights. Depending on who you ask, it can be seen as either a captivating world wonder or a bustling tourist hub. Today, Times Square is known for its family-friendly attractions, featuring themed restaurants, theaters, and hotels. It has also emerged as a significant business district.
While the vivid lights can be appreciated at any hour, visiting Times Square at night offers an especially mesmerizing experience. The whole area comes alive as the signs and screens burst into vibrant colors. Among its many claims to fame, Times Square is celebrated worldwide for the iconic New Year's Eve ball drop that draws thousands of visitors each year.
For those curious about the grittier Times Square of the past, traces of it can still be found near the Port Authority Bus Terminal and on Eighth Avenue to the west. Despite the area's transformation, these parts retain some character of the bygone era.
The TKTS Booth in Times Square offers discounted tickets for Broadway and off-Broadway shows, attracting theater enthusiasts looking for a good deal. Yet, there's more to this booth than affordable tickets. Behind it lies a striking red-lit glass staircase, serving as an elevated viewpoint. From these "bleachers," visitors can escape the street's bustle and enjoy a unique vantage point of the crowd and the endless flickering lights.
Above the booth, a video screen provides a live feed of the top step, offering passersby a fleeting chance to see themselves on one of the many displays that define Times Square.
When One Times Square was unveiled in 1905, it stood as the second-tallest building in the world. Originally built to house The New York Times, it served this purpose for less than a decade. Despite its brief tenure as a newspaper headquarters, the building remains a landmark for its role in the annual New Year's Eve ball drop.
Another notable feature of One Times Square is the famous Dow Jones news and sports ticker, the first of its kind. This news zipper, attached to the building's lower facade, continues to capture the attention of onlookers, broadcasting live updates to the many who pass by daily.
Source - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Times_Square
A small museum dedicated to finance and the markets, with exhibits that change periodically. Closed to find a new location as of Mar 2024.
One of Brooklyn's most prized brownstone neighborhoods. It is predominantly residential, characterized by late 19th- and early 20th-century rowhouses with architectural significance. Street signs in the Historic District are brown rather than green.
Governors Island has a long military history, home to headquarters and military posts of the United States Army from 1794 until 1966, then a complex for the U.S. Coast Guard before becoming a historic district open to tours.
Small and gem-like, New York's "oldest, newest zoo" opened in its current guise in 1988, although animals in various zoo incarnations have resided here since the 1860s. This zoo is fairly small and doesn't have as many large animals as you might expect, but this zoo does include sea lions, snow leopards, penguins, polar bears, monkeys, red pandas and exotic birds in pleasant exhibits. Next door is a children's zoo, covered in the cost of admission, which has a barnyard animals you can pet, a duck pond, and lots of play areas for kids.
This 11 acre lake is one of Central Park's finest spots; surrounded by flowering trees and inhabited by several fish and turtle species.
A 2011 addition to the Lower Manhattan skyline, this 76-story residential skyscraper by the noted Frank Gehry has a distinctive rippled, "wavy" facade that is quite eye-catching. It is best viewed from City Hall Park and the Brooklyn Bridge.
An elevated walkway and jetty provides access to the only natural salt marsh remaining in Manhattan, and expansive views of the Hudson River and the cliffs of Spuyten Duyvil in the Bronx across the river.
A museum dedicated to the history of the NYPD.
A picturesque brick building that actually predates the park. It was built in 1851 to serve as a munitions supply depot for the New York State National Guard, and was designed to look like a medieval fortress, with battlements overlooking the area. Today the building holds a refreshment stand and a small art gallery with rotating/seasonal exhibits.
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.
Once the Audubon Ballroom where Malcolm X was assassinated with 21 gunshots. Only a part of the facade of the original building remains (Columbia University demolished the building in 1992). The location now houses a memorial to Malcolm X and Betty Shabazz, with a stated goal of advancing human rights and social justice. It also features a 63-foot mural depicting Malcolm X's life.
Dating back to 1663, this fort was used during both the American Revolution and the War of 1812. It remained active until 1995. It is now semi-active, with its main use being local headquarters for the United States Coast Guard. Tours are available.
Get up close to over 200 lifelike wax figures of the biggest stars and icons in entertainment, sports and history.
A sort of mini forest, described by its designer as a "wild garden," the Ramble is sculpted out of a wooded hillside, with winding paths, rocky outcrops, secluded glades, and a tumbling stream. If one travels through the ramble when the trees are full, it is easy to lose sight of the city's skyscrapers; it's as if you're no longer in Manhattan. The Ramble is also an excellent place to bird watch, with over 250 species of birds that stop here on their migration.
This beach is a pleasant place to relax. The water is safe enough to swim in, but it's not the best you can get (you'd get a better deal down the Jersey Shore or on Long Island). The boardwalk, one of the longest in the United States, is great for running or biking.
48 magnificent gardens and plant collections on a 250-acre historic site.
Large garden and arboretum featuring a variety of plants, and also a Victorian-style wedding garden.