New York
N New York has always been a great opportunity for real
estate investors such as Donald trump and more. From luxury condominiums to
Residential homes if you BUY RIGHT you will have your investment grow as
high as 25% per year on a short term. Now with several income properties
throughout western New York, NYC and the capital Albany NY.
Our Income Properties in New York
New York City
New York City the BIG APPLE suffered a major blow to the real estate
during the 911 attacks and in the latest financial meltdown. This makes a
PERFECT STORM for cash flow investing properties
See Income Properties >>
Buffalo New York
Buffalo New York is an attractive opportunity for investors today. With
grown economy and government programs such as section 8 this unique properties
typically are fully rehabbed, rented and managed
See Income Properties >>
Albany New York
Capital of New York Albany and its suburbs making a comeback. With our
income properties located in the capital and suburbs such as troy, Saratoga
springs and Schenectady making our investment real estate especially
attractive
See Income Properties >>
New York's Landscape and Travel Directory
For many, "New York" is synonymous with The Big Apple: skyscrapers,
Broadway shows, Wall Street. However, most of the state's 54,520 square miles
are dominated by farms, forests, rivers, mountains, and lakes. Its Adirondack
State Park, alone, is roughly the size of the state of Vermont, and New York's
beaches, both ocean and fresh water, stretch for hundreds of miles. Central New
York is home to the glacially-created Finger Lakes and to the west, Niagara
Falls, the nation's honeymoon capital, thunders over the crestline at a rate of
more than 6 million cubic feet of water every minute.
The state has about a quarter of its land in farms and the south
shore of Lake Erie, the Finger Lakes hillsides, and the eastern forks of Long
Island have many vineyards, making New York the nation's second-largest
wine-producing state, behind California.
New York Demographic History
New York's diversity of landscape is mirrored by its diverse
demographics. In the 1600s, Dutch and English settlers displaced the Native
American tribes residing in the region. And during the immigration waves that
followed, Ellis Island was the gateway for millions of immigrants: Irish,
Italian, Jewish, Polish, German, Hungarian, and many more. It has been estimated
that nearly half of all Americans today can trace their family history to at
least one person who passed through the Port of New York at Ellis Island. Newer
immigrants from Asia and Latin America have helped to swell New York's
population to its present 18,655,275, making it the third most populous state,
behind California and Texas.
New York Real Estate Information and Economy
If New York were an independent nation, it would rank as the 16th
largest economy. Its 2005 per capita personal income was $40,072, placing it
fifth in the nation. New York City is the leading center of banking, finance and
communication in the nation.
As a major agricultural producer, New York ranks among the top five
states. The state also has a large manufacturing sector that includes printing
and the production of garments, furs, railroad equipment and bus line vehicles.
Many of these industries are concentrated in upstate regions. Albany and the
Hudson Valley are major centers of nanotechnology and microchip manufacturing.
Like its landscape and its demographics, the New York real estate
market is varied. While New York real estate prices range from well under
$100,000 for a single-family house in rural communities to more than $4 million
for an apartment in Manhattan's Dakota Building where John Lennon lived with
Yoko Ono, the New York statewide median value of owner-occupied homes is
$258,900. The median of selected monthly owner costs with a mortgage is $1,652
Below is a list of some suggested things to do and see in the New York
Metropolitan Area, with links to more details when available.
American Museum of Natural History
The American Museum of Natural History, in Midtown Manhattan, offers
permanent and changing exhibits covering Asian, American Indian, Pacific
islanders, South American, Aztec and Mayan cultures. It also features
one of the world’s largest fossils displays, including a Tyrannosaurus
Rex and Apatosaurus, plus other exhibits ranging from human body to
animals and minerals.
Central Park West at 79th Street. (212) 769-5100
Apollo Theater
A major entertainment landmark, Harlem's Apollo Theater was
originally known as Hurtig & Seamon's New (Burlesque) Theater, with
vaudeville and burlesque for white audiences. In 1934, Frank Schiffman,
a white entrepreneur, started showcasing leading black entertainers for
mixed audiences, putting the Apollo forever on the map. Legends such as
Billie Holiday, Duke Ellington, and Dinah Washington played the Apollo,
where amateur nights jump-started careers for Pearl Bailey, James Brown,
and Gladys Knight. Wednesday is amateur night. Back-stage tours, in groups of up to 20 take place daily, linking
past, present and future. Gift shop merchandise includes vintage Apollo
items.
253 West 125th Street, near Frederick Douglass Boulevard. (212) 749-5838
Bronx Magnetism
As for the Bronx, some say how Swede it is, since it was settled in
1639 and named for the Swedish settler Jonas Bronck. More than 60
landmarks and historic districts are in the Bronx, including the Edgar
Allen Poe Cottage on the Grand Concourse and the Van Cortlandt Mansion
and Museum in Van Cortlandt Park. Wave Hill, a former private estate
once home to Mark Twain and Theodore Roosevelt, among others, has
spectacular views overlooking the Hudson River and New Jersey’s soaring
500-foot cliffs, the Palisades. Its 28-acres, given to the city for use
as a public garden, also has wooded paths, herb and flower gardens, and
benches for contemplation. The Bronx Zoo/Wildlife Conservation Park show
cases more than 600 species indoor in indoor/outdoor environments.
Bronx Zoo, Fordham Road, off the Bronx River Parkway. (718) 367-1010
Edgar Allen Poe Cottage, Poe Park, 2460 Grand Concourse. (718) 881-8900
Van Cortlandt Mansion and Museum, Broadway at 246th Street, Van
Cortlandt Park, Riverdale. (718) 543-3344
Wave Hill, 675 West 252nd Street. (718) 549-3200
Brooklyn Children’s Museum
Open since 1899, Brooklyn Children’s Museum is the world’s first for
youngsters, with nearly 27,000 cultural objects and natural history
specimens. The Museum's first home was in Adams Building, a Victorian
mansion in Brooklyn’s
Bedford Park, in 1923 renamed Brower Park. Parlor rooms
and halls held exhibits, with workshops and a library upstairs.
Youngsters were encouraged to participate, not just look. Driving force
Anna Billings Gallup becoming curator in 1904, and invented ways for
children to use the Museum. During the 1930s Depression, federal WPA
workers made improvements, while the Museum expanded its take-home
program, now called the Portable Collections. After WWII, the BCM helped
children prepare for the "space age." By 1967, the expanded BCM’s Adams
and Smith mansions were deemed beyond repair. Temporary space, called
“The Muse,” in a renovated pool hall and auto showroom opened in 1968,
leading to experiments with dance and music classes. In 1977, BCM's
Brower Park building opened on the Smith mansion site with other
building structures recycled into the architecture. Visitors enter
through a trolley kiosk from the 1900's. A "People Tube" -- a huge sewer
pipe -- connects four exhibit floors, and a corn oil tank serves as "The
Tank" -- an amphitheater.
45 Brooklyn Avenue, at St. Marks Avenue. (718) 735-4400
Bryant Park
A park since 1842, Bryant Park’s midtown location – one block from
Times Square – is a big lunch hour destination in warm weather,
typically hosting more than 5,000 workers on a football field-sized
lawn. Amenities include a French-style carousel (mid-park on 40th
Street), chess tables, free yoga classes, 25,000 varieties of flowers,
and free wireless access. Bryant Park provides multiple venues for
year-round events and gatherings. Six flower beds border Bryant Park’s
lawn to the north and south—three on the shady south side and three on
the sunny north. Along the northern and southern sides are twin
promenades bordered by London plane trees (Platanus acerifolia), the
same species found at the Jardin des Tuileries in Paris, and
contributing to Bryant Park’s European aura.
Behind New York Public Library between 40th and 42nd streets.
Carnegie
Hall
Since Walter Damrosch conducted the first "Young People's Concert"
in 1891, Carnegie Hall has taught all ages about music. Each season
includes concerts for families, workshops for teachers and musicians,
programs for students and schools, and free concerts in NYC
neighborhoods. One-hour backstage tours, (212) 903-9765, detail the
story of Andrew and Louise Carnegie and how the Hall was saved from
demolition in 1960. Carnegie's century-long performance tradition
showcased artists from Tchaikovsky to Mahler, from Horowitz to Callas to
Bernstein, Judy Garland and
the
Beatles. Gift shop merchandise strikes a chord celebrating
the Hall's 111-year-plus history.
Corner of 57th Street and Seventh Avenue. (212) 247-7800
Central Park
Designed in 1858 by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux,
envisioning a wooded urban oasis from treeless, rocky terrain and
stagnant swampland, Central Park is New York City’s backyard -- a place
where people of all social and ethnic backgrounds mingle. The 843-acre
Central Park, covering six percent of Manhattan, has more than 26,000
trees, 58 miles of scenic paths, and nearly 9,000 benches on 843 acres.
Attracting 25 million people a year, it also houses the
Central Park Zoo and Wildlife Center, lakes, boathouse, sports
facilities and entertainment. Four visitor centers are: Belvedere
Castle, a 19th century stone castle and home to the Henry Luce Nature
Observatory; The Dairy Visitor Center and Gift Shop, in a Victorian
building with a reference library; Charles A. Dana Discovery Center,
with hands-on exhibits; and North Meadow Recreation center, with
indoor/outdoor climbing walls, basketball and handball courts. At least
eight different free, volunteer-led
walking tours are sponsored by the Central Park Conservancy, (212)
360-2726.
Belvedere Castle, mid-park at 79th Street. (212) 772-0210
The Dairy at Central Park, Mid-Park at 65th Street. (212) 794-6567
Charles A. Dana Discovery Center, 110th Street and Lenox Avenue. (212)
860-1370
North Meadow Recreation Center, mid-park at 97th Street. (212) 348-4867
Cheapies and Freebies
New York City has hundreds of no-cost or low-cost pleasures from
concerts, plays, and museums to TV show tapings, and tours throughout
the five boroughs. For a start on cheapies and freebies, drop by NYC’s
Official Visitor Information Center at 810 Seventh Avenue at 53rd
Street, the City Hall Park Visitor Information Kiosk downtown at the
southern tip of City Hall Park, or the Harlem Visitor Information Kiosk
uptown at the State Office Building plaza at 163 West 125th Street and
Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard. Awaiting are hundreds of brochures
and expert, multilingual visitor counselors to advise on all things New
York.
Chelsea Piers
Saved from being paved over by a failed highway project, historic
Chelsea Piers has emerged into a $120 million privately financed 30-plus
acre
waterfront sports-entertainment complex housing a golf
driving range, ice- and roller-skating, bowling, and a health club. With
the Statue
of Liberty National Monument as part of the panorama, four
once-neglected piers – 59, 60, 61, and 62 – also have shops and
restaurants. Luxury liners of yesteryear once departed from the Piers
amid hoopla and champagne. In 1910, the Chelsea Piers debuted with
speeches noting eight-years of construction after three decades of talk.
In 1907, even before the Piers were done, the Lusitania and Mauretania
docked there. For the next 50 years, Chelsea Piers was the city's
premier passenger ship terminal, an embarkation point for WWI and WWII
soldiers, and finally, a cargo terminal. Obsolescence struck with jets
and container ships requiring facilities Manhattan could never provide.
Redevelopment of the four surviving Chelsea Piers brings to mind the
days when the famed White Star and Cunard lines, with as many as 20 stacks in view, prepared to
sail. As the high and mighty disembarked, so did immigrants from
steerage below, by 1910 arriving daily by the thousands. Most ships came
first to Chelsea Piers, before transferring to ferries bound for Ellis
Island and freedom.
Golf Club, Pier 59. (212) 336-6400
Sports Center, Pier 60. (212) 336-6000
Sky Rink, Ice Hockey, Pier 61. (212) 336-6100
Roller Rink, Field House, Pier 62. (212) 336-6500, (212) 336-6200
Chinatown and Civic Center
In Lower Manhattan adjacent to the Civic Center, New York City's
Chinatown, a packed neighborhood still growing rapidly, is the largest
Chinatown in the U.S., with the largest concentration of Chinese in the
western hemisphere! Both a
tourist attractions and the home of the majority of Chinese New
Yorkers, Chinatown has hundreds of restaurants (especially on Mott, Pell
and Doyers streets), booming fruit and fish markets, and shops for
knickknacks and sweets on winding, crowded streets. The Civic Center,
anchored by City Hall, is a landmark building which has been the seat of
City government for 186 years. The Museum of Chinese in the Americas
(MoCa) has exhibits of national scope.
Museum of Chinese in the Americas, 70 Mulberry Street at Bayard. (212)
619-4785
Chrysler Building
Built for auto tycoon Walter Chrysler in “Style Moderne,” the
building exemplifies the machine age in architecture, symbolic of 1920s
New York. In the summer of 1929, Chrysler was battling Wall Street’s
Bank of Manhattan Trust Company for the title of world's tallest
building. In spring, 1930, just when it looked like the bank would
prevail for the coveted title, Chrysler’s crew jacked a needle-thin
spire through the top of the crown to claim the title of world's tallest
at 1,046 feet. Since Chrysler wanted not only the world's tallest
structure, but also a bold structure, he decorated his skyscraper with
hubcaps, mudguards, and hood ornaments, just like his cars, hoping such
a distinctive building would make his car company a household name. The
Chrysler Building is now recognized as New York City's greatest display
of Art Deco, characterized by sharp angular or zigzag surface forms and
ornaments. Four months after completion of the Chrysler Building, the
new
Empire State Building claimed title of the world’s tallest.
405 Lexington Avenue. The Cloisters The Cloisters, in upper Manhattan,
is a branch of the
Metropolitan Museum of Art including parts of five French cloisters,
a Romanesque chapel, and gardens. Fort Tryton Park. (212) 937-3700.
Cooper-Hewitt -
National Design Museum
Housed in the Andrew Carnegie mansion and considered the design
authority of the United States,
Cooper-Hewitt - National Design Museum, a part of the Smithsonian
Institution, is the nation’s only museum devoted exclusively to historic
and contemporary design. Holdings encompass diverse, comprehensive
collections of design works, tracing history of design through more than
250,000 objects spanning 23 centuries from the Han Dynasty (200 B.C.) to
the present. Special strengths of the library include a 6,500-volume
rare book collection and a world's fair collection containing more than
1,000 items from guides to ephemera.
Corner of Fifth Avenue and 91st Street. (212) 839-8351.
Ellis Island
Lower Manhattan’s Ellis Island, point of entry to millions of
immigrants from 1892 to 1924, has exhibits relating the history of the
processing station. Among immigrants passing through and going on to
illustrious careers are: Irving Berlin, musician, arrived in 1893 from
Russia; Marcus Garvey, politician, arrived 1916 from Jamaica; Bob Hope,
comedian, arrived in 1908 from England; Knute Rockne, football coach,
arrived in 1893 from Norway; and the von Trapp family of "Sound of Music"
fame, arrived in 1938 from Austria.
New York Harbor, near
Statue of
Liberty National Monument. (212) 269-5755.
Empire State Building
Midtown’s famed Empire State Building, at 1,454 feet tall, was built
in 1931 in Art Deco style with 2 million square feet of office space and
an observation tower on the 102nd floor. Construction took one year and
45 days including Sundays and holidays with 7 million man hours. The
cost ($24,718,000) was halved by onset of the Depression, with the total
cost ending at $40,948,900, including land. The observation area is open
365 days from 9:30 a.m. to midnight, with the last elevator heading up
at 11:15 p.m.
350 Fifth Avenue at 34th Street. (212) 736-3100
Fashion Flair
Informing and inspiring clothes horses, New York’s Fashion Institute
of Technology (FIT) shows off thousands of designer costumes,
accessories, fabrics and the work of renowned fashion photographers in
the Institute’s free museum. Dedicated to documentation of fashion and
style for all levels of society, the museum interprets design from
magnificent Balenciagas to sturdy denim within social and cultural
contexts. For a fashion update, Macy’s group tour, at $10 per person,
discusses the history of the world’s largest department store, from 1857
beginnings to its status today with more than two million square feet of
selling space.
Fashion Institute of Technology, Seventh Avenue at 27th Street. (212)
217-5800
Macy’s, 151 West 34th Street, Visitor Center on 34th Street Balcony.
(212) 695-4400
Flatiron Building
The triangular shape of the Flatiron Building (an early skyscraper)
produced wind currents that made women’s skirts billow, spurring police
to create the term “23 skiddoo” when shooing away gawkers assembling for
the show. The building apex, just six feet wide, expands into a
limestone wedge adorned with Gothic and Renaissance details of Greek
faces and terra cotta flowers.
175 Fifth Avenue, between 22nd and 23rd streets.
Grant’s Tomb
Ulysses S. Grant, Civil War general and two-term U.S. president,
rests beside his wife Julia in the largest mausoleum in the U.S. The two
grand sarcophagi are modeled after Napoleon's tomb in Les Invalides in
Paris. The white granite mausoleum overlooking the Hudson River and
Riverside park was completed in 1897, and also displays Grant
memorabilia and Civil War artifacts. More than one million people
attended the parade and dedication ceremony of Grant's Tomb, on April
27, 1897. Admission is free.
122nd Street and Riverside Drive. (212) 666-1640
Green-Wood Cemetery
Brooklyn’s Green-Wood Cemetery, an “outdoor museum” filled with
extraordinary works of sculpture and architecture, is home to graves of
national figures including musical great Leonard Bernstein, artist Louis
Comfort Tiffany, newspaperman Horace Greeley and William “Bill the
Butcher” Poole, the 19th-century gang leader depicted in Martin
Scorsese’s film Gangs of New York. The cemetery conducts regular public
tours year-round for $10. Self-guided walking tours are also available.
500 25th Street, Brooklyn. (718) 788-7850
Greenwich
Village
Lower Manhattan’s Greenwich Villages, east, central, and west, are
long the focal point of New York's artistic and literary life, and a
popular visitor attraction with lively street activity in and around
historic Washington Square.
Ground Zero
Museum Workshop
Daily interactive, hands-on tours of the future site of the Ground
Zero Museum, located about an 8-minute cab or subway ride from the
Ground Zero site, including the Gary Marlon Suson collection of
photographs illustrating recovery efforts, and artifacts recovered from
the remains of the 9/11 attack, are given every day in English, French,
Spanish and Italian, located in Manhattan's Meat Packing District. Tours
are 90 minutes in length, and advance purchase of tickets is required.
420 West 14th Street, 2nd Floor (between 9th Avenue and Washington
Street), Manhattan. (212) 209-3370
Inside CNN
Tracing the history of journalism and the CNN news gathering process
with insight on how control rooms operate, Inside CNN provides guided
45-minute tours departing every 10 minutes, at the Time Warner Center.
10 Columbus Circle, near southwest corner of Central Park, between West
58th and 60th Streets. (866) 4-CNN-NYC.
Jacques Marchais Museum of Tibetan Art
Built to resemble a small Himalayan Temple, the Jacques Marchais
Museum of Tibetan Art is one of only two Himalayan-style, monastery
buildings in the Western world and is the only one in the U.S. An
intricate altar within this little known treasure was blessed by H.H.
the Dalai Lama in 1991. The museum collection includes Tsong Khapa
(1357-1410) in unbaked, painted clay from the 14th century and
Shakyamuni Buddha, in gilded metal alloy from 18th century China. Also
on grounds are meditation gardens, and a pond for lotus and fish. The
museum’s gift shop stocks items handmade by Tibetans living in exile,
along with fine art reproductions, jewelry, mysterious ritual objects,
unusual books, sacred music CDs, incense and many exotic, one-of-a-kind
items. Events and programs throughout the year include the annual
Tibetan Rug Bazaar, a Walking Meditation Series, and a Tibetan Festival
with henna body painting. In a residential neighborhood, museum parking
is limited and visitors are asked to guard against blocking driveways.
Hours throughout the year are Wednesday to Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m.
Admission is free for members, $5 for adults, and $3 for
seniors/students.
338 Lighthouse Avenue, Staten Island. (718) 987-3500
Jewish Museum
The Jewish Museum, in Upper Manhattan, is the largest such museum in
the world outside Israel, with exhibitions covering 4,000 years of
Jewish art, history and culture.
1109 Fifth Avenue at 92nd Street. (212) 423-3200
Little Italy
Little Italy in Lower Manhattan, and the place to buy Italian
cheeses, sausages and breads, is an excellent place for immersion into
Old World atmosphere. In summer, al fresco dining on Mulberry Street is
reminiscent of an evening in Naples or Rome.
Long Island Vineland Tour
Tour the vineyards and taste the wines produced at the east end of
Long Island, in limousines and party buses with a variety of packages
available. 111 Albany Avenue, Freeport. (718) 946-3868
Madame Tussauds New York
In Times Square, Madame Tussauds provides schmooze opportunity with
famed personas, where visitors can stand beside life-like replicas of A-listers,
icons, world leaders, and politicians. Interactive action includes Sing
for Simon on American Idol and Chamber of Horrors, Madame’s scariest
exhibit.
234 West 42nd Street, between Seventh and Eighth avenues. (212)
512-9600, (800) 246-8872
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, on Seventh Avenue between 31st and 33rd
streets, has long been the venue for things memorable, from the NFL
Draft, CBS Television's Fall Premiere, Con Edison's Shareholder
Meetings, Product Launches for Intel, presidential birthday fetes
including when Marilyn Monroe sang happy birthday to JFK, and religious
conferences. The
Madison
Square Garden Theater is home to the timeless holiday classic, A
Christmas Carol.
4 Pennsylvania Plaza, New York. (212) 307-7171
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, one of the world’s great museums,
features Egyptian, Greek and Roman art collections, as well as European
and Oriental paintings and sculptures, antiques, plus other art forms
from around the globe.
Fifth Avenue and 81st Street. (212) 570-3711
Museum of American Financial History
Tracing growth, opportunity and entrepreneurship, the Museum of
Financial History, showcases Wall Street activity, the role of capital
markets as engines of progress, and American business achievements. The
Museum occupies the site of Alexander Hamilton's law office and the
former headquarters of John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil Company,
directly opposite the famous "Charging Bull" statue. Collection items
include ticker tape from the 1929 crash, a working model stock ticker,
and the earliest photograph of Wall Street. As the 35th affiliate of the
Smithsonian Institution, the museum’s message is how a democratic free
market economy creates growth and opportunity -- the story of the
American dream. The Museum serves as a good starting point for visits to
the Financial District.
28 Broadway. (212) 908-4609
Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art in Midtown Manhattan displays 20th century
paintings, sculptures, drawings, and more.
11 West 53rd Street. (212) 708-9480
New York Boat Brunch Cruises
On Sundays from noon to 2 p.m., mid-July through October, The
85-foot Festiva, accommodating up to 100, does New Orleans-style Sunday
brunch cruises to George Washington Bridge. Brunch, catered by Sylvia’s
Restaurant of Harlem, includes one complimentary beverage, plus fried
chicken, baked ham, collards, macaroni and cheese, and more. Cost: $50
for adults, $25 for under age 7. Other cruise charter options are
available.
79th Street Boat Basin, A-dock, New York, New York. (212) 496-8625 or
(888) 755-BOAT.
New York Botanical Garden and
Brooklyn Botanic Garden
The New York Botanical Garden is home to the nation’s largest
Victorian glasshouse, the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, a New York City
landmark that has showcased NYBG’s distinguished tropical,
Mediterranean, and desert plant collections since 1902. At the Brooklyn
Botanic Garden, tours, concerts, dance performances, and symposia are
always on the roster, as well as special one-time events featuring
elements of the Garden at their peak. Each spring, BBG celebrates the
flowering of the Japanese cherry trees with our annual Sakura Matsuri
(Cherry Blossom Festival), and each fall is spiced up with a
multicultural Chile Pepper Fiesta!
New York Botanical Garden, 200th Street and Southern Boulevard. (718)
817-8700
Brooklyn Botanic Garden, 1000 Washington Avenue. (718) 623-7200
New York City Police Museum
From Colonial beginnings to official establishment in 1845 to the
present, the New York City Police Museum, in historic Lower Manhattan,
captures the rich history of the New York Police Department (NYPD),
providing abundant insider glimpses. Permanent exhibits include
turn-of-the-century mug shots, photos of notorious criminals and “tools
of the trade,” a display of police vehicles, and a model of a jail cell.
The museum also pays tribute to every NYPD officer killed in the line of
duty throughout departmental history.
100 Old Slip. (212) 480-3100
The New York Public Library
Origins of the New York Public Library, housing more than six
million volumes, date to when one-time governor Samuel J. Tilden
(1814-1886) bequeathed most of his fortune -- about $2.4 million -- to
establish and maintain a free library and reading room. New York already
had the Astor and Lenox libraries, the Astor created through John Jacob
Astor (1763-1848), a German immigrant who became the wealthiest man in
America and left $400,000 for a reference library. James Lenox left his
personal collection of rare books (including the first Gutenberg Bible
to come to the New World), but it was intended for bibliophiles and
scholars. By 1892, both the Astor and Lenox libraries were in financial
straits, and a plan was devised to consolidate Astor, Lenox, and Tilden
resources to form The New York Public Library. The system now includes
85 libraries, with collections totaling 6.6 million items, providing
free information on a scale unmatched by any other institution. In 1995,
The New York Public Library celebrated the centennial of its founding.
One-hour building tours of the landmark facility begin at 11 a.m. and 2
p.m, with groups of 10 or more by appointment..
42nd Street and Fifth Avenue. (212) 930-0800.
New York Skyride
New York Skyride, in Midtown Manhattan, consists of two 40-seat big
screen flight simulator theaters, featuring a wild ride over Manhattan's
skyline.
Empire State Building, second floor. (212) 279-9777
New York Stock Exchange
Lower Manhattan’s New York Stock has a visitor's gallery and
self-guided tours. A tree outside symbolizes the buttonwood where
traders once gathered to exchange stocks. 20 Broad Street. (212)
656-3000
.
Radio City Music Hall
Upon the 1929 market crash, John D. Rockefeller, Jr. held a $91
million, 24-year lease on a midtown Manhattan tract in the “speakeasy
belt" with plans dashed for a new
Metropolitan Opera House. Rockefeller boldly decided to build an
entire complex targeting commercial tenants, although Manhattan was
awash in vacancy and despair. Partnering with fledgling Radio
Corporation of America, whose NBC radio and RKO studios boomed despite
bad times, Rockefeller also brought in S.L. "Roxy" Rothafel, a
theatrical genius using razzle-dazzle décor to revive struggling
theaters across America. Resulting was a theater unlike any other within
the "Radio City" part of the
Rockefeller Center complex. Radio City Music Hall, a palace for the
people with quality entertainment at ordinary prices, has since
attracted more than 300 million for shows, movies, and special events.
It still looms large, and over 75 years its Radio City Rockettes have
kicked their way into icon status. The restored Music Hall reflects
original grandeur of opening night, 1932, with behind-the-scenes
upgrades. Stage Door Tour guests explore the Great Stage and its ‘30s
vintage hydraulic system. See Roxy’s renowned private suite with 12-feet
high gold leaf ceilings, and meet a Rockette. One-hour walking tours
depart from the Music Hall lobby.
1260 Avenue of the Americas, Sixth Avenue and 50th Street. (212)
307-7171
Rockefeller Center
Rockefeller Center, with 24 acres of underground shops, changed the
form of Midtown Manhattan, becoming one of the most successful urban
planning projects in history. The vast project provided thousands of
jobs during the Depression and restored the image of New York as the
premier American city. Rockefeller Center is an art deco marvel
consisting of 19 commercial buildings covering 11 acres from 49th to
52nd Streets, Fifth to Seventh Avenues. Thirty Rockefeller Plaza, the
RCA headquarters, was the largest and first built, and stands as the
centerpiece, and now General Electric’s initials brighten the rooftop
for the home of NBC. Hour-long studio tours include production areas of
various TV shows. The NBC Store also has souvenirs from shows such as
"The Tonight Show with Jay Leno," "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" and
"Saturday Night Live."
Bounded by Fifth Avenue, 48th Street, Sevenue Avenue and West 51st
Street. (212) 664-4000
St. Patrick’s Cathedral
St. Patrick's Cathedral, one of the nation’s largest houses of
worship, is in Midtown Manhattan with seating for 2,400, and a pipe
organ with more than 7,380 pipes. Fifth Avenue at 50th Street. (212)
753-2261Shea Stadium
Home of the New York Mets, Queen’s Shea Stadium was originally to be
called Flushing Meadow Park. It ended up named after William Alfred Shea,
an attorney instrumental in acquiring a new team after the departure of
the Giants and Dodgers. Proximity to LaGuardia Airport makes Shea
Stadium the noisiest outdoor ballpark in the Majors. Site selection was
done in winter, according to lore, when flight paths were different than
during baseball season. When a Met hits a homer at Shea, a red Big Apple
rises out of a black top hat, although some say it looks more like a big
kettle.
123-01 Roosevelt Avenue. (718) 507-METS
SoHo and TriBeCa
Within a quarter of a square mile, SoHo has roughly 250 art
galleries, four museums, nearly 200 restaurants, and 100 stores. Blocks
south of Houston (pronounced HOW-ston) and north of Canal streets are
home to the city's largest concentration of cast-iron fronted buildings,
built as warehouses and manufacturing spaces, but converted to living
spaces, called lofts, for artists and sculptors who appreciated the
larger spaces. These 19th-century architectural gems (often Victorian
Gothic, Italianiate, and neo-Grecian), prized by preservationists, are
now home to the better-heeled. When SoHo became too upscale for starving
artists, many moved further downtown to another then half-abandoned
industrial district, TriBeCa (the Triangle Below Canal), which has since
become a hot destination, most notably for dining. One TriBeCa
frontrunner, actor Robert De Niro, has lived and worked in the
neighborhood for some 20 years.
South Street Seaport
Experience New York’s salty maritime history at the South Street
Seaport, boasting a museum and numerous shops and restaurants. Browsing
is free; museum admission is $5 for adults and free for children under
12.
South Street Historic District near Water and Beekman Streets. (212)
748-8600
Staten
Island Ferry
For Manhattan skyline spectacle, take the Staten Island Ferry from
New York harbor. The ferry runs 24 hours a day and is free at all times.
(Vehicle fare is $3.) Big facelifts set for 2004 wrap-up are underway at
the St. George and Whitehall Ferry Terminals, to serve more than 65,000
daily riders with enhanced dining and an outdoor promenade easing
pedestrian access between Bay Street and the terminal.
St. George Ferry Terminal at Richmond Terrace, Staten Island. (718)
815-BOAT
Whitehall Ferry
Terminal at Whitehall and South Streets in Lower Manhattan. (718)
815-BOAT
Statue
of Liberty National Monument
The Statue of Liberty National Monument, measuring 151 feet on a
154-foot pedestal (with a 35-foot waist and an 8-foot index finger), is
the tallest statue of modern times. France presented the 450,000-pound
Lady Liberty to the U.S. in 1884, commemorating the alliance of the two
countries during the American Revolution. It features the American
Museum of Immigration.
Upper New York Bay on Liberty Island. (212) 363-3200.
Teddy Roosevelt’s Birthplace National Historic Site
He remains the only U.S. president born in New York City, yet locals
and visitors alike often unknowingly walk past the brownstone where
Theodore Roosevelt, 26th president of the U.S., was born Oct. 27, 1858.
His father’s success as an importer/exporter meant the house where a
frail yet bright Teddy lived until age 14 had gas lighting, sumptuous
furnishings, and a backyard stretching all the way to 19th Street. The
four-story house is filled with Roosevelt family furniture including
T.R.’s child-sized chair by the library fireplace. Roosevelt, growing up
to become a strapping colonel of the Rough Riders, declined to buy his
birth home when plans were announced to raze it in 1916 for a commercial
building. In 1919, the year of Roosevelt’s death, the Women’s Roosevelt
Memorial Association acquired the site, demolished the new building, and
reconstructed his home as a memorial. Period rooms of the narrow, dark
Victorian house are restored to reflect their 1865-1872 appearance. The
National Park Service offers tours.
28 East 20th Street, New York City. (212) 260-1616
Times Square
Visitors Center
Times Square
draws approximately 37 million visitors spending up to $16.4 billion
annually. The Times Square Visitors Center, in the restored landmark
Embassy Movie Theatre, is steps from more than 5,000 businesses with
250,000 employees, and from world-renowned landmarks and tourist
attractions. Times Square is surrounded by 45 Broadway theaters, drawing
11.6 million people annually and generating tickets sales of more than
$588 million. Times Square is also the hub of New York’s hospitality
industry, surrounded by 28 hotels, accounting for one-fifth of all New
York City hotel rooms. Free walking tours depart from the Visitors
Center every Friday at noon, rain or shine.
Times Square
Visitors Center, 1560 Broadway, between 46th and 47th streets.
Tribute – A Celebration of New York City
Tribute is a performance of the never-ending symphony that is New
York life. In the heart of Tribute is the Remember Experience viewed in
one of two custom-built high definition projection theaters. Visitors
also can walk around the floating multimedia screens and explore artwork
from the underground and emerging artists gallery. The Remember
Experience itself celebrates the beauty and vitality of a city
undeterred by tragedy. Remember, speaking from shadows of two fallen
giants, dares telling the New York story as never before told. Featured
are a September 11th Memorial Hall, a café overlooking historic Bowling
Green Park, and a gift shop.
24 Broadway, New York City. (212) 952-1000
United
Nations Headquarters
United Nations Headquarters, in Midtown Manhattan, offers one-hour
tours departing from the
United Nations
Public Lobby daily covering the Secretariat Building, the domed
General Assembly Building, Conference Building and the Hammarskjold
Library. The name "United Nations," coined by President Franklin D.
Roosevelt, was first used in the "Declaration by United Nations" of Jan.
1. 1942, during WW11, when representatives of 26 nations pledged to
continue fighting together against the Axis Powers. United Nations Day
is celebrated annually on Oct. 24.
First Avenue and 46th Street. (212) 963-7700
Yankee
Stadium
Yankee Stadium, known as the house in the Bronx that Babe Ruth
built, opened in 1923 for a capacity of 58,000, and was the first
ballpark large enough to be called a stadium. Bleachers in right center
field are sometimes called Ruthville.
161st Street and River Avenue. (718) 293-6000