Though it often receives top billing (those lights are hard to overshadow), Times Square is just one of many attractions in Manhattan’s Midtown area, and there’s a world waiting to step out from its shadow. From off-the-beaten-path museums to some of New York City’s best public parks, here are the show-stealing things to do and see in Midtown Manhattan.
Don’t mistake this Midtown mainstay for just another New York transportation hub. For more than 100 years, Grand Central Terminal has been one of the city’s most beloved attractions, thanks to its romantic energy, 35 eateries and breathtaking architecture. Highlights of this early-20th-century spot include the famous Whispering Gallery, the iconic clock and the Grand Central Oyster Bar & Restaurant.
If you visit one spot in Midtown Manhattan, make it Rockefeller Center. Whether you want to tour the NBC studios, take a lap around the Rink at Rockefeller Center or check out the view from the Top of the Rock, you’ll find your ideal entertainment at this famous 22-acre (9ha) complex.
Located behind the New York Public Library, Bryant Park is a perfect place to take a load off between sightseeing stops. During the summer, the park hosts numerous events, from yoga and tai chi to poetry readings and live music. In the colder months, the ‘Winter Village’ pops up, offering guests a place to warm hands on a steaming cup of glühwein (German mulled wine) and do a bit of holiday shopping from the array of local artists squeezed into stalls lining the park.
Enjoy entertainment you can only find in New York City at Radio City Music Hall. A variety of events, including the annual Christmas Spectacular Starring the Radio City Rockettes, and much more await you at this Rockefeller Center venue.
Culture vultures flock to this Midtown neighborhood, home to stunning architecture, several museums and plenty of independent stores. Highlights of Manhattan’s Flatiron District include Rizzoli Bookstore, the Museum of Sex and, of course, the Flatiron Building, one of New York City’s most famous features.
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St. Cloud Rooftop
Architectural Landmark
Perched high above the hustle and bustle of Times Square, St Cloud Rooftop grants guests all of the area’s excitement and none of its stresses. At this rooftop lounge, craft cocktails and beers from the bar’s own backyard pair perfectly with dazzling views of one of the world’s most famous – and flamboyant – attractions.
You don’t have to be a bibliophile to enjoy this storied (no pun intended) Manhattan attraction. Visitors from around the world come to the New York Public Library to pose with Patience and Fortitude – the famous twin lions that guard the building – snag a seat in the film-famous Rose Main Reading Room and attend celebrity book readings and coveted art exhibitions, the likes of which you’ve only read about.
On every art enthusiast’s bucket list, you’ll find the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), a famous institution housing nearly 200,000 artworks. With exhibitions and installations such as Degenerate Art and 2013’s Rain Room, MoMA is a must-visit Midtown attraction for contemporary thinkers. Explore this world-class museum for free by participating in MoMA’s weekly UNIQLO Free Friday Nights.
With the promise that “unforgettable starts here”, Madison Square Garden hosts a vast array of events, each of which is epic. Cheer on the New York Rangers or the New York Knicks, see world-famous artists perform live or catch a mass led by the Pope himself – really. Epic.
Since 2009, when a stretch of defunct train tracks was reinvented as a public park, the High Line has become one of the most popular attractions in New York City. Combining art installations, a buzzy dining scene, foliage, flowers and stunning city views, it provides a nature escape with an urban edge.
The Museum at FIT
Museum, Memorial
Fashion fans will love this niche museum, where the past, present and future states of fashion take center stage – or rather, runway. At the Museum at FIT, you’ll see works from high-end designers such as Alexander McQueen and Vivienne Westwood through unusual exhibitions such as 2016’s Fairy Tale Fashion and 2018-19’s Pink: The History of a Punk, Pretty, Powerful Color.
The Plaza Hotel
Spa Hotel, Luxury
Afternoon tea travels all the way across the pond to the Plaza Hotel’s Palm Court, an Eloise-endorsed attraction catering to well-to-do diners. Give your legs a rest (and your stomach a treat) at the restaurant’s afternoon tea service, featuring two mouthwatering menus. With the New Yorker Tea, you’ll enjoy a taste of the Big Apple via black-and-white eclairs and lox and cream cheese bagels, while Eloise’s Afternoon Tea comes with vanilla iced tea, pink lemonade cotton candy and organic PB&J finger sandwiches.
Visit Koreatown for prime skincare products and food
Architectural Landmark
New York’s Koreatown spans a two-block radius, from 31st to 33rd streets between Broadway and 5th Avenue. Here you’ll find beauty stores with shelves full of sheet masks (The Face Shop and Innisfree are top picks to purchase products for a 10-step Korean skincare regimen) and a slew of cavernous Korean barbecue restaurants such as Jongro BBQ and Baekjeong NYC, havens for meat fiends. Arrive after dark for neon signs, bites from stalls at food court Food Gallery 32, and hidden 24-hour karaoke joints.
Named after its first-ever headliner, Charlie ‘Bird’ Parker, this acclaimed jazz venue has been attracting musical legends since its opening in 1949. Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, John Coltrane, Stan Getz, Lester Young and many more musicians have played sets at Birdland. Reserve your tickets and arrive early for dinner and martinis before the lights dim and the performers take the stage.
Splitting her time between Miami and New York, Julia is a writer currently based in Brooklyn. She enjoys foreign films, 70s cookbooks, and bad detective novels.
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