New York's Greatest Walk
tjnyc
Lifelong New Yorker whose hosted many out of town visitors
23 May 2006
based on 19 votes
Capturing the best of New York in a one day walking tour.
-
Explore locations featured in this Traveler List:
New York City
- Category: Walking tour
-
Traveler type: Culture, Sightseeing, Shopping, Active/Outdoors
-
Appeals to: Couples/romantics, Singles, Families with teenagers, Students, Active/adventure, Tourists
- Seasons: Spring, Summer, Fall
- Tags: New York, Walking Tour, History, Sites
|
|
|
|
|
| Start your tour in the middle of Manhattan Island (34th and 5th) - if you are coming in by train it is a short walk from Penn Station or Grand Central. Buy tickets onlineand skip the ticket line. The view from the top is magnificent |
|
|
2. New York Public Library
|
|
| After visiting the Empire State Building head north up 5th avenue to 40th street, in front of you to the left will be the impressive facade of the New York Public Library - a place with a cavernous reading room and an impressive collection of rare works, paintings and pieces. If you are lucky they may even have their original copy of the Gutenberg Bible on display. |
|
|
|
|
|
| Behind the library, between 5th and 6th Ave is Bryant Park. If the sun is out, the park will be filled with folks napping, relaxing and enjoying the open space surrounded by skyscrapers. When exiting the park head out the north-west side of the park on to 6th and 42nd street. |
|
|
|
|
|
| From Bryant Park walk along 42nd street from 6th ave to 7th ave and you will be at the bottom of Times Square, look up and you will see the pole that the New Year's ball descends down. Stroll up along 7th and Broadway (which intersect here to form Times Square) taking in the bright lights and crowds that make this one of the most vibrant sections of the city. |
|
|
|
|
|
| Walk up through Times Square from 42nd to 50th street and make a right on to 50th Street. Walk one block back to 6th ave and you will be in front of Radio City Music Hall. From there continue down 50th Street and on your left will be Rockefeller Center. |
|
|
|
|
|
| Take some time and wander around Rockefeller Center looking down on the ice skating rink, or in summer the restaurant and bar that replaces the rink. Head out of Rockefeller center on to 5th Ave. Directly in front of you will be the Saks Fifth Avenue flagship store and beside it will be St. Patrick's Cathedral. |
|
|
7. St. Patrick's Cathedral
|
|
| St. Patrick's is one of the grandest Cathedrals in the United States, it is definitely worth a visit and a walk around the chapel in the back. Departing St. Patrick's make a right on to 5th ave. |
|
|
|
8. Fifth Avenue
|
|
| Fifth Avenue between 49th street and 59th street is a shopper's paradise with some of the world's best stores all on a half-mile strip. As you walk up Fifth ave. you approach Central Park. |
|
|
|
|
|
| Entering Central Park at its south-east entrance you can stroll along any of the many footpaths running through the park or relax with hundreds of others on any of the open meadows. As you move up Central Park you can either choose to go to the east side of the park to the Metropolitan Museum of Art or to the west side of the park to the Museum of Natural History and the New York Historical Society - all excellent museums. |
|
|
10. Metropolitan Museum of Art
|
|
| If you choose to go the MET on the east side, you will not be disappointed as the collection is among the best in the world. After visiting the museum you can stroll through the upper east side residential neighborhood and see where many NY professionals spend their time when they are not in their downtown or midtown offices. |
|
|
11. American Museum of Natural History
|
|
| On the west side of central park is the American Museum of Natural History, which is great if you have children. |
|
|
12. New York Historical Society
|
|
| Nearby to the Museum of Natural History is the New York Historical Society, a much more intimate museum with a remarkable collection of art and objects telling the tale of New York city and state history - the museum also has excellent temporary exhibits. If you have an interest in US history I would not miss this museum. |
|
|
|
|
|
| The walking tour by this point will have taken up most of your day, so if you have an extra day in NY, I would save lower manhattan and do it on a separate day, however, if you want to see everything in one day, you can jump on the C train which runs along the west side of Central Park and head downtown to the World Trade Center Site, Battery Park City and if you feel like it a trip out to the Statue of Liberty (though the view of the lady from Battery Park is quite good). Take the C train to the Canal Street stop and switch to the E train and take that one more stop to the World Trade Center. Exiting the train you will see the huge empty area where the Twin Towers used to stand walk south along the perimeter and you will see imformation regarding the towers and September 11 on the fences. From there you can continue south a few blocks to Battery Park which is the lower tip of Manhattan Island and the jumping off spot for trips to the Statue of Liberty. If you would like you could also head east from Ground Zero to Wall Street where you can see the New York Stock Exchange and nearby Federal Hall which is the site where George Washington was inauguarated the first president of the United States. Since downtown is the oldest part fo the New York, there are numerouns areas in this area to the explore including the South Street Seaport - the signs in this area are very good for telling tourists the historical spots. |
|
Compliment tjnyc
