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Places To Go

POPULAR SIGHTS:

Empire State Building
5th Avenue between 33rd & 34th Streets, New York, NY	www.esbny.com
Open every day (365 days a year rain or shine): 8am – 2am;  Last elevator up: 1:15am
The Empire State Building is a 102-story landmark skyscraper designed in the distinctive Art Deco style.  Its name is derived from the nickname for New York, the Empire State and it stood as the world’s tallest building for 40 years.  Following the September 11 attacks in 2001, the Empire State Building was again the tallest building in New York (although it was no longer the tallest in the world). The Empire State Building has one of the most popular outdoor observatories in the world, having been visited by over 110 million people.  The 86th-floor observation deck offers impressive 360-degree views of the city.  There is a second observation deck on the 102nd floor that is open to the public.  The lines to enter the observation decks are “as legendary as the building itself:” there are five of them: the sidewalk line, the lobby elevator line, the ticket purchase line, the second elevator line, and the line to get off the elevator and onto the observation deck.  For an extra fee tourists can skip to the front of the line.

United Nations
1st Avenue between 45th and 46th Streets, New York, NY	www.un.org / tours
Mon-Fri: (guided and audio tours) 9:30am – 4:45pm Sat-Sun: (audio tours) 10am – 4:15pm. Tickets are available for purchase on line.  For security reasons, children under 5 years of age are not permitted on tour.
The United Nations (UN) is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace.  The UN was founded in 1945 after World War II to replace the League of Nations, to stop wars between countries, and to provide a platform for dialogue.  It contains multiple subsidiary organizations to carry out its missions.  The United Nations Headquarters resides in international territory in New York City.  The organization is financed from assessed and voluntary contributions from its member states, and has six official languages: Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish.

Rockefeller Center • Top of the Rock Observation Deck • NBC Studios
30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY (Main entrance on 50th Street between 5th and 6th Avenues.  Studio Tour begins inside the NBC Experience Store at corner of 49th Street between 5th and 6th Avenues.)	www.rockefellercenter.com www.topoftherocknyc.com www.nbcstudiotour.com
Rockefeller Center Tour: 7 days a week begins at 10am. Top of the Rock: 8:00am to midnight, 7 days a week.  First elevator at 8am and last at 11pm. NBC Studios: Mon-Thu: 8:30am – 5:30pm, Fri-Sat: 8:30am – 6:30pm, Sun: 9:15am – 4:30pm
Declared a National Historic Landmark in 1987, Rockefeller Center is a complex covering 22 acres of 19 commercial buildings which are rich in history and breathtaking in artistry.  An expert historian will guide you through the Center’s most significant buildings, gardens and spaces.  Follow along with your own personal headset and enjoy this uninterrupted account through a closed circuit connection. The observation deck, dubbed “Top of the Rock” and built to resemble the deck of an ocean liner, offers sightseers a bird’s eye view of the city, competing with the 86th floor observatory of the Empire State Building.  This deck is often considered the best panoramic city view, if only because it offers a view of the aforementioned Empire State Building, which obviously cannot be seen from its own observation deck. Go behind the scenes of popular TV shows on the NBC Studio Tour.  You will be taken through the halls and into the studios of NBC’s New York operations and visit the NBC Sharp Globe Theater, Broadcast Operations, the Make-up Room, and even produce your very own news and weather program in the High Definition Mini-Control Studio!  There will be a backstage peek at some of NBC’s most famous studios, including Saturday Night Live, Nightly News and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.

One World Trade Center
1 World Trade Center, New York, NY	www.wtc.com
One World Trade Center, previously known as the Freedom Tower, is the lead building of the new World Trade Center complex in Lower Manhattan, New York City.  It is a short walk from Marriott Downtown, the official hotel of WYIC2012.  The 104-story supertall skyscraper is being constructed in the northwest corner of the 16-acre World Trade Center site, once occupied by the destroyed WTC Twin Towers. At the time of its completion in 2013, One World Trade Center will be the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere and the third-tallest building in the world by pinnacle height, with its spire reaching a symbolic 1,776 feet (541.3 m) in reference to the year of American independence.  It has been the tallest building in New York since April 30, 2012.  Its overall roof height at 1,368 feet (417.0 m), however, will still be 82 feet (25.0 m) shorter than the roof of Chicago’s 108-story Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower).

MUSEUMS:

9/11 Memorial
20 Vesey Street, New York, NY	www.911memorial.org
Mon-Sat: 10am – 7pm;  Sun: 10am – 6pm
Free admission, but timed passes are required for entry.  To obtain your timed pass, reserve a specific date and time on line.  Then print your pass and present it upon entry. ** A limited number of passes are available daily at • 9/11 Memorial Preview Site at 20 Vesey St. and Church St. • City Hall Visitor Kiosk (at Broadway) • South Street Seaport (at Fulton Street)

Sony Wonder Technology Lab (SWTL)
Madison Avenue and 56th Street, New York, NY	www.sonywondertechlab.com
Tue-Sat: 9:30am – 5:30pm;  Sun & Mon: closed
SWTL is a four-story interactive technology and entertainment museum for all ages.Free admission.  Reservations (recommended) can be made Tuesday through Friday between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. by contacting the Group Coordinator at (212) 833-8100.  Reservations guarantee admission and can only be booked a minimum of seven days and up to three months prior to your desired visitation day.  Same day reservations are NOT accepted.

Federal Reserve Bank of New York
44 Maiden Lane, New York, NY	www.newyorkfed.org
Museum Visit:  Mon-Fri: 10am, 11am, 12 noon, 1pm, 2pm & 3pm Guided Tour (45 min):  Mon-Fri: 11:15am, 12:00pm, 1:15pm, 2:30pm, 3:15pm & 4:00pm
The Federal Reserve Bank of New York is one of the 12 regional Reserve Banks in the Federal Reserve System.  Visitors to the Bank will be able to explore the Fed’s roles and responsibilities through a guided tour and interactive exhibits in the Bank’s museum.Free admission, but advanced registration (through website) is required.  Keep in mind, slots fill up quickly.  Registration for August can be done starting in May. The New York Fed and the Federal Reserve System (guided tour only) Learn about the role of the New York Fed and the wider Federal Reserve System in setting monetary policy, promoting financial stability, and serving communities to advance economic growth. FedWorks: Money, Banking and the Federal Reserve System Learn about the central banking functions of the Federal Reserve System through an interactive, multimedia exhibit that allows visitors to participate in a monetary policy simulation and to learn about the Fed’s role in the economy. The History of Money Trace the history of shells, coins and paper money across the continents and through three millennia with more than 800 examples from the noted collection of exhibit co-sponsor, the American Numismatic Society.

The American Museum of Natural History
Central Park West at 79th Street, New York, NY	www.amnh.org
Daily: 10am – 5:45pm
One of the largest and most celebrated museums in the world, the American Museum of Natural History comprises 25 interconnected buildings that house 46 permanent exhibition halls, research laboratories, and its renowned library.  The collections contain over 32 million specimens, of which only a small fraction can be displayed at any given time.  The Museum has a scientific staff of more than 200, and sponsors over 100 special field expeditions each year.  According to the travel magazine, Travel + Leisure, the Museum was ranked seventh in its list of “the most-visited museums in the world” in November 2011.  Also, it was ranked fourth, as the most-visited museum in America.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met)
5th Avenue and 82nd Street, New York, NY	www.metmuseum.org
Mon: closed;  Tue–Thu: 9:30am – 5:30pm;  Fri & Sat: 9:30am – 9:00pm;  Sun: 9:30 am – 5:30pm
The Met, an art museum, is by area one of the world’s largest art galleries.  Its permanent collection contains more than two million works, divided into nineteen curatorial departments.  Represented in the permanent collection are works of art from classical antiquity and Ancient Egypt, paintings and sculptures from nearly all the European masters, and an extensive collection of American and modern art.  The Met also maintains extensive holdings of African, Asian, Oceanic, Byzantine, and Islamic art.  The museum is also home to encyclopedic collections of musical instruments, costumes and accessories, and antique weapons and armor from around the world.  Several notable interiors, ranging from 1st-century Rome through modern American design, are permanently installed in the Met’s galleries.

The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)
53rd Street between 5th and 6th Avenues, New York, NY	www.moma.org
Sun-Thu & Sat: 10:30am – 5:30pm;  Thu (Jul 5-Aug 30) & Fri: 10:30am – 8:00pm; First Thu (every month): 10:30am – 8:30pm;  Tue (Sep 26-Jun 25): closed;
MoMA is an art museum often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world.  The museum’s collection offers an unparalleled overview of modern and contemporary art, including works of architecture and design, drawings, painting, sculpture, photography, prints, illustrated books and artist’s books, film, and electronic media.  MoMA’s library and archives hold over 300,000 books, artist books, and periodicals, as well as individual files on more than 70,000 artists.  The archives contain primary source material related to the history of modern and contemporary art.

Guggenheim Museum
5th Avenue and 89th Street, New York, NY	www.guggenheim.org
Thu: Closed; Sun-Wed & Fri: 10am – 5:45pm; Sat: (pay what you wish) 10am – 7:45pm
Completed in 1959, the Frank Lloyd Wright–designed Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum is among the 20th century’s most important architectural landmarks.  The museum’s great rotunda has been the site of many celebrated special exhibitions, while its smaller galleries are devoted to the Guggenheim’s renowned collection, which ranges from Impressionism through contemporary art.