New York City is one of the oldest, most populated, and financially vast cities abundantly abounded with rich heritage and structures that can easily lure anyone from any part of the world. There is everything for everybody. The city is divided into five districts: Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island. Every region has a mixed set of buildings, from cultural to residential to financial to commercial. It’s been complicatedly woven by diverse structures of innumerable profiles by diverse designers over hundreds of years from various countries. You will be awestruck by a lot of aspects but we recommend these 15 places to visit in New York City to get a wholesome experience. It’s called the city that never sleeps so even if you shouldn’t and keep exploring the city as much as possible.
Broadway Theatre | Places to visit in New York City
Known as the Broadway, a total of 40 theaters, it takes you hopping from one theater to another, and they bet one day is surely not enough. Jeez, it’s a long series of beautifully crafted and vintage theaters with detailed facades and a rich history of hosting popular plays and musicals over a century. It dates back to the early 1900s, adorned with Art Nouveau and Deco features. The interiors of these theaters are the real deal. From charming entrance foyers to endearing ceilings to giant halls, it will leave you awestruck. These playhouses are fine examples for architects to study acoustics, planning, circulation, set designing, etc., and must be on the checklist.
Times Square
From flashy advertising billboards to chaotic and crowded plazas, Times Square is one of the most visited and well-known places on the planet. From an urban-architectural view, it shows how open spaces are greeted by people, the role of street furniture in bringing them together, and the vast influence it has on them. The coordination of pedestrians and vehicles is immaculate. The planning of the piazza along with being engulfed by giant structures is what attracts folks while being a prominent real estate. The venue is full of art in all forms you can find.
Yankee Stadium | Places to visit in New York City
The Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New York City, is one of the most entertaining places to visit especially if one is lucky enough to witness a match. Whether watching live action or touring inside, the experience is unforgettable. This is a great example of sports architecture. The setting of the stadium is impeccable with efficient wayfinding. There are ample amenities for people to enjoy, including a museum. The facade of the structure and many other design rudiments were designed in a way to keep the image of the old stadium intact along with making it look modern.
Central Park
Known for being the lungs of New York City and rejuvenating the people in and around it, a massive 843-acre plot was converted from a dull site into what we today know as the beautiful Central Park. Designed by landscape architects Calvert Vaux and Frederick Law Olmsted, the park is a mix of gardens, lawns, water features, and bridges that cross artificial lakes to restaurants and drinking fountains. The park complements and balances the built environment of the city while being an excellent buffer zone. This should be on the list of any architects who are nature enthusiasts and are inclined towards landscaping.
High Line | Places to visit in New York City
An outstanding example of urban design and planning, the High Line opened in 2009, is an abandoned rail track transformed into a walking trail as an urban oasis right in the middle of the bustling city over the roads. It’s a fresh approach and has been widely accepted by everyone who visits it. The benches, decks, and ample gardens are very aptly put in the position to garner views of distinguished buildings. The flora species are well thought about and are placed in such a way that they come to life in different seasons, offering a delightful experience all year round.
New York Public Library
The New York Public Library is less of a building and more of an imposing monument. Established in 1895, the structure is influenced by the Beaux-arts style. The grand staircases lead you inside the building and into the huge hall. The structure is divided into many rooms, but the main reading room, also known as the rose reading room, is a masterpiece. One simply just can’t stop gazing at the elements of design that have been incorporated into the making. The ceilings, the light fixtures, and the use of materials are a different story and will be a dream for anyone on their first-ever visit.
St.Patrick’s Cathedral
The finest example of Gothic Architecture nestled right in the middle of the highrises, the St.Patrick’s Cathedral dates back to 1878. It took 20 years to build the authoritative church and is almost 100m high thanks to the spires present. Every possible detail is noticeable and will take you back in time once you are inside. The interior volumes are very soothing and a person who understands spatial organization will find themselves striking gold. The tranquility of the indoor environment is a gift to the visitors amid the bustling neighborhood. The cathedral is magnificent considering the intricacy of the work done and how it is still intact in today’s time and era.
Metropolitan Museum of Art | Places to visit in New York City
Classical columns and roman arches welcome you. Grand staircases and colossal halls are waiting to surprise you through design. Skylights, and courtyards in association with the art galleries, constitute the great and huge Metropolitan Museum of Art (MET). Commenced as a single structure in the 1880s, to new additions to the former structure since then, to make it bigger and better, the MET is one of the largest art museums around the globe. It is said that the MET houses over twenty lakh pieces of artwork in the form of sculptures, paintings, and a lot more. The works of art from diverse countries and epochs span more than five millennia. The irony being it is a piece of art in itself with strong elements that make it stand out.
Grand Central Station
Want to take a peek into the busy life of the people of New York City? Then one can head to the Grand Central Station, built in 1913. It is culturally, economically, and architecturally significant. The facade at 42nd avenue is adorned with mighty columns and a 12 feet tall clock with a statue over it, serving as a landmark for decades now. One will be surprised to find many types of clocks inside the station that keep people aware of the time. The orchestration of various zones in the planning of the terminal is worth noticing for the value it brings to the efficiency of the commuters. There are restaurants and many shops at the far end on the right and below the bridge inside, under the main grand hall that accommodates the much talked about blue celestial ceiling.
The 9/11 Memorial & Museum | Places to visit in New York City
One of the most sorrowful days in the history of America, the 9/11 attacks left a deep hole in the heart of humanity. This was later translated into the form of a memorial and museum as a sign of deep respect for the lives lost. Architect Michael Arad and landscape architect Peter Walker worked on the two reflecting pools sunken under the ground and engulfed them with oak trees. Water is the prime element of design, creating a cascading feature that falls individually in a stream and gets collected at the bottom, symbolizing how losses are personal but collective. This is a stunning example of how the intangibility of emotions can be captured and given a form. The museum opposite the memorial is a structure that exhibits the remains of the attacks and never lets anyone forget the loss. It truly shows the power of architecture.
Brooklyn Bridge
The Brooklyn Bridge, a cabled suspension bridge, spanning between Manhattan and Brooklyn, is a tremendously powerful bridge that is an engineering feat. The gigantic steel cables and stone towers are all load-bearing and take up the entire load of the bridge that holds heavy vehicles, as well as pedestrians who have a special corridor to walk. The bridge gives uninterrupted views of both sides and is a marvel. A walk along it will surely take you back to the time it was built considering the Gothic style that has been incorporated. Take a boat ride to see the underside of the bridge because that will show the intricacy with which it was designed and how the potentiality of engineering was pushed.
Radio City Music Hall
Talk about iconic and quintessential entertainment venues, and the Radio City Music Hall will surely find its place in that list. An exemplary building, it has stolen the hearts of every person that it has hosted. From movie premieres to concerts, the place has seen the best among the best. As an architect who wishes to visit New York City, this venue cannot be ignored. It has been inspired by the Art Deco style, and the graphics chosen for display are key highlights. Every aspect of the design is worth appreciating, from the facade to the grand foyer to the seating and the auditorium hall.
Trinity Church
Juxtaposed with and engulfed by modern structures on the convergence of Wall Street and Broadway, The Trinity Church is a Neo-Gothic style influenced structure. Once the tallest in the city, it is an influential structure that can be recognized by the tapering slender spire. The material used for the facade is brownstone, which was locally sourced. One very peculiar aspect worth noticing is the three doors on the south, north, and east entrances each cast in bronze and designed by three different architects. The interiors are calming and every trait of the Gothic Revival is effortlessly noticed. You might strain your neck when looking at the vaulted ceiling. That is just unbelievable. Not to mention, the colorful stained glass staring back right at you when you enter.
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
Inaugurated in 1959, after a 16-year lull, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum is a work of ambition imparting freedom. Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and constructed by George N. Cohen, the museum has become a crucial junction for art lovers and an important landmark thanks to its curvilinear form that takes one by surprise. The ramp inside the rotunda is much talked about for holding exhibitions and how it is a completely stunning feeling when accessing it. The architect’s love for geometry is noticeable in the atrium skylight and can even be compared to the Pantheon. For any person interested in Architectural History, this structure is full of treasure. Apart from the artworks on showcase, the museum is a significant symbol of novelty.
Chrysler Building | Places to visit in New York City
If one isn’t an art enthusiast, then one will surely become one after visiting the Chrysler building. An honest example of Art Deco, the exterior and interior of the tower are splendidly composed. Once the tallest tower in New York City, the design of the head of the tower is what sets it apart from the other structures in the city skyline. Floors 31 and 61 have gargoyles on each corner in the form of American eagles and are inspired by Chrysler’s automobile designs. The liberal use of geometric patterns on the external, especially in the crown that consists of seven consecutive arches with triangular patterns, which are windows, steals the show. The inside of the building is a class apart from beautifully crafted marble floors to ornamented lifts and ceilings. This is certainly an architect’s paradise.
Final Word
By not only being an architect or tourist when visiting these places but also acting and being a citizen and by looking from that stance, one will start to understand the history and value of spaces on the people and how it has and continues to impact them. This will then truly create a supreme and remarkable mindset for anyone as an architect. Not to mention, the details of life that one gets to capture and grasp. The urban fabric is pretty diverse and interlaced. As a keen and avid observer, make sure to carry a set of binoculars to zoom in on details and joineries that are almost extinct now and rarely being used but are informative and engrossing. Explore on foot and local transports to see and perceive more.
Nightlife and daylife are strikingly contrasting and make you feel like you have visited two different cities in a single day. One can opt for open bus tours to catch on to anything that comes into their sight to hold till eternity. The style of design keeps on transforming at the end of every street which makes one understand the transformation that has taken place in New York City for decades now and will continue to.
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