The aura is unparalled (no disrespect to the Merillon Avenues of the world) but perhaps naively, I…read morequestion some of the minor tradeoffs that keep this place shinier than Penn Station. Over at Moynihan, defenders of the "inconveniences are good if they're scaring away homeless people" theory note Grand Central's history of seatlessness. Icons like Veselka have set up shop in the food court, which removed its seats some time ago. (When I run for president someone will dig up an old video from Queens Night Market where I'm yelling "Seats are for losers, jerk chicken and dan dan noodles are meant for standing, go to Applebee's Karen!") So, yes, this is a classic New York spot with decent bathrooms, a bustling Hudson News, a glam ceiling and even trains.

Busy heart of NYC location for rails... 4, 5, 6, 7, LIRR, and Metro North train stations. Yes find…read moreyour way through Grand Central Terminal as it's one of the busiest stations and major train hubs. There's always some activity going on especially during the holidays or special events. There are shops, eateries and restaurants and well at Grand Central Terminal while one is waiting for their train if taking a long trip. The boards are up to date and one must have a train ticket to board so make sure you have a pass purchased. If a mobile pass, make sure activated for LIRR or Metro North. For the subways, you need to either have OMNY or credit card to tap and go. Various entrances so easy for one to get lost if you don't know your way. Restrooms are downstairs... if you get lost ask the information desk or staff, they will give you directions.

We visited the Whispering Gallery at Grand Central Station in the heart of New York City on Friday…read moremorning. The architecture here is absolutely stunning and reflective of our recent past. I can't imagine what it took to build this magnificent masterpiece of historical architecture. It's well worth a visit...

Yeah, it's kind of a goofy audio science phenomenon due to the architecture in Grand Central…read more Located in the lower level near the Oyster Bar you'll locate the whispering gallery, and in fact you might find other people doing the same thing smiling into a corner, whispering, and the other person on the opposite side of the arch can clearly hear you as if you're next to them. That's pretty much it. I tried it with a friend and it works.

Tour historic buildings and designated landmarks of New York. Bowery Savings Bank building is one…read moreof many historic. Any history buff or avid amateur architecture enthusiasts would have a full appreciation and admiration of this stone building as old world architectural craft is no longer in use. This building still stands with the passage of time and nature's elements. The correct location of Bowery Savings Bank Building is in Chinatown, Lower Manhattan- NOT Midtown East, Murray Hill. https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=132531

You might find a few Bowery Bums in the doorway of the Bowery Savings Bank Building, but it's New…read moreYork, and more to the point it's the USA, and that goes with the territory. This building is very special to me because when I needed to get my citizenship it was here that my awesome lawyer (whose office is in the upper reaches of this magnificent building) helped me through the process and got me over the line - and I will always be grateful for that. He's David Gottfried of Gottfried & Gottfried, by the way. I would recommend him to anyone as the perfect immigration lawyer for my situation and I wish nothing but the best for him. As for the building it's a typical old rustic early 20th century New York stunner, and it seems haunted. They do make you go through a security check to get up inside here but then so does Barbie with her clients.

Don't look for this work of art. It's not there. If you were lucky enough to see it, write a…read morereview. It's pretty cool if you stare and stare. Then all of a sudden you realize what you're looking at! My photos are from April 14, 2016. It was a beautiful Spring Day. I am enjoying reminiciing about today during the Arctic Blast!

"Van Gogh's Ear", a public art sculpture by Elmgreen & Dragset, is in place at 30 Rockefeller…read morePlaza, right across the street from the entrance to Sak's 5th Ave. The sculpture, by the same duo that brought us the Prada Marfa Store in the middle of the Texas desert, is a tribute to the ready-made style of Marcel Duchamp. The sculpture is a 30 foot tall swimming pool, taken out of its normal context and displayed in its side with a diving board built in at the top. One of my favorite elements are the working lights on the inside left and right of the pool sculpture. Being that it's out of context - a recreational object in the middle of a commercial center - it creates a sense of longing and desire for recreation over industry and gives you an off-kilter feeling (why am I going to work when I could be swimming!). Overall a great piece of colorful public art at placed I a great spot for the perfect season. The piece is on display from April 13th though June 3rd, 2016. Catch it while you can!

Did you know that Chrysler Building's iconic spire was secretly assembled inside the building and…read morethen raised into place to claim the title of the world's tallest building? The stunning stainless steel spire was constructed in secret within the building itself and then hoisted into position, giving it the final height needed to surpass competitors and become the tallest building in the world for 11 months after its completion in 1930. The building is a masterpiece of Art Deco architecture, featuring geometric patterns, lavish ornamentation, and a terraced crown with triangular windows and arches. ts exterior is adorned with stainless steel gargoyles shaped like American eagles, reflecting both Chrysler's automotive legacy and the era's design flair. Despite being named after the Chrysler Corporation, the company had no involvement in the building, and it was personally funded by Walter Chrysler as an investment for his children. The Chrysler Building remains the tallest steel-framed brick building in the world, standing at 1,046 feet. This combination of secret engineering, artistic design, and historical significance makes the Chrysler Building not only a New York City landmark but also a symbol of ingenuity and architectural ambition.

Love the architecture and the art decor here. The Chrysler Building is an Art Deco skyscraper on…read morethe East Side of Manhattan. It is the tallest brick building in the world with a steel framework. It was both the world's first supertall skyscraper and the world's tallest building for 11 months after its completion in 1930.

In 2005 I was in the lobby of the Chrysler building and met a lady in her 80s with her daughter,…read moreshe told me her father was the chief metal worker and the famous eagle adornments had been made in his workshop, the last time she had been there she was aged 9 at the opening ceremony. Despite that security wouldn't let us inside. I took her around the corner to the Chanin Building and she recognised the grill work which her father had also made in his workshop. His name was O' Brian and if you love art deco you won't see finer metalwork.

Great Art Deco building that does allow you inside. Wonderful bas relief on exterior. Definately…read moreworth a look

Just blocks from Times Square and the Theater district in Midtown Manhattan, Bryant Park is…read moredirectly next to the main branch of the New York Public Library. It's a park that my wife and I have passed by during the day on visits to New York City. But we finally saw it come alive as a community gathering place at night, with its many tables to talk or eat, permanent and temporary food trucks and carts, and a large greenspace lawn that was cordoned off this night, but can be the location for free summer movies on the lawn and an ice skating rink in the winter. On a warm summer night, the night atmosphere was magical, especially walking through the walkways with the London plane trees, after a great Broadway show. The current park is 9.6 acres and is located on two city blocks (5th and 6th avenue on the NW/SE, 40th and 42nd street on the NE/SW). The western half of the park contains a lawn, walkways, and a french-inspired carousel. Down below are the repository/stacks of the public library, located on the eastern half of the park. It opened in 1847 as Reservoir Square, later renamed for abolitionist William Cullen Bryant in 1884. It fell into disrepair in the 1960s. In 1980, the Bryant Park Restoration Corporation was formed as a non-profit, to try to create a long term solution for the maintainability of the park. Massive renovation was planned and implemented, with a complete rebuilding of the park (after the library stacks had been first built underneath). It reopened in 1992, to great acclaim. Since then, the value of the real estate around the park has greatly increased, attracting new development. The reclamation of the park has been often used a model for a successful urban renewal.

Bryant Park had set up countless chairs on their courtyard to commemorate the ones who had passed…read moreduring 9/11. Today being 9/11, we were able to observe many family members coming to this park to place a flower on their loved one's chairs. I am not sure if I would call this place a park but technically I guess it counts as one because it has tables where people can come and sit down and eat or drink their morning or afternoon coffee. There are also random places where kids can play including a carousel and playground for little ones. There are other places where you can grab snacks, coffee, and hand held bites but we didn't try any of those today. We did sit around the table to enjoy our New York bagel and coffee from blue bottles. The trees around the park were super tall which I enjoyed looking at trying to crane my neck as far back as it would bend lol. I appreciated small birds and pigeons that seemed used to being around people. Overall it was a relaxing experience. This park is located nearby other landmarks you can choose to check out after experiencing the park.

We visited in April, so the area was fairly nondescript. Would love to come back during the winter…read moreholiday season to enjoy the festive atmosphere and lights depicted in the media.

Beautiful spot. There are lots of fountains and sculptures alongside well maintained flowers…read moregardens. It is a worth while area of the Rockefeller Center if you are around this area. Will for sure come back.

"Don't know much about history Don't know much biology…read moreDon't know much about a science book Don't know much about the French I took" (Sam Cooke) I guess you can call me a history nerd. After all, I did major in history and rarely walk past a plaque or memorial or marker that I don't stop to read and more than likely Yelp. So when we were walking out to the street from Grand Central Station's Park Avenue/East 42nd Street entry and saw a wall plaque with the portrait of a familiar woman, I just had to stop and check it out. The portrait was of Jackie Kennedy Onassis. Those of my generation will always remember the traumatic and terribly sad photographs of her from Dallas on November 22, 1963 with her pink pill box hat and her blood splattered pink dress. Twelve years after JFK's assassination the former First lady was engaged in a high stakes 1975 battle to save one of her hometown's iconic landmarks. At issue was a plan to take the wrecking ball to New York City's Grand Station Terminal and demolish it, just as Penn Station has been demolished and rebuilt in 1964. She became outraged when she learned of the plan and led a coalition of New Yorkers and the the Municipal Art Society to stop it. She was the star of a famous press conference from Grand Central and declared "If we don't care about our past we can't have very much hope for our future, we've all heard that it's too late, or that it has to happen, that it's inevitable. But I don't think that's true. Because I think if there is a great effort, even if it's the eleventh hour, then you can succeed and I know that's what we'll do." She also wrote an eloquent letter to NYC 's Mayor Beame and asked him "...is it not cruel to let our city die by degrees, stripped of all her proud moments, until there is nothing left of all her history and beauty to inspire our children? If they are not inspired by the past of our city, where will they find the strength to fight for her future? Americans care about their past, but for short term gain they ignore it and tear down everything that matters..." The plaque was dedicated on June 24, 2014 to mark renovations to the station's main entrance. The renovations honor her legacy with photographs, a video display, and the plaque. The entry itself was renamed "The Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Foyer".

Visiting the Empire State Building was an absolute highlight of my trip to New York City…read more From the moment you walk into the iconic Art Deco lobby, you can feel the history of the building. The museum exhibits on the lower floors were a welcome surprise, learning about its construction and pop culture moments made the wait for the elevator fly by.  Once you step out onto the 86th floor open air observatory, the 360 degree views of Manhattan are beyond simply breathtaking. Standing high above the city grid is an unforgettable feeling and kinda scary!

when you get here you have two entrances. the back entrance is for the tour. It's a one way ticket…read moreto the top floor. On that floor there is a small museum and the famous observation deck. You must buy your tickets in advance. Option B is the cheap man's route that I opted for. I went to the front of the building so i can get some pictures of that iconic lobby. If I lingered there too long or tried to use one of the elevators for the residents I would immediately get shooed away by security. So if you do this do it quickly and quietly as to not irritate security.