New York City (Fodor's, 2012) - Fodor's [47]
Take your loot to a bench in the park and take in the scene. It was here, on September 5, 1882, that Labor Day was born, when more than 10,000 New York City union workers took an unpaid day off to march from City Hall to Union Square.
Head northeast to Irving Place (the stretch between East 14th and East 20th streets) for a trip back in time. It feels calm, green, and exclusive, and has a combination of old and new eateries, stores, and architecture. Pete’s Tavern, residing on Irving Place since 1864, maintains its claim as the oldest original bar in the city and its reputation as a neighborhood hangout. Two famous writers, O. Henry (Gift of the Magi) and Ludwig Bemelmans (Madeline), were “inspired” here, probably from the amazing eggnog or Pete’s House Ale.
At the top of Irving Place sits serene, look-but-don’t touch Gramercy Park. The park oozes urbane theatrical and artistic ambience, surrounded by the tony likes of the Players Club (technically just called “The Players”) and the National Arts Club, both established to indulge and encourage a passion for the arts. Only residents living in buildings immediately surrounding the park have keys to get in, as do guests of the Gramercy Park Hotel.
Heading north, walk along less touristy Park Avenue South, looking west all the while for glimpses of Madison Square Park, and, if its time for a break, get on line to sample what many call the city’s best burger and shakes at the ever-popular Shake Shack inside the park. Afterward, stroll over to Lexington Avenue and away from the magnetic pull of the Empire State Building to Sniffen Court, a gated cul-de-sac two blocks away from the Morgan Library. These 10 brick Romanesque Revival carriage houses were built in 1863–64 on a small court perpendicular to East 36th Street, and are a peaceful spot to end before tackling frenetic Midtown.
ARCHITECTURE AT ITS MOST ELABORATE
Rimming Madison Square Park is a slice of Manhattan’s most impressive skyline. In the northeast corner, the gold-top New York Life Insurance building was the tallest in the city when it opened in 1903. The elaborately carved Beaux-Arts structure one block down at East 25th Street is the Appellate Division, New York State Supreme Court, with its main entrance tucked onto the side street.
Towering over the park between East 23rd and 24th streets is another classically inspired spire, the Metropolitan Life Insurance Tower, which has a stunning clock face keeping time of all four sides.
One of the buildings most emblematic of New York City, the Flatiron Building, is a limestone-and-terra-cotta vessel sailing its prowlike shape uptown from its berth on 23rd Street.
At the edge of Murray Hill, at between 33rd and 34th streets and 5th and 6th avenues, looms the inimitable Empire State Building. Canonized in postcards, books, and on film, the building majestically reaches toward the sky, which colorfully illuminates the night sky according to an elaborate calendar. For an excellent view of it, head one block north on 5th Avenue to the steps of the Italian-Renaissance-style B. Altman Building, worth a look in its own right.
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Fodor’s Choice | Empire State Building.
Bittersweet though it is, this landmark is once again the city’s tallest building. Its pencil-slim silhouette, recognizable virtually worldwide, is an Art Deco monument to progress, a symbol for New York City, and a star in some great romantic scenes, on- and off-screen. Its cinematic résumé—the building has appeared in more than 200 movies—means that it remains a fixture of popular imagination, and many visitors come to relive favorite movie scenes. You might just find yourself at the top of the building with Sleepless in Seattle look-alikes or even the building’s own King Kong impersonator.
Built in 1931 at the peak of the skyscraper craze, this 103-story limestone giant opened after a mere 13 months of construction. The framework rose at an astonishing rate of 4½ stories per week, making