# What are the best buildings to see in New York?



## Space Girl (Jan 23, 2006)

So I am finally going to New York  (with the family) and I love the deco buildings, so far on my list of must building to see are:
chrysler building
empire state
Rockafella
Flatiron
Woolworth
Barclay-vesey
Chanin
Fuller

What other buildings are should I see and also, are there any special tours that will just drive me to them all?


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## editor (Jan 23, 2006)

Space Girl said:
			
		

> What other buildings are should I see and also, are there any special tours that will just drive me to them all?


Get walking you lazy git! NYC is THE best walking city!

Have fun! It's a fabulous place.


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## trashpony (Jan 23, 2006)

Grand Central Station is 

I'm quite partial to the bridges too - Brooklyn is the best

Oh and you do have to walk - it's the best way


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## potential (Jan 23, 2006)

seagram builing 5th ave...
so perfect, its made of bronze...
ludwig mies van der rohe...
go to   www.skyscraper.com
put in new york.... and roberts your mothers brother.


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## Space Girl (Jan 23, 2006)

walk!!!

I have no problems walking but I don't know how my two children (6 and 8) would cope with the amount of walking that is going to take place, they are going to be bored enough looking up at buildings so I need to make it as easy as possible for them


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## cybertect (Jan 24, 2006)

Space Girl said:
			
		

> So I am finally going to New York  (with the family) and I love the deco buildings, so far on my list of must building to see are:
> chrysler building
> empire state
> Rockafella
> ...



I'd probably add these to my personal list of 'must sees' as a chance to see work by some of the superstars of Modernism

Guggenheim Museum by Frank Lloyd Wright
The Seagram Building by Mies van der Rohe
The UN Headquarters by Le Corbusier et al
The Whitney Museum by Marcel Breuer
MOMA 

Useful link - http://www.nyc-architecture.com/


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## inflatable jesus (Jan 24, 2006)

The Flatiron is looking a bit covered up at the minute, I guess they're doing some facelifting or something.

The observation deck at the Rockefeller is nice enough and they've obviously put a lot of effort into making it more of an experience. If you do happen to go up there, I think daytime might be nicer than night-time.

Personally, I tend to like looking at the tenements downtown more than at the skyscrapers, although obviously the Empire state building is something a bit special. I never get tired of looking at that big bastard of a building.


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## Space Girl (Jan 24, 2006)

we are planning to take a boat trip at night time to see New York lit up, it is a good idea of just a waste of time, given that we are not going out late into the evenings as the children have to go to bed I thought it might be nice


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## oryx (Jan 25, 2006)

Guggenheim is unmissable IMVHO.


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## duvel (Jan 25, 2006)

....i love the Flatiron. It's my fav building in all of New York. As posted previously, it's in the process of being 'restored', so it has a bit of of a cover around it at present.

Enjoy NYC.


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## Space Girl (Jan 25, 2006)

thank you for all your advice, anything else we should see/do?


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## potential (Jan 25, 2006)

take a warm jacket it will be fuckin freezing there now...


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## editor (Jan 25, 2006)

Space Girl said:
			
		

> thank you for all your advice, anything else we should see/do?


You've probably already seen it, but my NY guide has got lots of photos/info.

Deffo take the (free) ferry to Staten Island too!


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## septic tank (Jan 26, 2006)

You've got to get over to Brooklyn and see The Willie. I'd also recommend checking out the Gowanus Canal (note the surreal polka-dotted steelwork of the Smith & Ninth Street F stop above) and the Civil War-era warehouses along the Red Hook waterfront for a look at some of the city's grungier architecture (in the case of the latter, soon to be replaced by an Ikea. Do stop by Sunny's for a beer and, if you're lucky, some bluegrass). As bridges go, the Brooklyn gets all the glory, but the Williamsburg is the truly beautiful brute -- especially at night, under fog or snow.


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## editor (Jan 26, 2006)

Oy! How come you weren't recommending all these interesting places when we were over, eh?!!


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## laptop (Jan 26, 2006)

editor said:
			
		

> Get walking you lazy git!






			
				Space Girl said:
			
		

> two children (6 and 8)



Welll..... I reckon the subway is the "building" you have to see. 

And the El sections. 

Call ne strange, but I reckon Coney Island... for sheer derelict funfair strangeness, and a view of Brooklyn on the way.


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## simon_rushton (Jan 26, 2006)

Not really a 'building' but definitely take a walk across the Brooklyn Bridge.
(And I second Grand Central Station - esp. the main hall, Gugenheim, Chrysler, Flatiron, Empire State, UN HQ).

Of those Grand Central, Chrysler and UN are all within a few minutes walk of each other, and Empire State isn't too far. Combine Gugenheim with a nice run around in Central Park - will keep the kids happy.


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## dada (Jan 26, 2006)

about walking, don't forget to have a walk in central park.
you can start walking from 52nd street, up to the MET, pay a penny to go inside. have a rest in the Sculpture Court, appreciate the surrounding of art.
then walk to central park.


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## dada (Jan 26, 2006)

duvel said:
			
		

> ....i love the Flatiron. It's my fav building in all of New York. As posted previously, it's in the process of being 'restored', so it has a bit of of a cover around it at present.
> 
> Enjoy NYC.



Flatiron, my favourite too.  used to live around there.  

oh how i miss ny, it's the best.


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## mr pat (Jan 26, 2006)

Get the ferry to Ellis island & Statue of Liberty, if you ever had any relations years ago emmigrate to the US their info will be in Ellis Island. Very interesting imo

N'joy it's a wonderfull city


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## septic tank (Jan 26, 2006)

Also check out the Tenement Museum on the Lower East Side. It's a great slice of working people's history, and the guides are great. Have a pastrami sandwich at Katz's when you're done, if you're into that sort of thing (Katz's cafeteria surely must qualify as one of the great architectural wonders of New York). While we're on the topic of Jewish culinary delicacies (which, having grown up around Chicago, I find more exciting than the architecture), Katz's matzo ball soup is edible, but if that's your flavor you need to go uptown to the Edison Cafe (sorry - no link. It's on the ground floor of the Edison Hotel in the theater district). And finally, have an egg cream. Katz's does an okay one, but there's better to be found, I'm told. Just be sure it's chocolate Fox's U-Bet.


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## inflatable jesus (Jan 26, 2006)

septic tank said:
			
		

> You've got to get over to Brooklyn and see The Willie



Is it just me or are all the Williamsburg savings bank buildings really nice and striking looking buildings?

p.s. It looks like they started taking the covers off the flatiron today, so perhaps spaceegirl will manage a proper swatch at it.


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## Space Girl (Jan 27, 2006)

we're not going for a while so hopefully the flatiron will be ready and bear for me to see it (I have always wanted to see it since I was a child)

so what about great places to eat, what are my options given that the majority of the time we will walking around looking to the sky?

I want to eat chinese out of one of those boxes you see everyone on the films eating out of (I know it's stupid but it's what I want to do) so are they common or do I ahve to go somehwere special to eat out of a box?


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## septic tank (Jan 27, 2006)

Space Girl said:
			
		

> so are they common or do I ahve to go somehwere special to eat out of a box?


They're common enough, but you only get the little boxes with takeout. I'd recommend Congee Village (Congee is a sort of rice porridge), as much for the wierd ambience as the food. Also, Nyonya for Malaysian. For a less-Americanized version of your straight Chinese menu, there's a really good, moderately-priced (by normal people's standards, not those of Fodor's or Michelin) place at 24th and 9th (one caveat -- horribly rude service). I can't think of what it's called. In general, Menupages and New York Mag's restaurant site  are good foodie resources. You can't really go wrong just wandering around Chinatown, though.


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## Space Girl (Jan 27, 2006)

excellent, so I can eat out of a box!

We are staying in a hotel on 48th & 8th, is that a good place?

what will the children enjoy, we only have 3 full days there and I should really think about something for them but I don't want to spend a day at the zoo, far too selfish for that


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## ATOMIC SUPLEX (Jan 27, 2006)

Don't do the empire state building, it takes hours of fucking cueing. 
I waited in line for about half an hour to buy a ticket, then an hour later I haddent even got in the lift. I ended up selling my ticket for a dollar profit to someone still in the ticket line. 

Not good pay for an hour and a halfs work.


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## Hanfstaengl (Jan 27, 2006)

What would a native New Yorker think?


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## septic tank (Jan 27, 2006)

Space Girl said:
			
		

> We are staying in a hotel on 48th & 8th, is that a good place?
> what will the children enjoy, we only have 3 full days there and I should really think about something for them but I don't want to spend a day at the zoo, far too selfish for that



Hmm. Midtown West, I guess. Or is that Hell's Kitchen still? Well, you're proximate to the Theater District, so that's an option (Doubt and Sweeney Todd are both great, if not the most child-friendly, productions). Potentially expensive, but you can get last-minute tix relatively cheap from the kiosk in Times Square (I think). 

You might try and see The Daily Show, our last real national news program, which is filmed somewhere in the West 50s, as I recall, early afternoons. Or its sibling The Colbert Report, though that's even more culture specific, and I'm not sure you'd get all the cues unless you spent a couple weeks watching American cable "news" shows (and no, CNN International doesn't count). 

Given the weather, I might skip the Bronx Zoo and stick to the museums -- plenty of options there, and all of them have free days. Some will have child-oriented exhibitions -- particularly the American Museum of Natural History, which usually has some cool sciencey stuff for kids (frogs, space travel, that sort of thing). You're also close to the park. Take them to see Alice. 

We are having an extraordinarily warm winter this year, but with plenty of bracing cold, nonetheless. Right now, with wind chill, it's down in the teens and 20s. Fahrenheit. Saturday, we're supposed to be up to 50. If you don't own any massive, bulky jackets made of down or space-age insulating fibers, wear lots and lots of layers. And bring your brolly. It's been very unpredictable.


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## lang rabbie (Jan 27, 2006)

septic tank said:
			
		

> You've got to get over to Brooklyn and see The Willie.









But now that the banking hall inside is closed  is it really worth strolling around that corner of downtown Brooklyn for a close-up view   (I can't imagine that the redevelopment of the LIRR Atlantic Terminal next door as a Target has suddenly implanted a bohemian cafe culture into that end of Flatbush Avenue that the students of LIU-Brooklyn never managed? )

The Willie is probably best seen in the view from Grand Army Plaza  as part of a circular walk encompassing the Brooklyn Museum - spectacular Egyptian collections, Prospect Park - Central Park's prettier sister, the Botanic Gardens  and/or Brooklyn Zoo.

Edited to add: there is a weekend "Heart of Brooklyn trolley" service between all the Brooklyn attractions near Prospect Park


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## inflatable jesus (Jan 28, 2006)

My girlfriend's eight year old nephew really dug this place:

http://www.sonywondertechlab.com/

It's probably a twenty minute walk or a short cab ride from your hotel.

The carousel in central park is supposed to be quite nice too. There's also plenty of playgrounds within central park.

http://www.centralparkcarousel.com/


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## D (Jan 28, 2006)

Hanfstaengl said:
			
		

> What would a native New Yorker think?



Of what?

***

Space Girl - when will you be there? 

***

I am really excited to see Sweeney Todd!


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## septic tank (Jan 28, 2006)

D said:
			
		

> I am really excited to see Sweeney Todd!



I'd never seen it before, and it's a pretty remarkable production. Everyone in the cast plays multiple instruments (including, hallelujia, a tuba). Cerveris is fantastic (man's got one hell of a rich voice), as is LuPone.


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## Space Girl (Jan 29, 2006)

D said:
			
		

> Space Girl - when will you be there?



well it was all booked for easter but it looks like I might have to help my mum do an antique fair as she is booked in for an operation, I have to wait to find out what's happening with her and about being able to change the holiday dates, we have booked for 2 weeks in mexico and then 3 nights in New York, if it ain't easter (which I am still hoping for) then it has to be in the summer hols which is miles away and this thread will be a tad early


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## paolo (Feb 4, 2006)

Grand Central thirded... if you can, book the guided tour. When I did it, it was free, and they take you through a very "special" bit of the station that the public doesn't have access to, and most won't know exists even though it's starting them in the face. Not saying what it is, because the surprise is 

Another good free tour (needs to be booked ahead of time, but you can do it by email) is the Federal Reserve. They take you 8 stories below ground to the biggest bullion reserve in the world. One third of the world's gold.  

Then there's the Grand Concourse in the Bronx. I've not been personally but there's meant to be some art deco faded charm stuff along it. (Main roads in the Bronx are safe enough in the day as long you're streetwise.)

Coney Island seconded too... I've always gone earlyish, 9am on a weekend, for that added "ghost town" feel.


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## davesgcr (Feb 19, 2006)

A walk around Brooklyn Heights is interesting - and good views of Manhattan from the Esplanade - subway to Clark Street and a good mooch around is fun - and you can walk back over the Brooklyn Bridge.

Soho area of course for the cast iron buildings .....


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