Things to do near the Empire State Building

Of course, the first attraction to check out around the Empire State Building is this behemoth of a skyscraper itself. Zip up to the 86th-floor observation platform for sweeping views that take in the whole of Manhattan and beyond. Look! There’s the Brooklyn Bridge over there. And Central Park, too! And, hey, isn’t that…? You’re right, that is indeed the Statue of Liberty standing sentinel out in the bay in all her green glory.

Sure, you came to this architectural Art Deco marvel for the views, the bragging rights and the selfies. But don’t skip the exhibits inside: there’s a whole host of fun things to look at (a wall of screens showing clips of the Empire State Building through the ages) and touch (the furious, trembling hands of King Kong and some splendid bronze sculptures of 1930s construction workers).

Best of all is that your NYC adventure has only just begun. Onwards!

But first, do check out our complete guide to visiting the Empire State Building.

What’s the one thing you can’t see from the Empire State Building? That’s right: the Empire State Building. Well, we’re about to right that wrong. Take a gentle mosey north along Fifth Avenue until you reach Rockefeller Plaza, home of the similarly splendid Art Deco Rockefeller Center, aka 30 Rock.

Once you’ve got your breath back after that 70-floor ascent in one of the planet’s fastest elevators, step out onto Top of the Rock’s open-air deck for some of the best views of the Empire State Building – and indeed Central Park – that you’ll find anywhere in town.

Want to get even higher? Add a ride on the Skylift to your experience – its rotating platform spins you an additional three stories above the main viewing deck.

Bonus: take a guided tour of Rockefeller Plaza while you’re in the area. 

And here’s our full guide to Top of the Rock for your perusal.

Just a couple blocks west of our old pal the Empire State Building, Madison Square Garden is perhaps NYC’s most celebrated venue. Home to sporting legends including the Knicks and New York Rangers, it has also hosted some of the planet’s biggest music stars down the years. We’re talking – deep breath – Elvis, Bowie, Sinatra, Mariah Madonna, Little Richard, Led Zeppelin, Queen, Celine, Tina Turner, Chaka Khan, Prince, Justin Bieber, Drake and Taylor Swift. So, yeah, some pretty big names. 

But if you’re not catching a game or a show while you’re in town, it’s still well worth making the pilgrimage for the all-access guided tour, with plenty of cool anecdotes about the iconic moments in sports and entertainment that took place here, plus a chance to peek at Madison Square Garden artifacts like Elton John's autographed set list and the liturgy book from Pope Francis's Papal Mass.

Riding the Big Bus is practically a rite of passage for New York newbies and, handily, it has a pick-up/drop-off point right by the Empire State Building. Hop aboard the downtown loop for a whiz around some of Midtown and Lower Manhattan’s most essential neighborhoods, including  the Flatiron District, SoHO, Chinatown and Little Italy, the Financial District and Hudson Yards. Eyes peeled along the route for the Brooklyn Bridge, the One World Trade Center tower amd, of course, the iconic Flatiron Building.

We reckon the sensory overload of Times Square needs to be experienced at least once, so you may as well tick it off while it’s within shambling distance anyway. Besides gawping wide-eyed at the dazzling digital billboards, rows of bright yellow New York cabs and ocean of camera-toting tourists, you can also have your jaw dropped at several attractions around the neighborhood. There’s M&Ms World and Hershey’s Chocolate World of course, for all your sugar fix needs, plus a Disney Store that’s bigger than your house and some of the coolest museums in town. 

We’re talking the A-list waxtravaganza that is Madame Tussauds, where selfie opportunities include Mariah, Harry Styles, Tay-Tay and Anna Wintour, to name just a few. Then there’s the all-singing, all-dancing Museum of Broadway for further posing and maybe even the chance to unleash your inner Elphaba, and the quite excellent RiseNY, which twins a deep dive into New York’s cultural landscape with a thrilling simulated flight high above Manhattan’s rooftops. Enough, in other words, to fill just about your whole vacation.

From one great American architectural wonder to another, you’ll find the quite wonderful Grand Central Terminal a short way north along Park Avenue from the Empire State Building. This place ain’t just for commuters either. 

Step into its cavernous entrance hall for a jaw-dropping moment of awe, then gaze up to the stars – literally: there’s a celestial painting of the constellations up there. Set your watch by the famous four-faced opal clock that keeps time above the main concourse and seek out the Whispering Gallery, a deft touch of acoustic architectural trickery that allows whispers made on one side of the lower floor’s domed walkways to be heard way over on the other. Yep, even when the station is in full rush-hour flow.

You’ll pass this Midtown fave en route from the Empire State to Grand Central, so it would be remiss not to squeeze in a quick picnic on your way. There’s plenty to love across Bryant Park’s relatively diminutive 9.6 acres, not least the fact that that imposing-looking building on its eastern edge is – as any fans of the movie will quickly identify – the New York Public Library, as seen in the original Ghostbusters. Don’t forget to carry your proton back for those all-important bustin’ selfies.

Elsewhere, you’ll find locals playing chess and chilling with a spot of tai chi on the lawns. There are alfresco movie nights in summer, a pop-up village complete with ice-rink in winter and a jaunty continental-style carousel that the young-at-heart can ride year-round. And, perhaps best of all, it boasts some of the finest public conveniences in the Western Hemisphere: Beaux-Arts beauts that come complete with smartly-turned-out attendants, art exhibits, classical music and freshly cut flowers.

Step out through the Empire State Building’s soaring Fifth Avenue Lobby, with its gold leaf ceiling and opulent chandeliers and you’ll find yourself just a block from Herald Square and the retail juggernaut that is Macy’s. But this ain’t just any old Macy’s, it’s the largest department store in the United States with more than two million square feet of shop floor to explore. You could probably get lost forever in a place like this, but you should do your very best to escape with at least enough cash left over for lunch – Koreatown’s just around the corner, where Woorijip has some claim to the best takeout bibimbap and spicy Korean chicken and rice in town. Yum.

Take a walk south along Fifth Avenue and through leafy Madison Square Park to emerge right in front of one of the Big Apple’s most distinctive buildings: the Flatiron. Built more than a century ago, way back in 1902, the Flatiron is named for its distinctive shape, bordering the narrow triangular block formed by Fifth Avenue, Broadway and East 22nd. 

Said to resemble that of an old-school cast-iron clothes iron, it became so synonymous with the area in which it resides that they named the whole neighborhood after it! It’s well worth the walk to find out what all the fuss is about: take time to ogle its peculiar form and strikingly ornate white terracotta facade up close and don’t spare the selfies!