Things to Do in New York City

Arguably the most luxurious department store in the city, Saks Fifth Avenue is the result of a partnership between two powerful New York City department store families: the Saks’ and Gimbel Brothers. In September 1924, Horace Saks and Bernard Gimbel opened this famous chain’s flagship store in Midtown Manhattan, next door to St. Patrick’s Cathedral and across the street from the site that would become, in 1939, Rockefeller Center.

Saks’ flagship building occupies an entire city block and is decorated in the Art Deco style, inspired by the 1925 Paris Exposition. The store’s layout is divided into a series of high-end specialty shops, each highlighting individual designers of clothing, accessories and home wares. The 8th floor shoe department, 10022-SHOE, is a fantasy-inducing collection of the world’s greatest luxury shoe designers, and is named with the zip code of the surrounding neighborhood.

Though utilizing ground floor windows for elaborate product displays had become common practice by the 1920s, the flagship has since become especially famous for its window scenes, which feature entire room sets, costumes, mannequins, a wide variety of art and craft materials, video projection screens and more. Especially at Christmastime, the window displays here are a tourist attraction all on their own.

Located at 209 Broadway in Lower Manhattan, St. Paul’s Chapel is Manhattan’s oldest public building in continuous use. Moreover, it is the only surviving church from the Revolutionary Era, and holds much history from this period. Opened in 1766, it is part of the Episcopal Parish of Trinity Church and has been a place of worship and refuge for many over the years, including George Washington and Revolutionary War British Generals Cornwallis and Howe, who would go there to pray and 9/11 recovery workers who were cared for inside the chapel. If you’re interested in seeing where George Washington himself sat inside the church, there is an oil painting of the Great Seal of the United State over his pew. The interior of the church is less grand and more cozy yet elegant with glass chandeliers and an ornamental design above the alter created by a French veteran of the revolution, Pierre L’Enfant. For those who want to do more than just wander around the site, St. Paul’s is extremely active and holds regular mass, concerts and lectures.

Hours for St. Paul’s Chapel are 10am - 6pm Monday through Saturday and 7am to 6pm on Sundays. To get to the chapel by subway you can take the 4, 5, 2, 3, A, C to Broadway-Nassau Street; E to Chambers Street; 6 to Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall.

Located in Central Park, Strawberry Fields encompasses 2.5 acres dedicated to Beatles band member John Lennon. Opened in 1985, five years after Lennon was murdered outside his home at The Dakota apartments, the memorial is named after The Beatles’ hit “Strawberry Fields Forever.” The focus of the memorial is a stone mosaic with inlaid tiles spelling out the word “Imagine,” named after another famous Beatles’ song. This is where you’ll catch impromptu jam sessions by fans, especially on the anniversary dates of John Lennon’s birthday on October 9 and death on December 8. It’s also a place for vigils, such as after the September 11th attacks, as well as memorials for other beloved musicians. While the entire memorial is a place of peace, the Garden of Peace is particularly special, filled with plant life and rocks donated by 150 different countries for contemplative meditation.

To get to the memorial, visitors should enter at Central Park West at West 72nd Street. To get there using the subway, take the A,B,C,1,2,3 to 72nd Street.

A four-mile strip of elegant public green space between the Hudson River and Riverside Drive on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, this designated scenic landmark was first proposed in 1865, laid out in 1910 (using designs by Frederick Law Olmstead), re-designed in the 1930s by Robert Moses (who incorporated an underground train tunnel still in use by Amtrak), and enlarged by Donald Trump in the 1990s.

In addition to purely scenic paths landscaped with trees, flowers, terraces and bridges, the park includes a wide variety of recreational options, like baseball diamonds, basketball, tennis and handball courts, skate ramps, kayak and canoe launch sites, playgrounds, and fitness paths. As part of the Manhattan Waterfront Greenway, the park contains car-free bike routes, and its 110-slip public marina at 79th Street is part of New York State’s Water Trail.

There are several graceful monuments within the park, including Grant’s Tomb, at West 122nd Street. This Grecian rotunda with ionic columns, visible from the Hudson River, contains the actual tombs of Ulysses S. Grant and his wife, Julia Dent Grant.

Short for “North of Little Italy,” the name Nolita was coined in a 1996 article in The New York Times that aimed to label this then-newly trendy little area. Bordered by Houston Street (pronounced house-tun), the Bowery, Broome Street, and Lafayette Street, this Lower East Side neighborhood includes the famous Puck Building (at the corner of Houston and Lafayette) and the original St. Patrick’s Cathedral (at the triangular intersection of Mulberry, Mott and Prince Streets).

One of the smallest retail districts in the city, Nolita is light on green space and elbow room, but is nonetheless home to some of New York’s hippest restaurants and cafes, like Nolita House and Bowery Coffee, and shops, such as fashion boutiques Duncan Quinn and Creatures of Comfort, as well as independent bookseller McNally Jackson.

Located next to the Financial District where Fulton Street meets the East River, South Street Seaport is a historic neighborhood known for its attractions, shopping, restaurants, nightlife and harbor views. In the summer, locals flock to the area to have beers and frozen margaritas on the pier as well as catch the water taxis and ferries to sites like the Statue of Liberty, the Brooklyn Bridge and Governors Island from Pier 16. Browse the many shops like Victoria’s Secret, Britches of New York, The Body Shop and Filmline Gallery. You can also get to know the area’s rich sea commerce history through the Seaport Museum, as well as ships docked at Pier 17 that act as living museums. For dinner and drinks, simply hop along the many venues on Pier 17 or head to Beekman Beer Garden, which offers a full menu, refreshing beers and close-up views of the Brooklyn Bridge.

Guarding the entrance to New York Harbor on Liberty Island, the 305-foot (93-meter) Statue of Liberty came to the United States as a gift from France to commemorate the 100-year anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Lady Liberty has been a symbol of democracy and hope for NYC and the US since 1886. Together with neighboring Ellis Island, the Statue of Liberty National Monument is administered by the National Park Service.