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Each one a single question, answered in full01
The articles
- 01
The Metropolitan Museum of ArtHow do you see the Met in a single day?
A practical plan for seeing the Met's vast collection in a single day, department by department.
- 02
Central ParkWhere are the best bridges and arches in Central Park?
A guide to Central Park's dozens of bridges and arches, from Bow Bridge to the arcade at Bethesda Terrace.
- 03
Central ParkWhat was Seneca Village, and why did it disappear?
How a majority-Black settlement on the future park's land was cleared by eminent domain to build Central Park.
- 04
Rockefeller Center and St. Patrick's CathedralHow did the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center begin?
The story behind Rockefeller Center's famous Christmas tree, lit above the plaza every December since 1933.
- 05
Times SquareHow did the New Year's Eve ball drop begin in Times Square?
How a newspaper's tower gave Times Square its name and its famous New Year's Eve ball drop.
- 06
The New York Public Library and Bryant ParkWhere did the library lions Patience and Fortitude get their names?
How two marble lions outside the New York Public Library became Patience and Fortitude.
- 07
The Chrysler BuildingHow did the Chrysler Building win the race to be tallest?
The story of the secret spire that made the Chrysler Building the world's tallest skyscraper, if only briefly, in 1930.
- 08
Grand Central TerminalWhy is Grand Central's ceiling painted backward?
The ceiling's mirrored zodiac, the clock's opal myth, and the campaign that saved Grand Central from demolition.
- 09
Grand Central TerminalWhat is the whispering gallery at Grand Central?
How two corners beneath Grand Central's tiled ramps let a soft whisper carry clean across the room.
- 10
The Empire State BuildingHow was the Empire State Building built in just over a year?
How a Depression-era race among three towers raised the Empire State Building in just over a year.
- 11
The Flatiron Building and Madison SquareWhy is the Flatiron Building shaped like a wedge?
Why Broadway's diagonal cut across the grid left a wedge of land at 23rd Street, and how the Flatiron Building filled it.
- 12
The High LineHow did an old freight railroad become the High Line?
How an abandoned elevated freight line above Manhattan's West Side became the High Line, one of the city's most visited parks.
- 13
Washington Square and Greenwich VillageWhat is the story of the Washington Square Arch?
The story behind the marble arch at Washington Square, from potter's field to Stanford White's monument to Washington.
- 14
Washington Square and Greenwich VillageWhy is the Stonewall Inn a national monument?
The story behind the Stonewall Inn's 2016 designation as the first national monument for LGBTQ history.
- 15
Chinatown and the Lower East SideWhat can you see at the Tenement Museum on Orchard Street?
Two real tenement buildings on Orchard Street show how immigrant families actually lived on the Lower East Side.
- 16
Chinatown and the Lower East SideHow did Manhattan's Chinatown grow up around Mott Street?
How Manhattan's Chinatown took shape around Mott Street from the 1870s onward, block by block.
- 17
The 9/11 Memorial and One World Trade CenterWhat is inside the Oculus at the World Trade Center?
What fills the Oculus: a white-ribbed station hall, PATH and subway entrances, and a mall beside the 9/11 memorial pools.
- 18
The 9/11 Memorial and One World Trade CenterWhat is the Survivor Tree at the 9/11 Memorial?
A Callery pear that lived through the attacks still grows in the 9/11 Memorial plaza, among the oaks.
- 19
Wall Street and Trinity ChurchWho is buried in the churchyard of Trinity Church?
A guide to Trinity Churchyard, the burial ground beside Wall Street holding Alexander Hamilton, Robert Fulton and Albert Gallatin.
- 20
Wall Street and Trinity ChurchWhat is left of Dutch New Amsterdam in Lower Manhattan?
What survives of New Amsterdam along Wall Street, from a vanished wall to a park that outlived the fort beside it.
- 21
The Brooklyn BridgeCan you walk across the Brooklyn Bridge?
Yes, on a raised promenade between the roadways that is now for people on foot alone. Which way to walk, where to start and finish, how long it takes, when it is least crowded, and what to do in Brooklyn at the far end.
- 22
Getting HereHow do you get from JFK Airport to Manhattan?
There is no direct train from JFK to Manhattan, but there are three good ways in: AirTrain to Jamaica and the Long Island Rail Road, AirTrain to the subway, or a taxi at a flat rate. How each one works, what it involves with luggage, and how to choose.
- 23
The Statue of Liberty and Ellis IslandHow do you visit the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island?
Every visitor travels on the same ferry, sold by one company. Which of the three tickets you need, why the crown sells out, how security works, how long to allow, and how to fit Ellis Island into the same day.
- 24
Getting AroundHow does the New York subway work for visitors?
The subway runs all night, takes a tap of your bank card or phone, and reaches nearly everything on this site. How the lines are named, which platform to choose, the difference between local and express, how the fare cap works, and what changes at night and on weekends.
- 25
Getting HereWhat happened to the old Penn Station?
New York once had a railroad station modeled on the baths of ancient Rome. Why it was torn down in the 1960s, where its sculptures went, how its loss saved Grand Central, and where you can still feel something of it today.
- 26
The GridWhat is Manhattanhenge, and where should you watch it?
Four days a year the sun rises or sets exactly along Manhattan's cross streets, because the grid of 1811 is tilted 29 degrees. Why it happens, when, the difference between the half sun and the full sun, and which streets give the best view.
- 27
The Statue of Liberty and Ellis IslandWhat was Ellis Island like for the immigrants who passed through it?
What arriving immigrants faced at Ellis Island, from the Great Hall to medical checks, detention and myths about names.
Written one at a time02