SPRING
Every season in New York brings its own tempo and temptations. In spring, the city shakes off the winter with tulips and cherry blossoms in the parks and spring fashions in the stores. Everyone window shops and gallery hops. The hugely popular St.
Patrick’s Day Parade draws the crowds, and thousands don their finery for the Easter Parade down Fifth Avenue.
EASTER
Easter Flower Show (week before Easter), Macy’s department store (pp134–5).
Easter Parade (Easter Sun), Fifth Ave, from 44th to 59th St. Paraders in costumes and outrageous millinery gather around St. Patrick’s Cathedral.
MAY
Five Boro Bike Tour (early May), a 42-mile (68-km) ride ending with a festival with live music, food and exhibitions.
Cuban Day Parade (first Sun), a carnival on Sixth Ave, between 44th St and Central Park South.
Yellow tulips and cabs shine on Park Avenue
International Food Festival and Street Fair (mid-May), from W 37th to W 57th St. Ethnic foods, music, and dance.
Washington Square Outdoor Art Exhibit (usually last two weekends May; also Sep).
Memorial Day Activities (last weekend) A parade down Fifth Ave, festivities at South Street Seaport.
Inventive Easter bonnets in New York’s Easter Parade
Parading in national costume on Greek Independence Day
MARCH
St. Patrick’s Day Parade (Mar 17), Fifth Ave, from 44th to 86th St. Green clothes, beer and flowers, plus bagpipes.
Greek Independence Day Parade (Mar 25), Fifth Ave, from 49th to 59th St. Greek dancing and food.
New York City Opera Spring Season (Mar–Apr), Lincoln Center (p350).
Ringling Bros and Barnum
& Bailey Circus (Mar–
Apr), Madison Square Garden (p135).
APRIL
Cherry Blossom Festival (late Mar–Apr), Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Famous for
Japanese cherry trees and beautifully laid out ornamental gardens.
Annual Earth Day Festival Activities (varies).
Baseball (Apr–May), Major league season starts for Yankees and Mets (p360).
New York City Ballet Spring Season (Apr–Jun), New York State Theater and Metropolitan Opera House in Lincoln Center (p214).
SUMMER
New Yorkers escape the hot city streets when possible, for picnics, boat rides, and the beaches. Macy’s fireworks light up the Fourth of July skies, and more sparks fly when the New York Yankees and Mets base- ball teams are in town. Summer also brings street fairs, outdoor concerts, and free Shakespeare and opera in Central Park.
Lesbian and Gay Pride Day Parade (Jun), from Columbus Circle along Fifth Ave to Washington Sq (p115).
JVC Jazz Festival (mid–late Jun). Top jazz musicians perform in various halls in the city (p353).
AUGUST
Harlem Week (mid-Aug).
Films, art, music, dance, fashion, sports, and tours.
Out-of-Doors Festival (Aug), Lincoln Center.
Free dance and theater performances (p346).
US Open Tennis Champion- ships (late Aug–early Sep), Flushing Meadows (p360).
Days of Sunshine New York enjoys long hours of summer sun from June to August, with July the month of greatest sunshine.
The winter days are much shorter, but many are clear and bright. Autumn has more sunshine than spring, although both are sunny.
Festivities at a summer street fair in Greenwich Village
AVERAGE DAYS OF SUNSHINE PER MONTH
Feb
Jan Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec 25
20 15 10 5 0
25 20 15 10 5 0
Policeman dancing in the Puerto Rican Day Parade
JUNE
Puerto Rican Day Parade (early Jun), Fifth Ave, from 44th to 86th St. Floats and marching bands.
Museum Mile Festival (second Tue), Fifth Ave, from 82nd to 105th St.
Free entry to museums.
Central Park Summerstage (Jun-Aug), Central Park.
Music and dance of every variety, almost daily, rain or shine.
Metropolitan Opera Parks Concerts. Free evening concerts in parks throughout the city (pp350–51).
Shakespeare in the Park (Jun–Sep). Star actors take on the Bard at Delacorte Theater, Central Park (p347).
Lincoln Center Festival (Jul), Dance, opera, and other performing arts from around the world.
JULY
Macy’s Firework Display (Jul 4), usually the East River. This is the undisputed high point of the city’s Independence Day celebrations, featuring the best fireworks in town.
American Crafts Festival (mid-Jun–early Jul), Lincoln Center (p214). Displays of high-quality crafts.
Mostly Mozart Festival (end Jul–end Aug), Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center (pp350-51).
NY Philharmonic Parks Concerts (late Jul–early Aug). Free concerts in parks throughout the city (p351).
Crowds of spectators flock to the US Open Tennis Championships
Temperature The chart shows the average minimum and maximum temperatures for each month in New York. With top temp- eratures averaging 84° F (29° C), the city can become hot and humid. In contrast, the months of winter, although rarely below freezing, can seem bitterly cold.
AVERAGE MONTHLY TEMPERATURE
°C 32 24 16 8 0 -8
Feb
Jan Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
°F
Brazilian music, food, and crafts.
New York is Book Country (mid–late Sep), Fifth Ave, from 48th to 59th Sts. Book fair.
Festa di San Gennaro (third week), Little Italy (p96). Ten days of fes- tivities and processions.
New York Film Festival (mid-Sep–early Oct), Lincoln Center (p214).
American films and international art films.
Von Steuben Day Parade (third week), Upper Fifth Ave.
German-American celebrations.
American Football (season begins), Giants Stadium, home to the Giants and the Jets (pp360–61).
OCTOBER
Columbus Day Parade (2nd Mon), Fifth Ave, from 44th to 86th Sts. Parades and music to celebrate Columbus’s first sighting of America.
Pulaski Day Parade (Sun closest to Oct 5), Fifth Ave, from 26th to 52nd Sts. Cele- brations for Polish-American hero Casimir Pulaski.
Halloween Parade (Oct 31), Sixth Avenue, Greenwich Village. Brilliant event with fantastic costumes.
Big Apple Circus (Oct–Jan), Damrosch Park, Lincoln Center. Special themes are presented each year (p365).
Basketball (season begins), Madison Square Garden. Local team is the Knicks (pp360–61).
New York City Marathon (early Nov). From Staten Island through all the city boroughs.
SEPTEMBER Richmond County Fair (Labor Day weekend), in the grounds of Historic Richmond Town (p254). New York’s only authentic county fair.
West Indian Carnival (Labor Day weekend), Brooklyn. Parade, floats, music, dancing, and food.
Brazilian Festival
(early Sep), E 46th St, between Times Sq and Madison Ave.
Huge Superman balloon floating above Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
Exotic Caribbean carnival costume in the streets of Brooklyn
Revelers in Greenwich Village’s Halloween Parade
AUTUMN
Labor Day marks the end of the summer. The Giants and the Jets kick off the football season, the Broadway season begins and the Festa di San Gennaro in Little Italy is the high point in a succes- sion of colorful neighborhood fairs. Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is the nation’s symbol that the holiday season has arrived.
NOVEMBER
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade (fourth Thu), from Central Park West and W 79th St to Broadway and W 34th St.
A joy for children, with floats, huge balloons, and Santa.
Rockefeller Center Ice Skating Rink (Oct–Mar), Open to the public. You can skate beneath the famous Christmas Tree.
Christmas Spectacular (Nov–Dec), Radio City Music Hall. Variety show, with the Rockettes.
90 75 60 45 32 18
Rainfall
March and August are the months of heaviest rainfall in New York. Rainfall in spring is usually unpredictable, so be prepared. Sudden heavy snowfalls in winter can cause chaos in the city.
AVERAGE MONTHLY RAINFALL
Feb
Jan Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
MM Inches
DECEMBER Tree-Lighting Ceremony (early Dec), Rockefeller Center (p144). Lighting of the giant Christmas tree in front of the RCA Building.
Messiah Sing-In (mid-Dec), Lincoln Center (p214). The audience rehearses and performs under the guidance of various conductors.
Hanukkah Menorah (mid–late Dec), Grand Army Plaza, Brooklyn. Lighting of the huge menorah (candel- abra) every night during the eight-day Festival of Lights.
New Year’s Eve. Fireworks display in Central Park (pp206–7); festivities in Times Square (p147); 5-mile (8-km) run in Central Park; poetry reading in St. Mark’s Church.
JANUARY National Boat Show (Jan), Jacob K. Javits Convention Center (p138).
Chinese New Year (late Jan/Feb), Chinatown (pp96–7).
Dragons, fireworks, and food.
Winter Antiques Show (Jan), Seventh Regiment Armory (p187). NYC’s most prestigious antiques fair.
The giant Christmas tree and decorations at Rockefeller Center Statue of Alice in Wonderland
in Central Park
FEBRUARY
Black History Month. African- American events take place throughout the city.
Empire State Building Run-Up (early Feb). Runners race to the 102nd floor (pp136–7).
Lincoln and Washington Birthday Sales (Feb 12–22) Big department stores sales throughout the city.
Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show (mid-Feb), Madison Square Garden (p135). Major dog show.
WINTER
New York is a magical place at Christmas – even the stone lions at the Public Library don wreaths for the occasion, and shops become works of art.
From Times Square to China- town, New Year celebrations punctuate the season, and Central Park becomes a winter sports arena.
Chinese New Year celebrations in Chinatown
PUBLIC HOLIDAYS New Year’s Day (Jan 1) Martin Luther King Jr. Day (3rd Mon, Jan)
President’s Day (mid-Feb) Memorial Day (end May) Independence Day (Jul 4) Labor Day (1st Mon, Sep) Columbus Day (2nd Mon, Oct) Election Day (1st Tue, Nov) Veterans Day (Nov 11) Thanksgiving Day (4th Thu, Nov) Christmas Day (Dec 25)
Rainfall Snowfall 4
3 2 1 0 100
80 60 40 20 0
This view of Lower Manhattan, seen from the Hudson River, encompasses some of the most striking modern additions to the city skyline, such as the distinctively topped quartet of the World Financial Center. You will also catch glimpses of earlier Manhattan:
Castle Clinton set against the green space of Battery Park and, behind it, the Custom House building. From 1973 until September 2001 the area also boasted the World Trade Center. Its landmark towers were destroyed in a terrorist attack on the city. The 1 World Trade Center building (formerly known as Freedom Tower), on the northwest corner of the WTC site, is due for completion in late 2013.
The Southern Tip of Manhattan
1 World Trade Center This and several further towers are planned for the WTC site.
The Upper Room
This walk-around sculpture by Ned Smyth is one of many works of art in Battery Park City (see p72).
Detail from The Upper Room
World Financial Center At the heart of this complex is the Winter Garden – a place to shop, dine, be entertained, or just enjoy the Hudson River views (see p69).
An Earlier View This 1898 photograph shows a skyline now changed beyond recognition.
LOCATOR MAP The Southern Tip
WORLD TRADE CENTER REDEVELOPMENT SITE On September 11, 2001, two planes bound for Los Angeles were hijacked and targeted at the World Trade Center.
Hundreds of people died in the impact, but thousands more were killed when the twin towers collapsed. Two other planes were also hijacked that morning; the first struck the Pentagon, while the second came to ground near Pittsburgh.
The death toll exceeded the number of troops killed in the Revolutionary War (see pp22–3), and comparisons were made with the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Images of the destruction were seen across the world, drawing support for a “war against terrorism.” Currently being construc ted on the site is 1 World Trade Center (formerly called Freedom Tower). At 1,776 ft (541 m), its proposed height in feet refers to the year of the Declaration of Independence.
Skyscraper Museum Located at the southern tip of Battery Park City, the Skyscraper Museum celebrates and explores New York’s rich architectural heritage.
US Custom House This magnificent 1907 Beaux Arts building now houses the Museum of the American Indian (see p73).
Shrine of Mother Seton The first US-born saint lived here (see p76).
Liberty View
1 Liberty Plaza
26 Broadway The tower of the former Standard Oil Building resembles an oil lamp. The interior is still decorated with company symbols.
26 Broadway
17 State Street
East Coast War Memorial In Battery Park, a huge bronze eagle by Albino Manca honors the dead of World War II.
Bank of New York
American Merchant Mariners’ Memorial (1991) This sculpture by Marisol is on Pier A, the last of Manhattan’s old piers. The pier also has a clock tower that chimes the hours on ships’ bells.
US Custom House Castle Clinton
Lower Manhattan from the East River
At first sight, this stretch of East River shoreline, running up from the tip of Manhattan Island, is a seamless array of 20th-century office buildings. But from sea level, streets and slips are still visible, offering glimpses of old New York and the Financial District to the west. On the skyline itself, a few of the district’s early skyscrapers still proudly
display their ornate crowns above their more anonymous modern counterparts.
Downtown Heliport Air-Sea Rescue and sightseeing flights operate from here.
Battery Maritime Building This historic ferry terminal serves only Governors Island (see p77).
India House
The handsome brownstone at One Hanover Square is one of the finest of its kind.
55 Water Street One New
York Plaza
Barclay’s Bank Building
Hanover Square A statue of one of the Dutch mayors, Abraham De Peyster, sits near the house where he was born in 1657.
LOCATOR MAP East River View
Vietnam Veterans’ Plaza An engraved green-glass memorial dominates the former Coenties Slip, a wharf filled in to make a park in the late 19th century (see p76).
Delmonico’s This upscale steakhouse draws many carnivores.
Bank of New York This serene 1928 interior is part of the bank set up in 1784 by Alexander Hamilton (see p23).
100 Old Slip Now in the shadow of One Financial Square, the small palazzo- style First Precinct Police Department was the city’s most modern police station when it was built in 1911.
Queen Elizabeth Monument The ocean liner that sank in 1972 is remembered here.
70 Pine Street Replicas of this elegant Gothic-
style tower can be seen near the Pine and Cedar Street entrances.
Morgan Bank Columns from lobby to rooftop are the theme of this striking modern building.
Citibank Building
Chase Manhattan Bank Tower
120 Wall Street
40 Wall Street In the 1940s, the pyramid-topped tower
of the former Bank of Manhattan was hit
by a light aircraft.
Carved medallion, 100
Old Slip New York
Stock Exchange
New York Stock Exchange Although hidden from view by more modern edifices, this is still the hub of the
hectic Financial District (see pp70–71).
1 Financial Square
Woolworth Building The handsomely decorated spire marks the headquarters of F.W.
Woolworth’s empire. It is still the finest “cathedral of commerce” ever built (see p91).
South Street Seaport
As the Financial District ends, the skyline, as seen from the East River or Brooklyn, changes dramatically. The corporate head- quarters are replaced by the piers, low-rise streets and warehouses of the old seaport area, now restored as the South Street Seaport (see pp82–3). The Civic Center lies not far inland, and a few of its monu- mental buildings can be seen. The Brooklyn Bridge marks the end of this stretch of skyline. Between here and midtown, apartment blocks make up the majority of riverside features.
Seaport Plaza
Transportation Building
Bogardus Building
Pier 17
A focal point of the Seaport, this traditional-style leisure pier is packed with shops, vendors, and restaurants.
Fleet Bank Building
Stonework on the Woolworth Building
Titantic Memorial
The lighthouse on Fulton Street commemorates the sinking of the Titanic, the largest steam ship ever built.
Maritime Crafts Center At Pier 15, craftspeople
demonstrate traditional seafaring skills such as
woodcarving and model- making.
LOCATOR MAP South Street Area
Con Edison Mural In 1975, artist Richard Haas re-created the Brooklyn Bridge on the side wall of a former electrical substation.
Surrogate’s Court and Hall of Records Archives dating back to 1664 are stored and displayed here (see p85).
Municipal Building Among the offices of this vast building is the Marriage Chapel, where weddings “at City Hall” actually take place.
The copper statue on the skyline is Civic Fame by Adolph Weinman (see p85).
Police Plaza
Five in One (1971–4), in Police Plaza, is a sculpture by Bernard Rosenthal. It represents the five boroughs of New York.
Brooklyn Bridge
Views of, and from, the bridge have made it one of New York’s best-loved landmarks (see pp86–9).
Southbridge Towers
Verizon Telephone Company
Pace University
United States Courthouse The Civic Center is marked on the skyline by the golden pyramid of architect Cass Gilbert’s courthouse (see p85).
Police Plaza
Midtown Manhattan
Chrysler Building
Glinting in the sun by day or lit up by night, this stainless-steel spire is, for many,
the ultimate New York skyscraper (see p155).
Tudor City
Built in the 1920s, this complex is mock Tudor on a grand scale, with over 3,000 apartments (see p158).
The skyline of Midtown Manhattan is graced with some of the city’s most spectacular towers and spires – from the familiar beauty of the Empire State Building’s Art Deco pinnacle to the dramatic wedge shape of Citicorp’s modern headquarters. As the shoreline progresses uptown, so the architecture becomes more varied; the United Nations complex dominates a long stretch, and then Beekman Place begins a strand of exclusive residential enclaves that offer the rich and famous some seclusion in this busy part of the city.
United Nations
Works of art from member countries include this Barbara
Hepworth sculpture, a gift from Britain (see pp160–63).
MetLife Building
1 and 2 UN Plaza Angular glass towers house offices and the UN Millennium Plaza Hotel (see p158).
Empire State Building At 1,250 ft (381 m), this was
the tallest building in the world for many
years (see pp136–7).
The Highpoint
Grand Central Terminal Now dwarfed by its neighbors, this landmark building is full of period details, such as this fine clock (see pp156–7).
LOCATOR MAP Midtown
Citigroup Center
St. Peter’s Church nestles in one corner of the Citigroup Center, with its raked tower (see p177).
Beekman Tower Now an all- suite hotel, this Art Deco tower was built in 1928 as a hotel for women who were members of US college sororities.
St. Mary’s Garden The garden at Holy Family Church is a peaceful haven.
866 UN Plaza
The Nail, by Arnaldo Pomodoro, St. Peter’s Church, Citicorp Center
General Electric Building Built of brick in 1931, this Art Deco building has a tall spiked crown that resembles radio waves.
(see p176).
Japan Society
Japanese culture, from avant- garde plays to ancient art, can be seen here (see pp158–9).
Rockefeller Center The outdoor skating rink and walkways of this complex of office buildings, shops, and eateries are a great place to people watch (see p144).
100 UN Plaza
General Electric Building
Waldorf–Astoria The splendid interior of one of the city’s finest hotels lies beneath twin copper-capped towers (see p177).
Trump World Tower
Dusk view of Manhattan skyline