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This soaring Art Deco skyscraper is one of the most widely recognized symbols of the city, and star of countless movies. It offers unforgettable panoramas of New York from its 86th floor Observatory.

An urban wonder in the city’s center, with gardens, restaurants, an underground shopping concourse, office space, a skating rink, and over 100 works of art, from murals to statues.

Carefully restored buildings bring to life the experience of the immigrants who have poured into New York over the years, helping to build the multi-ethnic city of today.

The vast swath of green provides an 843-acre respite from the concrete of the city. The man-made park took 16 years and more than 500,000 trees to complete.

It would take weeks to see all the treasures of this museum. It houses one of the greatest collections of the Western world and spans 5,000 years of culture.

This Frank Lloyd Wright building is a work of art in itself, and a fitting frame for a major collection of contemporary art (see Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum).

The mansion of industrialist Henry Clay Frick, with indoor garden court and reflecting pool, is the setting for his exceptional collection of Old Masters, French furniture, and Limoges enamels. Look for Rembrandt, Vermeer, and Hals in the West Gallery; Holbein, Titian, and Bellini in the Living Hall.

One of the world’s great rail terminals, the outstanding Beaux Arts building is New York’s most visited, with 500,000 people passing through it daily. Since restoration work was completed, its admirers are no longer limited to travelers. Grand Central has become an attraction in its own right, with 15 restaurants, over 40 shops, the New York City Transit Museum and a gourmet food market.

An explosion of neon illuminates Broadway and Times Square, where more than 40 famous theaters play host to a changing parade of hit shows.

The horse-drawn hansom cabs lined up at the edge of Central Park are romance personified. The driver, appropriately attired in fancy dress and top hat, will help you up as you nestle in for a 20-minute trot past park landmarks (see Central Park).

Relax aboard the authentic, Venetian gondola as you glide out on the water and revel in the beauty of the park reflected in the lake and the city buildings ringing the park like a crown – the gondolier may break into song.

A swath of green with formal plantings behind the Public Library.

Bergdorf Goodman, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Lord and Taylor have a full range of well-known brand clothing for men, women, and children, as well as an upscale selection of home accessories. All have seasonal window displays that make for stylish browsing.

Between 18th and 23rd streets, the cast-iron buildings that comprised the late-1800s “Fashion Row” are another shopping mecca. Current occupants include superstores like Bed, Bath, and Beyond for homewares, Old Navy for casual clothing, and bargain fashion outlets such as T.J. Maxx and Filene’s Basement.

After Macy’s, this is New York’s best-known department store, re-nowned for high fashion for men and women. The main floor with cosmetics, jewelry, and accessories is a mob scene, but don’t be discouraged; upper floors are more manageable.

What can you say about the world’s largest store? Food to futons, the selection is vast. And Macy’s is a major part of the New York scene, from the annual spring flower show to Tap-O-Mania, when thousands of tap dancers converge on Herald Square.

Herbs and berries, miniature vegetables, fresh flowers and home-baked pastries, newly woven yarns, hams, honey – all of these and more can be found at the bountiful Greenmarket that fills Union Square each Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. More than 200 regional farmers take part in the market, each offering only goods that they have grown or made. A colorful New York scene not to be missed.

The cobbled streets, buildings, and piers that were the center of New York’s 19th-century seafaring activity (known as “the street of sails”) have been restored as a tourist center. There are shops, food stalls, restaurants, a museum with many seafaring exhibits, a fleet of tall ships for boarding, and plenty of outdoor entertainment.

A heady mix of fashionable shops and world-class architecture makes for an avenue of endless pleasures, and some of New York’s best-known addresses.