Isn’t the architecture of New York amazing? We already toured the Empire State Building in Part 1 of my City Guide, but there’s also the Chrysler Building, the Flatiron, the New York Library and Grand Central Station and other hidden gems that pop out at you while you’re walking along on the sidewalk.
I love the Flatiron. We were eating some amazing Italian food at Il Corallo on the fringe of SOHO and when I saw it was so close on Google Maps, we decided to take a walk to see it. When we got nearby, I checked Googs again to make sure we didn’t miss it and it was supposedly right there! But I couldn’t see it! I turned around and there it was! Just hiding from me. It’s hard to spot it if walking in the wrong direction.
And then a walk along 5th Avenue brought us to the Chrysler Building. I prefer it to the Empire State Building. Love that art deco top!
And the inside lobby is amazing! The building has no observation deck, but you can visit the lobby for free and check out the ceiling mural and art deco design. The lobby is open M-F from 8-6pm, just remember you are visiting an office building and be respectful to the tenants.
Grand Central Station (or if you want to be formal about it, Grand Central Terminal) has yet another amazing interior. The Main Concourse is zigzagged with people, but don’t forget to look up and check out the astronomical ceiling.
And if you go down to the lower tracks tracks, the Dining Concourse has some pretty awesome restaurants. Shack Shake, Magnolia Bakery, Cafe Grumpy, etc. I couldn’t bother with the Shack Shake line in Times Square (I mean, I love me a burger, but that line was setting me up for disappointment), and I had to try it for a comparison to In N Out (which totally wins) so we braved the shorter 10 minute line in Grand Central Station and had a delicious burger and fries for dinner. I will say that it was a very good burger, but In N Out fries are better, although I do appreciate Shake Shack’s wine menu.
Last, but not least, is the Beaux-Arts style New York Public Library building. I didn’t get to see too much of it because there was an exhibit on children’s books and so we wandered through that, and then the library closed, we were locked inside and then had a security guard let us out. Yeah, it almost turned into Night at the Museum but with books.
Unfortunately, the children’s books exhibition has since closed, but I took a few dozen photos!
And lastly, I would recommend a trip out to Harlem. The mister wanted to hear some jazz music, so we trekked it out to Harlem and went to Bill’s Place. Which is literally Bill’s apartment inside a brownstone in Harlem where he and his band play jazz every Friday and Saturday night. It’s BYOB and a good time!
This wraps up my New York City Guides, but be sure to check out the rest of the series:
Giveaway: Ilene Squires Print Shop
Sunday 2nd of November 2014
[…] Fall finally arrived here in California and I am thrilled to wear sweaters and boots at last, but in other parts of the country you all might already be dreaming of warmer places. And if you don’t have a tropical holiday vacation planned, I’ve got the perfect solution for you!Today on the blog, I’m giving away a framed 11×14 print of Ilene Squires’ beautiful Caribbean Ombre! This beach is the epitome of warm weather and relaxation and would be the perfect way to bring some of that warm sun into your home! Plus, the print will come already framed so all you have to do is make a pina colada, hang, and enjoy!Can I just tell you all about Ilene real quick? I met Ilene at Alt Summit and we quickly hit it off. She’s so sweet and down-to-earth! When the mister and I were in New York this past summer, the mister really wanted to go listen to some jazz in Harlem which is where Ilene lives, so I called her up to ask her if we were were going to die if we went to Harlem (because we don’t get any blonder or nerdier) and invite her along, and she just laughed and told us that old ladies walk their poodles in Harlem at midnight, so we had nothing to worry about. So we all went together and had a great time at the little underground jazz show! […]