Sights to Visit
While there are countless places to visit in New York City, a fare share of them are easily found on the upper east side. From the paintings of masters like Henri Matisse located in The Met, to the awe-inspiring skyscrapers and landmarks can be spotted almost anywhere you look.
The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
A landmark instantly recognized by its distinctive cylindrical form, this Frank Lloyd Wright-designed museum has obliterated artistic and architectural barriers for nearly 60 years and counting. Spiral around its nautilus-shaped rotunda to discover a thoughtfully-curated collection of impressionists, post-impressionist, early modern and contemporary art from the likes of Monet, Picasso, Kandinsky and more. Tickets can be purchased online in advance.
1071 5th Ave, New York, NY 10128
212.423.3500
https://www.guggenheim.org/
Distance from hotel: 2.0 miles
Central Park Zoo
Central Park has something for everyone in the family, from the marathon-running fitness guru to the sun-bathing picnic enthusiast and the lovebirds who want to row a boat together in the lake. The whole family will enjoy the Central Park Zoo, a fantastic destination for kids and parents alike. The zoo attracts over a million visitors a year, who come to see notable exhibits like the Alison Maher Stern Snow Leopard exhibit, which showcases these big predator cats navigating the steep rocky terrain similar to that of their habitat in the wild. Then there’s the sea lion pool, Tisch children’s zoo, and a rainforest tropic zone.
*Check out our Live Like A Local Package for discount tickets in partnership with the Central Park Zoo!
E 64th St and 5th Ave, New York, NY 10021
212.439.6500
https://centralparkzoo.com/
Distance from hotel: 0.9 miles
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Occupying some 11.5 acres within Central Park, the Met is known for being the largest art museum in the United States. With over two million works of art spanning 5,000 years and divided among seventeen curatorial departments, the museum astonishes by breadth alone. Get lost in era after era while traveling through the grandeur of Beaux Arts hallways and taking in sweeping views of the park as you go. Must-visit exhibits on permanent display include the collection of Old Master paintings and the sprawling Ancient Egyptian Temple of Dendur.
1000 5th Ave, New York, NY 10028
212.535.7710
https://www.metmuseum.org/
Distance from hotel: 1.7 miles
American Museum of Natural History
Founded in 1869, the internationally-acclaimed Museum of Natural History sits across from Central Park and exhibits ancient rock formations, dinosaur fossils, insects and more. The aim here is to explore the history of, well, everything starting from the Big Bang to the present day. Not to be missed are the dinosaur exhibits, Milstein Hall of Ocean Life and the Hayden Planetarium, overseen by everyone’s favorite astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson.
Central Park W & 79th St, New York, NY 10024
212.769.5100
https://www.amnh.org/
Distance from hotel: 2.4 miles
The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)
The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is home to the largest collection of modern paintings and sculptures in the world, housing Van Gogh’s Starry Night and Monet’s breathtaking 14-foot wide Water Lilies, among other seminal works of art. Though smaller than the Met, the MoMA is almost as significant and certainly worth a visit. Opened in 1929, the museum houses work from the 18th century to the present day. Children 16 and under always get in free, and adults can too every Friday evening from 4 to 8pm.
11 W 53rd St, New York, NY 10019
212.708.9400
https://www.moma.org/
Distance from hotel: 1.5 miles
The Frick Collection
Located in the Henry Clay Frick House, the Frick Collection is one of the finest private collections of European art in the country. The house itself is an architectural beauty, built by industrialist Henry Clay Frick, and the grounds are delicately manicured to frame the esteemed art collection inside the home. You’ll be inspired by the masterpieces housed here in one of the last stops on Museum Mile. Be sure to check out the temporary exhibitions during your visit, which tend to show seminal works not displayed at other museums in the city.
1 E 70th St, New York, NY 10021
212.288.0700
https://frick.org
Distance from hotel: 1.1 miles
The United Nations
See the world-famous diplomatic collective in action at the UN. Designed by famed Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer, the 39-story Secretariat Building is the most visually stunning building from the outside, though visitors are not allowed inside. You can, however, book a tour of the General Assembly Hal, the Security Council Chamber, the Trusteeship Council Chamber, and the Economic and Social Council Chamber,
46th St & 1st Ave, New York, NY 10017
212.963.7539
https://visit.un.org/
Distance from hotel: 1.4 miles