What Is New York Famous For? Top 17 NY's Amazing Attractions

12th of September 2022

In this article

New York City is a popular destination in the United States and is a dream destination for many. It welcomes upwards of 66 million tourists annually. These tourists visit NYC to experience the numerous skyscrapers, famous landmarks, affluent neighborhoods, and a culturally diverse melting pot.

In the United States, New York is the most populous city, with over 8.9 million people living in it. It contains some of the most famous landmarks in history, such as the Brooklyn Bridge, the Lincoln center of performing arts, and the Yankee stadium, among others.

Although terrorists destroyed the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York on September 11, 2001, in an attack, the city recovered. The iconic One World Trade Center replaced it in 2014.

Whether you're about to visit New York, or you're just interested to learn what it's famous for, keep reading to discover more amazing attractions New York city has.

1. Manhattan - New York's Most Popular Borough

Manhattan is the most popular administrative division in New York. It is a 5-district long island bordered on the West by the Hudson River, Harlem on the North, and the East River on the East. It is known as a hub for culture, financial and commercial activities. It has an area of 59.1 km² and is home to 2,600,000 people, making it the most populated borough in New York

The island welcomes about 33 million visitors yearly who come to see some of the world's most famous sites like the Empire State Building, Wall Street, the Chrysler Building, the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), and the famous Times Square.

2. Statue of Liberty - The Universal Symbol of Freedom

The Statue of Liberty is regarded as the Universal Symbol of Freedom and Democracy. It was given to the United States as a gift of friendship by the people of France. The famous statue is located on Liberty Island in New York City. It was designed by a French sculptor named Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi.

The statue was dedicated in the US on October 28, 1886. It became a National monument in 1924 and a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1984. From its base to the torch, the copper statue is 43 meters high, while the torch to ground level is 93 meters.

There are boat cruises and the Staten Island ferry that depart from the Battery in Lower Manhattan, and Liberty State Park in Jersey City that allow visitors to behold the statue from the water. Gaining access to the statue on Liberty island requires purchasing special tickets.

3. Central Park - New York's Green Oasis

Central Park is the fifth largest park in New York City, with an area of 3.41 km², and was landscaped by Calvert Vaux and Frederick Law Olmsted in 1857. It is located between the Upper East and Upper West sides of Manhattan.

There are a lot of features that make the park popular. Sights to see in the park include the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir, the Ramble and Lake, Wollman Rink, the Central Park Zoo, the Hallett Nature Sanctuary, the Sheep Meadow, and Central Park Carousel.

The park has over 20,000 trees, 200 species of birds, 223 invertebrate species, and several species of fishes, turtles, and bats. It welcomes about 42 million visitors annually.

4. Empire State Building - One of the Most Iconic Skyscrapers in the US.

The Empire State Building is one of the most iconic buildings in the US. It is a 102-story art deco skyscraper located in Midtown Manhattan, in New York City. It was designed and constructed by Harmon, Shreve, and Lamb between 1930 and 1931. The building is 443.2 meters tall with antennae and 380 meters without.

It was the world's tallest building until 1970, when the World Trade Center was built. Today, in 2022, it is the 54th tallest building in the world. There are observatories on the building's 80th, 86th, and 102nd floors, and it welcomes about four million visitors annually.

5. Times Square - A Booming Tourist Destination

Times Square is a famous intersection between Broadway, 42nd Street, and Seventh Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is a commercial hub that is always brightly lit with advertisements, billboards, and bright lights.

Almost 350,000 people pass through Times Square daily, and 50 million annually, giving it its nickname, the Center of the Universe, or the Crossroad of the world. Times Square is an entertainment hub, chief of which is the Ball Drop on New Year's eve.

The Ball has taken many forms since 1907, when it debuted, including fireworks and energy-saving LEDs. The event usually has about one million people in attendance, marking the beginning of the year. This is just one of the reasons why winter holidays in New York can be magical.

6. Wall Street - Home of Several Market Exchanges

The Wall Street district is located in Lower Manhattan, New York City. It is eight blocks long and represents the United States financial market. It was a wall in the 17th century where merchants traded enslaved people and securities.

In 2022, it is home to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and the New York Stock Exchange. By market capitalization, it is the largest Stock Exchange market in the world. In the 1920s, returns on investment from Wall Street were huge and enticing.

It made many people millionaires, and shortly after, it led to the Great Depression of October 1929. It is popularly called the roaring twenties and gave rise to one of the darkest moments in financial history.

7. Rockefeller Center - National Historic Landmark

The Rockefeller Center is a large historic site in Midtown Manhattan, covering 22 acres of land. It has 19 commercial buildings, including the Radio City Music Hall, McGraw-Hill Building, Bank of America, and the Celanese Building.

There is an underground concourse in the center that is home to high-end restaurants and shops and also serves as a pedestrian passage. Other interesting sites include the ice skates, rooftop gardens, and historical artworks

At Christmas, the large Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree, which has been a tradition since 1933, also draws people from far and near. The tree is usually between 21 and 30 meters long.

8. Broadway - Home to Many of the NY's Best Theaters

The Broadway district is a 21 km road in Manhattan, New York, and is very popular as the theater district of the United States. It is home to 41 active theaters and nine other structures that were one-time theaters.

Park theater was the first in the district and was built in 1798. Some of the famous theaters include Belasco Theater, New Amsterdam Theater, Hudson Theater, and Nederlander Theater. The Lion King with 8,759 performances, Chicago with 9,155 performances, and The Phantom of the Opera with 12,830 performances are some of the most popular shows on Broadway.

Actors' agreement in 1949 divided the district into Broadway - containing the large theaters, and Off-Broadway - containing smaller theaters.

9. Madison Square Garden - The World's Most Famous Arena

Madison Square Garden, the garden or MSG, is a famous indoor arena in Midtown Manhattan, New York. Many sporting and entertainment activities go on in the arena, including basketball tournaments with the New York Knicks, concerts, ice shows, ice hockey, circuses, and professional wrestling.

It was opened for use on February 11, 1968. Between 1972 and 1994, the arena hosted NBA finals and Stanley cup finals together. The arena also hosted the NBA draft between 2001 and 2010.

Apart from sporting activities, some of the world's famous artists have organized concerts in the arena, including Michael Jackson during his Bad World Tour in 1988, Elvis Presley, George Harrison, John Lennon, and Billy Joel. Every year, about 400 events happen at MSG, gathering over 3.6 million visitors.

10. Brooklyn Bridge - One of the Primary Symbols of New York

The Brooklyn Bridge is a mix between a suspension and a cable-stayed bridge. At the time of opening on May 24, 1883, it was the longest suspension bridge at 486.3 m. John A. Roebling designed the bridge while the New York Bridge Company coordinated its construction.

The bridge connects Brooklyn to Manhattan over the East River and is one of the iconic symbols of New York. It is also one of the most popular New York attractions and can be observed best from the beach at Main Street Park in Brooklyn, the Pier 15 lounge deck in Manhattan, or a helicopter tour around the bridge.

It has been tagged a New York City landmark, a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark, and a National Historic Landmark.

11. Fifth Avenue - NY's Most Famous Street

Fifth Avenue has many nicknames, including Millionaire's row because of the expensive shops and the Museum mile. The Museum mile is a 1.6km long portion of the avenue with nine museums and displays works of art and culture, making the area one of the most concentrated culture displays in the world.

The Museum mile festival takes place annually and draws about 50,000 visitors to the avenue. Fifth Avenue connects south and north Manhattan. Popular stores on fifth avenue include Apple, Gucci, Armani, Henri Bendel, Ferragamo, Bergdorf Goodman, and Cartier.

Fifth Avenue also has architectural attractions and aesthetically pleasing landmarks to interest visitors who have no flare for art or shopping.

12. Metropolitan Museum of Art - Over 5,000 Years of Art From Around the Globe

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, popularly called the Met, is the largest museum in the western hemisphere and is located on the museum mile in Manhattan's upper east axis. It has 17 departments and has over two million artworks in its collection.

The museum contains art from over 5000 years from all around the world, including Africa, Asia, Egypt, America, and Europe. The art types vary, including armor, costumes, musical instruments, painting, drawings, photographs, etc.

Some of the oldest pieces in the museum are a set of Acheulian flints from the Egyptian region dated between 300,000 and 75,000 BCE. Before the pandemic, the Met welcomed upwards of 6 million visitors; however, after the pandemic, only about 2 million people visit annually.

13. New York Public Library - Architectural Treasure & Invaluable Research Resource

The New York Public Library (NYPL) is a public library with over 53 million items. It is located just around Bryant Park. Established in 1895, the library has served millions of people since. It welcomes over 16 million people annually to its physical location and serves many more through its website (www.nypl.org).

Some interesting sights to see in the library include a book train for transporting books, pneumatic tubes, and the remains of the Old Croton Reservoir. The interior and exterior of the NY Public Library have been featured in numerous film projects.

Some of the popular movies that were filmed there include Spiderman 3 in 2007, Muhammad Ali in 2012, and The Pink Panther in 2006.

14. Grand Central Terminal - New York's Legendary Train Station

The Grand Central Terminal is a commuter rail network on 42nd street, Park avenue, Midtown Manhattan. It is commonly called the Grand Central or the Grand Central Station. It is the Southern terminus that serves the New York metropolitan area.

The Grand Central is the second most busy public place in New York, with about 750,000 people passing through it daily. The terminal has numerous artworks around it, and chief is its cathedral-like ceiling which has a flipped order of the 12 zodiac constellations.

The terminal is filled with many shops and stores, including some of the finest restaurants, food halls, and vendors in New york.

15. Cultural Diversity: A Melting Pot

New York City is filled with a wide range of cultures and is genuinely culturally diverse. It has many culturally themed areas, like Chinatown in Manhattan and Little Italy in Lower Manhattan, which have rich displays of the cultures they represent.

New York is a linguistically diverse city, with over 800 distinct languages spoken there, and everyone respects the culture and tradition of the other person, allowing them to live in peace and harmony. New York has a higher percentage of people of color than the average in the United States, owing to an influx of immigration.

About 42.73% of the population in New York is white, 14.09% are Asian, 24.31% are African American, and 0.43% are Native American.

16. NY's Culinary Scene: A Mouth-Watering Experience

As New York is a culturally diverse community, so is its food. Culturally rich places like Chinatown are also rich in all foods from China. Popular foods in New York include the New York-style pizza, which is large, soft, and thin around the center, with a thick crisp along the edges.

There are also hot dog carts everywhere serving hot dog sandwiches and New York-style bagels. The culinary scene in New York is not complete with mentioning the Chelsea market.

Chelsea market is a building block in Manhattan that has a shopping mall, food hall, TV production facility, and office spaces.

It is one of the most popular tourist attractions bringing people from around the world to enjoy the food there.

17.The Observation Decks: Enjoy City's Outstanding Views

The breathtaking views of the city are part of what makes New York famous. New York skyline and beautiful scenery can be seen from many places, including the One World Observatory, the Rock Observation Deck, the Empire state building, etc. From the top of these places, the beauty that is New York can be seen in one breath.