Manhattan Articles
A New York City Walking Tour Of The Neighborhood
Around
Grand Central Terminal
Visitors to New York check out the main attractions, like
Times
Square, the Statute of Liberty, Rockefeller Plaza and
Broadway,
but there so much more to experience in Manhattan! Manhattan
is
made up of neighborhoods, each with its own identity and
culture
and excitement. Explore Manhattan by walking -- you can take
the
subway or a cab to the area, but be sure to walk once you're
there, so pack your comfortable walking shoes!
The Grand Central Station area is a perfect example. To
begin
with everyone must experience the cavernous Grand Central
train
station with its 2-story windows on each side and gigantic
domed
ceiling, complete with drawings of star maps. Don't hesitate
to
look up, but be prepared to dodge the scurrying workers busy
on
their errands -- time is of the essence for them -- and
they'll
walk right over you! If you have the time, check out the
lower
level which has a number of restaurants and oh, so cool,
deep
leather chairs in the center, and, of course, the famous
Oyster
Bar. The Oyster Bar has the best seafood in the area, but
the
attraction is the ambiance: tiled walls and a high ceiling,
and
the feeling of eating in a restaurant eons ago in an
old-fashioned train station.
Grand Central Station, which is found at 42nd Street and
Park
Avenue, is home to both subways and the commuter railroad,
MetroNorth, which goes "upstate" to Westchester and
Connecticut.
But did you know that Grand Central sits right in the middle
of
Park Avenue? Park Avenue has a narrow, go-around elevated
street
that circumvents the Station, but the wide Avenue itself
stops
at 46th Street and begins again at 42nd Street. Can't tell
you
how many times a bewildered tourist stopped me and asked
what
happened to Park Avenue and how do I get to Park and 50th
Street?
Ok, here's your exploring-Manhattan exercise: Go up the
escalators from the Station. Here you're in the walkway
through
the 200 Park Avenue building and continue walking uptown.
(There's no north, nor any directions in Manhattan; there's
only
uptown and downtown and toward the Hudson River or the East
River.) From 200 Park Avenue go across the street to 230
Park
Avenue and continue through the building in the Art Deco
tunnels
and walking out again into the wide and bright main
thoroughfare
of Park Avenue. This is a busy business section of Manhattan
--
watch out for the taxis and the black Town Car radio cars!
They
move to turn no matter if people are in the crosswalk; but
it's
just a game to them, and act like a New Yorker and continue
walking, and they always give way to you. (I've not been hit
once in 30 years!)
Then double back into Grand Central. Find the downtown
entrance
from Grand Central (from the open area go to your left and
follow the corridor downtown). Here you'll face Park Avenue
South which goes toward Greenwich Village. Across 42nd
Street is
a restaurant, and Park Avenue is on either side. A couple of
blocks downtown from Grand Central is the Murray Hill area,
a
quaint and elegant neighborhood -- reminiscent of areas of
London. There are stately townhouses (brownstones in
Manhattan
parlance) alongside apartment buildings. You might be a
block or
two from the commercial areas of Manhattan but you feel far
removed!
East of Grand Central, "toward the East River" for natives,
brings you to the UN area, with many newly-constructed
apartment
buildings, and a consulate here and there. But, on your
walking
tour, be sure to check out Tudor City which is downtown from
42nd Street between First and Second (that's First Avenue,
but
NYers never add the Avenue). Tudor City is a collection of
brick
apartment buildings built 2 stories above the street. It's
an
enclave all to its own, with wrought iron fences setting it
off
from the rest of the busy Manhattan world. Walk around and
feel
as if you've stepped into a different time era!
Walk up First [Avenue] to 50th Street, and there's a whole
new
unique neighborhood. Here, you'll find the Sutton Place
neighborhood, and you can feel the wealth of times past.
There's
a lot of building being done here and razing of the older
buildings, but the old upper-class, moneyed elite air still
remains, with an art deco building here and there. And
intermixed here and there are the 5th floor walk-ups -- how
do
any of these tenants walk up with bags of groceries??
And, if your feet allow, walk down 53rd Street toward Third
[Avenue] and enter into the Citicorp Atrium to chill out.
There's a number of food choices, both fast food and sit
down,
and you just might be lucky enough to be there when live
piano
music echoes from the multi-story open area. Here you are,
two
blocks from Sutton Place, and you're back into the
commercial
area and the 21st Century. Leave on the Lexington side, walk
a
block to Park [Avenue]. Face downtown and walk back to Grand
Central toward the 230 Park building at the end of the
Avenue,
savorying the bustle of NY's commercial area, and just
imagine
if the people you pass are lawyers, bankers or into real
estate.
If you're lucky enough to be there in December, enjoy the
chill
in the air and anticipate the Christmas spirit with the
holiday
lights brightening Park Avenue.
Explore Manhattan by foot and experience the excitement of
current times and ages past!
About The Author: After having lived in NY for
years, Susan now
lives in Venice, California. Her hobbies are biking, hiking,
dancing, and, of course, web design and php web development
with
her website,
http://www.ladyblog
and products.