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New York Public Library, New York, NY

Photo: ajay_suresh, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

SightseeingIconicFreeRainy-Day Pick

New York Public Library

New York Public Library is a sightseeing stop in New York, NY, part of the New York City guide. Cost: free.

476 Fifth Ave · New York, NY

Why you should go…

The library's main building, designed by Carrère and Hastings, opened in 1911 on Fifth Avenue with Bryant Park behind it. Two Tennessee marble lions named Patience and Fortitude flank the entrance. Inside, the Rose Main Reading Room runs 297 feet under a 52-foot ceiling, and the Polonsky Exhibition in Gottesman Hall shows items such as a Gutenberg Bible, Jefferson's handwritten Declaration of Independence and the original Winnie-the-Pooh dolls.

  • #historic library
  • #beaux-arts architecture
  • #free exhibition
  • #reading room
  • #midtown manhattan

What's around here?

The closest stops to New York Public Library, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

  • Sport & Outdoor
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    Bryant Park

    Free

    Relax on the lawn behind the New York Public Library, play games, ride the carousel or skate in winter.

    Steps awaySwitch it up: Sport & Outdoor

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    SUMMIT One Vanderbilt

    $25–$50

    Mirrored infinity rooms, glass skyboxes, and Midtown views from 1,000+ feet above Grand Central, one of NYC's most photographed observation decks.

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  • Theatre & Events
    Date Night

    & Juliet

    $50+

    A pop jukebox musical at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre that asks what happens if Juliet lives, set to songs by Max Martin.

    0.2 mi awaySwitch it up: Theatre & Events

  • Attractions
    Iconic

    Grand Central Terminal

    Free

    The 1913 Beaux-Arts landmark with a starry celestial ceiling, the famous opal clock, and a Whispering Gallery, free to wander.

    0.2 mi awaySwitch it up: Attractions

  • Sightseeing
    Iconic

    Chrysler Building

    Free

    See the stainless steel Art Deco crown from the street, then step into the red granite lobby with its ceiling mural.

    0.4 mi awayMore like this

  • Sightseeing
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    Rockefeller Center

    Free

    Stroll an Art Deco complex of plazas, public art, shops and a skating rink, with Top of the Rock observation decks above.

    0.4 mi awayMore like this

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