New York Public Library

Walk past the marble lions Patience and Fortitude to see the Rose Main Reading Room and a free exhibition of library treasures.

476 Fifth Ave · New York, NY

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Price: No admission fee
Good for: First-time visitors
Rainy afternoons
Public transit nearby: 5 Av/W 41 StBus BM1, BM2, BM3, BM4, BM5, BxM10, BxM11, BxM18 and 17 more · 160 ft away
5 AvSubway 7, 7X, S · 260 ft away
Grand CentralTrain Babylon Branch, City Terminal Zone, Far Rockaway Branch, Hempstead Branch, Long Beach Branch, Port Jefferson Branch, Port Washington Branch, Ronkonkoma Branch and 1 more · 0.3 mi away
Stops and lines from the USDOT National Transit Map. Check times with the agency before you go.
Flying in: LaGuardia Airport (LGA) is about 6 miles away.
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About New York Public Library

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

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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.

Sports & Outdoors
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Bryant Park
No admission fee
Relax on the lawn behind the New York Public Library, play games, ride the carousel or skate in winter.
Transit: reachable by public transit
Steps awaySwitch it up: Sports & Outdoors
Sightseeing
Date Night
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.
Transit: reachable by public transit
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Theater & 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.
Transit: reachable by public transit
0.2 mi awaySwitch it up: Theater & Events
Attractions
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Grand Central Terminal
No admission fee
The 1913 Beaux-Arts landmark with a starry celestial ceiling, the famous opal clock, and a Whispering Gallery, free to wander.
Transit: reachable by public transit
0.2 mi awaySwitch it up: Attractions
Sightseeing
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Chrysler Building
No admission fee
See the stainless steel Art Deco crown from the street, then step into the red granite lobby with its ceiling mural.
Transit: reachable by public transit
0.4 mi awayMore like this
Sightseeing
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Rockefeller Center
No admission fee
Stroll an Art Deco complex of plazas, public art, shops and a skating rink, with Top of the Rock observation decks above.
Transit: reachable by public transit
0.4 mi awayMore like this