When most people imagine New York City they picture the hustle & bustle, the skyscrapers and the yellow taxis in Midtown Manhattan. It is the largest central business district in the world and the most commercial district in the city with many major corporations headquartered here. It’s an area that New Yorkers tend to avoid unless they happen to work there. Witness Grand Central Terminal at rush hour where some 750,000 commuters get to work everyday!
Midtown can be loosely defined as south of 59th Street, north of 34th Street and extending from the Hudson River to the East River. As I expand the neighborhood guides here on my site, you will see neighborhood guides for sub-neighborhoods as well, as Midtown encompasses a very large amount of space and with different characteristics depending on where you are.
Midtown includes some of the most iconic architecture in the city including Grand Central Terminal, The United Nations, The Chrysler Building, The New York Public Library, The Empire State Building, Rockefeller Center, St Patrick’s Cathedral and much more. As well, it is home to Broadway theaters, Time Square, Bryant Park the Museum of Modern Art and shopping on Fifth Avenue which has some of the most expensive retail rents in the world!
While much of Midtown caters to the businesses and the tourists, there are still many indie businesses and hidden gems to be discovered. As a tour guide, I like to point out the unique aspects in Midtown.
