If you have some extra time while in New York, DK Eyewitness Travel offers some recommendations for favorites sites—some must-sees, others off-the-beaten path. More than half are a short walk or cab ride from Javits. Check out the Top 10 New York City guide book at DK’s booth (3264–3265) for many other travel tips.
And look for live demonstrations of DK Eyewitness Travel and Rough Guides’ new iPad city apps for New York, London, and Paris at the booth.
See a Broadway show: Check out the TKTS booth at 47th Street in Times Square; it sells half-price, same-day tickets for Broadway shows (Monday–Saturday, 3–8 p.m., also Wednesday and Saturday, 10 a.m.–2 p.m. for 2 p.m. matinees). The booth has at least one pair of tickets for each performance of every Broadway and off-Broadway show at 20%–50% off (plus a $4/ticket service charge). www.broadway.com/.
Intrepid Sea, Air, and Space Museum: A 10-minute walk from Javits, this floating museum is an impressive 900-ft.-long aircraft carrier that has picked up capsules from the Mercury and Gemini space missions and made several trips to Vietnam. It holds an array of modern and vintage air- and seacraft, including the retired Concorde. And it’s Fleet Week, May 25–30, so look for sailors! Located at Pier 86, 12th Avenue and 46th Street, open Monday–Friday, 10 a.m.–5 p.m.; Saturday, Sunday, and holidays, 10 a.m.–6 p.m., 212-245-0072. www.intrepidmuseum.org.
Catch a Yankees game: If your plate is full all day at BEA, but you want to take advantage of your time in the Big Apple with some local sports, catch a nighttime Yankees game. The Blue Jays are in town, Tuesday at 7:05 p.m. and at 1:05 p.m. on Wednesday. Buy tickets here: mlb.mlb.com/mlb/baseballtickets.
United Nations Headquarters: John D. Rockefeller Jr. donated $8.5 million to purchase the 18-acre East River site, and American architect Wallace Harrison worked with international consultants to create this striking headquarters. General Assembly. Guided tours allow visitors to see the various council chambers, the General Assembly Hall, and many of the works by prominent artists, including Marc Chagall and Henry Moore. First Avenue at 46th Street. Admission for tours: adults $16; 60 and older $11; 5–12 year olds $9; open (for tours) 9:45 a.m.–4:45 p.m. daily. visit
.un.org
Staten Island Ferry Ride: Stand on the top deck to watch Manhattan’s skyscrapers recede as you sail past Liberty, Ellis, and Governor’s islands. Take the car deck coming home for closeup photos of the skyline. To reach the ferry in Manhattan, take subway 1 or 9 to South Ferry, 4 or 5 to Bowling Green, J or Z to Broad Street. Boats to Staten Island leave every 15 minutes (during morning and evening rush hours) to 1 hour (middle of the night), 24 hours daily. Free.
High Line: An elevated train track turned stylish park, this newest addition to New York City’s outdoor spaces makes for an atmospheric stroll above the West Side. An ambitious urban renewal project that spans the Meatpacking District and West Chelsea, the High Line opened in the summer of 2009. Gansevoort Street to 30th Street, roughly along 10th Avenue. Entrances at Gansevoort, 14th, 16th, 18th, and 20th streets. Open daily, 7 a.m.–10 p.m. Free. www.thehighline.org.
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum: Dilemma: you’ve been on your feet all day at BEA, but you want to take advantage of New York City’s unparalleled art offerings. Solution: the manageably sized Guggenheim collection, housed within Frank Lloyd Wright’s iconic spiral building, a work of art in itself. On display now: “The Great Upheaval: Modern Art from the Guggenheim Collection, 1910–1918.” 1071 5th Ave. at 89th St. Open 10 a.m.–5:45 p.m., Saturday–Wednesday; 10 a.m.–7:45 p.m. Friday. Adults $18, students and seniors $15. (212) 423-3500. www
.guggenheim.org.
Fifth Avenue: Midtown Fifth Avenue is New York’s best-known boulevard and home to some of its most famous buildings. In the late 19th century, it was lined with mansions belonging to prominent families, but as retailers moved north in the 1900s, society fled uptown. One of the former mansions that remains is the Cartier building, reputedly acquired from banker Morton F. Plant in 1917 in exchange for a string of pearls. Although commercial enterprises now share the avenue, it has remained a mecca for luxury goods—Henri Bendel, Bergdorf Goodman, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Lord & Taylor.
New York Public Library: Celebrate the centenary of the New York Public Library with a visit to the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, guarded by the stone lions. Carrère and Hastings won a competition for the design of this great Beaux Arts building. Their genius reached its height in the Main Reading Room, a paneled space as majestic as a cathedral, extending almost two city blocks, with enormous arched windows and 18 grand chandeliers. Also lots of books. Fifth Avenue at 42nd Street. www.nypl.org.
Times Square and Theater District: Known as the “Crossroads of the World,” Times Square is New York’s most famous intersection and the symbol of the lively surrounding theater district that includes Broadway. It was called Longacre Square until 1904, when the New York Times company built a 25-story tower on the site. The reputation of Times Square was sullied when the adjacent 42nd Street grew seedy in the 1970s. Times Square is located where Broadway and Seventh Avenue intersect at 42nd Street. www
.timessquarenyc.org.
Insider tip: Visit at night, when the dazzling collage of sky-high signs are lit up bright as day.