What to do in the New York City?

There’s simply no place like the Big Apple. Home to more than eight million people from every corner of the world, it the global center for luxury travel, business, finance, the arts, entertainment, sports, fashion and politics. Explore the sights and sounds of this international metropolis from your exquisite accommodations at Sofitel New York — an ideal luxury location in the midst of it all — perfect for your business travel or vacation stay.

Sofitel New York offers a convenient and luxurious location in midtown Manhattan within walking distance of many of the city’s world-class attractions including:

American Museum of Natural History:

The American Museum of Natural History is a New York icon. Packed with exhibitions representing people and animals throughout the ages, the museum also has a planetarium and a digital 3D and 2D theater, as well as special visiting exhibitions and plenty of places to eat and shop. The dinosaur wing is a must-see, and if you have time, lie down under the life-size model of a blue whale in the Milstein Hall of Ocean Life.

Apollo Theater

Harlem’s acclaimed Apollo Theater is important not only because it honors and promotes the contributions of black performers but also because it is a living example of progress: the building was originally a burlesque theater. The theater shut down in 1933 after future New York City mayor Fiorello La Guardia launched an anti-burlesque campaign. Reopened under new management in 1934, the Apollo began to direct programming toward Harlem’s burgeoning African-American community.

Barclays Center

Barclays Center is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The arena is home to the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association, and the arena also hosts concerts, conventions and other sporting and entertainment events.

Broadway Shows

No visit to the cultural capital of the world is complete without experiencing the thrill of a Broadway show. Just a short walk from Manhattan’s Great White Way in the heart of the Theater District, Sofitel New York – a model of drama and sophistication in its own right – provides easy access to Broadway’s top performing artists, longest running musicals and the hottest new shows 24/7. After all, it is the city that never sleeps.

Bronx Zoo Wildlife Conservation Society

The Bronx Zoo of the Wildlife Conservation Society is the premier place to study and appreciate the world’s many creatures. Home to more than 6,000 animals, the zoo spans 265 acres that re-create the diverse natural habitats of its numerous residents. Open year-round, it’s a great experience in any season. During the winter, be sure to stop by Tiger Mountain or Himalayan Highlands to see big cats enjoying the chilly outdoors—then head to World of Reptiles or JungleWorld for a warm up with tropical wildlife. (Some exhibits and attractions are seasonal. Go to BronxZoo.com to plan your visit in advance.).

Brookfield Place

Brookfield Place is the height of luxury shopping, dining and cultural arts in downtown Manhattan. The complex is positioned just south of Tribeca along the Hudson River waterfront and home to international fashion houses including Hermès, Bottega Veneta and Burberry, and contemporary brands such as Paul Smith, Theory, Michael Kors, Vince and Lululemon. An 85,000-square-foot Saks Fifth Avenue opened in 2016. Best-in-class dining options include Hudson Eats, a collection of 14 chef-driven eateries; Le District, a 30,000-square-foot French-inspired marketplace; and eight signature restaurants including Del Frisco’s Grille and Parm.

Brooklyn Botanic Garden

No matter the season, Brooklyn Botanic Garden offers an idyllic, 52-acre living museum where beauty, romance, and fun blossom among our world-class plant collections and specialty gardens. Experience the serenity and wonder of nature without leaving the city at what the New York Times hails as “the premier horticultural attraction in the region.”

Tour the many specialty gardens within Brooklyn Botanic Garden: Enjoy the serenity of the Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden; take in the fragrant Cranford Rose Garden; and visit the exotic collections of the Steinhardt Conservatory, including the famous C.V. Starr Bonsai Museum. The blossoming of Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s 200 cherry trees is a New York City rite of spring and not to be missed.

Brooklyn Bridge

Stretching across the East River, the iconic Brooklyn Bridge opened up back in 1883 to carry traffic (nonautomotive at the time) between Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn. One of the most recognizable parts of the New York City skyline, the bridge has been featured in movies and on television shows, and is a real piece of New York City history. A stroll across the elevated pedestrian walkway provides a true New York City experience. The Manhattan-side entrance is at Park Row and Centre Street, across from City Hall Park, east of City Hall; over on the Brooklyn side, enter at Cadman Plaza East or where Boerum Place meets Tillary Street.

Brooklyn Flea

Brooklyn Heights and Brooklyn Promenade

Brooklyn Museum

If you’re looking for diversity, the Brooklyn Museum is the place to go. It houses a huge permanent collection categorized by culture, as well as visiting exhibitions from a wide variety of geographic locations and time periods. It’s situated next to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, and visitors can purchase discounted passes that allow them to tour both in the same day.

Central Park

Central Park is an urban park in Manhattan, New York City. It is located between the Upper West Side and Upper East Side, roughly bounded by Fifth Avenue on the east, Central Park West (Eighth Avenue) on the west, Central Park South (59th Street) on the south, and Central Park North (110th Street) on the north. Central Park is the most visited urban park in the United States, with 40 million visitors in 2013, and one of the most filmed locations in the world. In terms of area, Central Park is the fifth largest park in New York City, covering 843 acres (341 ha).

Chelsea Market

Chelsea Market is a food hall, shopping mall, office building and television production facility located in the Chelsea neighborhood of the borough of Manhattan, in New York City. The Chelsea Market complex occupies an entire city block with a connecting bridge over Tenth Avenue to the adjacent 85 Tenth Avenue building. The High Line passes through the 10th Avenue side of the building.

Chinatown

Manhattan’s Chinatown is a neighborhood in Lower Manhattan, New York City, bordering the Lower East Side to its east, Little Italy to its north, Civic Center to its south, and Tribeca to its west.

Chrysler Building

The Chrysler Building is an Art Deco–style skyscraper located on the East Side of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, at the intersection of 42nd Street and Lexington Avenue in the Turtle Bay neighborhood of Manhattan. At 1,046 feet (318.9 m), the structure was the world’s tallest building for 11 months before it was surpassed by the Empire State Building in 1931. It is the tallest brick building in the world with a steel framework. As of 2018, the Chrysler is the eighth-tallest building in the city, tied with The New York Times Building.

Columbus Circle

Columbus Circle is a traffic circle and heavily trafficked intersection in the New York City borough of Manhattan, located at the intersection of Eighth Avenue, Broadway, Central Park South (West 59th Street), and Central Park West, at the southwest corner of Central Park. The circle is the point from which official highway distances from New York City are measured. The circle is named after the monument of Christopher Columbus in the center, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The name is also used for the neighborhood that surrounds the circle for a few blocks in each direction. To the southwest of the circle lies Hell’s Kitchen (also known as “Clinton”), to the southeast is the Theater District, and to the north is the Upper West Side.

Coney Island Cyclone

TheConey Island Cyclone (better known as simply the Cyclone) is a historic wooden roller coaster in the Coney Island section of Brooklyn, New York City. It opened on June 26, 1927, and was originally part of the Astroland theme park. The Cyclone is now part of Luna Park. The coaster was declared a New York City landmark on July 12, 1988, and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 26, 1991.

Empire State Building

Soaring 1,454 feet above Midtown Manhattan from base to antenna, the Empire State Building is one of the world’s most famous skyscrapers. Its 86th and 102nd floor Observation Decks, open daily from 8am–2am, offer two of the highest vantage points in the City. On a clear day, you can see New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Massachusetts. Explore the newly-designed entrance featuring a grand staircase with a two-story architectural model of the building, multilingual signage and ticket kiosks in 9 languages, a new lighting ceremony space with images of past celebrity visitors, and a red carpet for VIP guests.

Flatiron Building

The Flatiron Building, originally the Fuller Building, is a triangular 22-story, 285-foot (86.9 m) tall steel-framed landmarked building located at 175 Fifth Avenue in the Flatiron District neighborhood of borough of Manhattan, New York City. Upon completion in 1902, it was one of the tallest buildings in the city at 20 floors high and one of only two “skyscrapers” north of 14th Street – the other being the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Tower, one block east. The building sits on a triangular block formed by Fifth Avenue, Broadway, and East 22nd Street – where the building’s 87-foot (27 m) back end is located – with East 23rd Street grazing the triangle’s northern (uptown) peak. As with numerous other wedge-shaped buildings, the name “Flatiron” derives from its resemblance to a cast-iron clothes iron.

Flushing Meadows–Corona Park

Flushing Meadows–Corona Park, often referred to as Flushing Meadows Park, or simply Flushing Meadows, is a public park in the northern part of Queens, New York City. It contains the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, the current venue for the US Open tennis tournament; Citi Field, the home of the New York Mets baseball team; the New York Hall of Science; the Queens Museum of Art; the Queens Theatre in the Park; the Queens Zoo; and the New York State Pavilion. It formerly contained Shea Stadium, demolished in 2009.

Govenors Island

Governors Island is a 172-acre (70 ha) island in New York Harbor, approximately 800 yards (732 m) from the southern tip of Manhattan Island and separated from Brooklyn by Buttermilk Channel, approximately 400 yards (366 m). It is part of the borough of Manhattan in New York City. The National Park Service administers a small portion of the north of the island as the Governors Island National Monument, while the Trust for Governors Island operates the remaining 150 acres, including 52 historic buildings. Today, Governors Island is a popular seasonal destination open to the public between May and September with a 43-acre public park completed between 2012 and 2016, free arts and cultural events, and recreational activities. The island is accessed by ferries from Brooklyn and Manhattan.

The Lenape of the Manhattan region referred to the island as Paggank (“nut island”), likely after the island’s plentiful hickory, oak, and chestnut trees; the Dutch explorer Adriaen Block called it Noten Eylant, a translation, and this was borrowed into English as Nutten Island. The island’s current name, made official in 1784, stems from the British colonial era, when the colonial assembly reserved the island for the exclusive use of New York’s royal governors.

Grand Central Terminal

Majestic Beaux-Arts landmark. Terminal for Metro-North Railroad, in Midtown East. Over 65 shops featuring both international and classic New York brands at this Beaux Arts landmark. Casual and fine dining, boutique shopping, special events and tours. Transportation hub. Open seven days. Function space.

Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum

Former aircraft carrier hosts a unique journey through spectacular interactive exhibits. View 27 restored aircraft; Growler submarine; British Airways Concorde; Space Shuttle Pavilion, featuring Enterprise. Groups: 20–245. Function rooms, 4; capacity 4,000 theater, 5,000 banquet or cocktails, 1,000 classroom; total 165,000 sq. ft.

Lincoln Center

Macy’s Herald Square

Madame Tussauds New York

With no ropes or barriers to hold them back, guests take photos with the world’s most iconic musicians, A-list stars, sports legends, world leaders and more. Discounted rates are available for groups 15+ at this ultimate venue for events for up to 1,400 attendees in Times Square. Open daily, Madame Tussauds New York is perfect for conventions, meetings, receptions, or banquets (includes full access to the attraction).

Madison Square Garden

There is no other arena in the nation filled with the spirit of so many legends; iconic athletes, chart-topping musicians, celebrated performers, and even presidents and popes are all part of its legacy. As “The World’s Most Famous Arena,” there’s no debating that championship history happens here in the greatest city in the world. Beyond the main 19,500-seat venue, Madison Square Garden offers a variety of state-of-the-art spaces to accommodate special events.

Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)

Paintings, sculpture, drawings, prints, architecture, design, photography, films, media, and performance art from 1880s to present. Admission. Audio guides in nine languages, free with admission. Bookstore, gift shop, restaurant, cafés. Open seven days. Function rooms, 11; capacity 50–400 theater, 60–1,100 banquet, 100–2,500 cocktails.

MoMA PS1

Center for cutting-edge contemporary art housed in a converted school building.

New York Botanical Garden

A world of plants, from rain forests to deserts, in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory; 27 specialty gardens and plant collections on 250 acres. Admission for grounds; additional fee for exhibitions. Closed Mon. Group tours: 20–120. Multilingual staff, catering onsite. Bus parking. Function rooms, 3; capacity 400 theater, 300–1,000 banquet or cocktails.

New York Public Library, Stephen A Schwarzman Building

Landmark Beaux-Arts building houses one of the world’s great research centers and collections. Changing exhibitions. Gift shop. Free. Function rooms, 8; capacity 177 theater, 44–425 banquet, 60–750 cocktails.

New-York Historical Society

Brimming with heroes and legends: four centuries of history, artifacts and art tell the story of America through the eyes of New York City. Function rooms, auditorium. Guided tours. Gift shop. Exhibit/event calendar online. Five art-filled museum spaces and theater in the stately, turn-of-the-century building facing Central Park are available for private events and customized group tours. Admission. Closed Mon. Function rooms, 6 (includes auditorium); capacity 25–420 theater, cocktails or classroom, 50–230 banquet.

One World Observatory

There are a million things to experience in New York City and only one way to truly see them all. Start by ascending to the top of the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere in less than 60 seconds; look toward the horizon and feel the City’s invincible spirit. Explore three levels filled with innovation and inspiration at One World Observatory, located in the top three floors of One World Trade Center.

Port Authority Bus Terminal

The nation’s largest bus terminal is composed of two multilevel terminal wings. Provides connecting bus service to virtually any point in the continental United States. Special options for the hearing impaired.

Prospect Park

Prospect Park is a 526-acre (213 ha) public park in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. Prospect Park is run and operated by the Prospect Park Alliance and the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation (NYC Parks). The park is situated between the neighborhoods of Park Slope, Prospect Heights, Prospect Lefferts Gardens, Flatbush, and Windsor Terrace, and is adjacent to the Brooklyn Museum, Grand Army Plaza, and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. It is part of the Brooklyn-Queens Greenway, and is the second largest public park in Brooklyn, behind Marine Park.

Queens Museum

Changing exhibits of 20th-century art. Films, talks, lectures, family programs. Panorama of New York City, Tiffany lamps. Large, medium and small event spaces include those with stunning views of the Unisphere, 85-seat theater, gallery spaces. Admission. Closed Mon., Tues. Function rooms, 4; capacity 85 theater, 100–600 banquet, 1,200 cocktails, 550 classroom.

Radio City Music Hall

Famous for the Christmas Spectacular and New York Spectacular starring the legendary Rockettes, nothing says splendor like Radio City Music Hall. The brilliance of the hall’s art deco design is seen in all areas, from the famously exquisite 6,000-seat theater to the luxurious private apartment, the Roxy Suite. With many lavish spaces, the venue is a brilliant setting for events of any size that requires a touch of resplendence.

Rockefeller Center

The Landmark property consists of approximately 8 million square feet in ten Art Deco buildings with unique, internationally recognized architectural features, over 100 major artworks. Enjoy a stroll through Rockefeller Center, which offers a pleasantly surprising variety of stores to shop at, from Kenneth Cole to La Maison Du Chocolate.

Roosevelt Island

Set in the East River with sweeping views of Manhattan’s East Side, this residential community that once was the location for prisons, poor houses and hospitals now offers a mix of parks and several landmarks. The Tram, the main transportation to the island and the only commuter cable car in North America, glides over the East River with the Manhattan skyline as a backdrop. The Western Promenade provides a peaceful setting to view maritime traffic. Blackwell House, a 1796 farmhouse, serves as a visitors’ center. At the southern tip is Southpoint Park, site of Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park, while nearby is the Renwick Ruin, what’s left of an 1854 smallpox hospital, as well as the Strecker Laboratory (1892). The Octagon Tower (1843) was once part of a lunatic asylum chronicled by Nellie Bly and Charles Dickens, and the Chapel of the Good Shepherd (1888) is now the island’s community center. In a park at the northern end of the island stands the Lighthouse (1872).

Smorgasburg

Smorgasburg is the largest weekly open-air food market in America, attracting 20,000-30,000 people to Brooklyn each weekend to eat from 100 local vendors.

Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum

Frank Lloyd Wright landmark featuring modern and contemporary art, plus special exhibitions. Free guided exhibition tours and audio guide. Discounts for groups 10+, after-hours rates, multilingual guides, tour and dining packages, space rentals. Exclusive private viewings for tour groups. Unique spaces available to corporate members for special events. Admission. Closed Thurs. Function rooms, 5; capacity 280 theater, 230 banquet, 1,000 cocktails.

South Street Seaport

The South Street Seaport is a historic area in the New York City borough of Manhattan, centered where Fulton Street meets the East River, and adjacent to the Financial District. The Seaport is a designated historic district, and is distinct from the neighboring Financial District. It is part of Manhattan Community Board 1 in Lower Manhattan, and is bounded by the Financial District to the west, southwest, and north; the East River to the southeast; and Two Bridges to the northeast.

It features some of the oldest architecture in downtown Manhattan, and includes the largest concentration of restored early 19th-century commercial buildings in the city. This includes renovated original mercantile buildings, renovated sailing ships, the former Fulton Fish Market, and modern tourist malls featuring food, shopping, and nightlife.

St. Patrick’s Cathedral

St. Patrick’s Cathedral is the Mother Church of the Archdiocese of New York and the seat of the Archbishop. Located on Fifth Avenue, across from Rockefeller Center, the sanctuary is the largest Gothic Catholic cathedral in the US. This international landmark, dedicated in 1879, welcomes more than five million visitors each year. With its 330-foot spires, it is one of the City’s most spectacular architectural sights. Inside, it boasts a seating capacity of 2,400, numerous altars and stained glass windows, and a giant organ with 7,855 pipes. Services are held daily and all are welcome, visitors and worshipers alike. Download the self-guided audio tour app.

The 9/11 Memorial and Museum

A national tribute of remembrance and honor to the men, women, and children killed in the terror attacks of September 11, 2001 and February 26, 1993. Displays monumental artifacts associated with 9/11, while presenting intimate stories of loss, compassion, reckoning and recovery, central to telling the story of the 2001 attacks and the aftermath. Admission for museum (advance purchase strongly recommended); memorial is free.

The High Line

The High Line is a 1.45-mile-long (2.33 km) elevated linear park, greenway and rail trail created on a former New York Central Railroad spur on the west side of Manhattan in New York City. The High Line’s design is a collaboration between James Corner Field Operations (Project Lead), Diller Scofidio + Renfro, and Piet Oudolf. The abandoned spur has been redesigned as a “living system” drawing from multiple disciplines which include landscape architecture, urban design, and ecology. Since opening in 2009, the High Line has become an icon of contemporary landscape architecture.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Located on the border of Central Park on Museum Mile, the Metropolitan Museum is one of the largest and most comprehensive art museums in the world. With over two million works of art spanning 5,000 years, the Met presents the best of human creativity from around the globe. From the splendors of ancient Egypt, to the spectacular New American Wing, to the Met’s beloved Impressionist paintings, a world of great art awaits you at NYC’s most-visited attraction. The collection and exhibitions are free with Museum admission. Plus, enjoy dining, the Audio Guide, and shopping at the Met Store.

The Statue of Liberty

The Statue of Liberty is among New York City’s—and America’s—most familiar landmarks: a massive copper-and-steel cast of a green lady raising a torch, clutching a tablet and donning a seven-point crown. Some tourists miss out on visiting the statue because it’s only accessible by boat, set on a government-run island in the middle of New York Harbor, but it’s easy to work into your trip with some advance planning. The monument welcomed generations of immigrants to the United States as they passed through nearby Ellis Island, the nation’s main entry station between 1892 and 1924 (it eventually closed in 1954). Its American Family Immigration History Center contains millions of passenger arrival records and hundreds of ship pictures from the time; anyone whose family arrived in America this way, or who has just a passing interest in the nation’s immigrant history, will find the museum an excellent bonus to a statue trip—or a reason to visit in its own right.

Theatre District

New York City’s Theatre District is an area in Midtown Manhattan where most Broadway theaters are located, as well as many other theaters, movie theaters, restaurants, hotels, and other places of entertainment. It is bounded by West 40th Street on the south, West 54th Street on the north, Sixth Avenue on the east and Eighth Avenue on the west, and includes Times Square. The Great White Way is the name given to the section of Broadway which runs through the Theater District.

Times Square

Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment center and neighborhood in the Midtown Manhattan section of New York City at the junction of Broadway and Seventh Avenue. It stretches from West 42nd to West 47th Streets. Brightly adorned with billboards and advertisements, Times Square is sometimes referred to as “The Crossroads of the World”, “The Center of the Universe”, “the heart of The Great White Way”, and “the heart of the world”

Union Square

Union Square is a historic intersection and surrounding neighborhood in Manhattan, New York City, located where Broadway and the former Bowery Road – now Fourth Avenue – came together in the early 19th century; its name denotes that “here was the union of the two principal thoroughfares of the island”.

Washington Square Park

The symbolic heart of Greenwich Village, Washington Square Park is one of NYC’s most recognizable public spaces. Pass beneath the Washington Arch—the giant structure marking the park’s Fifth Avenue entrance on the north side—and you’ll see the energy that makes the place so special. NYU students congregate around a central fountain; sunbathers lie on the lawn; musicians sit on benches strumming guitars; and canines run gleefully amok in two dog runs. The park’s black-brick paths and vintage-style streetlights lend it a 19th-century feel, as does a majestic bronze statue of Garibaldi.

Whitney Museum of American Art

The Whitney Museum of American Art is the world’s leading museum of 20th-century and contemporary art of the United States. Focusing particularly on works by living artists, the Whitney is celebrated for presenting important exhibitions and for its renowned collection, which comprises over 21,000 works by more than 3,000 artists. With a history of exhibiting the most promising and influential artists and provoking intense debate, the Whitney Biennial, the museum’s signature exhibition, has become the most important survey of the state of contemporary art in the United States.

Yankee Stadium

Yankee Stadium, home to the 27-time World Series champion New York Yankees, was built in 2009 across the street from the old stadium. The new stadium has hosted numerous events including the most recent Yankees World Series in 2009, international soccer, college football and concerts.

230 5th Avenue

230 FIFTH is New York’s largest outdoor Rooftop Garden and Fully enclosed Penthouse Lounge. One floor is fully enclosed. And our rooftop garden is open to the sky. We do have large umbrellas for those sunny or rainy days and is partially heated on colder nights.

—-

Please make sure to send an email to our concierge team at sny.concierge@sofitel.com, prior or during your stay, they will be able to assist you with all your questions and as well to help you book all your actiivities.

LEARN MORE