3 Best Sights in New York City, New York

With an iconic silhouette recognizable virtually worldwide, the Empire State Building is an art deco monument to progress, a symbol of NYC, and a star in many romantic scenes—on- and off-screen. Built in 1931 at the peak of the skyscraper craze, this 103-story limestone giant opened after 13 months of construction. The framework rose at a rate of 4½ stories per week, making the Empire State Building the fastest-rising skyscraper ever built.

Enter the visitor experience in the building's designated Observatory lobby—a two-story hall off 34th Street—and exit through the building's iconic 5th Avenue lobby. Purchase or retrieve prepurchased timed tickets at kiosks, then head to the 10,000-square-foot Second Floor Galleries to learn all about the skyscraper—from its engineering to its role in modern culture (including a fun photo op with King Kong himself). There are interactive experiences, along with marvelous art deco design details throughout.

Rise from Floor 2 to reach Floor 80's enclosed observatory, then head to the 86th-floor observatory (1,050 feet high) to find another enclosed area and the spectacular wraparound outdoor deck. The views from the compact 102nd-floor observatory are better still, though it comes with an extra price tag. A new Sunrise@ESB experience ($135) provides preopening access to the 86th floor observation deck on Saturday morning to watch the sunrise with pastries and a custom Starbucks coffee. 

Expect long lines during peak tourist times/seasons—best avoided with weekday morning or winter visits. Plan for three-plus hours to absorb the full experience and to pass through security. Save time by purchasing tickets online in advance.  The building opens the stairs from the 86th floor down to the 80th floor on busy days so visitors can bypass any potential lines.

Despite sitting in the shade of the Empire State Building and being just steps from Herald Square, Koreatown (or "K-Town," as it's locally known) is not a tourist destination. In fact, it feels decidedly off the radar and insulated, as though locals wryly planted their own place to eat, drink, be merry, and get a massage right under the noses of millions of tourists. Technically, Koreatown runs from 31st to 36th Street between 5th and 6th Avenues, though the main drag is 32nd Street between 5th and Broadway. Labeled Korea Way, this strip is home to late-night Korean barbecue joints, karaoke bars, and spas, all stacked on top of each other. Fill up on kimchi (spicy pickled cabbage), kimbap (seaweed rice), and red-bean doughnuts (delicious); try some karaoke; and then top off your Koreatown experience by stepping into a jade-igloo sauna (at Juvenex Spa,  25 W. 32nd St.) or an amethyst sauna (at Aura Spa,  49 W. 33rd St.).

The treasures inside this museum and research center, gathered by John Pierpont Morgan (1837–1913), one of New York's wealthiest financiers, are exceptional: medieval and Renaissance illuminated manuscripts, Old Master drawings and prints, and autographed literary and musical manuscripts. Some of the library's crowning achievements on paper include letters penned by John Keats and Thomas Jefferson; a summary of the theory of relativity in Einstein's own elegant handwriting; three Gutenberg Bibles; drawings by Dürer, Leonardo da Vinci, Rubens, Blake, and Rembrandt; the only known manuscript fragment of Milton's Paradise Lost; Thoreau's journals; and original manuscripts and letters by Charlotte Brontë, Jane Austen, Thomas Pynchon, and many others.