If you are on the hunt for iconic sculptures in the city, we have one more for you to add in your list. When you are in Astor Place, you definitely won’t miss the Astor Place “cube”. The cube was formally known as Alamo, and it has been grounded in place since 1967. It was initially installed as a temporary public art installation.
The 15-foot, 1,800-pound steel cube was created by sculptor Tony Rosenthal. He also petitioned for it to be made a permanent part of the neighborhood. The cube made the neighborhood its permanent home, and it acts as a marker, a popular meeting point.
Born and raised in New York City, the 26th U.S. president, Theodore Roosevelt, resided in a building close to our apartments until the age of 14 when he moved uptown with his well to do family. While the original building was demolished in 1916, the Women’s Roosevelt Memorial Association bought over the building in 1919 after Roosevelt’s death, and rebuilt the townhouse.
Today, the reconstructed birthplace of Roosevelt is managed by the U.S. Park Service, and has been designated as a historic site. In the adjoining lot, a museum and galleries have taken the place of where Roosevelt’s uncle’s house once stood. From Wednesday through Sunday, the museum is open to the public for guided tours.
So, if you’re a history fanatic, or even remotely curious about the birthplace of the 26th president, head over to learn more. Don’t forget to snap loads of photos of the exterior and interior to share your memorable trip here with your friends and family!
Located on the south end of Union Square, this humongous art installation is definitely attention grabbing. Known as one of the world’s most unusual public clocks, it features 15 numbers, the 7 numbers on the left display a conventional 24-hour clock as hours, minutes, seconds, and tenths of a second, while the 7 numbers on the right display the time remaining in the 24-hour day as tenths of a second, seconds, minutes, and hours. The single digit in the middle represents a hundredth of a second.
Let’s see if you can figure this string of numbers! | Photo courtesy of MusikAnimal.
Designed by Kristen Jones and Andrew Ginzel, this artwork was constructed in 1999, and cost almost $3 million. This art wall aims to explore the relationship between the city and time, calling viewers to ponder how the city is in a constant state of change, just as how the clock is.
In September 2020, a new digital clock was unveiled by artists Gan Golan and Andrew Boyd. Known as the Climate Clock, it warns humans that if we do not take action fast enough, this is the amount of time we have left before an irreversible climate crisis takes place. The digits on the clock counts down to the number of years (1 digit), days (3 digits), hours (2 digits), minutes (2 digits), and seconds (2 digits) remaining.
The clock continues to count down as you are reading this. | Photo courtesy of Climate Clock.
Head over to the metronome to see for yourself how much time we have left to save the world!
A hard to miss building, Grand Central is known as one of New York’s iconic landmarks, and has a sculpture of Minerva, Hercules and Mercury perched atop the large glass clock over the entrance.
The first Grand Central Terminal was constructed by Cornelius Vanderbilt in 1871, but was put out of service when steam engines were banned after a very fatal collision in 1902.
The new Grand Central Terminal that it is today opened to the public on 2 February 1913, and cost more than $2 billion in today’s dollars to build. As one of the most visited destinations in New York City, this building receives about 750,000 visitors everyday, including tourists who wander the halls of the building to ogle at the jaw dropping architecture. With a total of 44 platforms, the most of any railroad station in the world, this building occupies a whopping 48 acres of land!
Not only does Grand Central function as a rail terminal, but it also has numerous retail and dining options you can shop and dine at. So be sure to give this terminal a visit, and it will be sure to blow you away.
Completed in 1879, this magnificent building’s neo-gothic aesthetic contrasts sharply with the Art Deco Rockefeller Center, drawing the attention of anyone strolling along fifth avenue. This imposing building attracts more than 5 million visitors each year for prayer, mass, or simply to appreciate the beautiful architecture.
This cathedral was constructed in order to be able to house the ever increasing population of Catholic immigrants in the city, as the original St. Patrick’s Cathedral in today’s Lower Manhattan had become too small for the population. Although construction of the cathedral began in 1858, it was put on pause due to the Civil War and only started back up in 1865.
Just look at the fine details of the structure!
Declared as a National Historic Landmark in 1976, the cathedral is the focus of attention during midnight mass on Christmas Eve, Easter Parade, and St. Patrick’s Day Parade in the city. What’s incredibly interesting about this cathedral is that it contains almost 9000 pipes, most of which are above the entrance and can be controlled.
After the Berlin Wall was completely dismantled in 1991, most sections of the wall were recycled into building materials, but some pieces were sold, given or auctioned away. Given by Germany to the United Nations in 2002, 3 pieces of the Berlin Wall are currently housed in the United Nations Sculpture Garden.
The painting on one side of the wall presents 2 people reaching over the wall to embrace each other. The other side of the wall is a piece of graffiti work done by German-Iranian artist Kani Alavi. In 1980, Alavi had moved to Berlin to escape what he called an “inhumane dictatorship” in Iran.
The painters of these pieces of wall, Theirry Noir and Kiddy Citny, are credited with painting this piece of the Berlin Wall. Theirry Noir is a French artist who is believed to be the first person to paint the Berlin Wall, an act that was forbidden, yet revolutionary in transforming the wall and making it ridiculous, prompting its fall in 1989. His act of rebellion inspired others to do the same, and gave artists a voice for themselves.
Make a visit to the United Nations to see this piece of history in person! Don’t forget to visit their website to sign up for a guided tour that happens in the summer in order to see this historic wall.
Are you a huge fan of the classic American sitcom ‘Friends’? If so, make sure you pay a visit to this gem located right in Greenwich Village. While the interior of Monica and Rachel’s apartment might have been filmed on set in a studio, the exterior shots of the building can be found just a short walk from our apartments.
While Monica and Rachel seemed to be able to afford the apartment despite seemingly living outside of their means, realistically an apartment of that size in Greenwich Village would cost about $5,000 a month today. However, the writers behind Friends used the tactic of rent control to explain how Monica and Rachel were able to afford the apartment.
While the show’s ‘Central Perk’ might not exist in the actual building, a mediterranean restaurant named Little Owl takes its place in Greenwich Village. Snap a photo with the well recognized building, before heading into the restaurant for a lunch break!
If you’re a big Marvel fan, you’re definitely in for a real treat! Known as the Sanctum Sanctorum in the comic books published by Marvel Comics, this address is widely known as the home to Doctor Strange, previously also the headquarters to the Defenders and the New Avengers. With an address of 177A Bleecker Street, this building was often a focal point for supernatural energies, and was rumored to have been built on the site of pagan sacrifices.
While the residence is a fictional building which might seem to contain labyrinths and ever changing arrangement of the rooms, the address is very much a real one in Greenwich Village. As an apartment shared in the 1960s by Roy Thomas and Gary Friedrich, the writers of Marvel Comics, they chose 177A Bleecker Street as the domicile of Doctor Strange.
Make your childhood dreams come true by visiting this building in person! The Comedy Cellar is located a short walk from this building so make sure to drop by before or after a show.
Feeling overwhelmed by the fast paced city and need a break? Behind a thick brick wall next to the Church of St. Likes in the Field is a ‘secret garden’, the perfect place away from the urban jungle to destress. Enjoy a book while sipping on a cup of coffee while resting on one of the many benches available in the garden.
While the garden might sit on a 2 acre piece of land belonging to the church, it does welcome people from the public to enjoy their incredibly well maintained garden. Home to a 100 species of birds and two dozen types of butterflies and moths, this privately managed garden accepts donations from the public in order to continue the upkeep of the garden.
The garden was first started during a planting from England’s famous Glastonbury tree in 1842, and has since expanded to the 6 part garden that it is today. What are you waiting for? Head to the garden and let the noise of the city fade away as you absorb the calm sounds of the rustling trees and chirping birds!
Known as the “staircase to nowhere”, this remarkable structure makes for an excellent start or end point to a stroll on The High Line. The intricate and modern design of the Vessel is undoubtedly breathtaking, and enchants visitors from all over the world. With 2500 individual steps, this copper-steel structure stands at 150 feet tall and comprises 154 flights of stairs. Manufactured in Italy, the Vessel cost over $150 million and opened on 15 March 2019. Inspired by the ancient Indian stepwells, this honeycomb-like interactive sculpture is free for the public to climb and explore! Do make sure to reserve your tickets online before arrival.
Stephen Ross, the CEO of Hudson Yards’ Developer Related Companies, commissioned the Vessel in hopes that it would be a marker of community and identity. His wish was for the Vessel to show future generations the public spiritedness behind the project.
Head over to one of the many restaurants surrounding the Vessel to refuel after exploring the sculpture. With over 100 restaurants including a few run by celebrity chefs such as Momofuku’s founder, David Chang, and World Central Kitchen founder, José Andrés, you will surely find something you enjoy.
If you’re looking for a more laid back evening, Chelsea is home to numerous world class galleries, many of which can be found along 10th avenue. The Taglialatella, one of our favorite galleries, offers modern and contemporary art, focusing on the pop and street art movement.
Dominic J. Taglialatella opened his first gallery in New Jersey in 1978, and Taglialatella has since expanded into locations in New York City, Palm Beach, Paris, and Toronto. With works by world renowned artists like Banksy, Mr. Brainwash, and Russell Young displayed, the Taglialatella exhibits works by both prominent and new artists.
Despite the accomplishments of the galleries, founders Dominic and Sally Taglialetella see the development of the Katherine M. Taglialatella Foundation as their biggest accomplishment. The foundation donates 100% of their profits raised to award scholarships to minority students of single parents attending Mt. Carmel-Holy Rosary School in East Harlem.
If you’ve ever seen the famous television show “Friends”, you will definitely recognize this oddly shaped building, which is also one of New York’s iconic buildings.
Standing at 285 feet, and 22 stories tall, this triangular shaped building was completed in 1902. Originally known as the Fuller Building, it was only one of two buildings north of 14th street that was considered a skyscraper at that time.
Every year on his birthday on April 2, 1954, Henri LaMothe celebrated his birthday by jumping 40 feet off the Flatiron into a tiny pool. The stunt was done annually for 20 years | Photo courtesy of 6sqft
Ever since its construction in 1902, the building has been home to numerous small businesses. However, in recent years businesses have migrated downtown to buildings with cheaper rents, and an opportunity to merge all the staff into a modern workplace. Today, the building is vacated and there are plans to reinvent the building in favor of a new lobby, air conditioners, more staircases, and more.
Designated as a New York City landmark in 1966, a National Historic Landmark in 1989, and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979, this quintessential symbol of New York City is a hotspot for backdrop of instagram posts. So, don’t hesitate to head over and admire this unique building!
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