nyccheaptravel.com

Tag: Midtown

  • Paley Park

    Paley Park

    Paley Park is a small “pocket park” located on 1/10th of an acre on East 53rd Street in Midtown Manhattan.

    The park is often pointed out as an excellent example of park design and has been described as an urban oasis. Park visitors describe the space as serene, peaceful, and relaxing, which is quite an accomplishment for a tiny spot in the middle of Manhattan.

    The focal point of the park is a 20 foot waterfall that cascades over the back wall. The side walls are covered with ivy, wrapping the park in green and helping to create a cool, quiet atmosphere.

    The park, designed by the landscape architecture firm of Zion Breen Richardson Associates, opened in May of 1967.

    Paley Park was featured in William H. Whyte’s The Social Life of Small Urban Places, with a discussion of how well the park functions as a social space.

    Why Paley Park works so well as a public space:

    • Its location, directly on the street, is inviting and entices people to enter
    • The large waterfall provides a dramatic focal point and creates white noise that masks the sounds of the surrounding city
    • Movable chairs allow people to create their own seating arrangements
    • A food kiosk provides good, reasonably priced food
    • The honey locust trees selected for the park provide shade, yet have a thin enough canopy that they allow dappled light to enter the park.

    Read comments from Paley Park visitors.

     

    Location

    Paley Park is located at 3 East 53rd Street, between Madison and Fifth Avenues.

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  • Visit the Chrysler Building Lobby

    The Chrysler Building’s Art Deco Lobby

    New York City – August 26, 2011: Interior lobby of the Chrysler Building. Copyright: sepavo / 123RF Stock Photo

    Most people are familiar with the exterior of the Chrysler Building, with its Art Deco design and iconic terraced crown and spire, but did you know that the building’s lobby is also an Art Deco gem?

    The lobby is the only part of the building open to the public, and it is open from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday – Friday. There is no fee to visit.

    Keep in mind that the Chrysler Building still an office building and many people go to and from  work there every day. You’ll have the best opportunity to quietly enjoy the lobby if you avoid the morning, lunchtime and evening rush hours.

     

    Interior Architecture

    Once inside the lobby, you’ll find red marble walls, marble floors, striking Art Deco light fixtures, and some very nice Art Deco elevator doors decorated in an abstract lotus pattern.

    Chrysler Building

    Don’t forget to look up while you’re visiting the lobby. There’s a spectacular mural by artist Edward Turnbull on the ceiling. The mural, entitled Transport and Human Endeavor, depicts various views of workers and machinery, buildings, airplanes, and other symbols of progress.

     

    Exterior Architecture

    The Chrysler Building is easily identifiable by the stepped tier crown and spire at the top of the tower. Eagle gargoyles decorate the building on the level below the crown.

    When the Chrysler Building was constructed, it was the tallest building in New York City, but lost that claim when the Empire State Building was completed less than a year later.

     

    Location

    The Chrysler Building is located in Midtown Manhattan, near Grand Central Terminal.

    The street address is 405 Lexington Avenue.

     

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