The Youngest Wizard (4 year old son) has requested a picture he took of the Empire State Building be included for your viewing pleasure. I hope you enjoy. It should be noted that the picture was taken from the ground since The Youngest Wizard is afraid of hieghts

The Empire State Building is a 102-story landmark Art Deco skyscraper in New York City at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and West 34th Street. The Empire State Building stood as the world's tallest building for more than forty years, from its completion in 1931 until construction of the World Trade Center's North Tower was completed in 1972. Since 2001, the Empire State Building has once again became the tallest building in New York City and New York State.

Located on the 86th floor, 1,050 feet (320 meters) above the city's bustling streets, the Observatory offers panoramic views from within a glass enclosed pavilion and from the surrounding open-air promenade. You can tour the Observatory 365 days per year, day and night, rain or shine for breathtaking views of Manhattan and beyond. For the family, there is the New York SKYRIDE, an independently owned and operated simulated helicopter ride and virtual-reality movie theater. There are also several art exhibits to view in the lobby, including "King Kong" memorabilia permanently displayed in two lobby showcase windows.

The Empire State Building has been named by the American Society of Civil Engineers as one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World.

The Empire State Building is the third tallest skyscraper in the Americas and the 15th tallest in the world. It is also the fourth tallest freestanding structure in the Americas.

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The Statue of Liberty is a New York City attraction you must visit during your stay.

The Statue of Liberty was dedicated on October 28, 1886. Given to the United States by the people of France to represent the friendship between the two countries established during the American Revolution, it is a monument commemorating the centennial of the signing of the United States Declaration of Independence. The statue represents a woman wearing a stola, a radiant crown and sandals, trampling a broken chain, carrying a torch in her raised right hand and a tabula ansata, where the date of the Declaration of Independence JULY IV MDCCLXXVI is inscribed, in her left arm. Standing on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, it welcomes visitors, immigrants, and returning Americans traveling by ship.

For children between 7 and 12 years of age, the Junior Ranger Program is available. This family friendly program gives participants an opportunity to learn about one of the world's most famous symbols of freedom. The activities are fun and teach children about the National Park Service.

The Statue of Liberty is one of the most recognizable symbols in the world. For many years it was one of the first glimpses of the United States for millions of immigrants and visitors after ocean voyages from around the world.

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Grand Central Terminal, sometimes called Grand Central Station or simply Grand Central, is a terminal station at 42nd Street and Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Built by and named for the New York Central Railroad in the heyday of American long-distance passenger trains, it is the largest train station in the world. There are on two levels, both below ground, with 41 tracks on the upper level and 26 on the lower, though the total number of tracks along platforms and in rail yards exceeds 100. The terminal covers an area of 48 acres.

Both guided and walking tours are available.

The terminal serves commuters traveling on the Metro-North Railroad to Westchester, Putnam, and Dutchess counties in New York State, and Fairfield and New Haven counties in Connecticut.

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Rockefeller Center is a complex of 19 commercial buildings covering 22 acres between 48th and 51st streets in New York City. Built by the Rockefeller family, it is located in the center of Midtown Manhattan between Fifth Avenue and Sixth Avenue.

The Radio City Music Hall

The Radio City Music Hall was completed in December, 1932. At the time it was promoted as the largest and most opulent theater in the world. Its original intended name was the "International Music Hall" but this was changed to reflect the name of its neighbor, "Radio City," as the new NBC Studios in the RCA Building were known. RCA was one of the complex's first and most important tenants and the entire Center itself was sometimes referred to as "Radio City." This attraction is featured on New York Pass.
The Music Hall seats 6,000 people and after an initial slow start became the single biggest tourist destination in the city. Its interior was declared a New York City landmark in 1978. Painstakingly restored in 1999, the Music Hall interiors are one of the world's greatest examples of Art Deco design.

GE Building (RCA Building)

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The centerpiece of Rockefeller Center is the 70-floor, GE Building at 30 Rockefeller Plaza, 30 Rock, formerly known as the RCA Building—centered behind the sunken plaza.
The building was renamed in the 1980s after General Electric (GE) re-acquired RCA, which it helped found in 1919. The famous Rainbow Room club restaurant is located on the 65th floor; the Rockefeller family office covers the 54-56th floors. The skyscraper is the headquarters of NBC and houses most of the network's New York studios, including 6A, former home of Late Night with David Letterman and Late Night with Conan O'Brien and current home of The Dr. Oz Show; 6B, home of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon; 8H, home of Saturday Night Live; plus the operations of NBC News, MSNBC and local station WNBC.

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The wooden structure built in 1892 to house the immigration station burned down after five years. The station's new Main Building, which now houses the Immigration Museum, was opened in 1900.

After the immigration station closed in November 1954, the buildings fell into disrepair and were all but abandoned. Attempts at redeveloping the site were unsuccessful until its landmark status was established. On October 15, 1965, Ellis Island was proclaimed a part of Statue of Liberty National Monument. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1966.
The building reopened on September 10, 1990. Exhibitions include the Hearing Room, Peak Immigration Years, the Peopling of America, Restoring a Landmark, Silent Voices, Treasures from Home, and Ellis Island Chronicles. There are also three theaters used for film and live performances.

The "Wall of Honor" outside of the main building contains a partial list of immigrants processed on the island. In 2008, the museum's library was officially named the Bob Hope Memorial Library in honor of one the station's most famous immigrants.

There are many things to experience when visiting Ellis Island; recommended are the Self-Guided Tours: The three floors of the Ellis Island Immigration Museum were designed to be self-guiding. The Ellis Island brochure guides visitors through the museum exhibits at their own pace. Allow several hours to explore the museum.
Brochures are available in Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, and Spanish, as well as English.

You can watch the movie "Island of Hope, Island of Tears" and listen to immigrants talk about their experiences at Ellis Island. Ask about free movie tickets at the Information Desk in the Baggage Room.

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The Staten Island Ferry is a passenger ferry service operated by the New York City Department of Transportation that runs between Manhattan Island and Staten Island. The ferry departs Manhattan from South Ferry, near Whitehall Circle, at the southernmost tip of Manhattan near Battery Park. On Staten Island, the ferry arrives and departs from St. George Ferry Terminal on Richmond Terrace, near Richmond County Borough Hall and Richmond County Supreme Court.
Service is provided 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The Staten Island Ferry is the most reliable form of mass transit, with an on-time performance of over 96 percent.

The five mile journey takes about 25 minutes each way. The ferry is now free of charge. Bicycles may also be taken on the lowest deck of the ferry without charge.

The ferry ride is a favorite of tourists to New York as it provides excellent views of the Lower Manhattan skyline and the Statue of Liberty. The ferry, notably like the subway system, runs twenty-four hours a day, with service continuing overnight after most day peak traffic has ceased.

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The American Museum of Natural History (abbreviated as AMNH), located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City, is one of the largest and most celebrated museums in the world. Located in park-like grounds across the street from Central Park, the Museum comprises 25 interconnected buildings that house 46 permanent exhibition halls, research laboratories, and its renowned library.
The collections contain over 32 million specimens, of which only a small fraction can be displayed at any given time. The Museum has a scientific staff of more than 200, and sponsors over 100 special field expeditions each year.
The Museum boasts habitat dioramas of African, Asian and North American mammals, a full-size model of a Blue Whale suspended in the Milstein Family Hall of Ocean Life, a 62 foot Haida carved and painted war canoe from the Pacific Northwest, a massive 31 ton piece of the Cape York meteorite, and the Star of India, the largest star sapphire in the world. The circuit of an entire floor is devoted to vertebrate evolution.

Kids and Families may enjoy the Lizards & Snakes Alive Exhibit running through Sept. 6, 2010.

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One of the most popular places in New York City is Central Park.

Central Park covers an area of 843 acres. It is 2.5 miles long between 59th Street (Central Park South) and 110th Street (Central Park North), and 0.5 miles wide between Fifth Avenue and Central Park West. The park is the most visited city park in the United States. The park's frequent appearance in many movies and television shows has made it famous.

Central Park is bordered on the north by West 110th Street, on the south by West 59th Street, on the west by Eighth Avenue. Along the park's borders however, these are known as Central Park North, Central Park South, and Central Park West, respectively. Fifth Avenue retains its name along the eastern border of the park. Most of the areas immediately adjacent to the park are known for impressive buildings and valuable real estate.

The park contains several natural-looking lakes and ponds, extensive walking tracks, bridle paths, two ice-skating rinks (one of which is a swimming pool in July and August), the Central Park Zoo, the Central Park Conservatory Garden, a wildlife sanctuary, a large area of natural woods, a 106-acre billion gallon reservoir with an encircling running track, and an outdoor amphitheater called the Delacorte Theater which hosts the "Shakespeare in the Park" summer festivals. Indoor attractions include Belvedere Castle with its nature center, the Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre, and the historic Carousel. In addition there are numerous major and minor grassy areas, some of which are used for informal or team sports, some are set aside as quiet areas, and there are a number of enclosed playgrounds for children.

The park has its own wildlife and also serves as an oasis for migrating birds, especially in the Fall and Spring, making it a significant attraction for bird watchers; 200 species of birds are regularly seen. The 6 miles of drives within the park are used by joggers, bicyclists, skateboarders, and inline skaters, especially on weekends and in the evenings after 7:00 p.m., when automobile traffic is banned.

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The Metropolitan Museum of Art, commonly known as The Met, is an art museum located on the eastern edge of Central Park, along what is known as Museum Mile in New York City. It has a permanent collection containing more than two million works of art, divided into nineteen curatorial departments. The main building, is one of the world's largest art galleries. There is also a much smaller second location in Upper Manhattan, at "The Cloisters", which features medieval art.

Represented in the permanent collection are works of art from classical antiquity and Ancient Egypt, paintings and sculptures from nearly all the European masters, and an extensive collection of American and modern art. The Met also maintains extensive holdings of African, Asian, Oceanic, Byzantine, and Islamic art. The museum is also home to encyclopedic collections of musical instruments, costumes and accessories, and antique weapons and armor from around the world. A number of notable interiors, ranging from 1st century Rome through modern American design, are permanently installed in the Met's galleries.

On Saturdays and Sundays Families with children ages five through twelve are invited to take a new voyage around the globe every time they visit the Met. This Art Trek program is free with Museum admission.

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One of the places that Mrs. Wizard and I disagree on is The Museum of Modern Art. Against my better wishes, Mrs. Wizard never tires of me asking her to explain why a totally black canvas is art. Perhaps, it is just revenge for my dragging her to the Tractor Pull Contest at the Garden.

My dear readers, I would like to present to you a painting done by The Youngest Wizard. I feel it is just as good as anything you will find at MoMA. Either that, or perhaps he is an Art Prodigy.

The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been singularly important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world. The museum's collection offers an unparalleled overview in modern and contemporary art including works of architecture and design, drawings, painting, sculpture, photography, prints, illustrated books and artist's books, film, and electronic media.

MoMA's library and archives hold over 300,000 books, artist books, and periodicals, as well as individual files on more than 70,000 artists. The archives contain primary source material related to the history of modern and contemporary art. It also houses an award-winning fine dining restaurant, The Modern, run by Alsace-born chef Gabriel Kreuther.

Children ages five to ten and their parents/caregivers may enjoy A Closer Look for Kids, a morning drop-in program. Families explore artworks in the Museum's collection and special exhibitions through theme-based discussions and gallery activities. A new topic is explored each month.

Tours for Tweens is a series specifically designed for families with eleven- to fourteen-year-olds. Kids and adults engage in activities, share ideas, and exchange opinions about modern and contemporary artwork. Advance registration is required.

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Your New York City Sightseeing needs to include Times Square.

Times Square is a major commercial intersection in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, at the junction of Broadway and Seventh Avenue and stretching from West 42nd to West 47th Streets. The extended Times Square area, also called the Theatre District, consists of the blocks between Sixth and Eighth Avenues from east to west, and West 40th and West 53rd Streets from south to north, making up the western part of the commercial area of Midtown Manhattan.

The theaters of Broadway and the huge number of animated neon and LED signs have long made them one of New York's iconic images, and a symbol of the intensely urban aspects of Manhattan. Times Square is the only neighborhood with zoning ordinances requiring building owners to display illuminated signs. The density of illuminated signs in Times Square now rivals that of Las Vegas.

Notable signage includes the Toshiba billboard directly under the NYE ball drop and the curved seven-story NASDAQ sign at the NASDAQ MarketSite at 4 Times Square on 43rd Street and the curved Coca-Cola sign located underneath another large LED display owned and operated by Samsung.

Times Square is the site of the annual New Year's Eve ball drop. On December 31, 1907, a ball signifying New Year's Day was first dropped at Times Square and the Square has held the main New Year's celebration in New York City ever since. On that night, hundreds of thousands of people congregate to watch the Waterford crystal ball being lowered on a pole atop the building marking the new year.

Saint Patrick's Cathedral is a decorated Neo-Gothic-style Roman Catholic cathedral church in the United States. It is the seat of the archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, and a parish church, located on the east side of Fifth Avenue between 50th and 51st Streets in midtown Manhattan. It faces Rockefeller Center.

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Greenwich Village in New York often simply called "the Village", is a largely residential neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City. A large majority of the district is home to upper middle class families.

Greenwich Village, was known in the late 19th to mid 20th centuries as the bohemian capital and the East Coast birthplace of the Beat movement.

Greenwich Village is generally known as an important landmark on the map of American bohemian culture. The neighborhood is known for its colorful, artistic residents and the alternative culture they propagate. Due in part to the progressive attitudes of many of its residents, the Village has traditionally been a focal point of new movements and ideas, whether political, artistic, or cultural. This tradition as an enclave of avant-garde and alternative culture was established by the beginning of the 20th century when small presses, art galleries, and experimental theater thrived.

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Manhattan's Chinatown, a neighborhood of the borough of Manhattan in New York City, is an ethnic Chinese enclave with a large population of Chinese immigrants and Chinese Americans as well as a long-standing Chinese cultural influence. Manhattan's Chinatown is one of the largest ethnic Chinese communities outside of Asia.

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Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park.

Designed by architect William Burnet Tuthill and built by philanthropist Andrew Carnegie in 1891, it is one of the most prestigious venues in the world for classical music and popular music. Carnegie Hall has its own artistic programming, development, and marketing departments, and presents about 250 performances each season.

Carnegie Hall Family Concerts, recommended for children ages 5–12, are a wonderful way for parents to introduce their children to the world of music! For just $9 per ticket, audience members will enjoy a fun and educational afternoon at Carnegie Hall.

An old joke has become part of the folklore of the hall: A New Yorker (or in some versions Arthur Rubinstein) is approached on the street near Carnegie Hall and asked, Pardon me, sir, how do I get to Carnegie Hall? He replies, Practice, practice, practice.

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Battery Park is a 25-acre public park located at the Battery, the southern tip of Manhattan Island in New York City, facing New York Harbor. The Battery is named for the artillery battery that was stationed there at various times by the Dutch and British in order to protect the settlements behind it. At the north end of the park is Pier A, formerly a fireboat station and Hope Garden, a memorial to AIDS victims. At the other end is Battery Gardens restaurant, next to the United States Coast Guard Battery Building. Along the waterfront, ferries depart for the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. There is also a stop on the New York Water Taxi route between the Statue of Liberty Ferry and Pier A.

To the northwest of the park lies Battery Park City, a planned community built on landfill in the 1970s and 80s, which includes Robert F. Wagner Park and the Battery Park City Promenade. Together with Hudson River Park, a system of greenspaces, bikeways and promenades now extend up the Hudson shoreline. Across State Street to the northeast stands the old U.S. Customs House, now used as a branch of the National Museum of the American Indian and the district U.S. Bankruptcy Court. Peter Minuit Plaza abuts the southeast end of the park, directly in front of the South Ferry Terminal of the Staten Island Ferry.

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The United Nations Headquarters is a distinctive complex in New York City, United States, that has served as the official headquarters of the United Nations since its completion in 1952. It is located in the Turtle Bay neighborhood of Manhattan, on spacious grounds overlooking the East River.

Though it is in New York City, the land occupied by the United Nations Headquarters is considered international territory, and its borders are First Avenue on the west, East 42nd Street to the south, East 48th Street on the north and the East River to the east.

The complex includes a number of major buildings. While the Secretariat building is most predominantly featured in depictions of the headquarters, it also includes the domed General Assembly Hall, the Dag Hammarskjöld Library, as well as the Conference and Visitors Center, which is situated between the General Assembly and Secretariat buildings, and can be seen only from FDR Drive or the East River. Just inside the perimeter fence of the complex stands a line of flagpoles where the flags of all 192 UN member states, plus the U.N. flag, are flown in English alphabetical order.

Guided Tours are conducted Monday through Friday from 9:45 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. Tours last approximately 45 minutes.

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Wollman Skating Rink is a public ice rink in the southern part of Central Park, Manhattan, New York City. The rink was opened in 1949 with funds donated by Kate Wollman. Historically, the rink has been open for ice skating from October to April and in the summer seasons is transformed into a venue for other purposes.

Wollman Rink has also been featured in several movies, including Love Story.

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A fun New York City Attraction for the whole family is the Bronx Zoo.

The Bronx Zoo is located in the Bronx borough of New York City, within Bronx Park. It is the largest metropolitan zoo in the United States, comprising 265 acres of park lands and naturalistic habitats, through which the Bronx River flows.

The Bronx Zoo is part of an integrated system of four zoos and one aquarium.

In 2010, the Bronx Zoo is home to more than 4,000 animals of 650 species, many of which are endangered or threatened. Some of the exhibits at the Bronx Zoo, such as World of Birds and World of Reptiles, are arranged by taxonomy, while others, such as African Plains and Wild Asia, are arranged geographically.

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