Introduction

Midtown East is synonymous with skycrapers, mega-corporations and Fifth Avenue. From outside Manhattan, you can see the mountainous peaks created by the enormous buildings located here, rising like steps to the Empire State Building at 34th Street.

What distinguishes Midtown East from New York's other commercial districts is the architectural grandeur of many of its buildings. The 1920s construction boom led to the creation of skyscrapers such as the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building. Both emerged as permanent fixtures of the Manhattan skyline and both bear the architectural details of the Art Deco era. With its stainless steel gargoyles and shiny hubcap decoration, the Chrysler Building is probably the quintessential example of the Art Deco style. The Chanin Building(122 East 42nd Street), and the News Building are also notable.

More recently, corporate America's gleaming towers have adopted a simpler style, but have retained the ability to impress with a grandeur all their own. When Lever House(390 Park Avenue) was built in 1952, it was the first of its kind - sheer faces of glass and steel stood in stark contrast to the stone high-rises which surrounded it. Though Lever House set an architectural precedent, it now stands in the shadow of more modern (and much bigger) skyscrapers like the 1970s Citicorp Center, the IBM Building and the Sony Building, whose ground floor is filled with interactive workstations, a retail store, and hundreds of high-tech toys and games.

The Met-Life Building stands astride Park Avenue, dividing it in half, north to south. Cars must actually drive through and around the building in order to cross 42nd Street. Adjacent to it, Grand Central Terminal is one of the most important transportation hubs in the city. From here, trains carry commuters to and from the nearby New York and Connecticut suburbs; as well as nationalwide trains come here from around the eastern United States. A major renovation inside the main concourse will keep most of the internal architectural details covered up for the next year or so.

On East 42nd Street, Tudor City was developed in the 1920s as a middle-class housing project constructed on an immense scale. Included within the 12 buildings are 3,000 apartments, a hotel, restaurants, shops and parks. The complex even has its own post office.

Murray Hill, situated in the East 30's, is named after the estate that once stood on this site. This residential neighborhood began as an enclave for turn-of-the-century New Yorkers wealthy enough to escape the crowded city downtown. Evidence of their lavish lifestyles can still be seen at the Pierpoint Morgan Library, which was founded from J.P. Morgan's private collection. THe area's brownstone homes and quiet streets continue to make it one of Manhattan's most desirable residential districts.

The former tradition of the "grand hotel" can still be seen at landmarks such as the Waldorf-Astoria and The Plaza.

Fifth Avenue, the dividing line between Midtown East and Midtown West, is one of the most popular tourist destinations in town. With Rockefeller Center on one side of the street, St Patricks Cathedral and Saks Fifth Avenue on the other, and just about every designer shop you could imagine in between, this is one of New York's best shopping and sightseeing areas.

On the East River, the United Nations building is recognizable by the huge array of flags flying in front - one for each member nation. Interestingly, the area around the building is international territory and is not subject to United States Law or New York City or state laws.

Fifth Avenue

Many streets run north and south through Midtown East, three of the more popular ones include Park Avenue, Madison Avenue, and Fifth Avenue. Fifth Avenue is the center of shopping in New York City. Spaning the length of Manhattan, as Fifth Avenue crosses the fringe of Midtown East, it is lined with scores of high-class retail stores including Saks-Fifth Avenue, Tiffany & Co, and Bergdorf & Goodmans; and dont' forget FAO Schwartz!

Fifth Avenue starts at Washington Square Park in the village and along its 150 block span, its most notable are the 20 blocks or so in Midtown. Many non-New Yorker's from the area, among Manhattanites spend countless hours on the weekends searching for their prized clothing, jewelry, scents, or nick-naks through the Fifth Avenue stores.

Along Fifth Avenue, at west 40th, on the bridge of Midtown West and East is the New York Public Library. The NYPL, is the United States' biggest library by the amount of books on site. This library is not only a huge resource for whatever your looking for, but the building itself is quite a sight of its own.

If you have the time, spend an afternoon strolling along the stores and quaint restaurants. Some of these stores, like Tiffany & Co. are well-known throughout the world, and so are their thousand-dollar-priced items throughout the store. Some other notable stores include Saks-Fifth Avenue, Banana Republic, Cartier, Ralph Lauren - Polo, and Gucci just to name a few.

Pierpont Morgan Library

The Pierpont Morgan Library was founded in 1906 by legendary banker J.P. Morgan (1837-1913), who wanted to create an American institution for the arts and humanities to rival the great libraries of Europe.

The magnificent result, housed in a Renaissance-style palazzo, is a museum, research library and historic landmark. It is now recognized as one of the world's premier artistic, literary and historical collections. The library's focus is the history, art and literature of Western civilization from the Middle Ages to the 20th century.

After purchasing the 9th-century Lindau Gospels in 1899, Morgan went on to acquire more than 600 medieval and Renaissance manuscripts, many other rare books and bindings and a number of autographed manuscripts from English and American literary greats such as Austen, Dickens, Thoreau and Twain.

There are tours of the library at 12noon from Tuesday to Friday. The adjacent shop, located in J.P. Morgan Jr's, former townhouse, offers items based on the museum's collection.

Other Attractions

Founded in 1945, the United Nations is an organization of nations that have binded together to promote world peace. New York was chosen as its headquarters and an 8.5 million dollar donation from John D. Rockefeller Jr. was used to purchase the site. All of the member nations are represented in the General Assembly, while additional councils are selected delegates from various member nations. The Security Council is the most powerful, and the one most often spotlighted in the media. It is the body that deals with international security and crises, negotiating cease-fires, imposing economic sanctions and deploying military troops. Guided tours of the Security Council Chamber and General Assembly Hall are given daily, and are available in several foreign languages. In the lobby, you can see art and gifts given by various countries, including a chunk of moon rock given by the U.S. and a model of Sputnik 1 from the Soviet Union.
Location: First Avenue, at 46th street.

Completed in 1930, the 77-story Chrysler Building is recognizable by its shining 7-story chrome top. Designed for automobile pioneer Walter P. Chrysler, the building's brilliantly restored lobby once served as a car showroom and the Art Deco tower was designed to look like a car's radiator grill.
Location: 405 Lexington Avenue.

In the Philip Morris building, on the ground floor, there is a branch of the Whitney Museum. Viewing of the 20th-century art exhibits is enhanced by quiet tables and a coffee bar.
Location:120 Park Avenue, Philip Morris Building

Grand Central Terminal, built in 1913, is a renowned example of Beaux Arts architecture. After years of steady decline, a major renovation in 1997 will restore this landmark to its original splendor. You can already see small sections of the painted zodiac and constellation design on the turquoise blue ceiling, which has looked gray for years. The four-faced clock above the information booth is a well-known redezvous spot in the middle of the enormouse concourse.A food market, newsstands, and the Oyster Bar seafood restaurant can also be found within the building. The Municipal Art Society, which was largely responsible for preserving Grand Central as a national landmark, provides free tours every Wednesday at 12.30pm.
Location:East 42nd Street at Park Avenue, under the Met-Life Building

Directly across from Rockefeller Center, St. Patrick's Cathedral is the largest and most famous Catholic Cathedral in the United States. Built to seat 2,500 people, it was completed in 1878, but its massive spires, which rise 330 feet into the air, were added seven years later. As impressive inside and out, some of the cathedral's best features include the the tremendous Rose Window, the Great Organ and the enormous bronze doors at the entrance. The parish was moved to its grand Fifth Avenue site from the original downtown St Patricks, which remains in Little Italy.
Location: 5th Avenue and 50th Street.

Located behind St. Patrick's, the historic Villard Houses are a series of six townhouses degigned by architects McKim, Mead & White during the late 19th century. Commissioned by Henry Villard, railroad industrialist and publisher of the New York Evening Post, the Italianate houses and elegant courtyard were intended to be residences but later became part of the New York Palace Hotel.
Built in 1931, the world-famous Waldorf-Astoria Hotel is worth a look just for its elegant lobby. This is the hotel where kings, queens, ambassadors and U.S. presidents stay while visting New York City. Vistors can tell who is in town, somewhat, by looking at the flags waving afront the hotels balcony. When a delegate from a country is in town, his or her countries' flag flies above the Waldorf's entrance.
Location: 301 Park Avenue.

Open Spaces & Parks

Opened in 1991, the Garden Court at the Pierpont-Morgan Library is located beside J.P. Morgan, Jr.'s former townhouse. This three-story enclosed atrium, which is filled with trees and plants, even has its own cafe.

Paley Park,located on 53rd Street between Madison and Fifth Avenues, is known as the "vest pocket park". This small grassy nook is a good place to bring a picnic lunch. Another small park, between Second and Third Avenues at 51st street, is Greenacre Park.

At 43rd Street between First and Second Avenues, Tudor Park is a quaint European-style park featuring gravel paths and an intricately decorated fence. After descending a flight of stairs from Tudor Park, you will arrive at the Ralph J. Bunch Park which is situated directly in front of the United Nations.