- Best for
- First visits
- Walk to
- Times Sq, Rockefeller Center, Grand Central
- Price
- $$ – $$$$
- Feels like
- Busy, central, 24 hours
Midtown runs roughly from 30th Street to 59th Street, river to river. It holds the Empire State Building, Rockefeller Center, Grand Central, Bryant Park, the Theater District and the southern edge of Central Park — and more hotel rooms than anywhere else in New York.
Four Midtowns, four moods
- Times Square & the Theater District — loud, bright, steps from Broadway. Ask for a high floor.
- Bryant Park & Grand Central — calmer, business-like, great subway access to everywhere.
- Fifth Avenue & Rockefeller Center — flagship stores, classic hotels, the Christmas tree in season.
- Central Park South & Columbus Circle — park views and grand hotels.
Getting around
Nearly every subway line passes through Midtown. From Times Square–42nd St or Grand Central you can reach downtown, uptown, Brooklyn and Queens without changing more than once. Walking is often faster for anything under 20 blocks.
Who should stay elsewhere
If you want local restaurants on your doorstep and quieter nights, look at Chelsea, the West Village or the Upper West Side — all within 15 minutes of Midtown by subway.
Where to eat
Midtown’s reputation for chain restaurants is only half true. Head west to Hell’s Kitchen (Ninth Avenue between 42nd and 57th Streets) for one of the densest restaurant strips in the city, or east to Koreatown on 32nd Street, which stays busy past midnight.
- Pre-theater dinner: book for 5:30 pm on Ninth Avenue and walk to your show.
- Breakfast: a bagel or a diner counter is a fast New York breakfast.
- Late night: Koreatown barbecue and karaoke run into the early hours.
Noise, views and room size
Midtown rooms are often small — 215 square feet (20 m²) is typical for a standard double. Higher floors are quieter and come with the views you came for. Rooms on side streets are calmer than those facing the avenues.
A perfect Midtown day
- Morning: Grand Central’s main concourse, then the New York Public Library and Bryant Park.
- Midday: walk Fifth Avenue to St Patrick’s Cathedral and Rockefeller Center.
- Afternoon: MoMA, or the Top of the Rock about 45 minutes before sunset.
- Evening: dinner in Hell’s Kitchen and a Broadway show.
Reading the Midtown Grid
Midtown's grid is simple once you learn its logic. Numbered streets run east to west and their numbers climb as you head north. Avenues run north to south and carry names, many with a numbered equivalent, so an address may read West 44th Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. Fifth Avenue divides east from west. Blocks between avenues are much longer than blocks between numbered streets, which is why a walk of two avenues takes longer than a walk of two streets. Read the cross street first, then the avenue.
Broadway is the exception worth knowing. It runs diagonally across the grid, meeting avenues at shallow angles and breaking the pattern at Herald Square and Times Square, where the street layout turns irregular. Those junctions feel different from the rest of Midtown, and they make useful landmarks. Use Broadway as a spine for a longer walk: it passes Madison Square, Herald Square, Times Square and Columbus Circle in one line. A route that follows it gives a direction the avenues, which all run parallel, cannot.
A Walk Through Midtown Architecture
Begin at Grand Central Terminal, on 42nd Street at Park Avenue, and take in the facade before crossing the concourse. West along 42nd Street, the New York Public Library's main branch faces Bryant Park. North on Fifth Avenue, Rockefeller Center's Art Deco group fills the blocks between Fifth and Sixth Avenues in the upper 40s. The stops sit close together, and the walk works in either direction. Weekday mornings bring the office crowds at full strength, while early weekend hours leave the sidewalks easier to cross, which suits anyone stopping to look up.
Park Avenue north of Grand Central carries some of Midtown's clearest mid-century office towers, and Sixth Avenue holds the glass slabs that followed them. Lobbies are the variable part. Some towers let you walk through to the next street, others limit entry to tenants and their guests, and the rules differ from building to building, so ask at a desk before wandering in. Sky lobbies, roof terraces and private clubs stay closed unless you have an invitation. Read the signs and stay on the public sidewalk where access is unclear.
Keep reading
Midtown Manhattan: where to stay: questions
Where does Midtown Manhattan begin and end?
The boundaries are a matter of habit rather than law. Midtown is generally the band from 34th Street to 59th Street, Central Park's southern edge, between the East River and the Hudson. Midtown South, around 34th Street, blends into the Garment District and NoMad, and the Theater District sits inside Midtown proper. Plan by the grid, not by the line.
How does Fifth Avenue divide Midtown addresses?
Fifth Avenue is the axis for street numbers across Manhattan. Addresses east of it take an East prefix, those west take West, and the numbers climb as you move away from Fifth in both directions. Broadway runs diagonally and creates the awkward junctions at Herald Square and Times Square, where the pattern briefly breaks. Read the cross street first when you check an address.
What does the 1811 grid plan mean for a walk in Midtown?
Most of Manhattan north of 14th Street follows the Commissioners' Plan of 1811: numbered streets run east to west, avenues run north to south, and the blocks are regular. That makes navigation easy and the walking repetitive. Break a long route by following Broadway diagonally, or by heading east toward the East River at 34th Street.
When can you see Manhattanhenge from Midtown?
Manhattanhenge, when the setting sun lines up with the cross streets, comes a few days a year, usually in late May and mid-July. The clearest views are on wide east-west streets that run far to the horizon, such as 42nd Street and 57th Street. Crowds gather early. Dates shift slightly each year, so check a current astronomy or parks source before you plan an evening.
Which Midtown museums suit a design-minded visit?
The Museum of Modern Art on West 53rd Street holds the deepest design and architecture collections in Midtown. Museum Mile, the stretch of Fifth Avenue from roughly 82nd to 105th Streets, begins north of Midtown at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, so a single day can cover both if you plan the subway ride. Check opening days and timed tickets, which change.
How do you reach Midtown from the three airports?
From JFK, the AirTrain runs to Jamaica, for the LIRR or the E, J and Z subway lines, or to Howard Beach for the A train. From Newark, the AirTrain connects to NJ Transit or Amtrak at Penn Station. LaGuardia is closest by road, and the free Q70 LaGuardia Link bus reaches the subway. JFK and Newark are typically 45 to 75 minutes from Midtown, depending on traffic.
When do Broadway curtains start in the Midtown Theater District?
Broadway's theaters cluster around Times Square in the Theater District, about 40 houses in all. Evening curtains are typically at 7 or 8 pm, with matinees on some afternoons. Times vary by show and shift through the season, so confirm with the production or the box office when you book, and allow time to get through the crowds on the surrounding blocks.
What should you know before booking a Midtown observation deck?
Three decks sit inside Midtown: Top of the Rock at Rockefeller Center, on floors 67 to 70; SUMMIT One Vanderbilt, next to Grand Central; and the Empire State Building, with an open-air deck on the 86th floor and another on the 102nd. All use timed entry. Book ahead, check the forecast, and read each deck's policy on poor weather before you commit.