Midtown Manhattan runs from 34th Street to 59th Street and contains the skyline New York is famous for: the Empire State Building, Rockefeller Center, the Chrysler Building, the United Nations, Grand Central Terminal, and the chaotic, neon-drenched spectacle of Times Square. It is the largest central business district in the United States, and by day it moves at a pressure that can feel overwhelming — densely packed sidewalks, constant horn noise, a sense that everyone is late for something important. The sights are concentrated enough that walking them is practical: the Empire State Building observatory (350 Fifth Avenue) is thirty blocks south of Central Park, and the two endpoints make a reasonable half-day route.
The cultural anchors are substantial. MoMA (11 West 53rd Street) holds one of the greatest collections of modern art in the world, from Monet's Water Lilies to Warhol's soup cans. Rockefeller Center is best experienced around Christmas but is worth seeing year-round for its Art Deco architecture, the sunken ice rink plaza and the views from the Top of the Rock observation deck. Grand Central Terminal on 42nd Street was nearly demolished in the 1960s before a landmark preservation campaign saved it; its main concourse, with its vaulted ceiling painted with a celestial map, is one of the great interior spaces in the country. Times Square itself is a genuine spectacle of American commercial culture — best seen at night, ideally from the steps of the TKTS booth on the southern end of the plaza.