Midtown in three hours: Grand Central to Rockefeller Center

The route, stop by stop

1. 1
   Grand Central Terminal

   The main concourse of 1913, under a green ceiling painted with the constellations, back to front. Whisper into a corner of the tiled arches outside the Oyster Bar and a friend in the opposite corner will hear you.

   25 min here Walk here →
2. 2
   New York Public Library

   The Beaux-Arts main branch, guarded by the stone lions Patience and Fortitude. The Rose Main Reading Room on the third floor is almost two city blocks long under a painted sky.

   30 min here Walk here →
3. 3
   Bryant Park

   The library's back garden, with movable chairs, a carousel and, in winter, an ice rink.

   15 min here Walk here →
4. 4
   Times Square

   The crossing of Broadway and Seventh Avenue, named after the New York Times, which moved here in 1904. Pedestrianised since 2009.

   20 min here Walk here →
5. 5
   St Patrick's Cathedral

   The Gothic Revival cathedral of 1879 on Fifth Avenue, its spires now dwarfed by the towers around it.

   20 min here Walk here →
6. 6
   Rockefeller Center

   The art deco complex of the 1930s, with the gilded Prometheus over the sunken plaza and the Christmas tree in December. Top of the Rock is the observation deck at the top of 30 Rockefeller Plaza.

   35 min here Walk here →