Fifth Avenue Shopping & Sightseeing
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One of the biggest draws throughout New York City is the legendary shopping, dining, and sightseeing located on Fifth Avenue. The street is a hive of activity as high-end stores mingle with legendary theatres and world-renowned dining. Visitors to Fifth Avenue should be prepared to engage in a flow of traffic thanks to its popularity.
Fifth Avenue is one of the world’s most famous shopping streets. This was once a millionaire’s row when people like the Astors and Vanderbilts erected huge mansions after the Civil War. In a way it still is millionaire’s row as the high-quality shops that line the street are filled with luxuries from around the world, catering to those who are looking for and can afford, the best. Here are the de-luxe emporiums of Gucci, Saks, Cartier, and Tiffany’s.
A trip down Fifth Avenue needs to be planned out before a visit is made. Visiting the area can be especially tricky for drivers within the city which is why local businesses advise taking some form of public transit into the area instead. Tourists should look to utilize a taxi or some sort of mobile transport company to get them there. Locals who are comfortable with public transit can take a bus, shuttle, cab, or subway down Fifth Avenue. Click to book your Fashion on Fifth Avenue Shopping tour
Harlem, Empire State Building, Rockefeller Center, & Central Park
New York has soaring skyscrapers, world-famous art galleries, great shopping, and Central Park. The Big Apple is one of the world’s top tourist destinations.
A good way to get to know the Big Apple is to take it in small bites, and one of the best ways to taste what the city has to offer is to stroll down Fifth Avenue. Not only is ‘the avenue’ New York’s most glittering shopping area, but it is also home to some of the city’s most famous institutions. The mixture of old and new is fascinating and is a good introduction to the infinite variety of this wonderful city.
Walking is the way to see New York. The island of Manhattan is only 12 miles from north to south, and three miles wide. The streets are set in a grid pattern, with avenues going in one direction and streets in the other; it’s easy to find your way around.
New York – 5th Avenue- The Empire State Building
So, map in hand, let’s start our Fifth Avenue walk in midtown at the Empire State Building on 34th Street. We will make our way north from here to the tip of Central Park at 59th Street, a distance of about one and a half miles. Fifth Avenue continues on past Central Park and into Harlem but since this walk is just a taster we will stay in midtown Manhattan.
The Empire State Building is one of the most breathtaking skyscrapers ever built. It was made familiar to moviegoers around the world when the lovesick gorilla, King Kong, dangled over the side with Fay Wray clutched in his hairy hand. When it was completed in 1931 it was the highest building in the world Rising from the ground to 102 stories, the view from the top extends more than fifty miles.
Continuing north, six streets is the Rockefeller Center at 50th Street. It has been described as a city within a city. There are shops, restaurants, a cinema, and even a subway station. Have lunch in the Lower Plaza where needle-thin New York businesswomen eat their cottage cheese lunches.
Attractions in the Area
Fifth Avenue is entirely filled to the brim with attractions. Once you get tired, you can take advantage of the Museum Mile which is located right on Fifth Avenue. From The Guggenheim Museum to the Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met) there is something to see for everyone. Visitors will also be only within walking distance from Rockefeller Center and Trump Tower.
St. Patrick’s Cathedral
St. Patrick’s Cathedral, also at 50th Street, is a nice place to rest your feet. When it was built in the late 19th century, churchgoers complained that it was too far out in the country – hard to believe when one sees it today, dwarfed by the skyscrapers around it.
Museum of Modern Art
Almost every visitor to New York manages to find the way to the Museum of Modern Art on 53rd Street It has one of the best collections of modern art in the world and there are a delightful sculpture garden and a good, reasonably priced restaurant.
Central Park
Central Park is straight ahead. Full of interesting things to do and see, and if your feet are tired this would be a good time to take a ride in one of the horse-drawn carriages lined up at the entrance to the park.
Fifth Avenue Shopping
Fifth Avenue is one of the most iconic shopping areas in the world as well as one of the most expensive. The avenue stretches throughout Manhattan from West 143rd Street to Washington Square North in the Greenwich Village. However, shoppers will want to focus on the stores between 49th Street and 60th Street as these are where the most prestigious brands are located. It has been considered a high-end, stylish shopping area since the 1860s and time has not diminished that reputation.
As mentioned above, there is abundant shopping on Fifth Avenue, featuring almost every big-name fashion designer store ranging from Gucci and Versace all the way to Prada and Tiffany & Co, most of which you’ll find on 57th Street near Central Park. Just one block from there is the renowned Apple Store that you’ll recognize by the unique glass cube right across from the legendary Plaza hotel. While it is easy to walk from store to store, there are also private shopping tours that visitors to the city might be interested in taking part in. No matter how long visitors plan on shopping, they would do well to dress comfortably because there is plenty of walking to do in order to see everything.
Tiffany’s
The famous jewelry store, Tiffany’s, with its marvelous window displays, is on the corner of 57th Street. And right next door is a building that New Yorkers either love or hate – the Trump Tower, a soaring edifice of bronze glass. The interior contains a six-story pink marble shopping emporium with an 80-foot waterfall cascading down one side.
Local 5th Avenue Dining
Insofar as Fifth Avenue is a haven for upscale shopping, it is also a hot spot for some of the best culinary in the entire world. One of the most popular places is the Brasserie Ruhlmann, which is something for an upscale French dining experience that visitors just won’t find anywhere else. For tourists looking for a classy and affordable lunch, the Cafe S.F.A. cannot be beaten, offering medium to upscale lunches for shoppers in the area looking to get off their feet and rest for a moment or two.