Fifth Avenue delights New York City visitors with high-end stores filled with designer brands and seasonal decorations, historic landmarks, iconic museums and world-renowned parks. Fifth Avenue is home to the famous Museum Mile as well as a variety of classic landmarks that demonstrate NYC's development over the centuries. Take a break from the busy life on Fifth Avenue by stepping into one of its parks any time of year for a relaxing respite.
Shopping Opportunities
- Saks Fifth Avenue, Henri Bendel and Bergdorf Goodman are renowned luxury department stores on Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan. The extravagance of the Amani flagship store is also a sight to behold. Families with children will enjoy visiting FAO Schwarz where kids can play with a variety of toys and little girls will especially enjoy the American Girl Place. For something sparkly, visit Tiffany & Co., or just stare in the window like Audrey Hepburn in "Breakfast at Tiffany's."
Historic Landmarks
- St. Patrick's Cathedral is the largest, well-known Catholic cathedral in the United States. Visitors can attend mass or simply walk around enjoying the Gothic Revival-style church that stands in beautiful contrast to the modern-day bustle of Fifth Avenue. Visiting Trump Tower will take you back in time to the 1980s when extravagant architecture and lavish interior design ruled. Rockefeller Center, famously known as NBC headquarters, is comprised of 14 art deco-style buildings, which are both cultural and commercial hubs. The main branch of the New York Public Library is on Fifth Avenue in Midtown. It is a National Historic Landmark, which, in addition to millions of books, holds unique exhibits such as the Declaration of Independence and hundreds of thousands of old maps, though its architecture alone is a sight to behold.
- Cultural Hubs
- Museum Mile runs along Fifth Avenue from the entrance to the Conservatory Garden at the 105th Avenue cross-street to the Metropolitan Museum of Art at 82nd Street. Along this Museum Mile is the Guggenheim Museum, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. It is the home to the largest collection of Kandinskys along with a collection of cubist, surrealist, abstract, minimalist and conceptual art. Downtown in the Tenderloin district on 5th Avenue is one of the city's newer museums, the Museum of Sex, which opened in 2002.
A Stroll in the Park
- Fifth Avenue borders Central Park, which, with 843 acres, is the largest park in Manhattan and the most visited park in New York City with about 30 million visitors annually. Bryant Park is a nine-acre oasis from the busy streets of Midtown Manhattan. Madison Square Garden opened in 1847 and now hosts art exhibits, a dog run and the world-famous Shake Shack restaurant. Washington Square Park is also located on Fifth Avenue. While home to a few monuments and facilities, its iconic landmark is the arch honoring George Washington.
