Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
BRYANT PARK
DIAMOND ROW
W 47th St between Fifth and Sixth aves. Subway B, D, F, M to 47-50th St-Rockefeller Center.
MAP
You'll know
Diamond Row
by the diamond-shaped lamps mounted on pylons at either end.
This strip, where you can get jewellery fixed at reasonable prices, features wholesale and re-
tail shops chock-full of gems and was first established in the 1920s. These stores are largely
managed by Hasidic Jews, and the workaday vibe feels more like the Garment District or
the old Lower East Side than a part of tourist Midtown.
ROCKEFELLER CENTER
From Fifth to Sixth aves between W 48th and W 51st sts. Subway B, D, F, M to 47-50th St/Rockefeller
Center.
212 332 6868,
www.rockefellercenter.com
. Tours daily 10am-7.30pm, every 30min, $17 (
212
698 2000 ext 5).
MAP
The heart of Midtown's glamour,
Rockefeller Center
was built between 1932 and 1940 by
John D. Rockefeller Jr, son of the oil magnate, and is one of the finest pieces of urban plan-
ning anywhere, balancing office space with cafés, underground concourses and rooftop gar-
dens that work together with a rare intelligence and grace. At its centre, the
Lower Plaza
holds a sunken restaurant in the summer months. It's a great place for afternoon cocktails
beneath Paul Manship's golden
Prometheus
sculpture. In winter this area becomes an ice
rink for skaters to show off their skills to passing shoppers. Each Christmas since 1931, a
huge tree is on display above the statue; its lighting, with accompanying musical entertain-
ment, draws throngs in early December.
