Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace
The boyhood home where the colorful 26th President was born in 1858 has been re-
constructed. Exhibits trace his political career as well as his explorations, displaying
everything from toys to campaign buttons, and emblems of the trademark “Rough
Rider” hat Roosevelt wore in the Spanish-American war. The house offers a rare
glimpse of a privileged 19th-century New York lifestyle.
• 28 East 20th St, between Broadway & Park Ave South
• Open 9am-5pm Tue-Sat
• Admission charge
• Visits are by guided tour only
Metropolitan Life Tower
This 54-story tower, built along the east side of Madison Square in 1909, was the
world's tallest building at that time, an appropriate corporate symbol for the world's
largest insurance company. Designed by Napoleon Le Brun and Sons, the tower fol-
lows the form of the campanile in the Piazza San Marco in Venice. Although it was
altered in the 1960s, when the entire structure was renovated, the ornate four-faced
clock and crowning cupola remain a familiar landmark on the New York skyline.
• 1 Madison Ave, near 24th St
• Open during office hours
• Free
The City's Squares
Manhattan has only four London-style squares: Union, Madison, Stuyves-
ant, and Gramercy Park, all formed in the 1800s by real estate speculators
hoping to profit by selling surrounding lots to the wealthy. The squares
provide welcome breaks among the city's dense, tall buildings, but only
Gramercy Park has remained residential.
