Plannery
Guides
New York

Midtown

The postcard New York and the working one on the same block — observation decks and Broadway houses above, an office lunch economy underneath, and Koreatown running late on 32nd Street when everything else has shut.

Who it's for: First-time visitors, who will end up here whether they plan to or not; theatre-goers; anyone who wants the skyline from above.

Things to know

  • Midtown is a lunch neighbourhood. The best value in every price bracket is served between noon and 2pm, and several of the best rooms are markedly cheaper then.
  • Times Square is four blocks of Midtown, not the whole of it, and it is the least representative four blocks. Walk east or north and the quality changes immediately.
  • Koreatown (West 32nd Street) is where to eat after 10pm. Most of Midtown stops serving well before that.
  • The observation decks all require timed tickets now. Turning up without one is the most common way visitors lose an afternoon here.
  • Avenues run 20 blocks to the mile north-south but the cross-town blocks are long — three avenue blocks on foot is a real walk, not a stroll.