Inside CNN Tour and other New York City, NY Things to Do Tips

CNN - Get an overview of the inner workings of the 24/7 news channel that is a worldwide brand.

This guided walking tour is 35-45 min in length. You get to see, through an overlook, several studios of CNN shows, a control room, news and research rooms, technical hub. You also get to play around with a teleprompter and chromakey setup so you can pretend to be a budding news reporter or a weather person.

While on my tour I saw several news personalities the red-headed Heidi Collins :) and I believe Kitty Pilgrim.

Tickets as of 2005 are: Adults $15, Children (4-12) $11, Seniors (>=65) $13.

Tours start every 10 mins on Mon-Sat (10a-9p) and Sun (10a-6p).

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Phone: 1-866-4CNN-NYC
Address: Time Warner Center, 8th Ave between 58th & 60th St
Directions: You can get to the Inside CNN tour at the back of the Inside CNN gift shop on the 3rd floor of the Time Warner Center Building / Shops at Columbus Circle located on 8th Ave between 58th and 60th Streets.
Website: www.cnn.com/insidecnn
Other Contact: 212-275-8687

US Open Tennis:

For a 2 week period starting on the last Monday in August, see tennis' top men and women singles and doubles players compete in NYC for the finest tennis Grand Slam event. Qualifier tournament starts the week before (Tuesday - Friday) and is open to the public.

Best time to see tennis up close is the Thursday - Sunday before the event starts - the time the qualifiers have their semi-finals and finals events, and when the pros have their practice sessions.

Once the tournament starts, the best place to find stadium seating is at the smaller stadiums rather than the main Arthur Ashe stadium. Seats in the Louis Armstrong and Grandstand stadiums (except for the first 7 rows or so) as well as bench seating on the 15 outdoor courts is on a first come, first served basis for those who get into the complex with their ticket (reserved seating for Arthur Ashe or Louis Armstrong stadiums or a Grounds Admission pass).

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Directions: Take the # 7 subway to Shea Stadium / Willets Point. The Tennis Center complex is south from the station & past the walkway over the LIRR tracks.

During the US Open, the Long Island Railroad (LIRR) also has a special stop at Willets Point / Shea Stadium.
Website: www.usopen.org

Grand Central Terminal:
A fine Beaux Arts building that's also a subway and bus transportation hub. Stand in the middle near the Information booth in the morning and feel the buzz of the city as people pass by you. Look up at the ceiling and see a mirror image of the zodiac constellations. Visit the casual dining (lower level) and fine dining (such as Michael Jordan's Steakhouse) establishments, specialty stores, and the fresh food marketplace. The 42nd St facade shows statues of Cornelius Vanderbuilt (father of the railroad), Mercury, Hercules, and Minerva.

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Phone: 212-340-2210
Address: East 42nd St & Park Ave
Website: www.grandcentralterminal.com

Times Square:
Bright Lights - Big City. Here it is, the center of the theater district and "crossroads of the world". Lots of people. Walk around and you may see the Naked Cowboy, see a pop star at the MTV Studios, a wrestler at WWF Cafe, grab a burger at Planet Hollywood, watch a game at ESPN Sportszone, ride the ferris wheel at the Toy's R Us, and catch the latest headines at the ABC studio and Nasdaq tickers. Most locals avoid Times Square during New Year's Eve since there are alot of out of towners watching the ball drop.

Queue up at the TKTS booth to catch Broadway shows at half price.

The Times Square Visitor Center (www.nycvisit.com) is on Broadway between 46th & 47th Sts.

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Phone: 212-768-1560
Directions: 42nd-47th Sts & 7th Ave-Broadway
Website: www.timessquarebid.org

Broadway Shows:
Queue up at the TKTS booth to catch select Broadway and Off-Broadway shows for that day at half price. NOTE: TKTS Booth accepts only cash or traveller’s checks. There are 2 TKTS booth located in Times Square and South Street Seaport (see website for exact locations and times of operation). 212-221-0013
www.tdf.org/programs/tkts/index.html

Another way to get tickets is to go to the theater in the morning to see if they have availability.

To find out what's playing, go to:
www.playbill.com
www.broadway.com

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Rockefeller Center:
Ahhhhh - Christmastime in THE CITY - NYC that is. Nothing beats wandering around this area during the holidays: The huge Christmas tree, tree lighting ceremony (1st Wed in Dec), ice skating on the plaza rink (October - April), corner peanut vendors, the holiday display at Saks Fifth Ave, coffee and pastry at Dean & Deluca's, and fine Swiss sweets at Teuscher's Chocolates.

NBC Studios (212-664-3700) is also nearby where you can take a tour or just stand outside the windows during the NBC morning show with cell phone in hand calling your friends and family to say that you're on tv. During Friday mornings in the spring, summer, and fall, NBC hosts mini-concerts from major music acts.

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Phone: 212-664-3700
Directions: 47th-56th Sts & 5th-6th Aves
Website: www.rockefellercenter.com

Washington Square Park:
In the middle of Greenwich Village and near the New York University (NYU) campus lies Washington Square Park. Originally built as a wooden monument in 1889 for George Washington's centennial inauguration celebration, it was soon permanently rebuilt out of stone.

In the summertime, the park brings together a mixture of people: tourists, locals and students cooling off in the fountain, street performers, and people dealing with illegal substances. Like all big cities, be aware of your surroundings, develop that NYC attitude and you'll do fine.

Surrounding within a 2-3 blocks south or east of the park (especially on MacDougal Street) are reasonably priced restaurants that cater to those on a "NYU student budget".

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Directions: Area surrounded by West 4th St, Waverly Pl, University Pl, MacDougal St

Radio City Music Hall:
This Art Deco landmark in Rockefeller Center hosts several shows throughout the year. The most popular is the Christmas Show with the Rockettes. Back stage tours are available.

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Phone: 212-247-4777
Address: 50th St & 6th Ave
Website: www.radiocity.com

Brooklyn Bridge:
Completed in 1883, this is the first suspension bridge to use steel cables. There is a pedestrian walkway from which you can go from Manhattan towards Brooklyn and see the NYC skyline from the east side.

A good place to take a picture of the bridge is from outside the food court of the South Street Seaport shopping complex (Fulton St & the East River; 212-SEAPORT)

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Directions: Centre St between Chambers St and City Hall

Empire State Building:
Art Deco type building romanticized in many movies (King Kong, Sleepless in Seattle, etc). Observatories on the 86th and 102nd provide great views of the city. Open daily from 9:30am - midnight. Best views are during winter time (no smog) and late afternoon into the evening as the sky changes colors and the city lights comes on.

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Phone: 212-736-3100 x355
Address: 34th St & 5th Ave
Website: www.esbnyc.com