New York - Lower Midtown

Grand Central Station opened in 1913 as a Beaux Arts terminal for the subway and train stations. Outside, the 42nd Street colonnaded faces and the statuary on top are highlights. Inside, the Grand Staircase (of marble steps) and the Grand Central Oyster Bar are lovely touches.

The Chanin Building was initially the headquarters of New York's leading real estate developer and the first skyscraper (at 56 stories high) in the Grand Central area. Today, it remains a fine example of Art Deco design with its wide bronze band, terra-cotta base, and touches of bird- and fish-patterns on the exterior.

The Church of the Incarnation is an Episcopal house of worship dating back to 1864. It is noted for its Tiffany stained-glass window, and an oak communion rail by Daniel C. French.

The Fred F. French Building is an ornate blend of Art Deco, ancient Egyptian and Greek styles. Built in 1927, it is an opulent building designed by H. Douglas Ives with Sloan & Robertson (who designed the Chanin Building). Exotic touches include a winged Assyrian beast riding on a bronze frieze over the entrance.

The Helmsley Building offers a great view of New York, looking south down Park Avenue. On the ground, cars drive through the building. The building opened in 1929 and belongs to property magnate, Harry Helmsley.

The Home Savings of America building of 1923 is considered the finest work by bank architects of the 1920s. York and Sawyer designed the building in the style of a Romanesque basilica. The interior includes high-beamed ceilings, arched entrances, marble mosaic floors and marble columns.

The USS Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum is an aircraft carrier that has been converted into a museum and is located on Pier 86. The museum opened in 1982 and the Intrepid was named a National Historic Landmark in 1986. The USS Intrepid is joined by the USS Edson, a destroyer, and the USS Growler, a submarine. The museum is home to a wide variety of military aircraft and all three vessels are open for touring.

The Intrepid itself is on the National Register.

The Japan Society was founded in 1907 to foster understanding and cultural exchange between Japan and the U.S. Today, the society offers a language center, a library, a museum, traditional Oriental gardens and an auditorium.

The Lincoln Tunnel is the world's only three-tube underwater vehicular tunnel facility. It provides a vital link between midtown Manhattan and central New Jersey, and forms part of New Jersey Route 495.

The MetLife Building (not to be confused with the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company building in Gramercy) opened in 1963 as the Pan Am Building. The north and south sides of the building are wide and bowed. It drew criticism because its mass blocked the Park Avenue view. There is a helicopter landing pad on the roof.

The Pierpont Morgan Library began as the private collection of banker J. Pierpont Morgan. His son established the library to the public in 1924. Today, the Morgan Library & Museum houses rare manuscripts, books and prints, many rare and priceless, including works by authors Mark Twain and Lewis Carroll. The East Room is lined with books from floor to ceiling while murals adorn the walls, depicting historical figures, their muses and zodiac signs.

The News Building is home to the Daily News, a scandal paper founded in 1919 that continues to prosper today. The building includes the world's largest interior globe. At night, the Deco detail over the front entrance is lit by neon from within.

Sniffen Court is a genteel courtyard of ten brick Romanesque revival carriage houses built by John Sniffen in the 1850s. One house was used as a studio by sculptor Malvina Hoffman.

Tudor City are 12 buildings, containing 3,000 apartments, a post office, a hotel, shops and restaurants, plus two small private parks, all designed in the Tudor Gothic style.