Madison Square Garden, New York City

4 more images

The Metropolitan Life Tower is also known as the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Building or Met Life Tower. This landmark skyscraper can be found at One Madison Avenue and East 23rd Street and Madison Square Park in Manhattan. The architectural firm of Napoleon LeBrun & Sons modeled it on Venice’s Campanile. It was built in 1909 and served as the world headquarters of the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company until 2005. It was the world’s tallest building briefly; in 1913 the Woolworth Building took over that honor. The building received the designation National Historic Landmark when it was added to the National Register of Historic Places on 6.February.1978.

Because the building is still an active office building where people work, it can only be appreciated from the outside.

The 50-story Tower is the most noticeable part of the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Building. It is a later addition to the original 11-story, office building, known as the East Wing (see photo #4), that was completed in 1893. There are four clock faces, one to each side of the tower. Each clock measures 26.5 feet in diameter with each number measuring four feet in height. The total weight of all four minute hands add up to two tons!

Originally the Tower was sheathed in Tuckahoe marble, sadly during a misguided renovation in 1964, limestone replaced it on both the Tower and the East Wing, doing away with the original Renaissance revival details in favor of a so-called streamlined, modern look. Thankfully now there is a Landmarks Preservation Commission that would prevent such capricious steps.

3 more images

From its completion in 1909 and until the Woolworth Building was constructed, this Renaissance-style clock tower was the world's highest building. It was designed by Napoleon LeBrun as an expansion of the 1893 building used by the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company. It is said that the tower was much more richly decorated, but in a 1964 renovation, sadly its marble ornamentation was deliberately stripped and it was given a smooth limestone surface. In 1929, a northern annex to the tower was built and connected to the tower with a causeway. The new building was designed to complement the tower by the architect Harvey Wiley Corbett. The pyramidal top of the Metropolitan Life Tower is beautifully illuminated every night (see attached photo).

1 more image

With its 187-metre gilded octagonal pyramid roof, the New York Life Building has been a landmark since its construction in 1928. It was one of the last buildings to be designed by the prominent architect, Cass Gilbert, whose most famous work is the Woolworth Building in downtown Manhattan, and it carries his signature Neo-Gothic style. The building continues to house the headquarters of the New York Life Insurance Company.

Going to Madison Square Garden is a must while in New York. The big arena often called as The Garden can seat up to 19.000 people and was built at 34th street and 7th Avenue not far from Penn Station. The building was built in 1925 but there were two previous arenas the first from 1879.

It is the home of the New York Rangers (NHL), New York Nicks (NBA) and New York Liberty (WNBA) and many other events such as concerts.

Inside there are several fast food places to grab something to eat while watching the game. Space between rows is really small so don’t take to many things inside (I had to take a big bag inside and was uncomfortable). When the game starts, the first thing is the national anthem so don’t do what I did. When I got to the arena I was starving so I got something to eat. So I was in the middle of the american national anthem trying to get up and juggle a sandwich and the potato chips and the coke it was not very easy.

The game is a show, besides the NBA game, there are many things happening in the intervals. The screens of the stadium keep pumping support messages, the public goes wild, the music pushes for the public. In the interval there are long shot games, cheerleaders, song contests, and even marriage proposals. Everything happens in Madison Square Garden!

Be careful where you buy your tickets. There are many forgeries in tickets so purchase them in official places or on the web. I stayed in one of the worst seats but still visibility was nice. The official website (www.thegarden.com) sells tickets.

There are also many guided tours to the inside of this place known worldwide including by many movies, TV and showbiz stars often appear to games and other events.

Even if you’re not into sports for me it was a highlight of my trip to New York.

4 more images

Madison Square Garden is an arena that hosts a variety of exciting events. The New York Rangers hockey team and the New York Knicks basketball team play there during the fall, winter, and spring. There are also other sporting events such as boxing and bullriding. Tons of musical acts (Madonna, U2, Oasis, Rascal Flatts, ect.) and comedians (Dane Cook - yay!) have shows there throughout the year as well. Family events such as Sesame Street Live and the Ringling Bros and Barnum Bailey Circus also can be seen at the Garden at various times throughout the year. Tours of the Garden are also available.

On January 8th, just four days after my arrival, I went to the Madison Square Garden to see the New York Rangers (Jaromir Jagr, Brendan Shanahan, Scott Gomez, Michal Roszival...) play the Tampa Bay Lightning (Vinnie Lecavalier, Martin St. Louis). I booked a ticket in the 300 seating on Ticketmaster (USD 80.00 with all fees) and I had a great view from up there. Sadly the Rangers didn't manage to win that night but nevertheless: The arena, the whole show is worth it.

You may wonder why so many of my NYC tips are about where to relax - this is simply due to the fact that I enjoy exploring cities by foot. On my first full day in NYC I walked for roughly 17km through the south tip of Manhattan! No need to mention that a pause now and then is necessary...
A good place to have a break and enjoy people-watching and occasionally some music is Madison Square Park which must not be confused with Madison Square Garden. The beautiful and well-kept park in the middle of Midtown is a wonderful oasis in the middle of the chaos and hectic of New York. It's a convenient location to have lunch as some relatively cheap restaurants are around. Apparently, the one in the park is a special place for whatever reason - there was a line of like 100 people when I passed the place. I decided, however, not to line up myself and went to a nearby sandwich place instead.
Madison Square Park is located next to the Flatiron Building, one of New York's first skyscrapers (1902). Another interesting building close by is the Metropolitan Life Tower (1909) which resembles the clock tower of St. Marcus's church in Venice.

Some of us have had fantacies about Michael Jordan and Scotie Pippen and Shaq and...you carch my drift? So when I got to the Big Apple, I refused to let the opportunity of a night at Madison square garden pass!!!

Madison Square garden has an amazing energy and it's not just basketball. There are also usually some or other concert.