Category: New York City

June 2026 New York City, Continued

On By LToddIn New York City, TravelLeave a comment

Welcome to our second post of our visit to Manhattan Island in New York City during June 2026. To see the first post, go to https://thetravelingtodds.com/2026/09/28/june-2026-new-york-city/. On our fourth day, we walked south to Times Square and took another skyscraper elevator up the Empire State Building.

We had seen Times Square presented in movies and television shows. In person was a completely different experience. Here is but a sampling of what we saw.

The Ed Sullivan Theater featuring 'The Late Show' marquee, with Angelo's Pizza in the foreground and bike-sharing station in the street.
The Ed Sullivan Theater closed after the final episode of Late Night With Steven Colbert on May 21, 2026.

The Ed Sullivan Show was must-watch TV on Sunday nights when I was a kid. I still remember sitting in front of our 21″ color television on February 9, 1964, watching the Beatles perform “I Saw Her Standing There” and “I want to Hold Your Hand.” I became a Beatles fan that night, and I’m still one today.

A street view of a city block featuring storefronts for 'Arabian Oud', a bakery and desserts shop, and 'Olive Garden'. Two individuals are walking in front, and various signs advertise services and products.
Somewhere here was an Olive Garden. Perhaps upstairs?

I liked the pedestrian and park-like atmosphere on Broadway between 42nd and 47th Streets. Visitors will find the plazas with benches a comfortable place to relax and watch humanity stream by. I enjoyed watching someone filming a dance troupe in action. Their concentration so focused on their performance, they appeared oblivious to people around them.

Group of five dancers performing in an urban street setting, with two women in colorful outfits and three men, one wearing an orange hat, surrounded by shops and greenery.
Action
A group of performers in colorful outfits dancing in the street, with Times Square billboards in the background.
Down
A group of dancers performing in a busy New York City street, wearing colorful outfits and showcasing energetic moves in Times Square.
Up. And That’s a Wrap.

I was overwhelmed by all of the electronic billboards. I do my best to avoid advertisements under normal circumstances, but I found it impossible to do so in Times Square. Their size, colors, and flashing messages all vied for my attention. Where was I supposed to look?

A busy street scene in Times Square featuring large, colorful advertisement billboards and crowds of people.
The gigantic screens dwarf the businesses below.
A large digital billboard in Times Square advertising the movie 'Office Romance', featuring actors Jennifer Lopez and Brett Goldstein, with the release date of June 5 and the tagline 'It's Going Down'.
A large digital billboard in Times Square promoting the movie Toy Story 5, featuring colorful graphics and characters from the film, along with details about its release date of June 19.

Our goal was to reach 1 Times Square (1475 Broadway). The building is where the New Year’s Ball drops every year at midnight to ring in the new year. We crept closer and closer.

A bustling street view of Times Square in New York City, featuring large digital advertisements, retail stores, and red umbrellas at outdoor seating areas. The sky is overcast, and people are walking along the street.

In the photo below, Mario and King Kong wanted me to take a picture with them. I passed. Apparently, the city does not require permits to don a costume, perform, take photos, and encourage tourists to open their wallets.

A person dressed as a Mario character stands next to a performer in a gorilla costume, both in a busy urban area with pedestrians in the background.
Mario and King Kong hoping to earn a day’s pay.
View of Times Square in New York City, featuring tall skyscrapers with bright digital billboards and a mostly empty street, under a cloudy sky.
We came, we saw, and were glad for the lack of crowds.

Good Morning America filmed in the building below until they moved to a new location in 2025. I found the facade odd. It looked like a vehicle of some sort from a dystopian movie. In August 2026, the building was part of a multi-property purchase by YS Developers and Rabsky Group. I wonder what it will become.

View of a modern building at 1500 Broadway in Times Square, featuring a large Starbucks advertisement and people walking on the street.
Don’t worry. It’s safe to stand in the middle of the street.
A futuristic autonomous vehicle displayed in Times Square, surrounded by digital billboards and a stanchion barrier.
Einride Autonomous Vehicle on display. We haven’t seen any of these on the roads. Yet.
Large digital billboard in Times Square featuring a Lay's advertisement promoting their sponsorship of the FIFA World Cup 2026.
What did this ad cost? If companies weren’t compelled to spend so much on advertising, perhaps they could lower their prices.
The exterior of the New York Public Library featuring grand columns, banners celebrating its 250th anniversary, and visitors on the steps.
A lack of time prevented us from wandering around the library. Imagine all the treasures the library holds in its collections.

Our next stop was the Empire State Building. Seen throughout the years in films and on the tele, what will it feel like when we get to the top?

A colorful display featuring Elmo, a red character, and Cookie Monster, a blue character, sitting beside two bronze statues of construction workers in front of a backdrop of a construction site.
Elmo and Cookie Monster take a break with the welders.
A woman stands confidently in a stylish outfit with a sparkly jacket and yellow pants, framed by decorative white garlands. In the background, the Empire State Building is prominently displayed.
Oprah Winfrey, along with other cast members, visited the Empire state Building in December 2023 to celebrate the premiere of “The Color Purple”
A model of the Empire State Building on display in front of a historic photograph of New York City, with a date inscription of May 1931.
In the Observatory Experience Museum the NYC skyscape stands behind the architectural model of the Empire State Building.
A digital display featuring the Empire State Building with branding logos including JCDDecaux, Workday, Booking Holdings, and others against a sunset skyline backdrop.
I wonder what Workday and JCDecaux pay for their office suites.
Exhibit featuring posters showcasing famous depictions of the Empire State Building, including movie posters and comic art, with the title 'WORLD'S MOST FAMOUS BUILDING' displayed prominently.
A few of the movies which featured the Empire State Building
An interior space featuring large gorilla hands emerging from the floor, with a background of windows displaying images of a gorilla's face and planes flying in a stormy sky.
King Kong is in the building.

Spectacular is but one word to describe the views from the observation deck. Although basically the same as from Top of the Rock, the different perspective included or excluded objects within my camera’s view finder.

A panoramic view of a bustling city skyline, showcasing a mix of modern skyscrapers and architectural landmarks with a river and distant skyline in the background.
East river on the left. Hudson river on the right. Freedom Tower (One World Trade Center) on the right with its spire rises 1,776 feet above the horizon. It is the tallest building in North America and Western Hemisphere. We’ll definitely visit the building and the 9/11 Memorial and Museum during our next NYC visit.
Aerial view of a densely populated urban area with various skyscrapers, including modern glass buildings and historic structures, overlooking a river in the background.
The gold topped building is the 40-story New York Life Building. Completed in 1928.
Aerial view of two modern high-rise buildings with a river in the background, surrounded by other urban structures.
One High Line is composed of the two twisty-looking buildings consisting of luxury condominiums located in West Chelsea.
Aerial view of a cityscape featuring a mix of brick and modern buildings, with visible rooftops, greenery, and urban infrastructure.

Water tanks on top of buildings? Although they look like relics from the 19th century, they still function today, providing water to the building’s residents. On average, they stand 10-12 feet high and store from 5,000 to 10,000 gallons of water.

Aerial view of a rooftop terrace featuring blue umbrellas and lounge chairs, surrounded by buildings in an urban setting.

The tanks are made of cedar or California redwood and, if maintained on a regular basis, have a life of 20 to 25 years. Wood is the preferred product to use for the tanks because it keeps water cool during the summer, prevents it from freezing in the winter, and it’s easier to maintain.

Aerial view of a city skyline featuring various buildings along a river, with a boat traveling on the water and greenery along the waterfront.

In the photo below, the highest sky deck in the Western Hemisphere extends from the tallest building with a triangular roof.

Aerial view of modern skyscrapers in a city skyline with a river in the background.
The sky deck also has a triangular shape and is located at the 100th and 101st floors
Aerial view of a prominent art deco skyscraper surrounded by lush greenery, with modern buildings in the background.
American Radiator Building built in 1924 and added to in 1937 is home to the Bryant Park Hotel.
The iconic Chrysler Building towering above the New York City skyline, featuring its distinctive Art Deco spire and intricate architectural details, with a view of the East River and surrounding buildings in the background.
The Chrysler Building is another example of the Art Deco style of architecture. The steel-framed brick structure at 1,046-feet tall is the tallest of it’s kind in the world. Like the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building has appeared in many movies, TV shows, and video a games.

To close out this post on New York City, here are a few photos taken as we made our way back to the hotel.

Facade of Reichenbach Hall, featuring large windows and decorative elements, with wooden signage and outdoor seating.
Had we been hungry, we would have popped in at Reichenbach Hall for a plate of Swedish Meatballs with Spatzle and Gravy and chased it down with a glass of hefeweizen. It’s on the list for our next trip to the city.
Street view featuring a sign for 'Laura Psychic' on W 37th St, surrounded by storefronts and buildings.
Step right up to learn your future.
A decorative architectural feature adorned with an emblem and surrounded by pigeons perched on and around it, set against a building facade with windows above.
I couldn’t confirm what this represented, but thought it interesting. The pigeons sure enjoy it.
A man stands outside a deli named 'Hello Deli,' which features a large green sign with menu items listed. The shop appears closed with barred windows.
Sadly, we missed saying “Hello” to Rupert Jee at David Letterman’s favorite deli. Jee closed up shop in April 2023 after 31 years in business.

We’re not quite done with our New York adventure. Next up are more cityscape photos. This time from the perspective of a harbor cruise around Manhattan Island, and my solo trek across Central Park to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Safe Travels