10 Less-Traveled Attractions Near the Empire State Building

Midtown Manhattan is known for a few things: suits, tourists, and famous tall buildings with breathtaking views. But there’s more to this neighborhood than meets the eye — you just need to know where to look. If you ever find yourself with some time on your hands near the Empire State Building, this guide will point you in the right direction.

1. New York Herald remnants

Let’s start our Empire exploration in the middle of Herald Square. The beyond-busy area (the B, D, F, M, N, Q, R, and W trains all run through it) was named after the New York Herald, which was once the city’s biggest newspaper. Around the 6th Avenue and 35th Street intersection, you’ll find a tribute that pieces together heirlooms from the newspaper’s demolished building. A statue of the Greek goddess Minerva, a clock, and a pair of owls were saved before the building’s demolition and incorporated into the monument you see today.

The owls are a whole story in themselves, too. Herald owner James Gordon Bennett Jr. was rumored to have been part of a secret society called the Bohemian Club, which was all about honoring the mysterious bird. Bennett put owls in the Herald masthead, supposedly had live ones in his office, and wanted to be buried in a ginormous owl tomb. For extra macabre points, the owls atop the Herald Square monument have glowing green eyes at night.

2. Monday Night Magic

Experience the magic of the city with some real-life tricks. The Cutting Room hosts Monday Night Magic, a rotating lineup of mystery and the unreal. You’ll never fully know what awaits you, which is part of the charm. Maybe you’ll be invited on stage for some knife-throwing fun. Maybe you’ll have your mind read. Or maybe you’ll just be an utterly fascinated spectator. Pro tip: take an edible beforehand, and you may find yourself wondering “how they did that” for hours afterward.

If you’ve also caught the magic bug, Tannens Magic Shop is just a couple subway stops away from The Travel Agency’s Fifth Avenue dispensary location. You’ll find all your supplies at both magical travel destinations to become your very own Houdini.

3. Conjuring Arts Research Center

Some of the world’s very last remaining wooden escalators are hidden in plain sight right near the Empire State Building. At the legendary Macy’s Herald Square, from the second to ninth floors, the escalators close to the women’s restrooms are made of wooden treads. Travel back in time with a ride on these escalators that are more than a century old. For an especially deep exploration of the Macy’s flagship’s many floors, treat yourself to an infused pre-roll as you head out to Midtown.

4. Izakaya MEW

Food — and especially these Japanese tapas — can be an attraction. Created to mirror izakaya-type pubs, MEW combines small plates and high-end ingredients. Go down a discreet set of stairs on 35th Street near 6th Avenue, and you’ll find yourself far away from the Empire State Building, at least mentally.

You can’t go wrong with anything that’s on the menu. Seasonal beverages, fantastic fried chicken, home-cooked stews, and the freshest fish are prepared delicately with bold flavors. There’s a small bar if you want to treat yourself solo, but it’s also a great spot for groups.

5. Museum of Sex

With rotating exhibits spanning the arts, the Museum of Sex always keeps it interesting. Sure, you can treat yourself browsing the store, but the real treats are the events. From erotic carnivals to Warhol collections to some XXX history lessons to cannabis events of a new dimension, even the more demure can come out of their shells.

6. Tin Pan Alley

If you’re walking on 28th Street between 5th and 6th Avenues, it may be difficult to imagine this block as a music epicenter. But in the late 19th century, Tin Pan Alley represented a collection of songwriters and music publishers in the city. The name actually comes from the swarm of pianos that were housed here — an even-then-jaded New York journalist remarked that the row “sounds like a bunch of tin pans clanging.”

The list of notable songs and songwriters that called Tin Pan Alley home is lengthy, so definitely go down the rabbit hole before you visit the block. In December 2019, 47 through 55 West 28th Street were designated as individual landmarks, and the city officially named this section “Tin Pan Alley.”

7. The Wendel House

The Vanderbilts, the Rockefellers, the Astors — some big-name families have had their hands in building New York City. But only a few have built as much intrigue as “the weird Wendels.” Famously frugal and reclusive, the Wendel family would be worth about $1 billion today. Johann Gottlieb Wendel made his fortune in the mid-1900s as a fur merchant alongside John Jacob Astor.

As the stories go, the Wendel children inherited a 20-room mansion that they rarely left. When they did dare to leave home, people saw them in unfashionable clothes, riding in a carriage instead of the new cool thing (the automobile). Worse yet, John Gottlieb Wendel II, as the head of the family business and thus the most powerful sibling, forbade his sisters to marry. Today, all that remains of the isolated Wendels is a faux door plaque where the mansion used to stand on 5th Avenue and 40th Street.

8. Koreatown

K-Town officially spans only a few blocks, but it’s a whole world in itself. You can be a frequent flyer and still not discover everything this microcosm has to offer.

Brew yourself a cup of tea and head a block south from the Empire State Building to travel to Seoul. Karaoke and Korean BBQ are the obvious choices, but don’t look past all the shopping opportunities. Be sure to stop by all the bakeries, salons, and markets for trinkets galore.

9. The Pipes at Keens Steakhouse

Whether steak is your thing or not, the history of Keens Steakhouse is sure to intrigue. Celebrities, authors, actors, athletes, musicians, and politicians all have pulled up a chair at Keen’s to… smoke a pipe.

While Keens famously serves up a good steak, look up from your plate, and you’ll see historic smokes. Clay pipes were in fashion back in the day, but they were, unsurprisingly, fragile and could break if carried around. So if you were a frequent flyer at Keens, your pipe had a permanent home here.

Though our pipes don’t have names like Babe Ruth or Mark Twain etched in them, we do think they’re works of art and function. We may be biased, but we believe Laundry Day’s geometric pipes and Edie Parker’s sophisticated yet trickster-ish pieces should be added to the list of iconic pipes.

10. The bank vault underneath

When you think of the Empire State Building, the iconic view definitely comes to mind. But for the well-traveled, may we recommend actually going underneath the building? Roughly 35 feet below the front doors, the Empire State Building still houses an abandoned bank vault from when it was first built. A financial institution rented the entire second floor once upon a time and required a heist-movie-like vault with its own elevator.

Travel with an Empire state of mind

You typically don’t think of Midtown as a travel destination, but we’re of a different mind. If you look past the crowds, you’ll find new worlds hidden within the city. If you’re ready to get lost while finding yourself in the neighborhood, stop by The Travel Agency on Fifth Avenue between 47th and 48th Streets. We have all the travel supplies you need.