Anthony Quintano [CC BY 2.0] [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Madison Square Garden – Overview

It’s only suitable that “The World’s Most Famous Arena” is located in one of the world’s most famous cities. Madison Square Garden has been a permanent fixture of New York City in some form or fashion since 1879. The Madison Square Garden we all know and love is actually the fourth of its kind, opening in 1968.

Madison Square Garden, often referred to as MSG or The Garden, is the epitome of a multi-purpose arena. There are three primary tenants: the New York Knicks of the NBA, the New York Rangers of the NHL, and the St. John’s University Red Storm men’s basketball team.

Hundreds upon hundreds of concerts have been held here through the decades. Today, Madison Square Garden is just as busy as ever. It’s estimated that The Garden hosts an average of 320 events per year. In addition to the three tenants’ home games and all of the concerts, MSG is also a popular site for professional wrestling, boxing, political conventions, and more.

Traveling to New York City might seem like a daunting affair, but it doesn’t have to be. In this article, we’ll detail some useful information about Madison Square Garden, tips for making your life easier when you’re here, and some interesting factoids about the arena.

Overview

Seven seating levels: The most populated city in the United States needs an arena that can fit a lot of people; Madison Square Garden can fit over 20,000 in case you were wondering. An arena of this size means that there is a range of seating options available. From bottom to top, there are the Floor seats, 100 Level, Boxes/Suites, 200 Level, 400 Level, and 300 Level. 300 Level is split between North & South bridges and East & West balconies. The venue’s capacity varies based on the type of event. Basketball can fit 19,812; hockey up to 18,006; professional wrestling sits 18,500; concerts pack as many as 20,000; and boxing even more at 20,789.
Home of three sports teams: One of the biggest reasons why Madison Square Garden is always so busy is because it functions as the home of the New York Knicks, the New York Rangers, as well as a partial home for the St. John’s University men’s basketball team. Up until 2018, The Garden was also the home of the New York Liberty Woman’s National Basketball Association team. Between the three teams, MSG hosts roughly 85 home games a year. You can bet the floor crew stays busy. If you’re curious about the transition that MSG undergoes for every game, check out this time-lapse video. To go from basketball to hockey, or vice-versa, it takes 160 workers about two and a half hours to complete.
New York Penn Station: Perhaps one of the most unique aspects of Madison Square Garden is that there is a massive train station under it. New York Penn Station is one of two major train stations in Manhattan, with the other being Grand Central Station. Penn Station is actually the busiest train station in the Western Hemisphere, serving over 630,000 passengers per day. Amtrak, the Long Island Rail Road, and seven New Jersey Transit lines all flow through Penn Station, as do a multitude of subway and PATH lines. This convergence of public transport makes MSG one of the easiest arenas to travel to. Unless you’re driving. Like the city itself, New York City traffic never sleeps, especially in Midtown Manhattan.
Free Wi-Fi: Nowadays, free Wi-Fi isn’t just a perk, it might as well be a requirement. Madison Square Garden keeps up with the times by offering its guests free Wi-Fi. Simply select FREEMSGWIFI, accept the terms and conditions, and you’re ready to scroll to your heart’s content.
Concessions: Every level of Madison Square Garden offers a fair amount of concessions, but the highest concentration of them can be found on the 100 Level. The majority of the dining options are concession-style, but there are a few sit down restaurants at The Garden.
Family restrooms: For those who are bringing the whole gang along, family restrooms make life so much easier. Madison Square Garden is a popular venue not just for adults but kids too. So it only makes sense that the arena provides family restrooms for families with young children. These restrooms are located at sections 117, 227, and across from Suites 21 and 43.
Merchandise stands: Make sure to rep your favorite New York teams while you’re at The Garden. If you need to purchase some merch, head over to one of the many merchandise stands. There are seven altogether: Chase Square Team Store, Player ID Team Store, All Fan Gear Team Store, Express Shop at Section 110, Express Shop at Section 213, Express Shop at Section 222, and Steiner Collectibles. These stores have everything a diehard Knicks or Rangers fan could want. Jerseys, basketballs, hockey pucks, hats, teddy bears, T-shirts, posters, foam fingers, jackets, all in stock and ready to be bought.
Hulu Theater: New York Penn Station isn’t the only thing underneath Madison Square Garden. The smaller Hulu Theater can also be found here. Hulu Theater can fit anywhere between 2,000 to 5,600 spectators. It’s primarily used for more intimate concerts as well as graduation ceremonies and meetings. Throughout the entire arena, there isn’t a single seat that’s farther than 177 feet from the stage.
Chase Bridges: During Madison Square Garden’s most recent renovations from 2011 to 2013, the Chase Bridges were added. They introduce a totally new way to watch a game or concert. Both bridges are designed in the catwalk-style and hang over the 200 Level seats. These seats are actually closer to the middle of the floor than the upper 200 seats, and have a bird’s-eye view of the court or rink. They’re a truly one-of-a-kind stadium feature; you won’t find something like this anywhere else.

Tips

Take the train. Maybe the most important piece of advice we can give you is to take the train into the city. Because Penn Station is beneath Madison Square Garden, getting to the venue is as easy as hopping off the train and walking up the stairs. That’s it. Even if you live in a town where the train drops you off at Grand Central Station, it’s only a 20-minute walk to The Garden. If you don’t want to spend the money on train tickets, remember this: you will most likely have to pay for parking once you arrive at The Garden. Unless you miraculously experience light traffic, which is never the case in Midtown Manhattan, the convenience factor of taking the train is worth the extra dollars. Whether you’re accustomed to heavy traffic or not, New York City’s traffic congestion can be on par with that of Los Angeles. Avoid it if you can.
Public transportation is your friend. Unsurprisingly, Madison Square Garden is also a regular stop for several bus and subway lines. At 34th Street-Penn Station at Seventh Avenue, you can catch the 1, 2, or 3 subway lines. 34th Street-Penn Station at Eighth Avenue has the A, C, and E lines. Just a six-minute walk from MSG, at Herald Square, are even more subway lines, including the B, D, F, M, N, Q, R, and W. The PATH, a rapid transit system connecting Newark, Hoboken, Harrison, and Jersey City to Manhattan, has three lines flowing in at 33rd Street. The bus is another viable transportation option, with the M4, M7, M20, M34 SBS, M34A SBS, and Q32 all stopping at or close to Madison Square Garden.
Eight parking garages are located nearby. If you have to drive to Madison Square Garden, make sure you know where you’re going to park ahead of time. There are eight parking garages close by: Icon Parking at One Pennsylvania Plaza, Icon Parking at 363 West 30th Street, Continental Garage Parking at 107 West 31st Street, Meyers Parking at 225 West 30th Street, Central Parking at 148 West 31st Street, Garden Lots LLC at 126 West 32nd Street, Garden Garage LLC at 253 West 29th Street, and Quik Park Truffles LLC at West 33rd Street. Regardless of which garage you park at, you’ll have to pay. Typically, the farther from MSG you are, the cheaper the rate will be.
Download a parking app. Another strategy you can try to make driving less of a hassle is downloading a parking app. There are plenty to choose from. Some of the most notable ones are Park Whiz, Spot Hero, Smooth Parking, and NYC Parking. Park Whiz is the official parking app for Madison Square Garden, so definitely check that one out.
MSG All Access Tour is great way to learn about the arena. Since the very first Madison Square Garden was erected in 1879, the franchise of venues have been the site of some of the most historic moments in history. You can explore The Garden and learn about its storied past by going on the MSG All Access Tour. Visitors will witness behind-the-scenes areas, a free Boomerang photo experience, virtual reality technology, and so much more.
Concessions are expensive. No matter what stadium you’re at, you expect the food and drinks to be pricey. Madison Square Garden is more of the same. Because it’s the premier venue of New York City, concessions are generally even more expensive compared to venues of similar size and popularity. The only way around paying exorbitant prices is to grab some food before your event. Fortunately, there are dozens upon dozens or nearby restaurants to pick from.
No bag, no problem. If at all possible, don’t bring any kind of bag to Madison Square Garden, excluding a small clutch purse. Bags are allowed, but they will be searched prior to entry. It’s not that big of a deal, but for convenience’s sake, bringing no bag is the way to go; it gets you in the door and sitting in your seat faster.

Trivia

The current iteration of Madison Square Garden is the oldest hockey rink in the NHL and the second-oldest basketball arena in the NBA. For as long as the New York Rangers have been playing professional hockey, their home has been Madison Square Garden. The team was founded in 1926, and since then the Rangers have called two separate iterations of Madison Square Garden home. The Knicks were founded 20 years later in 1946, also playing in the third MSG before the building moved to its current location. The fourth MSG opened its doors in 1968. It beats out the second-oldest NHL hockey rink, Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, New York, by four years. However, the high honor of oldest NBA arena goes to Oracle Arena in Oakland, California. It was completed just two years prior in 1966.
Four separate buildings have carried the name Madison Square Garden. The very first Madison Square Garden was founded back in 1879. Most people believe that MSG’s name is dedicated to President James Madison, but the real origin behind its name has to do with The Garden’s original location. It was erected near Madison Square Park, hence the name Madison Square Garden. The first venue was operated by P.T. Barnum, a famous American showman known for his traveling circus. It quickly became the city’s premier entertainment venue for cycling races, boxing matches, presidential rallies, and the like. The second MSG lasted from 1890 to 1925. Owned by two titans of industry, Andrew Carnegie and J.P. Morgan, the second venue took on an entirely new look. This version of MSG was fully closed off from the elements. It was designed in the Beaux-Arts style, boasting a large, 32-story bell tower. In 1925, the third MSG opened on Eighth Avenue between 49th and 50th Street. While it was the third rendition of the arena, it was not much of an improvement. Two of the most notorious complaints about the building were its awful sight lines and horrid air quality due to a combination of poor ventilation and massive clouds of tobacco smoke exhaled by the crowd. Even though the third MSG had some serious problems, it still brought in the crowds until it closed in 1968. That same year, the current Garden opened and has been operating ever since.
Madison Square Garden was the site of John Lennon’s final concert appearance. On November 28, 1974, John Lennon gave his final performance alongside Elton John. The concert was actually headlined by Elton, but John Lennon made an appearance. No one knew at the time, but this show would be the last time Lennon ever performed before he was murdered in 1980.
Madison Square Garden is the only venue in the world that hosted each member of The Beatles individually. All four Beatles went on to have solo careers of varying success after the band broke up in 1970, but Madison Square Garden is the only venue where each member played a solo concert.