Radio City Music Hall – Experiences

One of the best parts about going to see a show at Radio City Music Hall is that this legendary venue is located right in the heart of Midtown Manhattan. You’d be remiss to not get there early to do some exploring. See New York City from a whole new perspective at the world-famous Top of the Rock Observation Deck. Fall in love with the boundless natural beauty of Central Park. Get caught up in the hustle and bustle of Times Square. There are countless ways you could spend your day.

However, with so much to see and do near Radio City Music Hall, you might end up feeling a bit overwhelmed as you try to plan your upcoming New York City excursion. That goes double if this is your first time visiting the Big Apple. If that’s the case, check out the itinerary below. Whether you’re wondering what you should do, which sights to you should see, or where you should eat before or after visiting Radio City Music Hall, we’ve got you covered.

 

Morning

Noon

Night

 

Morning

The New York City food scene is a veritable melting pot, so take advantage of this opportunity to try something new and delicious. How about a breakfast with some French flair? Located in the heart of Rockefeller Center, less than a five minute walk from Radio City Music Hall, is Bouchon Bakery. This posh eatery is acclaimed chef Thomas Keller’s take on a traditional French boulangerie.

The selection at Bouchon Bakery includes pastries such as cookies, croissants, and eclairs. The macarons are a real showstopper, coming in a variety of flavors and eye-popping colors. If you’re in the mood for something more substantial, order the Parisian ham and Emmentaler cheese sandwich, served on crusty baguette bread. Their coffee is a must-try, custom-blended by Keller’s longtime partner Equator Coffee Roasters. The caffeine will come in handy too.

Bouchon Bakery offers both indoor and outdoor seating, but not much. Instead of waiting around for a seat to open up, get your breakfast to go. That way you can have more time to walk around Rockefeller Center. If you’re there on a weekday between 7 and 9 a.m., stop by NBC Studio 1A to catch a glimpse of a Today Show taping. It’s located right across the way from Bouchon Bakery, so you should have no trouble finding it.

Radio City Music HallAfter seeing NBC Studios from the outside, see what it’s like from the inside on The Tour at NBC Studios. This unique tour offers a behind-the-scenes look into the broadcasting world. It takes place at 30 Rockefeller Plaza, better known as 30 Rock, the iconic home of programs like Saturday Night Live, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, and more. If you’re lucky, you might even get to see the studios where these shows are made!

Other highlights of The Tour at NBC Studios include visits to the building’s fully restored Art Deco rotunda, the NBC Production Gallery, and the NBC Broadcast Operations Center. You’ll also learn about the entire TV production process and get to put that knowledge to good use as your tour group produces your own show in a real-life studio. You can then download the show you made as a keepsake of your experience.

The Tour at NBC Studios lasts approximately 65 minutes, so it won’t take up too much of your time. If you’re definitely interested in going on the tour while in town to visit Radio City Music Hall, it’s recommended that you reserve your tickets in advance. The Tour at NBC Studios is an in-demand attraction and availability is limited.

You won’t have to go far for the next stop on our list. In fact, you won’t even have to leave 30 Rock! Another can’t-miss attraction there is the Top of the Rock Observation Deck. Located on the building’s 70th floor, Top of the Rock offers sightseers a panoramic, bird’s-eye view of the city. Two additional observation decks are located on the floors below.

Rivaled only by the two observatories on the 86th and 102nd floors of the Empire State Building, the view from the Top of the Rock is considered to be the best in New York City. One obvious reason why the Top of the Rock is tops is because the Empire State Building can’t be seen from its own observatory. Another upside to the Top of the Rock is their timed ticketing system, which keeps things moving quicker than over at the Empire State Building.

Other landmarks able to be seen from the Top of the Rock include the Chrysler Building, the Brooklyn Bridge, the Hudson and East Rivers, and Central Park. Keep in mind which direction Central Park is in, by the way, because that’s where you’ll be heading next.

 

Noon

Once you’re back at street level, head down Sixth Avenue towards Central Park. Central Park is located only a few blocks from 30 Rock, so the walk should take less than 15 minutes. Unless you decide to stop for lunch, that is.

If you’re hungry, The Halal Guys is a great place to grab a quick bite. Since opening as a single food cart on the streets of New York City back in 1990, The Halal Guys has grown into a worldwide phenomenon with hundreds of restaurants across the globe. They’ve obviously been doing something right this whole time!

You’ll pass the location of the original Halal Guys food cart on your way to Central Park. It’s on the southeast corner of 53rd and Sixth, with another cart on the southwest corner of the same intersection. Both carts should be easy to spot thanks to their yellow and red color scheme, along with all the people standing in line for some delicious halal eats.

The menu at The Halal Guys features platters and sandwiches, which you can get with chicken, beef gyro, or falafel. A platter with chicken or gyro meat is widely considered to be their best dish, especially when drizzled with their famous white and hot sauces. Their menu also features such Middle Eastern favorites as hummus, baba ghanoush, and sweet, sticky baklava.

Radio City Music HallThe Halal Guys is only about an eight-minute walk from Central Park, so you might as well take your food there and have a picnic. With over 840 acres of greenspace, finding the perfect place to enjoy your meal in Central Park shouldn’t take long. Some popular picnic spots in Central Park include the 55-acre Great Lawn, Sheep Meadow, the Great Hill, and on Vista Rock outside of Belvedere Castle.

How you spend the rest of your afternoon in Central Park is entirely up to you. If you’re an animal lover, monkey around for a while at Central Park Zoo. Despite its small size, this quaint zoo is home to sea lions, penguins, monkeys, and more.

You can also step up your tabletop gaming skills at the Chess & Checkers House or pay tribute to legendary Beatle and honorary New Yorker John Lennon in an area of the park known as Strawberry Fields. Other sights worth seeing include the park’s century-old carousel, the Bethesda Terrace and Fountain, and Cleopatra’s Needle, an ancient Egyptian obelisk.

If you’re looking for a fun photo-op, keep an eye out for some of the sculptures located throughout Central Park. Featuring fictional characters and historical figures alike, these sculptures include Alice from Alice in Wonderland, Romeo and Juliet, Alexander Hamilton, Hans Christian Andersen, author of “The Ugly Duckling,” and more.

 

Night

Start your night out in the city that never sleeps on a high note with dinner at Danji. This swanky, 36-seat Korean joint is located a half-mile from Central Park, so getting there should only take about 10 minutes on foot. It’s equally as far from Radio City Music Hall if you’re coming from there instead.

The menu at Danji is made up of small but shareable dishes served in multiple courses. This way, diners can enjoy each tasty morsel hot out of the kitchen. If you’re feeling adventurous, try the spicy yellowtail sashimi or the soy-poached black cod with spicy daikon. For something more familiar, stick with the savory bulgogi beef sliders or wings tossed in a spicy or garlic honey sauce. Though these dishes may be small, they’re big on authentic Korean flavor.

Another popular menu item at Danji is their bacon wet kimchi fried rice. This fried rice dish brings together the flavors of the East and West, featuring All-American ingredients like crisp, smoky bacon along with piquant kimchi made by the chef and owner’s mother-in-law. Pair it with a tall glass of ice-cold beer for a match made in culinary heaven.

After you’ve polished off your final course at Danji, it’s time to visit the last stop on our itinerary: the world-famous Times Square. While it may seem clichéd to include this over-the-top intersection on our list of things to see and do near Radio City Music Hall, Times Square truly is something special once the sun goes down over New York City.

Radio City Music Hall

The best part about visiting Times Square at night is getting to see it all lit up. Everywhere you turn there’s a giant flashing billboard advertising one thing or another. What makes this spectacle even more spectacular is that it takes at least 161 megawatts at any given time to keep Times Square and the surrounding Theater District twinkling. That’s twice the electricity needed to power all of the casinos in Las Vegas!

There’s so much more to Times Square than bright lights and advertisements though. Immerse yourself in a miniature world at Gulliver’s Gate or score some cheap tickets to another show at Radio City Music Hall at the TKTS Discount Booth. Grab a drink at the Hard Rock Café or shop for sweet souvenirs at M&M’s World. Experience Midnight Moment, a digital art exhibition that takes place on billboards in Times Square every night from 11:57 p.m. to midnight. Times Square is definitely what you make it, much like the rest of this iconic metropolis.