Manhattan is one of the five boroughs of New York City, an island roughly 21.6 km long and 3.7 km at its widest, bordered by the Hudson, East, and Harlem rivers. It holds Central Park, Times Square, the Financial District, the Upper East and Upper West Sides, Midtown, and the cluster of supertall residential towers along West 57th Street known as Billionaires’ Row. The street grid above Houston Street, laid out by the 1811 Commissioners’ Plan, is what gives most of the island its rectangular logic and most of its photography its long-axis sightlines.
Central Park
Central Park covers roughly 843 acres (3.41 km²) in the middle of Manhattan, designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux and built between 1858 and 1873. It is hard to describe how massive it is in person, fitting for a city that does not do small.
The first frame I wanted was from above. The team at the Residence Inn by Marriott Manhattan/Central Park let us up to the rooftop one June evening, normally closed to guests. The cloud formations during that sunset behaved.
Inside the park, on a sunny day with the lawns full, I climbed onto a rock formation looking for an elevated angle. A small wooden shelter framed the skyline through its windows, but plants kept cutting into the frame. I ended up shooting through the plants instead, holding one branch out of the way.
Billionaires’ Row
Billionaires’ Row refers to the cluster of supertall residential towers along West 57th Street, just south of Central Park. The line includes One57, 432 Park Avenue, 220 Central Park South, and Central Park Tower. One57 set a record when an apartment sold for $100.47 million; that record was later broken at 220 Central Park South, where one buyer reportedly paid $238 million for three floors.
When the Residence Inn was built, the rooftop had an unobstructed view of the park. Then the towers climbed. The criticism around the row is well documented: shadows cast across Central Park, airspace rules that draw scrutiny, and an occupancy figure that, as of late summer 2021, sat with around 44% of the apartments unsold.
I shot this through the hotel window, late in the evening. Shooting through glass is its own small problem: dust on the pane, reflections from the room’s lights. I crawled behind the TV, pulled the curtains closed behind me, covered the camera with a dark t-shirt, and let a long exposure handle the rest. Why carry one more tool when sweatpants do the same job.
Times Square
Times Square sits where Broadway and 42nd Street cross. It was originally called Longacre Square and renamed in 1904 when The New York Times moved its headquarters to the Times Building. Around 330,000 people pass through it on an average day, and more than 50 million visitors come through every year. The intersection of Broadway and 42nd is also historically significant: it was the first road in the United States designed for motorized vehicles.
Standing still with a camera while the crowd moves in one direction takes patience. The skyscrapers are difficult to fit in a single frame, and the billboards throw so much light that the image can go hazy on you. The first hint of how big the place feels comes from the noise: cars, foot traffic, street musicians, the occasional demonstration. You feel it before you see a clean composition. New York’s Time Square is at its most photographable in the half hour before sunrise and again well after midnight, when the billboards still run but the sidewalks are nearly empty.
Grand Central Terminal
Grand Central Terminal opened in 1913 in the Beaux-Arts style. The main concourse, with its painted celestial ceiling and the four-faced clock above the information booth, is one of the most filmed rooms in the world. Around 50,000 visitors come through every day without ever boarding a train.
The obvious frames present themselves immediately: the clock, the flag at the south end, the symmetry of the hall. What caught my attention more was the escalator that drops you down toward the concourse. Riding it, the Grand Central Terminal sign frames the view from above. Up and down on a 14mm lens, working out the right shutter speed and the gap in the foot traffic, until I had a frame I had not seen before in anyone else’s work.
High Line
The High Line is a 2.33 km (1.45 mile) elevated park on Manhattan’s west side, built on a former freight rail line above the streets. It opened in 2009, with later sections added in 2011 and 2014, and runs from the Meatpacking District up to West 34th Street near Hudson Yards. Ground in Manhattan is too expensive to clear for parks, so the answer was to build one floor up.
After two days in the city, I had started to miss having green within walking distance. Coming from Berlin, where decentral parks scatter across every district, Central Park alone does not solve the problem from every neighborhood. The High Line filled that gap on the west side, with the landscape laid out by James Corner Field Operations and Diller Scofidio + Renfro.
We walked the entire thing, north to south. The frame I wanted needed to show both the green of the park and the streets running underneath it. Near the south end I found the angle and waited about ten minutes for a Yellow Cab to move through the sunlight just before passing under the structure.
Fifth Avenue and Trump Tower
Trump Tower stands on Fifth Avenue between 56th and 57th Streets. Completed in 1983, 58 floors as marketed (the count skips floors, the actual structural count is lower), mixed residential, retail, and office space, owned by the Trump Organization. It sits on one of the most expensive shopping corridors in the world.
I had read about it long before any politics, back when I was studying business and this was just a chapter in a book my father had given me. Watching The Apprentice in 2010 was part of the same arc. Visiting was a personal bookmark more than anything else, regardless of any political controversies. The frame holds the tower, the gold lettering, the clock, and the American flag together.
Inside, the lobby is as gold as the exterior reads. There is a small display about the 45th presidency, and a constant rotation of people taking selfies in front of it. I waited out the crowd and built the frame around the row of American flags leading toward the display, with the Trump Tower Café visible in the polished gold reflection a floor below.
Macy’s Herald Square
Macy’s Herald Square sits on Broadway at 34th Street and is among the largest department stores in the world by floor area. The original building dates to 1902, with later additions wrapping the block. During Pride season the façade carries rainbow displays that change the building from a department store into a subject worth a separate trip.
The streets in this part of Manhattan are narrow relative to the building height, so getting clean architecture from the ground always fights you. I tried a panorama and abandoned it. The version that worked was a single exposure on a 14mm lens, shot on a day with a blue sky and a few clouds at the right scale. We had passed Macy’s during the day and at night and gone inside (yes, dress shopping). The colour was the thing that stayed.
Photographing Through Glass in Manhattan
Half the iconic Manhattan compositions involve a window. Hotel rooftops are rare and weather-dependent, and at street level the buildings are too tall to compose cleanly. So you end up shooting through glass more often here than in most cities.
The two problems are dust on the pane and reflections from any light behind you. The fix is the same for both: kill the room behind the camera. I crawl behind the curtain or the bedframe, drop a dark t-shirt or a pair of sweatpants over the back of the camera, and let the lens hood press as close to the glass as the shape allows. Long exposure smooths out anything the t-shirt missed. It looks ridiculous from inside the room. The pictures do not show any of it.
When to Visit Manhattan
Spring (April to early June) and autumn (September to early November) give the most workable conditions: comfortable temperatures, clear light, and Central Park either greening up or turning. Summer runs hot and humid; the haze flattens skylines and softens contrast more than is useful. Winter is cold but rewarding around the holidays, with Macy’s, Fifth Avenue, and the Rockefeller tree drawing the densest crowds. Mid-January through February is the quietest stretch in the centre, and the best time if you want a clean Times Square frame at dawn.
Three full days covers Central Park, Midtown, Times Square, Grand Central, the High Line, and one museum. Five gives room for the Financial District, the West Village or SoHo, Brooklyn Bridge, and a slower pace for evenings.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many days do you need in Manhattan?
Three to five days is enough for a first visit. Three covers the core: Central Park, Midtown, Times Square, Grand Central, the High Line, and one museum. Five gives room for the Financial District, neighborhoods like the West Village or SoHo, the Brooklyn Bridge walk, and a relaxed pace for sunsets and evenings.
What is the best time of year to visit Manhattan?
April through early June and September through early November give the best balance of mild temperatures, clear skies, and workable park colours. Summer is hot and hazy. Winter is cold but the holiday lighting around Fifth Avenue and Macy’s compensates. Mid-January through February is the quietest stretch and the easiest time to get clean dawn frames.
What is the best way to get around Manhattan?
The subway is fastest and cheapest, running 24 hours and covering the whole island. For shorter hops, walking is often faster than waiting for a train, especially in Midtown. Yellow Cabs and rideshare apps are useful late at night, with luggage, or for crosstown trips that are slow on the subway grid.
Where should you stay in Manhattan?
Midtown puts you within walking distance of Times Square, Central Park, Grand Central, and Fifth Avenue, which is convenient for a first visit. The West Village, Chelsea, and the Lower East Side feel quieter and more residential. Upper East and Upper West Sides offer easy access to the park and the major museums.
Is Manhattan safe for tourists?
Manhattan is generally safe during the day and in well-trafficked areas at night, including Times Square, Midtown, and Central Park’s main paths. Standard precautions apply: watch for pickpockets in crowds, keep an eye on your bag in restaurants, and stay aware on the subway late at night. Avoid empty stations after midnight when possible.
What is Billionaires’ Row?
Billionaires’ Row is the informal name for the cluster of supertall residential towers along West 57th Street, south of Central Park. It includes One57, 432 Park Avenue, 220 Central Park South, and Central Park Tower, with apartments that have sold for tens to hundreds of millions of dollars. As of late summer 2021, around 44% of the apartments on the row were unsold.
When did the High Line open?
The High Line opened in 2009, with later sections added in 2011 and 2014. It was built on a disused elevated freight rail line that operated from the 1930s until 1980, running along Manhattan’s west side from the Meatpacking District up to West 34th Street near Hudson Yards.
Can you photograph through hotel windows in Manhattan?
Yes, and in many cases it is the only way to get a clean skyline frame. The two problems are dust on the glass and reflections from the room’s lights behind the camera. Killing every light in the room, draping a dark cloth over the back of the camera, and pressing the lens close to the pane handles most of it. A long exposure smooths the rest.
