Destinations / New York City / Top Things to Do in New York City for Design Lovers in Times Square
Top Things to Do in New York City for Design Lovers in Times Square
1. Times Square
Stand in the epicenter of visual culture where supersized LED canvases wrap towers, terrazzo plazas slice through Broadway, and century-old theatre facades meet cutting-edge media architecture.
✓ Why Go:
It’s a living laboratory of graphic, lighting, and urban design—perfect for studying wayfinding, type, motion graphics, and how architecture choreographs crowds.
✓ Best Time to Visit:
Blue hour into night (approximately 6:30–10:00 pm, season-dependent) when screens glow and reflections ripple across glass and polished stone.
✓ Insider Tip:
Step back toward the 45th–47th Street plazas to frame long-exposure shots that capture motion blur without blocking pedestrian flow.
✓ What Visitors Say:
Buzzing, kinetic, and overwhelming in the best way; visitors praise the immersive spectacle and energy that feels uniquely New York.
2. Museum of Broadway
A contemporary museum celebrating set, costume, lighting, and graphic design behind Broadway’s greatest productions with interactive rooms and archival artifacts.
✓ Why Go:
Design lovers get rare insight into how stage worlds are crafted—from scale models and sketches to typography and marquee history.
✓ Best Time to Visit:
Weekday mornings for lighter crowds; evenings are livelier if you’re pairing with a nearby show.
✓ Insider Tip:
Don’t miss the timeline gallery for evolution of Playbill and poster design—great for typography inspiration.
✓ What Visitors Say:
Creative, informative, and photogenic; visitors call it a must for theatre and design fans alike.
3. New Amsterdam Theatre
A restored 1903 Art Nouveau gem with floral plasterwork, stained glass, and gilded details that showcase Broadway’s golden-age craftsmanship.
✓ Why Go:
It’s one of the finest examples of turn-of-the-century theatre design—an education in ornament, spatial drama, and restoration techniques.
✓ Best Time to Visit:
Arrive 30–40 minutes before curtain to admire the lobby and auditorium lighting transitions.
✓ Insider Tip:
Look up: the ceiling’s layered motifs and proscenium detailing reveal the building’s original Art Nouveau vocabulary.
✓ What Visitors Say:
Atmospheric and elegant; guests love how the interior feels like part of the performance.
4. Lyceum Theatre
Broadway’s oldest continuously operating theatre (1903) pairs Beaux-Arts dignity with intimate proportions and beautiful lobby finishes.
✓ Why Go:
Great lesson in early 20th‑century theatre planning—acoustics, sightlines, and ornament balanced within a compact envelope.
✓ Best Time to Visit:
Pre-show and intermission for architectural photography when house lights glow warmly.
✓ Insider Tip:
Peer at the bronze details on the doors and railings—fine metalwork you’ll miss if you rush to your seat.
✓ What Visitors Say:
Historic and refined; patrons appreciate the atmosphere as much as the productions.
5. Paramount Building
A 1927 skyscraper with a landmark clock and globe crowning its setback tower—an Art Deco beacon anchoring Broadway’s skyline.
✓ Why Go:
Study Jazz Age massing, signage integration, and how a cinematic brand identity shaped a tower’s architecture.
✓ Best Time to Visit:
Late afternoon for dramatic shadows on the setbacks; dusk for the illuminated clock.
✓ Insider Tip:
Stand at Broadway and 43rd St to align the tower with surrounding LED facades for striking contrast shots.
✓ What Visitors Say:
Storied and photogenic; visitors love its classic New York silhouette amid modern screens.
6. New York Marriott Marquis
A 1980s mega-hotel with a soaring atrium, exterior skybridge, and glass elevators—high-tech, high-drama interior urbanism.
✓ Why Go:
It’s a case study in vertical public space and experiential circulation—ride the elevators to see the atrium’s geometry unfold.
✓ Best Time to Visit:
Evenings for neon reflections through the atrium; midday for clearer sightlines and fewer crowds.
✓ Insider Tip:
Head to the upper-level lobby overlooks for symmetrical shots down the atrium without guest-room corridors intruding.
✓ What Visitors Say:
Impressive scale and cinematic views; design-minded visitors enjoy the elevator ride as much as the vistas.
7. One Astor Plaza
A sleek late‑modernist tower that hosts Minskoff Theatre and massive wraparound digital billboards at street level.
✓ Why Go:
Observe how corporate modernism interfaces with contemporary media skins—architecture as both backdrop and canvas.
✓ Best Time to Visit:
Night for full billboard illumination; weekday mornings for clean shots of the plaza edges.
✓ Insider Tip:
Enter the Minskoff Theatre lobby for polished stone, mirrored surfaces, and skyline views over Broadway.
✓ What Visitors Say:
Bold and dynamic; people note the powerful scale of screens contrasted with crisp tower lines.
8. New York Times Building
Renzo Piano’s elegant tower sheathed in ceramic rods that modulate light and scale, with a transparent newsroom base.
✓ Why Go:
A masterclass in daylighting, facade texture, and civic transparency—subtle design a short walk from the neon.
✓ Best Time to Visit:
Morning light to read the veil-like facade; evening to watch the lobby’s glow spill onto the sidewalk.
✓ Insider Tip:
Stand across 8th Avenue to appreciate the depth of the screen and its shadow play.
✓ What Visitors Say:
Serene and refined; visitors admire the calm counterpoint to Times Square’s intensity.
9. Sardi’s
The legendary Broadway hangout where walls are lined with caricatures—an evolving gallery of portrait illustration and theatre lore.
✓ Why Go:
Graphic design meets social history; study line, likeness, and layout in a living archive over a pre‑show bite.
✓ Best Time to Visit:
Late afternoon or post‑matinee for easier seating and better views of the caricature-lined rooms.
✓ Insider Tip:
Ask for a table near the original caricature clusters to compare eras and artists up close.
✓ What Visitors Say:
Nostalgic and charming; guests love the ambiance and visual storytelling as much as the menu.
10. Palace Theatre at TSX Broadway
A landmark 1913 theatre ingeniously lifted within a new mixed‑use tower, paired with next‑gen LED facades and an outdoor stage.
✓ Why Go:
See a rare feat of architectural preservation and urban media design coexisting at the heart of Times Square.
✓ Best Time to Visit:
Evening for animated signage and stage lighting; daytime to appreciate the structural integration details.
✓ Insider Tip:
View from the northeast corner of 47th and Broadway to read both the historic facade and the new digital layers.
✓ What Visitors Say:
Innovative and headline‑worthy; visitors marvel at the engineering and the district’s ever‑evolving skyline.
