1) The cathedrals aren't my favorite things to see either, but without
Dave telling us what sorts of interests he has, I thought I'd put in my
two cents regarding my preference, should he choose to visit a
cathedral in New York. The reason I prefer St. John is the size and
the accompanying accoustics more than anything else - most visitors
probably won't experience the accoustics so much(unless they go to the
philharmonic's concert on Memorial Day or go to a service), but in the
UK, only St. Paul compares in size.
2) I mean to imply that a tour is the only way to get to the top of the
Empire State Building. I hope that wasn't misleading.
3) Actually, I've always heard that Avery Fisher Hall has much better
stage accousitcs than Carnegie Hall, but again, that has more to do
with what the performers hear. Avery Fisher Hall was supposedly
designed such that the accoustics were equivalent regardless of where
one sat - I don't know if that is actually true. Also, one thing I
found out the hard way (well, almost) was that all images of the
interiors of Lincoln Center are copyrighted. On a tour, I tried taking
a photo of that ball that hangs down in the New York State Theatre - at
least they didn't confiscate the film.
4) NYSE - I'm guessing you're right in that it is closed to visitors.
Their policy on visiting may have changed since 9/11 and it probably
hasn't changed back.
5) Midtown convenience - easy access to more subway lines. A trip to
anywhere in Manhattan is, conservatively, 30 minutes or less. If you
know you're going to spend all of your time in Soho or Greenwich
Village or something, then the case for staying in Midtown Manhattan
would not apply as much. And I think west is better than east -
there's more going on at night on the west side.
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