1

Statue of Liberty

Image: Erik Lindgren

We’ll start with what’s probably this city’s most famous icon. Lady Liberty has welcomed the "huddled masses" that arrived in NYC since the 19th century. You probably know that this statue was a gift from France to the American people, but did you know Gustave Eiffel, the engineer behind the iconic Eiffel Tower, built its metalwork?

Another fun fact: While nowadays the Statue of Liberty is world-known for its green hue, this wasn’t always the case. In fact, when she was inaugurated in 1886, Lady Liberty sported a reddish-brown color more befitting of copper , the metal she is made of. However, after years of oxidation due to exposure, the statue eventually became green.

2

Empire State Building

Image: Dana Andreea Gheorghe

The state of New York’s official nickname is "The Empire State": Some credit George Washington with coming up with this term, inspired by this state’s wealth and disposition. In that sense, this magnificent skyscraper stands as a proud homage to this sentiment and is one of the most recognizable figures in NYC’s skyline.

This 102-story skyscraper is located in the Manhattan borough and was, for a while, the tallest building in the world. It has been featured in over 250 films and TV shows since one of the most iconic scenes in movie history was filmed there: 1933’s King Kong showed the titular giant ape perched on top of the tower.

3

Brooklyn Bridge

Image: Brandon Day

At the time of its inauguration in 1883, the Brooklyn Bridge was the longest suspension bridge in the world: It stood as an engineering masterwork, both for its length and its innovative and unique design. But what’s truly amazing is that the Brooklyn Bridge has continued to amaze and inspire millions of New Yorkers for over 140 years.

The bridge was designed by John A. Roebling, assisted by his son and chief engineer Washington Roebling. This NYC landmark eventually became a family affair: After John Roebling fell ill and was bedridden, his wife Emily contributed to see the project to completion.

4

Broadway

Image: Eddie Bugajewski

Looking for a night at the theatre? Then Broadway is the place to be. This street is synonymous with excellent plays and musicals, up to the point that it has become a metonym for the entire industry. Broadway offers 41 professional theaters, each with 500 seats or more, offering quality performances for thousands of people each year.

Alongside London West End’s district, Broadway is known as the highest level of theater entertainment in the English-speaking world. In that sense, Broadway represents the crème de la crème of American theater, up to the point of inspiring the name of other NYC theaters, which are known as "Off-Broadway" or "Off-off-Broadway".

5

Central Park

Image: Dana Andreea Gheorghe

Looking for a quick stroll through green scenery? Then head on to the most famous NYC park. While definitively the most iconic, you might be surprised to learn that Central Park is not the biggest park in the city: In fact, it’s only in sixth place. Having said that, this iconic location is still massive enough to fill a big part of New York City’s skyline with its lush green.

Central Park was built over a period of approximately 50 years during the 19th century, from its proposal in the 1840s to its completion in 1876. Nowadays, it features several iconic monuments and features, like the USS Maine National Monument, the Strawberry Fields Memorial, and the Central Park Zoo, which showcases over 160 different animal species.

6

New York Public Library Main Branch

Image: Chris Ladouceur

Libraries are known as "the guardians of knowledge", and New York City’s Public Library is no exception: With approximately 53 million items, this New York institution has preserved American culture and knowledge since 1895.

While the library has over 90 locations across the city, its most famous location is probably the main branch building, located in Manhattan. This location, officially known as the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, showcases the library’s famous stone lions guarding its entrance. Fun fact: These lions were nicknamed ‘Patience’ and ‘Fortitude’ by NYC Mayor Fiorello La Guardia.

7

Brooklyn Botanic Garden

Image: Pascale Amez

Standing at the heart of Brooklyn since 1911, Brooklyn Botanic Garden houses over 14,000 plants and trees, which welcome approximately 800,000 visitors every year. Besides showcasing these lovely specimens, the Garden offers educational and conservation programs, as well as a special garden inspired by the works of William Shakespeare.

While everything in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden is certainly worth visiting, its main attraction is its 200 cherry trees, featured across its Cherry Walk and Cherry Esplanade. Thousands of tourists from all around the world gather in the garden during Spring, to watch these gorgeous trees blossom.

8

Grand Central Terminal

Image: Afif Ramdhasuma

You would think there’s not a lot of tourist value in a train station, but trust us: Grand Central Terminal is definitively worth the visit. This stationnot only showcases beautiful Beaux-Arts architecture and design, but it also perfectly encapsulates the busy and energetic everyday that New Yorkers take so much pride in.

Notably, the terminal has been featured in countless films and TV shows: Approximately 25 large-scale films are shot in the terminal each year. Most of these films have been shot on the famous 'Track 34,' which doesn’t block filming since it doesn’t have structural columns.

9

Met Museum

Image: Changqing Lu

We could have included a great number of museums in this list: After all, New York City is home to hundreds of fine art institutions. However, we ended up choosing the most visited museum in the United States, and one of the most respected cultural establishments in the world: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, also known as " the Met ".

Founded in 1870, the Met is located in located right next to the eastern edge of Central Park. The museum houses over 1.5 million objects, including Ancient Egyptian art and paintings from masters like Van Gogh, Monet, and Picasso.

10

Flatiron Building

Image: Serge Pelletier

This iconic building showcases the resilience and strength of New Yorkers. While nowadays is known as a New York institution, at the time of its opening it was sometimes called "Burnham's Folly": Many believed that the building, designed by Daniel Burnham, would eventually be knocked down by the wind due to its unique triangular shape.

And yet, this skyscraper still stands, 120 years after its inauguration. Its sleek and avant-garde design has truly cemented the Flatiron building as an architectural wonder.

1

"New York, New York" - Frank Sinatra

Image: Adrian Falcon

Of course, when we think of songs about the Big Apple, the first that comes to mind is the iconic "New York, New York," popularized by Frank Sinatra. Perhaps this is because it’s the tune that best captures the essence , resilient spirit, and unwavering magnetism of the city that never sleeps.

It was written in 1977 by John Kander and Fred Ebb as the theme song for New York, New York , a film directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Robert De Niro and Liza Minnelli. Minnelli performed the song in the film, but it wasn’t very successful at the time. It was The Voice 's 1980 version that would turn it into the city's unofficial—yet unquestionable—anthem .

2

"Chelsea Hotel #2" - Leonard Cohen

Image: Thought Catalog

The Chelsea Hotel is one of the most emblematic hotels in New York City. Artists such as William S. Burroughs, Bob Dylan, and Chet Baker, among many others, have stayed there. So, it makes perfect sense that some of these stars were inspired by the iconic building to create some of their most famous works.

Such is the case with Leonard Cohen’s "Chelsea Hotel #2," released in 1974. The lyrics not only recount a romantic encounter between the singer-songwriter and Janis Joplin but also capture the city’s bohemian atmosphere at the time.

3

"New York State of Mind" - Billy Joel

Image: Stefano Zocca

In the mid-1970s, after a long stint in Los Angeles, Bronx-born songwriter Billy Joel was terribly missing his hometown. During a return trip to the Big Apple while on tour, the Piano Man wrote his tribute to the city he loved most: "New York State of Mind."

At the time, the song wasn’t even released as a single and went largely unnoticed. However, over time, it became one of Joel’s signature songs . Decades later, the timeless tune would go on to inspire a hip-hop version—the next one on our list.

4

"Empire State of Mind" - Jay-Z & Alicia Keys

Image: ian dooley

With its evocative lyrics, Jay-Z’s modern rhythm, and Alicia Keys’ poignant backing vocals, "Empire State of Mind" captures the essence, energy, and resilient spirit of those who inhabit the city of New York. Released in 2009, the song was an instant hit. It achieved commercial success worldwide and has been featured on multiple critics' top 10 lists of best songs.

As mentioned earlier, the song’s title nods not only to Billy Joel’s "New York State of Mind," but also to rapper Nas’s 1994 single "N.Y. State of Mind."

5

"Autumn in New York" - Billie Holiday

Image: Josh Couch

Did you know that the famous "Autumn in New York" was originally conceived as a poem rather than a song? Its composer, Vernon Duke, wrote it in 1934 while vacationing in Westport, Connecticut, and added the music sometime later. Since then, many artists have recorded their own renditions, including Frank Sinatra, who helped popularize it in 1949.

But perhaps the version that best conveys the haunting melancholy of this iconic jazz standard is Billie Holiday’s, recorded in 1952. With her deep, raspy voice, the Angel of Harlem (see the next song on our list) delivers this love letter to the Empire City like no one else.

6

"Angel of Harlem" - U2

Image: The New York Public Library

"Angel of Harlem," a 1988 single by the Irish band U2, alludes to several New York City landmarks but is also a heartfelt tribute to Billie Holiday.

According to Bono, the song was inspired by the band’s first trip to the Big Apple . When they landed at JFK Airport, a limousine picked them up, and the driver had the radio tuned to Lady Day’s voice. They were so captivated by her sound that they couldn’t help but compose a song in honor of one of the city’s most influential musical figures.

7

"Englishman in New York" – Sting

Image: George Bakos

Bono wasn’t the only foreign artist who was inspired by the Empire City to pen a song. In the late 1980s, Sting released the single "Englishman in New York" as part of his second solo album after the dissolution of The Police. The song quickly became a global hit.

The "Englishman" in question is Sting’s friend, British writer and LGBTQ+ icon Quentin Crisp, who had recently relocated to New York. The singer-songwriter said that the different musical references in the song seek to capture the mood of someone walking down the street and listening to different styles, representing what it's like to walk around New York.

8

"Chelsea Morning" - Joni Mitchell

Image: Dan Braga

One of the most celebrated voices in American folk music, Joni Mitchell, wrote this song about her apartment in New York City’s Chelsea neighborhood. The song was inspired by the colorful reflections that danced on her walls when sunlight filtered through a mobile made of colored glass she had found in the street.

"Chelsea Morning" is part of her second album Clouds from 1969. Her sweet voice, merry acoustic guitar chords, and hopeful lyrics convey the deep emotions of the hippie lifestyle of a young woman living in 1960s New York.

9

"The Only Living Boy in New York" – Simon & Garfunkel

Image: Camila Fernández

Many songs about New York City explore the loneliness of living in a vast metropolis—and "The Only Living Boy in New York" is no exception. Paul Simon wrote the track when his musical partner, Art Garfunkel, left him behind in the city to film a movie in Mexico.

The song is part of the duo's fifth studio album, Bridge over Troubled Water released in 1970. The song blends bittersweet lyrics with a gentle, introspective melody. Its themes of solitude and longing have resonated with many over the years, inspiring a variety of heartfelt covers by artists who connected with its quiet sorrow.

10

"New York City Serenade" – Bruce Springsteen

Image: Danny Lyon, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

While Bruce Springsteen is known for being a New Jersey native, his prolific career also allowed him to write about the city across the Hudson River. "New York City Serenade" is part of the 1973 album The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle , considered by some critics to be one of the greatest albums in rock n' roll history.

The song tells the tormented love story of Billy and Diamonds Jackie as they wander the dark streets of Gotham in the 1970s. Blending Springsteen’s signature suburban rock with elements of jazz and gospel , "New York City Serenade" is one of his most atmospheric and musically ambitious pieces—a sprawling homage to the city’s grit, soul, and romance.

11

"Rhapsody in Blue" – George Gershwin

Image: rosanna17

Although it has no lyrics, we can all agree that this composition is a true musical portrait of 20th-century New York City. Written by George Gershwin in 1924, the piece blends classical tradition with jazz-inflected flourishes, capturing the vibrant, chaotic spirit of the Big Apple in full swing.

The speed and rhythm of the tune perfectly reflect the frenetic life of one of the world's greatest metropolises. "Rhapsody in Blue" is so quintessentially New York that even Woody Allen used it for the opening sequence of his film Manhattan alongside gorgeous vistas of the most iconic locations and buildings in the city.

12

"Downtown Train" – Tom Waits

Image: Erik Calonius, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

You may know this song best from Rod Stewart’s 1989 hit version, but "Downtown Train" was originally written and performed by Tom Waits for his 1985 album Rain Dogs . Without leaving behind his jazz and blues influences —and his trademark avant-garde style—this tune has an unmistakable pop touch.

Set against the backdrop of New York’s restless nightlife, the song paints a wistful portrait of longing and unattainable love—particularly for the elusive Brooklyn girls. Through his gravelly voice and poetic imagery, Waits cements his place as one of the great modern chroniclers of the Big Apple .

1

He never learned to read music

Elvis Presley recorded hundreds of songs across rock, blues, country, and gospel, yet he never learned to read a single note of sheet music. In the studio, musicians would run through an arrangement, and Elvis would listen, absorb the melody, and memorize it entirely by ear.

He leaned on instinct and repetition rather than notation, catching every pause, key change, and harmony simply by listening closely and trying it himself. Producers and session players who worked with him often talked about how quickly he could pick up a complex arrangement without ever glancing at a chart the way trained musicians did. It never held him back. If anything, it forced him to feel each song rather than read it, which explains why his performances always sounded personal.

2

He was a natural blond

When you think of Elvis, you think of iconic pitch-black hair with sideburns. But Elvis’s hair wasn’t originally black; he was actually born a blond.

As Elvis grew up, his hair turned darker, but the darkest it got was simply a light brown. Trying to mimic the idols of the time, Marlon Brando and Tony Curtis, he started dyeing his hair dark. Now, here’s the twist: In Presley's household, money was tight, so he used black shoe polish instead. The more dramatic look came along with hit songs and money that allowed him to afford real dye, keeping the pitch-black tone which complimented his blue eyes. During his army years in Germany, dye wasn’t allowed, and his natural sandy color quietly returned. A single portrait from that era still hangs at Graceland in Memphis.

3

He had a huge badge collection, which led to a meeting with Nixon

Elvis had a genuine fascination with law enforcement, and over the years he built up a personal collection of honorary badges from police departments across the country. What he really wanted, though, was a federal badge from the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs, and officials kept turning him down.

In December 1970, Elvis flew to Washington, D.C., and wrote President Richard Nixon a letter on the plane , offering his services in the fight against drug culture. He hand-delivered it to the White House gates before dawn. By that afternoon, Elvis stood in the Oval Office showing Nixon his badge collection while a photographer captured what became one of the most surreal photos in presidential history. Nixon agreed, and Elvis walked out with the badge his collection had been missing.

4

He auditioned for a gospel quartet and was rejected

In the summer of 1954, a 19-year-old Elvis Presley tried out for the Songfellows, a Memphis gospel quartet connected to the well-known Blackwood Brothers. Elvis had grown up loving gospel music and dreamed of singing in a group like this one.

The audition did not go his way. Group member Jim Hamill later said Elvis couldn't hold his own on harmony parts at the time, and the Songfellows turned him down. Elvis went home and told his father the group said he couldn't sing. Just months later, in July 1954, he walked into Sun Records and cut his first single. Ironically, the Songfellows soon had a change of heart and invited him to join after all, but by then his solo career was already taking off, leaving gospel harmony as a road not taken.

5

His comic book hero inspired his signature look

Long before Elvis designed a single jumpsuit, he was a kid in Tupelo who loved comic books, especially Captain Marvel Jr. The teenage superhero had jet-black hair with a dramatic curl, a half cape, and a lightning bolt blazing across his chest. Elvis held onto that image for the rest of his life.

His famous pompadour with its curled front piece echoes Captain Marvel Jr.'s hairstyle almost exactly. His stage capes in the 1970s mirror the hero's costume. Even his personal logo, TCB for "Taking Care of Business," built around a lightning bolt, traces back to those pages he read as a poor kid dreaming of something bigger. Graceland still keeps a box of his childhood comics in the attic, proof his whole look grew from a boyhood hero.

6

He owned a presidential yacht

In January 1964, Elvis Presley's manager Colonel Tom Parker bought a yacht at auction in his client's name for $55,000, which would be roughly over $500,000 today. It wasn't just any yacht.

It was the USS Potomac, the vessel President Franklin D. Roosevelt had used as his floating White House throughout the 1930s and early 1940s. Elvis owned it for barely two weeks. On Valentine's Day, February 14, 1964, he handed over the deed to entertainer Danny Thomas in a public ceremony in Long Beach, California, donating the historic yacht to Thomas's new St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis. The Potomac was sold that same year to a private buyer for $65,000, every cent going straight to the hospital —one of Elvis's most generous, and least remembered, acts of charity.

7

He brought his own cutlery to restaurants

Elvis loved dining out, but he had one rule most fans never noticed. He rarely touched silverware that wasn’t his own. That’s because he took his own cutlery.

From his rise to fame in the mid-1950s through his Las Vegas years, Elvis carried his own set of forks, knives, and spoons whenever he ate somewhere new. People who traveled with him often described this as a lifelong habit, closely tied to a persistent germaphobia. While the rest of the table used whatever the restaurant provided, Elvis unpacked his own utensils and ate with those instead.

8

He held an eighth-degree black belt in karate

Elvis first tried karate in 1958 while stationed with the Army in Germany, training under a local instructor named Juergen Seydel, who taught Elvis at his off-base housing in Nauheim.

He kept at it for years, and later studied under American Kenpo pioneer Ed Parker in California. But it was in Memphis, between 1970 and 1974, training under Grandmaster Kang Rhee at a small dojo on Summer Avenue , that Elvis went all in. He trained alongside regular students under the nickname Tiger and took the same tests everyone faced. On September 16, 1974, Master Rhee awarded him an eighth-degree black belt in a low-key ceremony in front of fellow students and their families. That same year, Elvis opened his own school, the Tennessee Karate Institute, and worked karate moves right into his stage shows.

9

He rented entire amusement parks and movie theaters overnight

Elvis loved movies and the fairground, but he hated crowds pressing in on him wherever he went. His solution was simple if you had his kind of money.

In Memphis, he r egularly rented out the entire Memphian Theater from midnight until dawn, filling the seats with friends and family to watch newly released films with nobody else around. He did something similar at the Memphis fairgrounds, later known as Libertyland, booking the whole park overnight so he could ride his favorite wooden roller coaster, the Zippin Pippin, again and again without a single stranger in line. He loved that ride so much he rode it into the early hours with his daughter Lisa Marie beside him in August 1977 — just eight days before he died at age 42.

10

He kept a huge collection of books

The public saw a swaggering rock and roll star in tight jumpsuits, but behind closed doors at Graceland, Elvis Presley was something of a bookworm .

He kept a personal library that grew into the hundreds, later estimated at over a thousand titles, covering philosophy, world religions, anatomy, and numerology. His hairstylist and close friend Larry Geller became his main source for these books. Geller curated, recommended, and bought the books for Elvis, and the two spent hours discussing what he read. He underlined passages, scribbled notes in the margins, and carried a rotating stack with him on tour, sometimes hundreds of books packed into trunks. Auction houses have sold some of his personally annotated copies over the years, filled with handwriting beside ideas he clearly found worth wrestling with.