Since its opening night in 1879, Madison Square Garden (MSG) has become a premier destination for historic championship games and legendary concerts. From the New York Knicks to Muhammad Ali and Michael Jackson, playing here is considered the pinnacle of an artist or athlete’s career. The venue is an engineering marvel, the first arena built above an active railroad station.

Background on Madison Square Garden

When they opened the present Madison Square Garden Complex in 1968, they called it Madison Square Garden Center. It was the 4th venue to bear the MSG initials. Then, it boasted the first permanent steel cable suspension roof at its construction. The circular structure was another feat that made the venue famous.

Today, MSG has become so iconic that New Yorkers often refer to it simply as ‘The Garden.’ It can accommodate over 20,000 people for concerts and live events.

Sports fans will recognize the Garden as the home of the NHL’s New York Rangers and the NBA’s New York Knicks. The Garden has also hosted some of the most legendary boxing fights and pro wrestling events. The city’s most high-profile concerts are held here. Elvis Presley, John Lennon, The Who, Billy Joel, and Lady Gaga are among the famous artists who have played here. The venue has even hosted a mass by the Pope.

Where is Madison Square Garden and how do you get there?

Madison Square Garden stands on Seventh Avenue between West 31st and 33rd streets. There are 2 VIP entrances and 6 other entrances.

Getting here is easy:

• By train: Take the 1, 2, 3, A, C, or E trains to Penn Station or the B, D, F, M, N, Q, or R trains to the 34th Street/Herald Square stop.
• By bus: Take the M4, M10, M16, M34 or Q32 buses to 7th Avenue/Penn Station.
• Access-A-Ride: MSG has an Access-A-Ride stop on 7th Avenue and 8th Avenue for physically disabled visitors.
• From New Jersey: Visitors from Weehawken, Hoboken, Jersey City, and Belford can take the ferry to Midtown/W39th St., and a free NY Waterway shuttle will take them to the arena.

What to expect when you visit?

No two visits to MSG are the same. Whether you see a basketball court or a stage depends on ongoing events. You can take the All Access Tour to see the arena if you’re not there for a specific event. Each tour lasts about an hour. Mostly, the weekends are the most crowded. Scheduling your visit on a weekday morning should give you a more comfortable experience. MSG does not have a coat check area, so avoid carrying oversized bags.

Tickets for Madison Square Garden are available at the venue and online. Book your tickets online if you don’t want to stand in a line.

What else can you do when you visit Madison Square Garden?

Besides marveling at the beauty of MSG, you should ideally watch a game or a concert to experience the arena’s energy. Don’t miss out on the Walk of Fame, the retired jerseys hanging from the rafters, and the merchandise stands.

If you’re hungry, grab a snack at one of the many food stalls in the venue or restaurants near the entrances. Alternatively, you could visit Madison Square Park or Bryant Park for a picnic. If you’re lucky, you could picnic during one of the free concerts held at the park. The Empire State Building is a short walk from the arena.

FAQs

Why do people visit Madison Square Garden?

Madison Square Gardens is famed as one of New York’s oldest sporting facilities. It has hosted some of the biggest names in sports and entertainment.

Who can visit Madison Square Garden?

Anyone with a ticket to a game or event can enter the venue. Those without event passes can enter with an all-access tour ticket.

Are children allowed?

Children are allowed to attend most events. Any child over the age of 2 years requires a ticket.

Visiting Madison Square Garden is a must. Locals know the excitement of cheering for the Knicks or joining a roaring crowd at a pop concert. This iconic venue, often called the world’s most famous arena, has been the heart of NYC’s cultural scene since its inception. Catch a game, enjoy a concert, or take a tour to experience its rich history. Whether you’re a sports fan or a music lover, Madison Square Garden offers unforgettable moments.

The post Experience the Energy that Draws New Yorkers to Madison Square Garden appeared first on Secret NYC.

* This article was originally published here

A big birthday requires an even bigger cake, and Glenlivet is taking that idea very literally. The famed Scotch distiller is celebrating its 200th anniversary this year and to mark the momentous occasion, international food artist Laila Gohar has created a cake of epic proportions—200 inches to be exact. 

RECOMMENDED: NYC’s 30 best bakeries including pie pros, cake destinations and even tourist spots

On Tuesday, June 25 at 8pm, Glenlivet will host an open-to-the-public, 21-plus garden party at the Elizabeth Street Garden (21 Elizabeth Street) in Nolita, where it will unveil the behemoth, bicentennial baked good, which will reportedly be one of the biggest cakes served in NYC.

The larger-than-life dessert will stretch 16.6 feet in length—that’s more than two Shaquille O’Neals, folks—and feature 200 candles and enough sweet layers of soft sponge and fruity jam (made with The Glenlivet Fusion Cask, apricots and peaches) to feed hundreds of hungry New Yorkers. (For reference, per Guinness World Records, the longest cake in the world measured 17,388 feet in Kerala, India, which is, like, so many sheet pans.) 

All of that sugar needs a little something to wash it down, and thankfully the booze brand will be pouring out complimentary cocktails made with Glenlivet’s iconic single-malt Scotch whisky, which will pair nicely with the cake thanks to its caramel-toffee sweetness and fruity notes. A live band will also be on hand providing party tunes and there will fittingly be a toast with The Glenlivet Fusion Cask to honor the distillery’s two centuries of work.

Curious revelers can simply drop by the Elizabeth Street Garden to get a gander at the giant cake on Tuesday evening or register here if they want a guaranteed spot at the whisky-fueled anniversary shindig. Cheers!

* This article was originally published here

It’s official: next summer, some of the car lanes on parts of Flatbush Avenue will turn into bus-only routes, according to Gothamist.

The effort, which seeks to alleviate the traffic that constantly defines the area, has been a long time coming: city officials proposed the changes back in 2023.

According to a new proposal by the Department of Transportation, bus-only lanes would replace car lanes in each direction of Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn between Linvingston Street and Grand Army Plaza. 

How, exactly, the plans would be implemented is still unclear. According to Gothamist, there are three design options to choose from. The first involves the addition of concrete islands for passengers and bus lanes in the middle of the street. The second design, on the other hand, requires the creation of the lanes next to the curbs alongside a ban on parking during specific hours. The third option would completely replace a car lane with a bus one.

“Transportation officials said they eventually plan to add bus lanes along Flatbush Avenue all the way down to Kings Plaza, but added that they are prioritizing the northern corridor because it’s the most congested section of the street,” reports the outlet. 

In other bus-related updates, New Yorkers are also waiting for 40 blocks of new bike and bus lanes to take over Third Avenue on the Upper East Side. The project, announced last summer, join a roster of new transportation changes that city officials hope will ameliorate the local situation for all parties involved: car drivers, cyclists and pedestrians.

Will things actually get better? We’ll have to wait and see. 

* This article was originally published here

Yes, it is June. The temps are high, our shorts are short and we are currently at the peak of “we outside” season. But somehow, just five months from now, we will once again be in our puffy coats praying for just a bit of sunshine. Of course, we have the cushion of the holidays to get us through the colder months. But sometimes, even that’s not enough to beat the dreariness of the weather. Luckily, Leyenda is bringing back its famous holiday pop-up this month so we can have the best of both worlds.

RECOMMENDED: Fun ways to stay cool during NYC’s heat wave this week

Celebrating the wonder that is Christmas in July, Leyenda is reviving its holiday bar this month, “Sleyenda.” Returning for just one week this month, from July 15 to 21, Sleyenda plans to bring festive cheer in the form of fantastical decorations and Mariah Carey on repeat. Themed cocktails will make an appearance like the tequila-forward Coquito Ho Ho and the Nutcracker Old Fashioned. And to cool off and have some cheer while you’re at it, the frozen cachaça-based Candy Striper is a good bet. So dust off your Christmas hat and don your finest pair of shorts—the best of time of the year is apparently here.

* This article was originally published here

Talk about a Thai power couple. Natwalan Limwong, the chef-owner of Southern Thai-focused Chalong in Hell’s Kitchen, is teaming up with the noodle pros behind downtown sister spots Soothr and Sappe for a brand-new restaurant concept, set to come to the Upper West Side next year. 

RECOMMENDED: The 12 best Thai restaurants in NYC include elevated takes and street fare-style bites

The forthcoming Thai restaurant will reportedly be called Ung-Lo, which is also the name of the old-fashioned, charcoal-fueled stoves found throughout Thailand that give meats and more a delicious smoky char through a low-and-slow cook. According to Eater New York, Ung-Lo will revolve around the tradition of mookata, or DIY Thai barbecue and hot pot. Overseen by chef Limwong, the food menu will spotlight a variety of meats for grilling, as well as seafood and vegetables. Soothr’s cofounder and beverage director Supatta Banklouy will balance out that savoriness with a range of refreshing, Thai-accented cocktails. (Given Banklouy’s style, we’re expecting at least one delicious frozen on the drinks menu.) 

For Ung-Lo, the restaurant partners have signed a lease at 35 West 64th Street off Broadway, near Lincoln Square. It’s the latest business development for the Soothr crew—along with Banklouy, owners include Chidensee Watthanawongwat, and Kitiya Mokkarat—who this January debuted Sappe (pronounced “Sep”) in Chelsea. The new Northeastern Thai restaurant continues the team’s goal of bringing lesser-known, regional Thai cooking to New York City, but there, the focus is mainly on a wide variety of charcoal-grilled skewers, from classics to marinated pork belly and grilled prawn to slightly more adventurous stuff like chicken skin, pork intestine and ox tongue.

Its sibling, Soothr, has been a favorite of Thai-food lovers since 2020. And Chalong, too, proved a very welcome addition to the city’s Thai restaurant scene when it debuted on Ninth Avenue in last year. 

* This article was originally published here