The Best Places To Take Photos in NYC

A trip to New York City is impossible to do without taking a gazillion photos! It must be because countless movies, TV shows, and books have made people fall in love with the Big Apple. Below are some of the greatest hits for the greatest New York photos to take on your first trip to the City.

What makes New York the best place for street photography is that you can be walking down one of its streets and find something iconic to take a picture of - a hotdog stand, bagel shop, street sign, or a fashionable New Yorker!

Central Park

One of the most Instagrammable places is Central Park which separates southern and northern Manhattan. Central Park is one of the largest man-made parks in the world and it is the place where Manhattanites bike, run, walk and find other ways to keep healthy.

Bethesda Terrace in Central Park

There are a number of ways to get to Bethesda Terrace. The most scenic way is to go through The Mall and Literary Walk and its elm tree-lined walkway. Or visitors can enter through 72nd Street and stop by the John Lennon Memorial and the Imagine tribute.

The Bethesda Fountain and the Arcade with Minton Tiles are gorgeous and great photo spots. Nearby is the Loeb Boathouse and the Bow Bridge, both are must-visits for photos that shout you are in New York.

Midtown Manhattan

Many of the tourist spots are centered in Midtown Manhattan. A weekend trip could be spent just in those couple of blocks and it still wouldn't be enough time to see everything!

The best place to start is at Times Square and from there walk along 42nd Street to Bryant Park and the New York Public Library to pose with the lions upfront or walk into the stunning Rose Room. Then walk uptown (or north) along Fifth Avenue to Grand Central Terminal then to Rockefeller Center and Radio City Music Hall.

Another cluster of Instagrammable places in Midtown Manhattan is located around the Empire State Building and the shops along 34th Street, including Macy's. Nearby is the Flatiron Building, Madison Square Park, and Union Square.

At the western part of Midtown Manhattan on the Hudson River is the newly opened Little Island, a man-made park. Close by is the Vessel at Hudson Yards which leads to the High Line, former train tracks made into an above-ground walkway with loads of art.

Lower Manhattan

The High Line ends in Lower Manhattan and from there it is easy to hit West Village and East Village Instagrammable spots like Washington Square Park, Carrie Bradshaw's apartment, and the Friends apartment building.

A quintessential New York City photo is undoubtedly the Manhattan Skyline. The best way to get that is to go across the East River and into Queens or Brooklyn. On the Queens side, in Long Island City, the view is the Upper East Side and part of Midtown Manhattan. The easiest thing to do is to hop on the 7 train and go to Long Island City or the F train to Roosevelt Island and take the Roosevelt Island Tram back to Manhattan.

For those that want to walk the Brooklyn Bridge, it is best to ride the subway to Brooklyn. There is plenty to see in Brooklyn Heights plus there is the Brooklyn Bridge Park with plenty of street photography opportunities. Nearby is the Manhattan Bridge and Washington Street is one of the most photographed streets in New York City. Then go to the Brooklyn Bridge and walk back to Manhattan and take all the skyline photos your heart desires!

Back on the Manhattan side of the Brooklyn Bridge is City Hall, the World Trade Center, and the 9-11 Memorial. Further down is Water Street, Wall Street, South Street Seaport, and Battery Park where the Statue of Liberty can be seen in the distance. If you have time, get on the Staten Island Ferry for a free ride to see the Statue of Liberty up close.

The Best Places To Take Photos in NYC

These are just some of the best spots to take photos in New York City. If you are lucky enough to hit all the spots in one trip then you are a master of time management and probably have wonderful photos!

Have you been to all the places in this post and have photos to prove it? Please comment below on your favorite pic of NYC and how you got it.