VIBE

Stuck with an expensive piece of Midtown property in the midst of the Depression, John D. Rockefeller decided to take a massive gamble, blowing millions on building a lavish theater complex so dazzling that it would attract customers even in tough economic times…et voilà, enter the spectacular Radio City Music Hall, the world’s largest indoor theater. Its glittering marquee is a full city block long, its shimmering gold curtain is the largest in the world, and its grand Art Deco interiors are the stuff of legends. Rockefeller’s daring paid off and then some–since 1933, the biggest names in entertainment, from Sinatra to Ray Charles to Bette Midler, have graced the stage. Over 700 films, among them New York classics like King Kong and Breakfast at Tiffany’s, have premiered here, and the Christmas Spectacular featuring the Rockettes remains an annual sellout.

GO HERE WITH

Friends; family; kids; a date

WHY WE LIKE IT

Radio City Music Hall is a dramatic (and very convenient, with its Midtown location) spot for a concert or show. We'll take the refined interiors of this venue over some of the more sterile concert venues in the city, any day.

WHAT WE WOULD CHANGE

Seats close to the stage don’t have great views.

GOOD TO KNOW

If you take the Radio City Stage Door Tour, you’ll be treated to delights like meeting a real Rockette, exploring the plush Art Deco interiors, learning juicy secrets about things that have happened on the stage, and scoping out a nifty hydraulic backstage system that’s been in use since the 1930s. Tour tickets can be purchased from the Radio City Avenue store at Sixth Avenue. (No video cameras or mobile phones are allowed during the tour.) And if you’re coming for the Christmas Spectacular (which runs for eight weeks during the Christmas period), book early! The show has sold out every year since 1933.

CLOSEST COMPS

Broadway and Off Broadway Theater (New York); Beacon Theatre (New York); New York City Center (New York); Kodak Theatre (Los Angeles)

Click here for our full-form mobile travel guide, The Purple Passport to New York City.