For the millions who arrived in New York by ship in the last century, Lady Liberty was their first glimpse of America. No other monument embodies the nation's -- and the world's -- notion of political freedom and economic potential. 

This Beaux Arts beauty--a city social hub--features an imposing main concourse, where high windows allow sunlight to pour onto the half-acre marble floor. Everything gleams, from the brass clock over the central kiosk to the gold- and nickelplated chandeliers piercing the side archways. The breathtaking Sky Ceiling depicts the constellations of the winter sky above New York. 

This Streamline Deco dazzler, the tallest building in New York, is one of the city's definitive icons. Arrive on the 86th-floor observatory at dusk and watch the lights of the city come on. It's pure magic. 

Its Gothic-inspired stone pylons and intricate steel-cable webs have moved such poets as Walt Whitman to sing the praises of this marvel of civil engineering. Completed in 1883, it's New York's first bridge, and perhaps its most iconic one. Walk across it and imagine the awe that New Yorkers of the 19th century felt at seeing Manhattan and Brooklyn joined by this span. It's still astounding.