• About
  • Blog
  • Working together
  • Testimonials
  • Contact

Girl Gone Travel

Girl Gone Travel

North America, Travel
/
July 19, 2009

Rockefeller Center, NY

Enjoyed this post? Give it some love and share!
Share

Ah, Rockefeller Center.  For most visitors to New York City it is the place where the famous Rockefeller Christmas Tree stands ever year.  It is also the location of the famous and beautiful ice skating rink.  For most New Yorkers, if not a place of work, it is a place to avoid because of the crowds and the prices. But I love Rockefeller Center because of the amazing art that can be seen throughout and the history of the place, something I like sharing with my oldest when we visit there and will continue to do with my youngest as they grow.

And now I had another reason to venture to midtown Manhattan and visit Rockefeller Center.  We had an out-of-town visitor and though I refused to do 80% of the touristy things during his stay (just because it was so short and I felt like there were so many better places to visit), I did feel that taking this first-time visitor to New York City and show him Rockefeller Center was something that could not be missed.

IMG_9005

IMG_9008

In the warmer months, there is no tall evergreen to be seen, the ice skating rink is now a warm, dry spot filled with tables and chairs that serve as out door seating for the posh eateries. However, the tourists still flock to the site to take pictures with the Statue of Prometheus as a backdrop.

IMG_9007Nearby are the NBC studios, and the windows where the crowds stand to wave at the The Today Show cameras.  A block away is  Christie’s auction house, as well as the one and only Radio City Music Hall.

IMG_9000

IMG_9020

IMG_9025

IMG_9003

Across the street on Fifth Avenue is St. Patrick’s Cathedral, and all the famous department stores and shops that tourists love so much, and of which New Yorkers are so proud of.

And I pointed it all to our visitor. We squeezed past tourists taking flashing photos of all these incredibly recognizable and beautiful New York City sites and landmarks.

But after all of that, I wanted to show him a place that most tourists don’t even know about or care to visit. Right there, in the midst of  all the other wonderful art and architecture and inside the lobby of the GE Building is the breathtaking mural titled American Progress, painted by Catalan artist Jose Maria Sert.  But even more wonderful than the mural one finds there today is the history of the one it replaces. And that is the mural, Man at the Cross Roads, originally painted by one of my favorite Mexican artists, Diego Rivera, which was destroyed due to Nelson Rockefeller’s protest of its depiction of Lenin and other communist leaders.  And though the mural that is there is quite wonderful, and though I never saw Diego Rivera’s mural while it was in place, I can’t help but think of him as I also admires Jose Maria Sert’s work. Diego Rivera was able to send in his assistant who snuck in a camera and photographed the mural before it was destroyed. He later reproduced it and it is currently on display in Mexico City’s Palacio de Bellas Artes.

IMG_9011

IMG_9015

IMG_9013When it comes to walking around with little kids in this area, just know that it can be hard. It’s too much of a hassle, it’s too crowded, and not easy to navigate through with a stroller. But if this is your only visit to New York City, it’s worth to take the trip, and now, you know that you can escape the crowds by entering the GE Building to admire the mural, and go down the escalator for restaurants, cafes (they have a Starbucks down there) and even restrooms.

It’s easy to get lost in all the hustle and bustle around you, and it’s very easy to become overwhelmed. As a matter of fact, my visitor did, a few times.  So my advice is to slow down, drink a latte or a glass a wine at one of the eateries, and really look around. Rockefeller Center is an adventure surrounded by art and beauty, and deserve a better look than one given by just rushing through.

IMG_9002

Related

Enjoyed this post? Give it some love and share!
Share
Pin this Post
Share this Post
Carol Cain

Brooklyn native Carol is happiest when on an adventure, whether close to home or farther away. She is a small business owner and travel writer. In addition to creating Girl Gone Travel, she is the Founder and Principal of Brave World Media, a social media marketing, communications, and branding agency. She's mom to three wonderful sons and wife to a handsome Irish/Scot. She lives, works, and plays in the beautiful Finger Lakes region of NY.

You May Also Like...

Christmas Tree Hunting in Long Island, NY

December 12, 2008

Fort Tryon Park, Washington Heights, NY

December 10, 2008

Winter afternoon in the Bronx Zoo, NY

December 16, 2008
2 Comments
  • Single Mama NYC
    July 21, 2009

    It's kinda pathetic that I am a native Manhattanite and I've never been inside the GE building to admire the artwork/murals. Makes me wonder how many other places of significant interest in NYC I haven't experienced. I'll be sure to expose Theo to as much of what I've missed out as as possible!

    Reply
  • Carol
    July 22, 2009

    Single Mama: That's a great plan! There's a lot of little secrets that I've found out through out the years, and I am happy to share them with you any time : )

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Previous Post
Bastille Day Street Fair and other Street Festivals in NYC
Next Post
Day Trip to Hodgson’s Farm, Walden, NY

Categories

  • Asia5 Post(s)
  • Caribbean17 Post(s)
  • Central America4 Post(s)
  • Europe54 Post(s)
  • North America318 Post(s)
  • Oceana1 Post(s)

About me

Hi! I'm Carol! I am an award-winning travel blogger, a keynote speaker, and the Principal and owner of Brave World Media, a social media marketing, communications, and branding agency. I a wife to a handsome Irish/Scot and a mom to 3 sons. Welcome to my blog where I share stories of my travels and professional public relations insights and advice. Thank you for reading and for your support!

Carol Cain

Contact

  • caincarol@gmail.com

Follow @girlgonetravel

A message about yesterday’s event: Happy Monday A message about yesterday’s event:

Happy Monday, y’all. Woke up in time to enjoy the soft glow of sunlight that shines its way around our house in the morning, and sipped on a cafecito without being rushed for anything. So already today is a win. 

Yesterday we worked our longest day yet for our little coffee cart that could (7 hours!!!) at the Heritage Fiesta in Ithaca, NY. 

Though we were ready for a crowd, the reception was also unexpected because there was a popular coffee shop just steps away. 

But we had Cómodo Fam stop by, family (who also fed us 🙏🏾), and soooo many members of the Latinx and BIPOC community who were just excited to see a small business like ours representing. 

I want to share that we were ALL worried about potential harassment and assault by 🧊and fliers were handed out to prepare us. And you would think that it would’ve intimidated the community enough to not come out…BUT WE DID. In numbers. 

And for hours that little parking lot next to Press Bay Alley was packed with all sorts of Latinx and non-Latinx community members, eating, laughing, dancing, singing, and drinking all the cafecitos and refreshers we had to offer. Literally. We went home cleaned out!

All this to say that we are all aware of the threats but we also understand the power and importance of coming together as a community and a people. By no means are we all the same, and Lord knows a lot of Latinos have a lot of self-reflecting to do based on the choices they made, but yesterday was a testament to the best of us, and I thank @yenospina and @lcatompkins for putting together such a wonderful event, for inviting @cafecomodony to be a part of it, and to all the friends, old and new, who came out to support us and la cultura. 

#fingerlakes #newyork #cafecomodo #coffeelover
Finally taking a break to enjoy one of my favorite Finally taking a break to enjoy one of my favorite lazy day pastimes of the season: market shopping for fall goodies - which in the Finger Lakes is especially bountiful. 

📍Joseph’s Wayside Markey, Naples, NY

#fingerlakes #newyork #octobermood #fallday
Our neighbors are harvesting the grapes. The proce Our neighbors are harvesting the grapes. The process is busy and noisy but also exciting and fun to watch. 

This cloudy morning seems to have calmed things down a bit, but not for long I am sure. These families work hard!

Bonus: they set up roadside stands so we can purchase and taste them 🍇 I highly recommend picking some up if you see some in your drive. 

#fingerlakes #lifeinthecountry #newyork
The rain has been so good. More, please. ❤️ The rain has been so good. More, please. ❤️
I want to take moment to send out love to my fello I want to take moment to send out love to my fellow Latinx and immigrant community. 

To send strength to my community of glorious misfits who are out in the world making good trouble and emboldening us to not give up hope on our dreams, our livelihoods, our future, our country, our people. 

The country our parents worked so hard to get to so that we could fly. A country they helped build and bring to prosper. A country our communities help to feed and house and care for. 

I am my immigrant parents dream come true, and my children are a continuation of that dream. 

I just want to remind all of us who represent the targeted, of our worth. Of the value of our contributions. In our languages, our culture, our insights, our work ethic and skills and knowledge. Of the things we bring to the table.

I don’t know what will happen tomorrow, or to us. But, as someone whose family lived through a dictatorship, I have an idea of how this story will end. And all I can advise is that we remain on the right side of it, our convictions unaltered, our core values untethered. Our spirits unbroken. In these stories, the monsters might scare us, and even harm some of us, but they never, ever win in the end. 

I am living proof of that. ❤️ And every time you succeed and feel joy, you are too. Pa’lante, mi gente.
Signs of autumn 🍂 in the Finger Lakes. Signs of autumn 🍂 in the Finger Lakes.

Copyright © 2025 Girl Gone Travel | Privacy Policy | Copyright Notice