New York City Ballet

Top choice in Upper West Side & Central Park


This prestigious company was first directed by renowned Russian-born choreographer George Balanchine in the 1940s. Today, it's the largest ballet organization in the US, performing 23 weeks a year at Lincoln Center’s David H Koch Theater. Rush tickets for those under age 30 are $30. During the holidays the troupe is best known for its annual production of The Nutcracker (tickets go on sale in September: book early).

There are also select one-hour Family Saturday performances, appropriate for young audiences ($22 per ticket, on sale first week of August).


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Upper West Side & Central Park attractions

1. David Rubenstein Atrium

0.06 MILES

The David Rubenstein Atrium is a modern public space behind the Empire Hotel offering a lounge area (with free wi-fi), a cafe, and a TKTS booth selling…

2. Lincoln Center

0.08 MILES

This stark arrangement of gleaming modernist temples houses some of Manhattan’s most important performance companies: the New York Philharmonic, the New…

3. American Folk Art Museum

0.14 MILES

This small institution offers rotating exhibitions in three small galleries. Past exhibits have included quilts made by 19th-century soldiers and…

4. Museum of Arts & Design

0.33 MILES

MAD offers four floors of superlative design and handicrafts, from blown glass and carved wood to elaborate metal jewelry. Temporary exhibitions are…

5. Hearst Tower

0.38 MILES

This 46-floor tower is one of NYC's most creative works of contemporary architecture, not to mention one of its greenest; around 90% of its structural…

6. Dakota Building

0.52 MILES

A turreted, gabled building described in 1884 as so far uptown it was in 'the Dakotas,' this sand-colored gem quickly became the epitome of cool, housing…

7. Strawberry Fields

0.56 MILES

Standing inside the park across from the famous Dakota Building, where John Lennon was fatally shot in 1980, is this poignant, tear-shaped garden – a…

8. The Mall

0.61 MILES

This Parisian-style promenade – allegedly the only straight line in Central Park – lined with rare North American elms, is flanked by statues of literati…