Designed for the 1964 World's Fair, this 12-story-high stainless-steel globe is the focal point of Flushing Meadows Park, and the de facto icon of Queens. (Nowadays it's probably most recognizable as the backdrop for the Beastie Boys' Licensed to Ill album cover or scenes in the films Men in Black and Iron Man 2). In summer it's ringed with fountains; at other times it's crisscrossed by skateboarders.
Unisphere
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
6.58 MILES
What started with a handful of paintings brought over from Europe or donated by a coterie of philanthropically minded robber barons in the 19th century…
6.83 MILES
One of the world’s most renowned green spaces, Central Park comprises 843 acres of rolling meadows, boulder-studded outcroppings, elm-lined walkways,…
10.74 MILES
Located in New York Harbor, Ellis Island is the US's most famous and historically important gateway and is home to one of the country’s most moving…
7.38 MILES
The Chrysler Building may be prettier, and One World Trade Center taller, but the queen bee of the New York skyline remains the Empire State Building. NYC…
9.13 MILES
Spanning three levels at the top of the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere, One World Observatory offers dazzling panoramic views over Manhattan's…
6.49 MILES
A New York icon, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, more commonly known as the Guggenheim, is an internationally-renowned art museum and one of the most…
11.2 MILES
It’s been over a century since Lady Liberty made her debut appearance on the New York skyline, but this iconic statue is still one of the city’s most…
National September 11 Memorial Museum
9.12 MILES
When the twin towers of the World Trade Center toppled during the awful events of 11 September 2001, it led to years of soul-searching about what would be…
Nearby attractions
1. Flushing Meadows Corona Park
0.06 MILES
Central Queens' biggest attraction is this 1225-acre park, built for the 1939 World’s Fair and dominated by Queens’ most famous landmark, the stainless…
0.1 MILES
The Queens Museum is one of the city's most unexpected pleasures. Its most famous installation is the Panorama of New York City, a gob-smacking 9335-sq-ft…
0.43 MILES
Occupying a weird 1965 building, rippling with stained glass, this science museum is unapologetically nerdy. An outdoor mini-golf course and North America…
1.04 MILES
At the peak of his career and with worldwide fame at hand, legendary trumpeter Armstrong settled in this modest Queens home, and lived there until his…
5. Greater Astoria Historical Society
4.14 MILES
At research time this labor-of-love organization and community space was in-between physical locations. Once it finds a new home (by end of 2019), expect…
4.2 MILES
This supercool complex is one of the world's top film, TV and video museums. Galleries show the best of a collection of 130,000-plus artifacts, including…
4.24 MILES
Anchored by the legendary Kaufman Astoria Studios at 34-12 36th St, this up-and-coming district comprises more than 24 blocks of Queens' cultural heart –…
4.64 MILES
On a mostly deserted block on the border of Bushwick, Brooklyn and Ridgewood, Queens sits the oldest Dutch colonial stone house in New York City. The…