Madison Square Garden

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Neither square-shaped nor on Madison Avenue and without a single patch of green within its cylindrical walls, this iconic behemoth takes its name from its original 1879 Vanderbilt-built building and location. Architectural buffs still sniff at the current structure erected in 1968, which is actually the venue’s fourth incarnation, and stands on the site of Charles McKim’s much-mourned 1910 Penn Station. But even its critics concede that it has consistently been the stage for some of the world’s biggest events, from Democratic and Republican political conventions to the famous Frazier-Ali bouts to the post-9/11 Concert for NYC. In addition to being the home of the Knicks, Rangers, Liberty, and Billy Joel � who holds the record for the venue’s longest run and most performances by any artist � MSG holds 300 events a year in the 19,500 capacity arena and the more intimate 5,600-seat Theater at Madison Square Garden. — Kathleen Squires

Retired jerseys of sports greats like the Knicks’ Patrick Ewing and the Rangers’ Mike Richter are hung in the rafters.

Tours
All-access tours (which take you backstage, in the locker rooms and within the MSG studios) are available daily from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. $27, $19 for seniors and students, $18 for children.