Car Rentals in New York City and the Rockefeller Center
The Rockefeller Center is a complex of 19 commercial buildings between 48th and 51st Streets in Midtown Manhattan between Fifth Avenue and Sixth Avenue. It is easy to get to with a car rental in New York City. There are two building complexes. The older one is from the 1930s and done in an Art Deco style. There are also four newer international-style buildings from the 1960s and 1970s, these include the Time-Life Building and the News Corporation/Fox News Channel headquarters.
John D. Rockefeller began developing the area with plans to build an opera house for the Metropolitan Opera Company. But after the stock market crashed in 1929, Rockefeller changed his mind. Instead an art deco building was constructed in 1931. A large indoor theater was built, the Radio City Music Hall, and one of the first tenants was the Radio Corporation of America.
The 71-floor GE Building is the centerpiece of the Rockefeller Center. This is where NBC has its headquarters and is where most of its New York studios are located. This is where Saturday Night Live is filmed, if you want to go with your car rental in New York City to catch a show.
Wintertime Fun
If you are in town during the Christmas holidays, you will want to go by the Rockefeller Center with your car rental in New York City to see the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree. It has been lit every December since 1937 and has grown to be a New York tradition. It grew as a tradition from 1931 when the construction workers put up a tree while they were building the complex. Today it is the biggest, brightest, and most famous evergreen in the United States.
Also happening in the winter is ice skating. The rink at Rockefeller Center is world-famous for its winter activities. More than a quarter of a million people skate here every year from October through April. You don't need to bring your skates along with you in your car rental in New York City because you can rent them here. It can get a little crowded though, especially during the holiday season!
Rockettes and Much More
With your car rental in New York City come to the Radio City Music Hall, located in the Rockefeller Center. This is where the legendary Rockettes perform, along with some of the world's greatest entertainers. If you can't catch a show here, there are guided tours that include the Great Stage, the stage's hydraulic system, the private suite, and even a meeting with a Radio City Rockette.
You can also take a tour of the NBC studios while you are here with your car rental in New York City. These tours run every day of the week and depart every 15-30 minutes. Reservations are recommended, but not required. The tour may change depending on what is going on that particular day, but they are very similar. Also, please note that children under six are not admitted to the tour. The tour will take you through NBC's operations and history. It will include some of television's early techniques and will even feature a video about some of the great events on NBC. Finally, you will get to see some of NBC's most famous studios including Studio 3C (NBC Nightly News), 3B (Dateline), and 3K (NBC Sport), among others.