Midtown Manhattan at a Glance:

• At the very heart of Manhattan tourism once resided a quiet suburban farm community. In the early 1800's, country estates gave way to a gentrified neighborhood dotted with brownstones and townhouses.
  
  
• Not until the opening of the first Grand Central Terminal in 1871 did the area (roughly bounded by 31st Street to 59th Street between Third and Ninth Avenues) finally emerge as a major Manhattan hub — around which sprang the nation's first skyscrapers and one of the world's busiest commercial centers.
  
  
• Today, major tourist attractions include the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building, Madison Square Garden, Grand Central Station, the New York Public Library, Rockefeller Center, Radio City Music Hall, St. Patrick's Cathedral, Times Square, the Theater District, and major shopping opportunities at Macy's, Bloomingdales and along Fifth Avenue.

More about Midtown Manhattan around the Web:

Midtown directory & guide

Midtown Manhattan Panorama

also see -> Murray Hill Midtown Photo Gallery