Japanese architect Yoshio Taniguchi's light-strewn temple houses the greatest collection of 20th modern art. Period. You can say that from the atrium of the Tate Moderne and it will still be true.

In 1932, John D. Rockefeller gambled that a luxurious concert venue would help reinvigorate the then struggling neighborhood surrounding Rockefeller Center. With Radio City still going strong more than 75 years later, it's clear that Rockefeller was right. The venue's most famous residents, The Rockettes, have sold out every Christmas show since 1933, and Radio City has hosted some of the world's greatest entertainers, from Aretha Franklin to Elton John. Radio City currently hosts Cirque du Soleil's extravagant Zarkana show.

John D. Rockefeller Jr. originally planned for the site to hold a giant opera house and other arts venues, but when the Depression interrupted his plans, the billionaire decided to make the 19 building complex into a mixed business and retail center. In addition to housing the headquarters of Bank of America, General Electric, NBC and CBS, Rockefeller Center remains a bustling destination with New Yorkers and tourists alike, who flock to the outdoor skating rink, grand plaza, Top of the Rock, the underground shopping and dining concourse, Christie's Auction House and Radio City Music Hall.

An observation deck 850 feet above street-level, Top of the Rock's views are rivaled only by those of the Empire State Building. From the art deco observation deck, you can see the Statue of Liberty to the south and the entirety of Central Park to the north.

The Late Show with David Letterman is filmed at the historic Ed Sullivan Theater, which was originally built by Arthur Hammerstein and has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places.