There is an Armed Forces recruiting station in Times Square. Built like an above-ground bunker, this baby is home to a recruiter from each of the four armed services. It is cramped inside and looks more like speed-dating venue. I don’t even think there is a bathroom. But what trip to the Big Apple could be complete without seeing this piece of Americana? Price per foot, it may be the most valuable piece of property DoD owns, though research shows it has been exempt from rent since 1950.
A police station sits across the street and a cruiser is parked outside, which I am sure has been a god send more than once since the station was established in 1946. The Times Square station is billed as the nation’s busiest. It was damaged in a 2008 bombing. It is anything but dull, and you can find it on a small traffic island between Broadway and 7th Avenue at 43rd Street.
One other military area we saw was Grand Army Plaza located at the southern most corner of Central Park. It is considered a part of the immense park. The plaza was finished in 1916 and takes its name from the Union’s Grand Army of the Potomac of Civil War fame. There is a gilt statue of Civil War Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman. Sherman moved to New York City after the war and is said to have ridden his horse and carriage through the park each day.
Your life can still be complete if you miss this underwhelming piece of real estate.
A grander park of the same name is in Brooklyn. I have not visited, but is said to cover 11 acres and boasts a number of arches and statues.
Though I did not get to it, there is an armory on Park Avenue. It was built during the 19 century by the state for New York’s Seventh Regiment . It is said to have been a haven for the rich. It is now home to the arts. It sits at 643 Park Avenue and fills a city block.
Sure, there’s the Intrepid Museum. But with a recruiting facility in Times Square and military monuments on the posh Upper East Side, what can be better than to stumble across sites (free of charge) in the city that never sleeps?