NYC's Centre 360 Opens the Municipal Building Cupola in Lower Manhattan, Free

The cupola atop the David N. Dinkins Municipal Building at 1 Centre Street in Lower Manhattan is open to the public, the first time since the building's completion in 1914 that the city has offered this view. The program is called Centre 360, it is run by the city's Department of Citywide Administrative Services, and admission is free.

Visits are by reservation. Each experience takes eight guests and lasts about 15 minutes, including the ascent, and bookings are limited to parties of five. Visitors check in at the CityStore entrance on Centre Street, show a photo ID to building security and hear a short welcome. An elevator takes the group to the 24th floor, where they transfer to the tower elevator up to the cupola. The balcony lets you walk a full circle beneath Civic Fame, the 25-foot gilded statue by Adolph Weinman, about 580 feet above the street.

The view changes with each side. North is Midtown, with the Empire State and Chrysler buildings. East is the East River and the Brooklyn, Manhattan and Williamsburg bridges. South is the harbor and One World Trade Center. West brings the courthouses, City Hall and the Hudson. A phone-based Landmark Hunt on the official site gives you a checklist of what to spot.

The building itself is worth the trip. McKim, Mead and White designed it in the Beaux Arts style to house 40 city agencies, and it was the first US government building constructed directly over a working subway line.

Visits run Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., departing hourly on the hour, and the site is closed on weekends. Access depends on the weather. Children under 18 must be with an adult and at least 42 inches tall. Wear closed-toe shoes. Cameras and phones are welcome, but tripods and drones are not. The Brooklyn Bridge–City Hall stop is nearby, served by the 4, 5, 6, J, Z, R and W trains.