Occupying a cavernous ground-floor space in SoHo is this 1979 installation by the late American artist Walter De Maria. The work consists of 500 solid brass rods, positioned in five parallel rows, with the space between the rods increasing by 5mm with each consecutive space, from front to back. The result: a playful subversion of spacial perception. The rods appear to be identically spaced, even though at the back they're almost 2ft apart. No photos allowed.
Broken Kilometer
SoHo & Chinatown
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
4.33 MILES
What started with a handful of paintings brought over from Europe or donated by a coterie of philanthropically minded robber barons in the 19th century…
4.46 MILES
One of the world’s most renowned green spaces, Central Park comprises 843 acres of rolling meadows, boulder-studded outcroppings, elm-lined walkways,…
2.61 MILES
Located in New York Harbor, Ellis Island is the US's most famous and historically important gateway and is home to one of the country’s most moving…
1.89 MILES
The Chrysler Building may be prettier, and One World Trade Center taller, but the queen bee of the New York skyline remains the Empire State Building. NYC…
0.95 MILES
Spanning three levels at the top of the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere, One World Observatory offers dazzling panoramic views over Manhattan's…
4.67 MILES
A New York icon, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, more commonly known as the Guggenheim, is an internationally-renowned art museum and one of the most…
3.28 MILES
It’s been over a century since Lady Liberty made her debut appearance on the New York skyline, but this iconic statue is still one of the city’s most…
National September 11 Memorial Museum
1.02 MILES
When the twin towers of the World Trade Center toppled during the awful events of 11 September 2001, it led to years of soul-searching about what would be…
Nearby SoHo & Chinatown attractions
0.13 MILES
America's only nonprofit institute focused solely on drawings, the Drawing Center uses work by masters as well as unknowns to juxtapose the medium's…
0.15 MILES
The former home and studio of the late American artist Donald Judd offers a fascinating glimpse into the life and artistic practices of the minimalist…
3. Leslie-Lohman Museum of Gay & Lesbian Art
0.17 MILES
The world's first museum dedicated to LGBTIQ+ themes stages six to eight annual exhibitions of both homegrown and international art. Offerings have…
0.18 MILES
Since 1980 the oddity of the New York Earth Room, the work of artist Walter De Maria, has been wooing the curious with something not easily found in the…
0.3 MILES
In a grand old firehouse dating from 1904, this ode to firefighters includes a fantastic collection of historic equipment and artifacts. Eye up everything…
0.33 MILES
Now a designer shoe store, this was once the Ravenite Social Club, an infamous mobster hangout. It was right here that big hitters such as John Gotti (as…
7. Museum of Chinese in America
0.36 MILES
In this space designed by architect Maya Lin (designer of the famed Vietnam Memorial in Washington DC) is a multifaceted museum whose engaging permanent…
8. Basilica of St Patrick's Old Cathedral
0.38 MILES
Though St Patrick’s Cathedral is now famously located on Fifth Ave in Midtown, its first congregation was housed here, in this restored Gothic Revival…