The Madison Square Garden is one of the biggest sports arenas in the world. It is home to professional basketball and ice hockey along with other sports such as boxing, concerts, and professional wrestling. Initially, it was named Madison Square Garden Center back in 1968 and happens to be the oldest major sporting facility in the New York metropolitan area. Furthermore, it is the oldest arena in the National Basketball Association and National Hockey League.
In 2016, the MSG was described as the second busiest music arena in the world after The O2 Arena in London. Considering the number of events taking place here all year, you must be planning a ladies’ night out at Madison Square Garden. Let’s take a look at the things you can do and events you can experience to make the most out of your trip.
Sports
As mentioned earlier, the Madison Square Garden is one of the busiest sports arenas in the world, and for the right reasons. This is a place where if not thousands but hundreds of professional events take place annually. It is estimated that the Madison Square Garden hosts around 320 events per year. It is home to the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League and the New York Nicks of the National Basketball Association.
Moreover, before 2020, the New York Rangers, New York Nicks, and the Madison Square Garden itself were owned by the Madison Square Garden Company. In addition to that, the Garden was also home to the NBA Draft and NIT Season Tip-Off along with the former New York City home of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus, and Disney on Ice. If that wasn’t enough, you should know that some of the biggest boxing fights also took place here including the first Muhammad Ali Vs Joe Frazier and the US debut of Anthony Joshua that was a huge upset. Before boxing was moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, the Madison Square Garden was called the Mecca of boxing.
Pro-Wrestling
While the Madison Square Garden was considered as the mecca for professional wrestling, it was also described as the home of World Wrestling Entertainment. Recalling, history, the Garden has hosted three WrestleMania events, more than any arena. It has hosted the Royal Rumble in 2000 and 2008 along with Summer Slam in 1988, 1991, and 1998.
Concerts
When it comes to concerts, the Madison Square Garden has hosted and still hosts the most high-profile concerts than any other arena in New York City. It has been the venue for Michael Jackson’s Bad World Tour, John Lennon’s final concert appearance, The Concert for New York City following the September 11 attacks, and Elvis Presley, who gave four sold-out performances in 1972.
At a point in time, Elton John held the all-time record for the greatest number of appearances at the Garden with 64 shows. Considering the number of performances it is home to every year, the Madison Square Garden is undoubtedly is one of the world’s most famous arena. Legendary musicians and singers have taken over the arena and held big events in NYC that have gone straight into the history books.
For instance, the Grateful Dead has performed 53 times in this Arena, while Madonna, Bruce Springsteen, and U2 have performed numerous times. Therefore, if you are planning a ladies’ night out event, make sure that you check for any events taking place in the Garden online. Although the tickets maybe expensive depending on the concert or event but you will hardly get the same experience elsewhere because they do not have such sports and concert arenas in the world.
Things To Do Near Madison Square Garden
The Pennsy Food Hall
Since the Madison Square Garden is a large arena, one must feel hungry after all the walking and shouting in excitement. To give your stomach a taste of the New York spices, head over to the Penny Food Hall that is home to almost every vendor you prefer and like. You can find everything from pastries to made-to-order sandwiches here. Plus, it has something for every taste.
Bryant Park
The Bryant Park is known as “Manhattan’s Town Square”, this year-round destination is home to both indoor and outdoor spaces for relaxing, recreation, and dining. Each year, Winter Village is setup that features an ice rink offering free skating classes. In the warmer months, you can enjoy movies and music here along with special performances and picnics with themes like opera, ballet, and Shakespeare.
Keens Steakhouse
The Keens Steakhouse is the ultimate steak source based in New York City. Known for its unique settings including Turkish carpets, an oversize reclining painting with a fine selection of fine, the steakhouse is on another level. Furthermore, it is home to more than 90,000 smoking pipes, which is the largest collection to date.
Final Word
Concluding, the Madison Square Garden is a sports and music-based entertainment arena. Although it does not offer anything more than what it specializes in but you are sure to make your money worth it. Therefore, if you are in New York City or planning to visit, make sure that you attend an event in the Madison Square Garden.