The goal, walk from the Empire State Building, on West 33rd Street, to Rockefeller Center, on West 48th, without ever setting foot on 5th or 6th Avenue—to knife through tall buildings in a single bound, or at least in stepwise forays. A writer for this magazine accomplished the feat in 1956, and a photographic attempt appeared on our Web site last year. A recent lazy Friday seemed like a good time to try the experiment again.

Equipment: sneakers, jeans, a polo shirt, and a purposeful, slightly preoccupied air (Yes, I have important business here). Starting time: 16:00, when doormen are dreaming of the weekend. Expectations of success: low. The last 50 years has stripped midtown of spacious department stores such as Ohrbach’s and Stern’s, and fortified it with guards, visitors’ logs, and electronic-card-access gates.

how to get to central park from 33rd street without using avenues.

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