United Nations HQs

It was a great experience to see the UN up-close, very informative. The building is very nice and has some great rooms and architecture .

I did the tour which I really liked and would recommend as an essential part of any visit (it’s the only way you can see anything other than the basement and ground floors), although I felt it spent too much time on pointing out the positive aspects of the UN, which I guess is to expected on a tour. Nonetheless very informative and the tour guide gave us plenty of opportunity to ask questions. The tours run fairly often from the morning up until around 4:15PM. There was a small line I had to wait in to buy my tickets and then wait again for my tour to start, but there is plenty to see in the nice, large lobby. Food and drink are not permitted on the tour.

I was just there for the International Friendship Run that precedes the New York Marathon. We were thousands, from all over the world, just having fun, and warming up for the New York Marathon on the next day.

In college, I was in Model UN for a year (DORK!) and my team went to New York to participate in the National Model UN conference. We spent most of our days hashing out things in the beauty of the Hilton hotel, but on our last day all the delegates went to the UN for our final meeting. It was amazing to be a pretend diplomat in the same place where actual diplomats work.

Kofi Annan gets me all fangirly. (DORK!) I have a (very dark) picture of me looking exaggeratedly pensive and intense from behind the very podium where my beloved Kofi speaks.

fairly often, for school field trips… how cool is that?

I went in 5th grade. It was nice. I lost my wallet there and I bought a black teddy bear. I also remember meeting Kofi Anon. hahaha. I didn’t know who he was at the time really though. :)

Why? “For safety reasons, children under age 5 are not admitted on tour.”

And it seems a little silly to get a sitter to visit the UN.

Interesting place.

They have great tours of the building, and it’s a really neat feeling to be in the one place where all the countries in the world get together and try their best to cooperate.

I took a student group to the UN Headquarters. It was a fascinating visit! We got to hear presentations from the folks at UNDP (UN Development Programme) & ask questions. Then a guy from the Environment Programme worked with us for a bit. He helped us understand the thorny issues that have to be addressed—for example, how to evaluate proposals for aid for big infrastructure projects. You don’t just have to ask who will benefit (just the elites, or the grassroots folks?) & how the project will affect the environment; you also have to gather opinions & views throughout the country, & you have to be very diplomatic.

On a lighter note, the gift shop is big & full of cool stuff. And there is lots of wonderful art on the grounds & in the buildings—sculptures, tapestries, paintings.

I’m not offering to answer questions about it because I really don’t know the procedure for a private party to visit the UN, or other details you’d want to know before visiting. BUT I encourage you to go if you possibly can!