USA: New York City, NY

Michael stayed and worked in New York City at various times during his life. The most notable places associated with him in the city:

APOLLO THEATER IN HARLEM
This is where it all began. In 1967, the Jackson 5 won a competition during the Amateur Night showdown at the Apollo, impressing Gladys Knight who then introduced them to Berry Gordy, owner of the Motown Records. Berry Gordy gave the group a chance at the audition, and the rest is history.
It’s from the wings of the Apollo young Michael Jackson closely watched performances of James Brown and Jackie Wilson, soaking their mastery and learning how to conquer the audience.

There are daily guided tours inside the theater. During the tour you may be allowed to come up on stage and even perform a song there, so come prepared! At the side of the stage there is the trunk of a tree which is said to bestow luck on anyone who touches it. The legend has it that in the 60s, before the Jackson 5 performance, Michael touched the trunk not once, but twice. It was the second touch that gave him extra magic he carried his entire life.

Apollo still holds amateur nights for beginner artists every Wednesday. Check it out if you have time. Who knows, maybe you’ll be lucky to witness the birth of a new legend…
253 West 125th Street, New York

HOYT-SCHERMERHORN SUBWAY STATION
The station’s mezzanine was the main setting for the filming of music video “Bad”. Part of the area of the station was used at the time because it was abandoned and now is inaccessible to visitors. The old turnstiles have been replaced, so you won’t have a chance to practice “the jump”. But the staircases where the gang danced and MJ once did a couple of photos still look exactly the same.

The station was also featured in movie “The Wiz” in which the characters find themselves in a strange Emerald city subway with evil monsters such as chomping trashcans and subway columns that move and try to trap the characters.

You can get to the station by taking the A or C subway lines from Penn Station.

THE NEW YORK PALACE HOTEL (FORMER HELMSLEY PALACE)
This was Michael’s all-time favorite place to stay in New York City. He often stayed here when he came to New York to do perform, e.g. for his BAD tour shows and shows at Madison Square Garden in 2001. When Michael needed to rehearse before the shows, the hotel management built a special floor in his room he could dance on. In these walls he and Jeffrey Daniels came up with the dance for video “Bad” in 1987; in these walls he recorded the slow into to “The Way You Make Me Feel” for the ‘88 Grammy awards performance.
455 Madison Avenue, New York

MADISON SQUARE GARDEN
Many pop and rock legends from Led Zeppelin to Britney Spears have graced the stage of Madison Square Garden. Jackson 5 made their TV debut in MSG in 1969. The Jacksons’ first and only live album titled Live featured the group’s performance at MSG during the Triumph Tour on September 1981. Later Michael performed here solo during the BAD Tour and gave two famous concerts of the 30th Anniversary Celebration in September 2001.
46 Pennsylvania Plaza (8th Avenue & 33rd Street), Manhattan

CARNEGIE HALL
On February 14 of 2001, Michael gave a moving speech in Carnegie Hall in promotion of his Heal The Kids initiative. The event went largely unreported, and it’s a shame that to this day no good-quality recording of the whole speech is publicly available. Read the transcript of the speech.
881 7th Ave, Manhattan

EX-STUDIO 54
“Studio 54”, the legendary disco nightclub of the late 70s, opened on April 26, 1977 and closed in March 1986. During his stay in NYC for the filming of “The Wiz”, Michael used to visit the club frequently, hang out with celebrities and soak in disco music that would influence his future Off The Wall album. He was often escorted to the club by Liza Minnelli and always taken to the basement where there were no rules at all. Michael adamantly turned down all drugs, but sources say, he would sometimes watch the sexual action in the shadows not unlike the way he watched James Brown.

Since 1998, the place has been a venue for the Roundabout Theatre Company. On weeks when plays are not being staged, the second floor of the theater is used as a nightclub operating under the name “Upstairs at Studio 54”.
254 West 54th Street, Manhattan

HIT FACTORY RECORDING STUDIO
This is the recording studio where HIStory sessions were held. Many great memories of recording engineers and producers from those sessions can be found on Gearslutz.com board.
The New York location of the Hit Factory studio was closed in 2005 and converted into condominiums, but you can still see the building with the name above the front door.
421 W 54th St, New York

TRUMP TOWER
Michael stayed in the Trump Tower on 5th Avenue while recording songs for HIStory album in 1994. This was where his romance with Lisa Marie flourished:

“Jackson, who is worth an estimated $100 million, and Presley, whose own fortune tops out at $100 million, have been seen together around New York City for at least six months. Lisa Marie, according to one source, is a regular visitor to Jackson’s duplex apartment in Trump Tower, just beneath Donald and Maria Trump’s triplex home. The romance first came to light early this year . Jackson was spotted dining with his friends the Trumps at Manhattan’s Le Cirque restaurant. Apropos of nothing, Jackson suddenly said, “You know what? I’m in love. Her name is Lisa.”
— People, 1994

725 5th Avenue, New York

MADAME TUSSAUD’S MUSEUM
Every Madame Tussaud’s museum in the world has a figure of Michael Jackson, and New York is no exception. The figure doesn’t look much like Michael though. It appears that his features are very hard to sculpt.
234 West 42nd Street, between 7th and 8th Avenues, Times Square

ANNUAL MJ BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION IN BROOKLYN
Spike Lee, the director of MJ’s music videos for “They Don’t Care About Us,” hosts an annual MJ birthday party in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park. It’s a 6-hour celebration full of joy, music and L.O.V.E., with free admission. The party usually falls on the weekend closest to August 29. Check Spike Lee’s website http://www.40acres.com/ and facebook https://www.facebook.com/BrooklynLovesMichaelJackson for the latest info and directions.

Spike’s party is international. If you are coming from abroad, take you country flag with you! It will get you a lot of attention and positive reactions from people around. 😉 Also make sure you have something to sit on and a cover for your head and shoulders. On a sunny day it is extremely hot, and there is almost no shadow around there.

Sources used: NYDailyNews.com, Wikipedia.