34th Street is the home to Macy’s Department Store, but it was also the place where Fred Astaire and his family first lived when they moved from Omaha, Nebraska, to Manhattan in 1905. They stayed briefly in the Herald Square Hotel, just across 34th Street from the famous department store.
Herald Square was named for the New York Herald newspaper, which was located on the north side of 35th Street. Statues from atop the building, which was demolished in 19xx, were relocated to the park in Herald Square, including some of the bronze owls, 26 of which adorned the roofline. The birds at the corners facing 35th street had spread wings and green glass eyes that glowed on and off when the bell tolled the hour.
Near 39th Street, if you look up at the west side of Sixth Avenue, you will see fishing line stretched between the utility poles. This is part of the eruv, a line of enclosure within which Orthodox Jews can perform tasks such as pushing a baby stroller and carrying a prayer book on the Sabbath. It was first installed in 1962. You can learn more from this New York Post article.