Things to do in New York City
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Roosevelt Island
Not exactly part of the Upper East Side but floating in the East River between Manhattan’s eastern edge and Queens, New York’s anomalous, planned neighborhood sits on a tiny island no wider than a football field. It was once known as Blackwell’s Island after the farming family who lived here; the city bought the island in 1828 and constructed several public hospitals and a mental hospital. In the 1970s, New York State built housing for 10,000 people along Roosevelt Island’s Main St (the only street on the island). The planned area along the cobblestone roadway resembles an Olympic village or, as some observe more cynically, cookie-cutter college housing.
Zipping…
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Flushing Meadows Corona Park
The area’s biggest attraction is this 1225-acre park, built for the 1939 World’s Fair and dominated by Queens’ most famous landmark, the stainless steel Unisphere – it's the world’s biggest globe, at 120ft high and weighing 380 tons. Facing it is the former New York City Building, now home to the highly underrated Queens Museum of Art.
Just south are three weather-worn, Cold War–era New York State Pavilion Towers, part of the New York State Pavilion for the 1964 World’s Fair. If entering the park from the subway walkway, look for the 1964 World’s Fair mosaics by Salvador Dalí and Andy Warhol (just down from the pedestrian bridge from the subway). Also nearby is…
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Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge
Extending from near JFK, airport at the start of the Cross Bay Veterans Memorial Bridge, the salty, marshy Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge is one of the most important migratory bird and wetland habitats along the eastern seaboard. In spring and fall, more than 325 bird species stop in to rest and snack, snapping up all sorts of briny sea creatures like clams, turtles, shrimp and oysters. Each season brings different visitors: spring features warblers and songbirds, and American woodcocks in late March. In mid-August shorebirds start to move south, landing here from Canada, fueling up for the trip to Mexico. Fall is when migrating hawks and raptors get mobile, along with…
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Museum of Art & Origins
Contrary to popular belief, the island of Manhattan does not end at 125th St (or 59th or 14th St, for that matter). Nope, it extends all the way to 215th St, and the treasures that lie in wait for you up in those nether regions are truly worth the journey north – especially if you take advantage of the recently completed bike path along Hudson River and pedal your way here. In addition to better-known destinations such as the amazing Cloisters and beautiful Inwood Hill Park, there are pockets of culture not on many people’s radar that you’ll be happy were on yours. Two in-home attractions include the Museum of Art & Origins, where George Preston has turned three…
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Little India
Once you leave the comfort zones of Manhattan and Brooklyn, the best way to approach shopping is by area, looking at, say, a stretch of several blocks on one street as a mini bazaar, with a collection of various shops that you can wander into aimlessly, either laying down cash or simply taking in the otherworldly vibes. In Jackson Heights, Queens, the stretch of 74th St that begins at the Roosevelt Ave subway station is a good example. The Little India strip is chock full of shops selling saris, like India Sari Palace (718-426-2700; 37-07 74th St at 37th Ave; 10:30am-7pm); 24-karat-gold jewelry, at spots like Mita Jewelers (718-507-1555; 37-30 74th St at 37th Rd;…
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City Island
About 15 miles and a world away from midtown Manhattan, City Island is one of New York’s most surprising neighborhoods. Founded by the English in 1685, the 1.5-mile-long fishing community juts into the Long Island Sound and Eastchester Bay, connected to the mainland by a causeway. The Victorian clapboard houses here definitely look more New England than the Bronx, and the island is filled with boat slips, half a dozen yacht clubs and some rowdy seafood restaurants – notably Tony’s Pier (1 City Island Ave), which fries everything but the cocktails. If you’re serious about diving, sailing or fishing, head to City Island. Island Current leads fishing tours all year (from…
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New Jersey Nets
Overshadowed by but better than the Knicks, the Nets play exciting ball, though their closest championship call was being runners-up in the 2002 and 2003 finals. Perhaps what the Nets have needed is a total relocation – which is indeed in the cards. Real estate mogul Bruce Ratner bought the Nets in 2004 and after three years of delays and lawsuits his plan to build a new stadium was finally given the green light in 2009. The controversial $4 billion project will bring an 18,000-seat arena, the Barclays Center, to Brooklyn. The Nets, in the process, are likely to be rechristened the Brooklyn Nets. Construction on the stadium began as this book was being researched, with…
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Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum
The USS Intrepid survived both a WWII bomb and kamikaze attacks. Thankfully, this hulking aircraft carrier is now less stressed, playing host to a multimillion dollar interactive military museum that tells its tale through videos, historical artifacts and frozen-in-time living quarters. The flight deck features fighter planes and military helicopters, which might inspire you try the museum's high-tech flight simulators.
The rides include the G Force Encounter, which allows you to experience the virtual thrill of flying a supersonic jet plane, and the Transporter FX, a flight simulator that promises six full minutes of a ‘complete sensory overload.’ The museum is also…
reviewed
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Empire State Building Tickets - Observatory and Optional Skip the Line Tickets
2 hours (Departs New York City, New York)
by Viator
Until you see New York City from the top of the Empire State Building, you haven't really seen it! You'll remember your first visit to the Empire State Building…Not LP reviewed
from USD$25.00 -
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Metropolitan Opera House
New York’s premier opera company, the Metropolitan Opera is the place to see classics such as Carmen, Madame Butterfly and Macbeth, not to mention Wagner’s Ring Cycle. The Opera also hosts premieres and revivals of more contemporary works, such as Peter Sellars’ Nixon in China, which played here in 2011. The season runs from September to April.
Ticket prices start at $30 and can get close to $500. Note that the box seats can be a bargain, but unless you’re in boxes right over the stage, the views are dreadful. Seeing the stage requires sitting with your head cocked over a handrail – a literal pain in the neck.
For last-minute ticket-buyers there are other deals.…
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2-Day Niagara Falls Tour from New York by Bus
2 days (Departs New York City, New York)
by Viator
Leave the hustle and bustle of New York City behind and enjoy a relaxing 2-day overnight trip to Niagara Falls. You'll travel to upstate New York by bus and…Not LP reviewed
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TKTS Booth
Having that much-desired Broadway experience can break the bank – but it doesn’t have to. Thanks to the Theatre Development Fund, an arts advocacy group that sells 2.5 million theater seats annually, you can snag tickets to some of the most coveted seats at up to half the full price. Just head to the Times Sq TKTS booth, which sells cut-rate, same-day tickets to Broadway and off-Broadway shows. For evening shows, queue up from 3pm to 8pm Monday to Saturday; for matinees, line up from 10am to 2pm Wednesday to Saturday and from 11am to 3pm Sunday. A downtown TKTS (cnr Front & John Sts, Lower Manhattan; 11am-6pm Mon-Sat, to 4pm Sun) can be found at the South Street…
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Hudson River Park
Stretching from Battery Park to Hell's Kitchen, the 5-mile, 550-acre Hudson River Park runs along the lower western side of Manhattan. Diversions include a bike/run/skate path snaking along its entire length, community gardens, playgrounds, and renovated piers reinvented as riverfront esplanades, miniature golf courses, alfresco summertime movie theaters and concert venues. Visit website for a detailed map.
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Mamma Mia! On Broadway
2 hours 30 minutes (Departs New York City, New York)
by Viator
lt;pgt;Everyone's fallen in love with the music, the story and characters that make "Mamma Mia!" Broadway's ultimate feel-good show. Now it's your turn to fall…Not LP reviewed
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Boston Freedom Trail Day Trip from New York
13 hours (Departs New York City, New York)
by Viator
Take a day trip from New York to explore Boston, a city of culture and old world charm. You'll follow the famous red-brick Freedom Trail through downtown…Not LP reviewed
from USD$159.00 -
World Trade Center Walking Tour
2 or 3-hours (Departs New York City, New York)
by Viator
The World Trade Center once stood tall and prominent, one of the world’s largest financial complexes and a symbol of New York City. This New York City walking…Not LP reviewed
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NBC Studio Tours
The NBC TV network has its headquarters in the 70-story GE Building that looms over the Rockefeller Center ice-skating rink (which is transformed into a cafe in the summer months). The popular TV show created by Tina Fey, 30 Rock, gets its name from this building (and is a fictional take on Saturday Night Live behind the scenes). And the Today show broadcasts live, 7am to 10am daily, from a glass-enclosed, street-level studio near the fountain, drawing plenty of admirers below who thrill over waving to and hamming it up for the camera. You’re free to join them – or instead opt for a tour of the NBC studios, which leaves from inside the NBC Experience Store (where you can…
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Cloisters Museum & Gardens
On a hilltop overlooking the Hudson River, the Cloisters is a mesmerizing mish-mash of various European monasteries. Built in the 1930s to house the Metropolitan Museum’s medieval treasures, it also contains the beguiling 16th century tapestry The Hunt of the Unicorn. Summer is the best time to visit, when the garden's flowers and herbs are in bloom.
The frescoes, tapestries and paintings are set in galleries that sit around an airy courtyard, connected by grand archways and topped with Moorish terra-cotta roofs. Among the many rare treasures you’ll get to gaze at are a 9th-century gold plaque of St John the Evangelist and an English-made ivory sculpture of the Virgin…
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Statue of Liberty Tall Ship Sailing Cruise
Varies (Departs New York City, New York)
by Viator
Step aboard a historic sailing ship and cruise around New York Harbor, taking in magnificent views of this grand city by day, at twilight or by night. You will…Not LP reviewed
from USD$38.99 -
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Pier 45
Still known to many as the Christopher Street Pier, this is an 850ft-long finger of concrete, spiffily renovated with a grass lawn, flowerbeds, a comfort station, an outdoor cafe, tented shade shelters and a stop for the New York Water Taxi as part of the ongoing Hudson River Park project. And it’s a magnet for downtowners of all stripes, from local families with toddlers in daylight to mobs of young gay kids who flock here at night from all over the city (and beyond) because of the pier’s long-established history as a gay cruising hangout. That’s been the source of ongoing conflict in the neighborhood, where moneyed West Village residents say that the clutches of youths…
reviewed
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Skyscraper Museum
Fans of phallic architecture will love this compact, high-gloss gallery, examining skyscrapers as objects of design, engineering and urban renewal. Temporary exhibitions dominate the space, with one recent offering showcasing the world's next generation of 'Supertalls.' The permanent collection includes information on the design and construction of the Empire State Building, as well as of the World Trade Center.
The museum is also home to the cutting-edge technology known as VIVA – the Visual Index to the Virtual Archive. This visual-based interface uses a 3-D computer model of Manhattan as a clickable map, allowing users to see the city’s past and present, and to explore…
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Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum
Part of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC, this house of culture is the only museum in the country that’s dedicated to both historic and contemporary design. The collection is housed in the 64-room mansion built by billionaire Andrew Carnegie in 1901. The museum closed in 2011 for a two-year renovation and expansion. Check the website for updates.
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Sex and the City Hotspots Tour
3 hours 30 minutes (Departs New York City, New York)
by Viator
Follow in the fancy footsteps of Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda on a 'Sex and the City' tour! You'll conquer New York City and drink where the girls…Not LP reviewed
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Small-Group Photography Walking Tour of NYC
Varies (Departs New York City, New York)
by Viator
Join a professional photographer on this New York City photography tour for a one-of-kind experience you’ll never forget! Each photography workshop focuses on a…Not LP reviewed
from USD$100.00 -
Private New York Walking Tour with a Personal Photographer
by Viator
Take a private walking tour of New York City with a difference! With your very own photographer to take photos at your request, you'll explore New York's most…Not LP reviewed
from USD$100.00