Things to do in New York City
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New York City Guided Sightseeing Tour by Luxury Coach
Depends on option selected (Departs New York City, New York)
by Viator
Choose from three exciting itineraries over 4, 6 and 8.5 hours and enjoy a comprehensive guided sightseeing tour of New York City by luxury coach! On all…Not LP reviewed
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Garment District
Otherwise known as the Fashion District, this thread-obsessed area might look like an unremarkable-looking stretch of designers' offices and wholesale and retail shops, but it's where you'll find a huge selection of fabrics, sequins, lace and, chances are, those day-glo velvet buttons you've been missing since 1986.
Look down at the sidewalk when you hit Seventh and 39th St and you'll catch the Fashion Walk of Fame, honoring the likes of Betsey Johnson, Marc Jacobs, Geoffrey Beene, Halston and other fashion visionaries. It's on the same corner as Claes Oldenburg's sculpture of the world's largest button, held upright by a 31ft-tall steel needle.
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Mother African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church
Treating Harlem Sunday services, which are mostly Baptist, like a theatrical tourist event is a bit of an odd pastime. Still, the music is electrifying, and folks with any desire to feel immersed in such soulfulness will have a hard time staying away. Just behave respectfully and logically – no photos of worshipers in action, for example – and the experience should be a great one. An old saying says that in Harlem ‘there’s a bar on every corner and a church on every block.’ Sunday services usually start at 11am. The Abyssinian Baptist Church (132 Odell Clark Pl (138th St) btwn Adam Clayton Powell Jr & Malcolm X Blvds) is quite welcoming to outsiders, as is the …
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Inwood Hill Park
This gorgeous 197-acre park contains the last natural forest and salt marsh in Manhattan. It’s a cool escape in summer and a great place to explore anytime, as you’ll find hilly paths for hiking and mellow, grassy patches and benches for quiet contemplation. It’s so peaceful and un-urban here, in fact, that the treetops serve as frequent nesting sites for bald eagles.
You’ll find helpful rangers and a slew of educational programs, many geared toward children, at the Inwood Hill Nature Center. Let your sporty side rip on basketball courts, horseback-riding trails, and soccer and football fields; you can also join locals who barbecue at designated grills on…
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Mahayana Temple
The Mahayana Buddhist Temple holds one golden, 16ft-high Buddha, sitting on a lotus and edged with offerings of fresh oranges, apples and flowers. Mahayana is the largest Buddhist temple in Chinatown, and its facade, right near the frenzied vehicle entrance to the Manhattan Bridge, features two giant golden lions for protection; its interior is simple, with a wooden floor, red chairs and red paper lanterns – but all these are trumped by the magnificent Buddha, thought to be the largest in the city.
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Museum of Arts & Design
MAD offers four floors of superlative design and handicrafts, from blown glass and carved wood to elaborate metal jewelry. Its temporary exhibitions are nothing short of innovative, with past shows exploring anything from American modernism to art made from dust, ash, dirt and sand. Stock up on contemporary jewelry and design objects in the gift shop or sip cocktails at the 9th-floor restaurant/bar.
Formerly housed around the corner on 53rd St, the museum made a big splash when it moved into this Columbus Circle building after much controversy from folks who wanted to landmark and protect the long-empty building, originally the Gallery of Modern Art in 1964, with a…
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USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center
The US Open takes place in late August; tickets usually go on sale at Ticketmaster in April or May, but are hard to get for marquee games. General admission to early rounds is easier; running about $80 (top bleachers on Court 7 can take in five matches at once). Scan the USTA website in January/February for updates.
The USTA has 30 outdoor courts and an indoor tennis center with 12 courts (per hour outdoor court $20 to $32, indoor court $20 to $65) that can be hired. Reservations can be made up to two days in advance. Hourly lessons are $90 to $120.
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Ouest
The destination dining room from chef-owner Tom Valenti is the place that sparked the latest neighborhood revival. Behind the deco facade you’ll find sumptuous red leather banquettes, huge mirrors and low lighting that casts a romantic amber glow. But it’s the heavy-hitting, expertly prepared classics – shellfish ragout, grilled rack of lamb, pan-roasted squab, seared tuna – that people trudge here for. Another, newer Valenti outpost in the ’hood is West Branch, a slightly more casual (there’s a bar with a flat-screen TV) but no less handsome spot, where the focus is still French – witness the steak tartare and duck-leg confit – with some more accessible (and…
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Farm on Adderley
Found a few long blocks south of Prospect Park, the long-neglected Ditmas Park – with Leave It to Beaver– style blocks of shady, two-story homes – has become a surprising food destination, particularly along Cortelyou Rd, where you can find great mom-and-pop tacos and anarchist coffee. Nothing put Ditmas Park on the map like the Farm on Adderley. It’s sceney in a good way, a tin-ceiling transformation of an old laundromat and a back patio. It can get a bit cramped inside, but nowhere serves better food for less: as chef Tom Kearney puts it, the goal is ‘to keep prices gentle.’ Dishes take some imaginative twists: lots of fish dishes ($17 to $20), poached chicken…
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Strivers’ Row
Also known as the St Nicholas Historic District, these streets were popular with Harlem’s elite in the 1920s. Its graceful row houses and apartments, many of which date back to the 1890s, draw visitors from all over. Keep your eyes peeled for informative historical plaques and alleyway signs advising visitors to ‘walk your horses.’
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New York Dinner Cruise with Buffet
3 hours (Departs New York City, New York)
by Viator
lt;stronggt;lt;/stronggt;Grab your friends or that special someone and get ready for 3-hours of real New York fun! This New York dinner cruise includes live…Not LP reviewed
from USD$112.99 -
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Woolworth Building
The world's tallest building upon completion in 1913, Cass Gilbert’s 60-story Woolworth Building is a neo-Gothic marvel, elegantly clad in masonry and terra-cotta. Surpassed in height by the Chrysler Building in 1930, the 792ft-tall tower is off-limits to visitors these days (try to sneak a peak at the beautifully preserved lobby). Alternatively, admire the facade from City Hall Park across the street.
At its dedication, the building was described as a ‘cathedral of commerce’ – though meant as an insult, FW Woolworth, head of the five-and-dime chain store empire headquartered there, took the comment as a compliment and began throwing the term around himself. Subversion…
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Harrison Street Houses
Built between 1804 and 1828, the eight townhouses on the block of Harrison St immediately west of Greenwich St constitute the largest collection of Federal architecture left in NYC. Yet only the buildings at 31 and 33 Harrison St remain where they were originally constructed. The other six once stood two blocks away, on a stretch of Washington St that no longer exists.
In the early 1970s, that site was home to the Washington Market, a wholesale fruit and vegetable shopping complex. But development of the waterfront – which resulted in the construction of the Borough of Manhattan Community College and the Soviet-style concrete apartment complex that now looms over the…
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Harlem Sunday-Morning Gospel Tour
4/5 hrs (Departs New York City, New York)
by Viator
lt;pgt;Spend Sunday morning in Harlem, the ethnically diverse borough of New York. You'll join a local church congregation and experience the soul-stirring…Not LP reviewed
from USD$58.99 -
Philadelphia and Amish Country Day Trip from New York
13 hours (Departs New York City, New York)
by Viator
Explore the countryside outside New York on a day trip to Philadelphia and Lancaster County, home of the Amish people. You'll drive through the beautiful…Not LP reviewed
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Top of the Rock Observation Deck, New York
60 minutes (Departs New York City, New York)
by Viator
Daytime or night-time - anytime is the right time to visit the Top of the Rock Observation Deck. Perched 70 stories above the city at Rockefeller Plaza, the…Not LP reviewed
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New York Manhattan Scenic Helicopter Tour
18 minutes (Departs New York City, New York)
by Viator
lt;!-- --gt; lt;!-- --gt; Take to the skies on a helicopter tour to see New York's amazing skyline! On this scenic 18-minute helicopter flight you'll soar…Not LP reviewed
from USD$174.99 -
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Cage
This park began as a 'potter's field' - a burial ground for the penniless - and its status as a cemetery protected it from development. It is now an incredibly well-used park, especially on the weekend. Children use the playground, NYU students catch some rays and friends meet 'under the arch, ' the recently renovated landmark on the park's northern edge, designed in 1889 by society architect Stanford White. A controversial $16-million renovation plan that some residents feared would reduce the informality and character of the park has meant more symmetry, landscaping and higher fences. The undersized basketball court, the Cage, considered one of the more competitive…
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Bateaux New York Dinner Cruise
3 hours (Departs New York City, New York)
by Viator
lt;pgt;On this New York City dinner cruise you will enjoy breathtaking views of New York's skyline and Manhattan's lively coast. Savor gourmet cuisine, live…Not LP reviewed
from USD$165.00 -
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Morningside Park
This 13-block finger of green has playgrounds, shaded pathways, an arboretum and several sculpture memorials. (The Seligman Fountain, featuring a bear and a faun, is delightfully weird.) In the area behind the Cathedral Church of St John the Divine, you’ll find a pond and waterfall. A farmers market is held here on Saturdays from June through December.
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Mary Boone Gallery
Among the showcases that create the most buzz in these parts are the so-called ‘blue-chip’ galleries, including the Mary Boone Gallery, whose owner found fame in the ’80s with her eye for Jean-Michel Basquiat and Julian Schnabel in SoHo.
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The Lion King On Broadway
2 hours 45 minutes (Departs New York City, New York)
by Viator
lt;pgt;Book your tickets for the Tony-winning extravaganza "The Lion King" on Broadway. A favorite with children and adults alike, "The Lion King" is a visual…Not LP reviewed
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Jewish Museum
This New York City gem is tucked into a French-Gothic mansion from 1908, which houses 30,000 items of Judaica, as well as sculpture, painting and decorative arts. It is well regarded for its thoughtful temporary exhibits, featuring retrospectives on influential figures such as Chaim Soutine and sprawling examinations of socially conscious photography in New York.
There are frequent lectures and events, as well as an array of activities for children. Every January, the museum collaborates with the Film Society of Lincoln Center to present the New York Jewish Film Festival.
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New-York Historical Society
As the antiquated hyphenated name implies, the Historical Society is the city’s oldest museum, founded in 1804 to preserve the city’s historical and cultural artifacts. Its collection of more than 60,000 objects is quirky and fascinating and includes everything from George Washington’s inauguration chair to a 19th century Tiffany ice cream dish (gilded, of course).
Other treasures include a leg brace worn by President Franklin D Roosevelt, a 19th century mechanical bank in which a political figure slips coins into his pocket and photographer Jack Stewart’s graffiti-covered door from the 1970s (featuring tags by known graffiti writers such as Tracy 168). In the…
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Washington Square Park
What was once a potter’s field and a square for public executions is now the unofficial town square of the Village, and plays host to lounging NYU students, fire-eating street performers, curious canines and their owners, and legions of speed-chess pros. Encased in perfectly manicured brownstones and gorgeous twists of modern architecture (all owned by NYU) Washington Square Park is one of the most beautiful garden spaces in the city – especially as you are welcomed by the iconic Stanford White Arch on the north side of the green.The arch, colloquially known as the Washington Square Arch, dominates the park with its 72ft of beaming white Dover marble. Originally designed…
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