One of the mysteries of New York is that the closer you look at even a corner as small as a corner, the more you see. And the more you look, the faster it changes before your eyes. People can live here for 100 years and never run out of places to go or meet people; Deciding what to do first in New York can be a difficult task, so we're narrowing down your options. Whether you're a local looking to escape your neighborhood or a foreigner who can't tell the Met from the Mets, these new and classic activities will blow your mind. From strolling through Central Park to tasting soup in Chinatown, here are some of New York's all-time favorite things to do, from Midtown to Brooklyn.
1. Central Park
To experience Nora Ephron in New York, you have no choice but to stroll through Central Park while you're in town. As you leave the bustling sidewalks of 59th Street for a mass of greenery, you barely notice what awaits you: 693 acres of man-made gardens, meadows, forests and rolling hills. If you had walked each of the trails in Central Park, you would have walked 93 miles. Along the way, you come across sculptures, bridges and arches, but also 21 playgrounds, an ice rink in winter and even a petting zoo. But the four main highways that run through the city, artfully disappearing into tree-lined tunnels, are barely noticeable. As you follow your route to the park, stop at historic highlights in Central Park, including the Bethesda Fountain, the Bow Bridge, Belvedere Castle, and the John Lennon Memorial at Strawberry Fields.
2. Chinatown
Chinatown is one of the neighborhoods that make Lower Manhattan vibrant and memorable. As they descended the stairs from the Canal Street subway station to the sidewalk, they passed a dense crowd, neon-lit shops and vendors selling fake designer handbags, large ducks hanging from the windows and d old and new restaurants. Stretching across Tribeca, SoHo, Little Italy, and the Lower East Side, Chinatown has a rich history, having been settled by Chinese immigrants as early as the 1850s. You can tour it any way you like. Spend an hour buying a box of roast pork or duck at No. 1 Wah Fung before heading elsewhere, or spend half a day shopping, dining out, and visiting the museum. Every Chinese in America will benefit from a visit to Chinatown.
3. Whitney Museum of American Art
The Whitney received a major upgrade when it moved from the Upper East Side to the massively expanded Meatpacking headquarters in 2015. It houses 50,000 square feet of covered galleries featuring works by Jean Michel Basquiat, Richard Avedon and Alexander Calder, four nature exhibition spaces and a terrace. , as well as a restaurant on the ground floor and a bar on the top floor, both run by Danny Meyer, one of the most famous in town. famous restaurants. The floors are connected by two artist-designed (though slow and busy) elevators. If mobility isn't an issue, take the stairs that offer panoramic views of the Hudson River. The upper floors and sculptural terraces are also connected by a series of exterior staircases, offering great views of the downtown skyline and a unique opportunity to experience outdoor art.
4. Morgan Library and Museum
Morgan is like a multi-millennial: only instead of being an actress/model/influencer/whatever, she's a museum/library/painting/historical/musical site. Expanded into a must-see museum and cultural space, the billionaire's personal library is home to rare artifacts, paintings and books, some dating back to 4000 BC. worth more than your house. The museum houses one of 23 copies of the original Declaration of Independence; Mozart's manuscript score for the Haffner Symphony; the complete works of African-American poet Phillis Wheatley; the only extant manuscript of Milton's Paradise Lost; and Charles Dickens' manuscript for A Christmas Carol, Swoon.
5.The Cathedral of St. John the Divine
The Cathedral of Saint John the Divine, located at 112th & Amsterdam, Morningside Heights, Upper Manhattan, is the largest cathedral in the world and the sixth largest church by area. No wonder hundreds of thousands of visitors pass through these doors every year. The cathedral itself is worth a visit for its stunning Gothic architecture, stained glass windows and 17th-century tapestries. But there are also works of art here that have special significance for New York City, including the white gold and bronze altarpiece by Keith Haring and a 9/11 memorial sculpture by Meredith Bergmann that includes the remains of round. Daily and Sunday services are held in the cathedral where all are welcome. Praying, meditating or contemplating in the cathedral is free. Visitors arriving for sightseeing purposes must pay a US$5 entrance fee. Depending on the day of the week, special tours are offered.
6.Bemelmans Bar
At Bemelmans, Ludwig Bemelman's illustrations (you may remember them from Madeline's books) adorn the walls. On a sign in Central Park, a rabbit smokes a cigar; in another, a man hands a bunch of balloons to a little boy. It's a bar where you have the right to be speechless. The cocktails here depend a lot on who prepares them: an Old Fashioned can be a little watery, a Whiskey Sour can be too acidic. But often a dirty gin martini works just fine. Everything is expensive (it's clear why you're here), so forget that feeling by trying the many free snacks that await you.
7.Broadway
For both locals and first-time visitors, seeing a Broadway show is a special and unique experience in New York. Times Square is often a drag, but when you're strolling through midtown Manhattan to catch a show, the billboards and bright lights don't dazzle your face, they blind your eyes. The costumes, sets, music and stories of a Broadway show are the stuff of dreams. And after going dark during the pandemic, Broadway is back. This marks the return of live performance with acclaimed acts such as Six and Hadestown.
8.New York Botanical Garden
The New York Botanical Garden features manicured flower gardens, lush fields, winding walkways, and immaculate greenhouses. There are deeply intimate spaces, like being truly isolated from the world, and then there are large spaces where it's hard to believe you're still in the Bronx. Every winter, the Greenhouses put on a train show that recreates the entire city of New York in miniature. The warmer months bring with them every floral delight imaginable, from cherry blossoms to peonies. Plan at least half a day here and pack a picnic.
9.Brooklyn Heights Promenade
It's one thing to be in the middle of Manhattan, on the ground; It's another thing to see from across the river. In Brooklyn Heights, just a few subway stops from Lower Manhattan, the city looms before you. Perhaps the best skyline view in the city, the Brooklyn Heights waterfront promenade rises above the Brooklyn-Queen Expressway. Noisy traffic behind quiet tree-lined driveway. The promenade extends from Remsen Street in the south to Middagh Street in the north. Around the corner, pedestrians can safely cross a basketball court to reach a suspended walkway that snakes zigzags up to the piers of Brooklyn Bridge Park. While in this quaint area, stop by the New York Transit Museum, Trattoria Sarda River Deli, and Old Montero Bar.
10.Grand Central Terminal
Grand Central Terminal is more than one of the busiest train stations in the world - it's a window into old New York and a time when train travel was the ultimate luxury for the wealthy and a necessity for the wealthy. When you're not traveling in or out of the city, avoid rush hour and take time to admire the iconic architecture and browse the best restaurants and shops.
11. 9/11 Memorial and Museum
Every American should visit the 9/11 Memorial & Museum at least once. Entering the museum, he leaves the road to reach the rocky plain (the foundations of the ancient twin towers) and becomes meditative, forced to remember where you were on that fateful day. The museum itself is a masterful balance: grand in scale, contemplative in its construction, and personal in its execution. It is a tribute to the extent of the loss, both physical and spiritual.
12. Brooklyn Bridge
At the point when the Brooklyn Scaffold was worked in 1883, it was the longest engineered overpass on the planet. It stretched 1,595 feet across the East River, connecting Lower Manhattan to Brooklyn Heights. Today, it is a historic feature of the New York City skyline, carrying vehicular traffic below and tourist traffic above. Standing in front of arches and rectangles, with urban skyscrapers in the distance, gives a sense of grandeur and lightness.
13. The Cloisters
Situated on four acres in Fort Tryon Park in northern Manhattan, the Met Cloisters is a branch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It is the only museum in the United States devoted exclusively to medieval art and architecture. Overlooking the Hudson River, the building integrates five medieval-inspired cloisters into a modern museum structure, creating a historic and contextual environment for viewing art.
14. Apollo Theater
The venue, which began as an exclusively burlesque hangout for whites until 1934 when, under new ownership, it began to welcome the black community and became a central venue for them, has been around ever since. 88, hosts swing, blues, jazz, R&B and comedy acts. Scene. Today, visitors can enjoy events such as Amateur Night at the Apollo, one of the city's oldest and most popular live acts. The seating capacity is 1,500, there are three levels of seating, and unlike what it appears on Showtime at the Apollo, it's an intimate venue with little legroom.
15. Bedford Avenue, Williamsburg
Sip iced coffee at McCarren Park, catch an indie show at Baby's All Right, walk two blocks to some of the city's most coveted Italian restaurants at Lilia's (with a month's notice, of course). Today's busiest thoroughfare in Williamsburg: Bedford Avenue, and the L line that serves it, could be your personal gateway to people-watching in North Brooklyn. Pedestrians in baggy trousers, dogs in miniature rubber boots and speeding scooters will pass you by. Heading south from the subway station, likely coming from the East Village, you'll pass local shops typical of the area like Catbird (ethereal vintage-inspired jewelry), Spoonbill, and Sugartown Books (poetry, custom-made goods). and cookbooks, maps) and Awoke Vintage (known for their real denim, usually from the 1990s).
16. Dover Street Market New York
Dover Street is more than just an upscale department store; it is an exhibition space where fashion meets art. The designers present created their own exhibition spaces, allowing the client to interact with the pieces in a holistic way that transports them into the world of the designer, rather than just selecting the pieces hanging on a metal shelf. Also, don't miss the downstairs café, Rose Bakery.
17. See the city from the Empire State Building
The Empire State Building was completed in 1931 and was the tallest building in the world at the time. It is to New York (also known as the “Empire State”) what the Eiffel Tower is to Paris; Widely ignored by locals, it seems to be a quiet source of pride, especially when lit up at night. Arrive at the observation deck just before sunset for the best experience, but be warned, the crowds are the drawback. The quietest time to visit is early in the morning or after 10.45pm; (open until midnight most of the time); You should avoid weekends.
18. Catch a show in Manhattan
You can't come to Manhattan without seeing a show - that's basically the law. If you like opera, jazz or ballet, head to Lincoln Center, which has a full schedule and is a great excuse to dress up. For Broadway shows, book your tickets well in advance through Ticketmaster or in good time through the TodayTix app. For the quintessential Upper East Side experience, Café Carlyle at the Art Deco Carlyle Hotel is ideal for cabaret, while for a younger crowd visit PUBLIC, the Ian Schrager Hotel and the Lower East Social Center Side.
19. Go on a date in the Meatpacking District
Don't let the name fool you; Named after the hundreds of packers and slaughterhouses that once populated the area, the Meatpacking District is one of the city's most glamorous neighborhoods. Spend time window shopping at one-of-a-kind boutiques or strolling through the Whitney Museum of American Art before dining with New York's rich and famous at interior design house Restoration Hardware. But don't pay attention to the cost of the furniture. Skip dessert and head to low-key Chelsea Market. Their coffee shop is amazing.
20. Have a nightcap in a historic hotel bar
Hotels in New York's Midtown and Upper East Side are legendary – there are dozens of them, and many feature cocktail lounges with an atmosphere that hasn't changed in decades. While you can no longer stay in the Plaza's Oak Room, which closed in 2011, you can sip a fantastic martini in the Carlyle's dimly lit Bemelmans Bar while a pianist plays the ivories. Or experience the gilded glory of the 119-year-old St. Regis at King Cole Bar, where Goldie Hawn got drunk at the First Wives Club; Or stay late at the Monkey Bar at the Elysée Hotel: primarily a restaurant, but also a sensual bar and a trio of cool old-fashioned bars.