The NYC Traveler in NYC: 5 More Places We Like to Visit in New York
- 6 days ago
- 5 min read
With a city as large as the City of New York, there are so many places to visit that you could never travel anywhere else. If you include restaurants, it could literally take decades to explore the city.
In Part 1, we documented reasons why New Yorkers rediscovered their own city. And the discovery process didn't stop with those 5 places we like. We have more activities for you to try. Adapt them to fit you, head out the door and enjoy!
1. Walk through Harlem, without a tourist guide. Harlem is one of those neighborhoods that calls for you to take off the headphones, look up from the phone and just walk. The "sight" in the sightseeing is in the walking around. An GPS app or a guidebook is just as good and you will develop your sense of adventure. Suggestion: Start at West 125th Street and 7th Avenue (also known as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Blvd and Adam Clayton Powell Jr Blvd), and make your way downtown, ending at Central Park at 110th Street. Don't just stay on one boulevard. Add this to your 5 more places to visit in New York and don't forget about Frederick Douglass Boulevard or Malcolm X Boulevard (Lenox Avenue).
What to look for: the Adam Clayton Powell State Office Building and that fantastic sculpture on the corner of West 125th Street & Adam Clayton Powell Boulevard); the Studio Museum in Harlem, across the street from the State Office Building; Muhammad Mosque #7 (106-08 West 127 Street); Abyssinian Baptist Church (132 West 138th Street); St. Nicholas Park, between West 128th and 141st Streets along St. Nicholas Avenue; the Harriet Tubman Memorial at West 122nd Street & St. Nicholas Avenue; Convent Avenue Baptist Church and the Sugar Hill Area along with the Sugar Hill Children's Museum, at Convent Ave & W145th Street; Hamilton Grange National Memorial at Convent Avenue and West 141st St; The National Jazz Museum (58 W129th St); El Museo Del Barrio is next door to the Museum of the City of New York and across the street from Central Park at E104th St & 5th Ave;
2. Walk over the Brooklyn Bridge from Manhattan and explore the DUMBO (Down Under Manhattan Bridge Overpass) area, a really cool place to be: parks, shopping, dining. Want to add to your 5 more places to visit in New York? Check out Domino Park. Renovated, reconstructed and rebuilt from the Domino Sugar Refinery, find this on River Street between Grand and South 5th Street in Brooklyn. You'll be near the Williamsburg Bridge, so feel free to walk to and/or from Manhattan to get there. Parking can be difficult, you'll see why the park is very popular with locals and cyclists. It's how we get there always.
3. Hit up da Bronx: the only NYC Borough on the mainland of the USA, the Bronx is more than the Yankees, the Zoo and the NY Botanical Garden. Van Cortlandt Park and Pelham Bay Park are awesome and will challenge you, whether you are walking or riding a bike. Indeed, many of streets of the Bronx will challenge you with inclines and slopes that will guarantee an appetite. Where do locals go? Check out City Island for seafood (and more) or the famous Arthur Avenue (between East 184th and East 188th in the Belmont section). We'll continue to add to our 5 more places to visit in New York by checking out the new Hip Hop Museum when it opens up.
4. Bryant Park, Manhattan: This used to be a hidden gem. There were always events and festivals. The Bryant Park Winter Village began in 2002 and it seemed like our little secret. Lately, visitors to New York have discovered the square block of East and West 42 Streets between 5th and 6th Avenues. It's a neighborhood park (outdoor film showings, concert series); a holiday village Christmastime (complete with tree, vendors and ice skating rink) and a just a great place to take a break on the lawn.
Another big highlight is the Broadway Concert Series during the summer time, during the day. The concert is fun but the New York thing to see is the sound check prior. Real Broadway stars from real shows warming up. Classic.
When it's not a village or concert venue, it's a great park, with the New York Public Library, Grand Central Terminal and Times Square literally a block away in different directions.
Check it out. This is an extra special place to add to your 5 more places to visit in New York list because lots of locals like this park too.
5. Lower Manhattan and The Battery: The Battery is at the very southern tip of Manhattan Island, from State Street and Peter Minuit Plaza (yes, the guy who swindled Manhattan from the indigenous Lenape peoples) to Battery Place and Little W Street. State Street becomes Battery Place. In between, enjoy awesome views of Brooklyn, Staten Island, New Jersey and, of course, the Statue of Liberty. Explore Clinton Castle, east from street vendors, ride a carousel or just sit and enjoy the many monuments. Stone Street is a great place to eat, another special are for your 5 more places to visit in New York list.
This area is especially significant because it is part of the locations that were tremendously affected by the tragedy on September 11, 2001. The Battery gets its name from the fact that it was a fort, with artillery batteries (military systems) that were there to protect New York. As early as 1625, forts were built with an artillery battery installed by 1683. A bunch of them were built and that's why the area became known as The Battery. After the war, most of the fort was demolished, but Castle Clinton remains. As early as 1824, the area has been some type of public park, with the area being expanded with landfill (yes, they actually added on to the island, amazing).
You can wander around the tip of Manhattan, starting at the Staten Island Ferry terminal, all the way around to the current World Trade Center. At that point, the park continues up the West Side along the Hudson River, but under different names: Robert Wagner Park, Rockefeller Park, South Cove Park, Hudson River Park, Riverside Park, Riverbank State Park, Discovery Park, Fort Washington Park, under the George Washington Bridge, Fort Tyron, and on through the Empire State trail upstate. Outrageous.
However, many of us turn off at the Little Red Lighthouse under the GWB when we're on bicycles and probably much sooner when we're on foot. You will be surprised how far you wander but turn off at 34th Street to see Hudson Yards or come out at Gansevoort Street and continue your journey on another level. Literally, on The High Line.
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