The NYC Traveler in NYC: Travel & See Like A New Yorker
- Marcia Crayton
- Nov 9, 2025
- 8 min read
Updated: Mar 29
Hang Out in NYC Like a Local (Tourist spots we visit but we don't want to admit)
1. The Museums: Many people go to museums when they visit cities, but as The NYC Traveler in NYC, I have a few favorites of my own. Be brave: get outside of Manhattan and hit up the other boroughs, mingle with the locals and visit the other museums that we have.
Like many New Yorkers, I have memberships to some of our local museums. I like to go when it's least crowded, like during the week (but doublec check the websites to see when they might special days for school trips). What's a great secret to know as a New Yorker? If you have an NYC ID, you might get a discount on a ticket or even get in for free! Talk about a local perk. Why do I have a membership? It gives me great flexibility, I don't have to feel rushed to see everything in one visit and I can attend special members only events like musical events, workshops, lectures and other cool stuff. It's like having a community center, although at a cost but some of the cost is tax deductible. Another perk!
Most long time New Yorkers visit the Queens Museum as students as well as the neighboring New York Hall of Science, both of which are practically in Flushing Meadows Corona Park. And speaking of Flushing Meadows, it has to be one of New York's best kept secrets as a place to spend the day. Yeah, Citi Field and the USTA Tennis Center get some special attention, but many people only go to those venues and ignore the rest of the area, which is really a shame.
As for other museums to go in Queens, film buffs like to head to the Museum of the Moving Image, which takes on great meaning when one realizes that New York is behind only Los Angeles as one of the most filmed cities in the world. Remember, the film industry actually started on this coast, right here in New York because of the ready supply of actors on Broadway and in vaudeville. Plan your other activities around this museum: its hours are limited.
Jazz buffs will certainly want to visit the Louis Armstrong House Museum, located in his last residence. Yup, Louis Armstrong might be a New Orleans baby, but his last years were spent right here in the City of New York, in Corona, Queens. Visitors are often surprised to see it's just a regular house, not a mansion, nothing fancy. Mr. Armstrong liked living among regular folks, and became a favorite with the neighborhood kids who often had no idea who he was. Check about traveling there, parking is often a bit difficult if you drive. Try to take public transportation.
There is a charming little known museum within walking distance of Jamaica Station and the Long Island Railroad: King Manor was owned by one of the signers of the US Constitution and one of the first US Senators representing New York State. I gotta admit, I have walked by it so many times, I forget it's a museum. But it's very charming and the people are very nice. Stop by and say hi.
Perhaps the greatest surprise to visitors to New York is the Queens County Farm Museum, a working farm with activities and events all year long (not the only farm within the city limits, by the way). Be prepared, it's a popular field trip for schools in the city and from Long Island. I'll be the one getting lost with the kids in the middle of the corn maze during the autumn season.
For you artsy folks, meet me at The Sculpture Center, which has revolving exhibits, and MoMa PS1, the sibling museum of the Museum of Modern Art in Manhattan are great options. Both are located in Queens, as well. I tell you, there's a lot happening in this borough.
Brooklyn packs a 1-2-3-4-5 punch with the Brooklyn Museum right in the heart of the neighborhood, literally steps away from The Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Grand Army Plaza, the magnificent Brooklyn Public Library and Prospect Park. The 2 or 3 trains will bring you right there from Atlantic Terminal, which is a also station for the Long Island Railroad. While you're there in Brooklyn, check out the schedule for BAM, Brooklyn Academy of Music, another locale popular with schools. But the winner for kids is the Brooklyn Children's Museum, a parent's best friend on a rainy day, (as well as the Jewish Children's Museum). On a sunny day, it's even more fun: a park is right there to help burn off the rest of the energy.
Another popular museum is the Transit Museum, which not only has exhibits but a satellite location in Grand Central in Manhattan, and moving exhibits. What do we mean? Well, from time to time, the Transit Museum and the MTA will put vintage trains and buses in service for a limited time on real routes so that people can experience days of old. Beware: if it's summer, some of these old timers don't have air conditioning! Plan on a short trip.
What else can you experience? Well, check out Weeksville Heritage Center, giving us info about the free African American community in Brooklyn.
Up in the Bronx, look for the opening of the Hip Hop Museum, documenting the genre that made sure music would never be the same again; over on City Island, there is a nautical museum preserving the seafaring history of the area; the flagship Bronx Museum of the Arts (currently in renovation), showcases modern and contemporary art along with events and educational workshops. By the way, as of this writing, this museum is worth the trip, currently it is free to all. You can't beat that. While you're at Yankee Stadium, you'll see not only the pride of the Yankees on exhibit (yes, the pun was intended), I learned a lot about baseball in general since the Yanks have been there in pro baseball for like, um, forever (ok, there are other teams that may be older, but hey, this blog is about New York).
Over on Staten Island, Snug Harbor Cultural Center combines galleries with its botanical garden (and it's near the water with fantastic views of Manhattan across the bay). Pay attention to the ticket prices and make sure you get the right combo for what you want to see. The case of a museum being a town is Historic Richmond Town, recreating the past with historic buildings, working small farms and events and activities. Not to be outdone by the other boroughs, Staten Island has its own Children's Museum (make the trip complete with a trip to the Staten Island Zoo). The Zoo has one of the best reptile centers happening, if you like snakes. I'm not a big fan of snakes, but I have to admit, I enjoyed have the creeps for over an hour: the center is that good.
For me, The National Lighthouse Museum wins the prize for the most convenient location with the best way to get there: take the Staten Island Ferry from downtown Manhattan, get off at St. George, take a left and, boom, you're there. You can't get more convenient than that.
Each borough has a historical society and large public libraries that sponsor exhibits, lectures, galleries and other events and activities. The Sandy Ground Historical Society is on Staten island, Queens Historical Society is in an 18th century house, the Center for Brooklyn History is located in the Brooklyn Public Library, an attraction of its own; the Bronx County Historical Society operates the Edgar Allan Poe Cottage and the Museum of Bronx History at the Valentine-Varian House. Finally, Manhattan has the New York Historical Society presided over by a fascinating sculpture of Frederick Douglass.
2. Each borough has its special parks and I often start with Manhattan's The High Line: take an old elevated train track, make use of the spaces underneath with great restaurants, add the Whitney Museum at one end and the number 7 train hub at the other, mix well and you have a nice way to spend an afternoon in most weather. Check the website for visiting information. I know many visitors go to Central Park when they are in Manhattan (it's one of my favorite parks, as well), but I like to get my nature in other boroughs as well, particularly when I am on my bicycle.
For example, over in Queens, I tour many of the parks at once on the rail trail from Alley Pond to Cunningham to Kissena to Flushing. Needless to say this almost 6 mile journey is best done jogging or riding a bicycle, but feel free to walk it. It's a real local park, so don't forget water, sunscreen and insect repellent.
I can go from one county to another on my bike from Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx to Westchester County on part of the 14 miles South County Trailway. In Staten Island, get your GPS ready and hit the parks that connect similarly. In Brooklyn, Fort Greene Park will give you a sense of deja vu: it's featured in movies and TV shows, starting with Brooklyn native Spike Lee.
3. Other Parks: Tourists head to Central Park but locals hang out in their neighborhood parks which can range from a one block square or triangle to acres and acres. Journey to Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx; Cunningham Park, Alley Pond Park, Kissena Park or Flushing Meadows-Corona Park in Queens; Prospect Park or Carnarsie Pier in Brooklyn (along with the entire Coney Island area) and Clove Lakes State Park or Latourette Park on Staten Island. Golf, swim, bicycle or just sit out under a tree.
4. Greenwich Village: Below 14th (East and West), Manhattan does not have the square grid design of streets and avenues. Resembling our European city cousins, streets angle in and out, seemingly follow no set pattern and reveal delightful little nooks and crannies such as church gardens, boutiques, small theaters and sidewalk cafes. Once solely the territory of hippies, radicals, artists, underground musicians, and locally known basketball stars, now they share their land with unique boutiques, slick galleries, cozy eating spots and street vendors. But some of the old Village is still there. Head to West 4th Street Courts to see serious basketball; Washington Square Park, a combo local park and college quad; Joe's Pizza (go to this one, not the ones in Times Square) across from the Father Demo Square and two quiet spaces: Jefferson Market Garden and St. Luke in the Fields Garden. Get your groove on at Cafe Wha!, the Blue Note and the Village Underground, where there is not a single local musician that either hasn't played at one of these venues or knows someone who has.
5. Our Street Fairs: Although the most neutral source of information should be the NYC Tourism website, it may not always be up-to-date. Searching NYC street fairs on the internet will yield the websites for the companies that seem to sponsor the generic fairs. But, when the real festivals occur, they draw the locals. Watch the local news or go to their websites under the community events tab and you will find the authentic neighborhood street fairs, the ones with authentic food, great local bands and real New Yorkers. Even the famous annual Feast of San Gennaro in Little Italy still retains its real, small town (albeit extremely crowded) charm. Go during the day in the middle of the week (although the nighttime is really great fun) and you can escape some of the crowds literally walking down Mulberry Street at the proverbial snail's pace.
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