The NYC Traveler in NYC: 5 Places We Like in NYC
- May 5
- 4 min read
Updated: 1 day ago
The NYC Traveler in NYC:
Since the name of this blog is the NYC Traveler, you may be curious about what the NYC Traveler does when I'm in NYC, my hometown. Below you will find some my picks for visiting New York City (and some of the surrounding areas). If you are a NYC metropolitan area resident, you might find some areas to visit for the first time or worth a re-visit.
Hang Out in NYC Like a Local: (5 Tourist Spots We Visit)
1. The Museums: New Yorkers can either belong to museums as members or have free/discounted access with a NYC ID. Having a membership allows great flexibility, you don't have to feel rushed to see everything in one visit and you can attend special members only events. Take advantage of musical events, workshops, lectures and other events. It's like having a community center. It's hard to pick just one favorite museum but check out the MoMA or the Met for one of your 5 places we like in NYC. Also, many museums have free days. Look on the websites for details. Hint: possibly the Brooklyn Museum!
2. The Highline: This was the recipe - 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 (West 34th Street between 10th and 11th Avenues) at the other, mix well and you have a nice way to spend an afternoon (in most weather) just to add to 5 places we like in NYC. You can walk the entire 1.45 miles or you can enter and leave at points along the way. There are elevators at some entry points. It's a walking park, no bicycles or scooters.
3. The Parks: Tourists head to Central Park but locals hang out in their neighborhood parks. Check out the larger parks in the other boroughs: 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 (as well as the entire Coney Island area) and Latourette Park in Staten Island. Golf, swim, bicycle or just sit out under a tree. Other parks include Clove Lakes Park (Staten Island), Kissena Park (Queens), and Shirley Temple State Park (fee may be required for cars) in Brooklyn.
4. Greenwich Village: Below 14th (East and West), Manhattan does not have the square grid design of streets and avenues. Instead, the streets angle in and out, following no set pattern and revealing delightful little nooks and crannies such as church gardens, boutiques, small theaters and sidewalk cafes. Think the old streets of Europe. Just another one of the 5 places we like in NYC. The squares are fun places to start with. Carry a map with you but don't be afraid to wander.
5. Our Festivals and Street Fairs: Several companies sponsor the street fairs, which makes them seem sort of corporate nowadays with the booths repeating from fair to fair. But, there are also special event festivals that occur: The Feast of San Gennaro; the Coney Island Mermaid Parade; Harlem Week; the Tribeca Festival (which may have some outdoor activities); the Christmas shopping Villages in Bryant Park, Union Square and Columbus Circle; and events at all of the major museums and botanic gardens. Look for smaller gardens, too, such as Jefferson Market Garden, near 10 Avenue and Greenwich Avenue.
So, that's just the beginning of where we like to go in New York City when we want to visit like a tourist.
Articles:
The NYC Traveler Presents Tips for Your Trips
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