New York City is a bustling metropolis, but there are plenty of off-the-beaten-path places to explore. From a former residence for retired sailors to a museum dedicated to the film industry, here are 10 unique places to visit in the Big Apple. Located just a ferry ride away from the hustle and bustle of Manhattan, this former residence for retired sailors remains a secret. Covering 83 acres, the area has a huge botanical garden and cultural center surrounded by cobblestone streets and Victorian and Tudor-style houses.
One of the most popular attractions is the Chinese Scholar's Garden, equipped with magnificent rocks that look like mountains inspired by the poetry and paintings of Confucian, Buddhist and Taoist monks, as well as a trail in the bamboo forest and a koi pond. At the top of the Museum Mile is the Museum of the City of New York, an ideal place to explore the city's past, celebrate its present and imagine its future. The entire first floor is dedicated to New York at Its Core, an extensive exhibition that includes two galleries that allow visitors to take a tour of the 400-year history of New York City and an emblematic space known as Future City Lab, where visitors use interactive technology to design the New York of the future. Rotating exhibitions in the rest of the Museum focus on topics ranging from the city's history of social activism to its built environment, and include objects from its extensive collections of photographs, costumes and antique textiles, theatrical memorabilia, furniture and decorative arts.
Don't miss the incredible Stettheimer dollhouse, created during the 1920s by Carrie Stettheimer, whose artist friends recreated her masterpieces in miniature to hang them on walls. This city-owned garden in the Riverdale section of the Bronx conserves the same horticultural traditions as when it was a private estate. You'll find an elegant 19th-century mansion surrounded by meticulously manicured gardens, with abundant wildflowers and shady pergolas. The area offers panoramic views of the river and the New Jersey Palisades.
Get up early to take advantage of free admission between 9 a.m. and noon every Saturday for certain months of the year. This peculiar institution houses all kinds of ephemeral objects from New York City, from old postcards with the Statue of Liberty to an old subway turnstile, as well as permanent exhibitions on the history of burlesque in New York and the 1939 World's Fair. The museum also has an active presence in the community, organizing special events and fundraisers.
Located aboard a Lehigh Valley railroad barge restored in 1914, the Waterfront Museum is dedicated to preserving New York's maritime history, with classes, performances, photographs and old objects that evoke its nautical apogee as America's most important port. In 1986, artists and activists created this 4.5-acre urban park on an abandoned landfill. It now hosts large-scale sculpture exhibitions throughout the year and is one of few places in NYC specifically designated for artists to create outdoor works. The splendid space in Queens overlooks Manhattan's skyline and is open 365 days a year, with a green market, free yoga and tai chi classes, outdoor movie screenings and much more. It's natural for a city so well represented in film and television to have its own museum dedicated to the industry.
Moviegoers will love spending an afternoon at Astoria Museum of Moving Image, where they can watch classic movies in a state-of-the-art movie theater, play 14 retro arcade games, and examine objects and artifacts from real film sets. The latest addition is The Jim Henson Exhibit which includes more than 47 puppets from The Muppet Show and tons of archival material. Manhattan is a city of hustle and bustle, but what better way to drown out all that noise than with a beautiful serene waterfall? In the middle of it all is Greenacre Park located between Second Avenue and 51st Street. This modest park is home to those who eat there as well as bystanders who discover this little piece of paradise. Technically part of Manhattan but connected by streetcar is Roosevelt Island. I especially like taking it at night when all those city lights are on up on Upper East Side. All you need is to swipe your subway card on 60th Street and Second Avenue. The view from one-acre rooftop park is much appreciated and often described as “spectacular” especially that of New York Harbor. There are several islands in New York Harbor one being Governor's Island 172-acre piece south of Manhattan. Brooklyn Bridge Park is home to amazing views iconic skyscrapers Statue Liberty Brooklyn Bridge. If you're up for an authentic adventure off beaten path consider stopping off attend church service. Nowadays you can see station taking six-train train looking out windows passing buying ticket tour New York Transit Museum. Fraunces Tavern oldest tavern New York City one oldest entire country located 54 Pearl Street.
