I’m a born-and-bred New Yorker who has spent nearly 60 years exploring every nook and cranny of my beloved Big Apple. There’s so much to do beyond the main sightseeing corridors, yet tourists often stick to the same sights over and over.
And it’s for good reason. Popular attractions like Times Square and the Empire State Building are famous and bucket list-worthy sites, for sure. But they are also jam-packed with all the other tourists, with hardly a real New Yorker in sight.
Dig a little deeper, though, and you’ll find that the city offers much more. When friends and family visit, I send them to spots where locals like me go. From a free ride with a Statue of Liberty view on the Staten Island Ferry to eyeing medieval tapestries at The Cloisters, I never tire of the city’s under-the-radar gems.
Whether it’s your first visit or your 100th, consider experiencing these six New York City attractions that tourists often miss.
In this article
Smell the Roses at the New York Botanical Garden
I live across the street from Central Park and stroll its leafy paths daily. However, when I crave an immersive floral fantasy, I ride the subway to the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx.
This 250-acre garden is a rambling explosion of color and fragrance. In spring, I make a beeline for the Azalea Garden, where purple, pink, and white blossoms stand among rock outcrops, bordered by lush ferns and mountain laurel. In summer, the Rose Garden is in peak bloom, and in fall, deciduous trees, including a grove of tall oaks, ignite the autumn landscape with scarlet, orange, and golden leaves.
The Victorian-style glasshouse hosts rotating exhibits that showcase floral artistry, including the annual Holiday Train Show, where model trains zip through New York City landmarks whimsically recreated from natural materials such as birch bark, pinecones, and cinnamon sticks.
In early spring, I join my fellow winter-weary New Yorkers for the Orchid Show, which brings a different theme each year but always features thousands of imaginatively displayed orchids.
See the Statue of Liberty From the Staten Island Ferry
Seeing the city from the water is a hassle-free perch for soaking in some of New York City’s famous sights and magnificent skyline.
You can cruise the rivers that surround the city in many ways, including the popular narrated Circle Line, but tickets aren't cheap. My favorite free, alternative nautical vantage point is a ride on the Staten Island Ferry.
It’s a slice-of-life immersion. You’ll be on board with New Yorkers, many of whom live on Staten Island and commute to work and school in Manhattan. The approximately 25-minute ride is public transportation, not a tourist experience. Ferries run about every 15 minutes during rush hour, and less often at night and on weekends.
Catch the ferry at Whitehall Ferry Terminal on the southern tip of Manhattan. It’s first come, first served. You may sit inside, but I prefer the outdoor decks for fresh air and views. I sit on the right-hand side for the best view of the Statue of Liberty on the way to Staten Island, and reverse it on the way back to Manhattan.
Dominating New York Harbor from its platform on Liberty Island, Lady Liberty was a gift to the American people from France. Dedicated in 1886, this majestic statue continues to evoke ideals of freedom. There’s time to snap photos as you breeze by.
When you arrive on Staten Island, you’ll disembark at the St. George Terminal. I turn around and ride the next ferry back to Manhattan, but you can stick around to explore if you wish.
Clink Cocktails With a Skyline View in Brooklyn
I find New York’s skyscraper silhouette the essence of urban beauty, especially from the windows of my 17th-floor apartment.
For visitors, Top of the Rock, Edge, and the Empire State Building are among the most popular ways to take it in. However, these popular observation decks are costly and crowded.
Instead, make like savvy residents and head across the river to Brooklyn for dramatic sightlines of Manhattan’s skyscrapers.
In the borough’s hip Williamsburg neighborhood, the towering William Vale is a luxury hotel boasting unobstructed, panoramic views of the cityscape from trendy Westlight, the hotel’s rooftop bar with floor-to-ceiling windows and a spacious terrace.
On the 22nd floor facing the East River, you’ll get 360-degree views of One World Trade Center, the Empire State Building, and the Chrysler Building, with nothing to block your view.
Sip a craft cocktail and nosh on upscale nibbles while you take in the sweeping panorama.
Go Beyond Broadway at Lincoln Center
New York City may be synonymous with Broadway, but it's also a hotbed for the performing arts elsewhere.
If you love classical music, jazz, theater, dance, film, or opera, Lincoln Center is home to some of the world's most revered performing arts companies, including the Metropolitan Opera, the New York Philharmonic, and the New York City Ballet.
The complex was built over 60 years ago to reinvigorate the Upper West Side, which is now one of the city’s most dynamic neighborhoods.
While scoring a ticket to a hit Broadway show takes advance planning and a hefty wallet, many Lincoln Center venues offer fairly priced balcony seats and day-of-performance box office discounts. The famed conservatory, the Juilliard School, is also here, so you can see a show featuring tomorrow's stars for a low price.
While on-site, take an Instagram-worthy photo in front of the Revson Fountain with its hundreds of spouts spraying water high into the sky, gaze at the massive Chagall murals through the windows of the Metropolitan Opera House, and enjoy a robust calendar of free outdoor entertainment.
Sample Fabulous Food at Shaver Hall
New York City is a paradise for those like myself who live to eat. Sampling local culinary delights, like pizza and bagels, is a must. So when I’m with my family or in a group, I gravitate toward food halls, where everyone can choose what they want to eat for a reasonable price. The city has many, including Eataly and Chelsea Market, but they can be overrun with tourists.
Instead, go to Shaver Hall, a food hall located on the ground floor of what was once the flagship Lord & Taylor department store on Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan.
It’s a prime example of breathing new life into pre-existing structures while maintaining architectural integrity. The design weaves in signs of the past, including grand entrances and display windows. I have childhood memories of going back-to-school shopping here with my mom, so it holds a special place in my heart.
A visit to Shaver Hall puts authentic NYC-style pizza and bagels at your fingertips, plus ramen, tacos, Indian food, and much more. Don’t miss Pick & Cheese, where you’ll sit at a counter and select gourmet cheeses from a rotating conveyor belt.
Channel Medieval Times at The Cloisters
Art lovers flock to NYC to explore its dozens of museums. The contemporary collection of art at MoMA draws a crowd, as does the encyclopedic collection spanning over 5,000 years at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
After you’ve soaked in the Met, you can also use your ticket to visit The Cloisters, set on a tranquil hill in Inwood, at the northern tip of Manhattan.
Time spent here is an immersion into medieval art and architecture. Reminiscent of a monastery, the buildings center around four cloisters that were transported from France and reconstructed in NYC.
Two rooms are dedicated to tapestries, including seven famed unicorn tapestries that are over 500 years old. There are also hundreds of stained-glass panels featuring vivid colors and abstract patterns that filter soft light into dark spaces on sunny days.
The gardens, with rare medieval flowers, trees, and herbs, are where I go when I crave quiet time to contemplate. And the views of the Hudson River, the George Washington Bridge, and the line of steep cliffs that make up the Palisades are striking.
The Shortcut
Skip the overpriced tourist cruise: Swap the Circle Line for the Staten Island Ferry. It’s free, and you’ll get a front-row view of the Statue of Liberty.
Go beyond Broadway: Lincoln Center’s gorgeous fountain and Chagall murals are worth a look even if you don’t get tickets for one of its many live entertainment venues. They're also usually cheaper than a Broadway show.
Central Park isn’t your only choice for greenery: The New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx is a floral fantasy, while The Cloisters has water views, fabulous tapestries, stained glass windows, and a medicinal herb garden that will make you feel as if you’ve stepped back into the Middle Ages.
Savor the views: All the tourists head to the Empire State Building or Top of the Rock, but you’ll get full views of Manhattan from Westlight in Brooklyn—and with a cocktail in hand, too.
