Last Saturday I wrote a travel guide for five days in New York City I called My Top 12 favorite Thing To Do In NYC. Well today I am going to go much smaller and share some of my favorite hidden gems in Manhattan.
Roosevelt Island tram – Roosevelt Island is a long narrow island on the east side of Manhattan in the East River. In order to get from it to Manhattan you can take a subway, but the much cooler way is to take a cable tram over the East River. While on Roosevelt Island make sure you check out the smallpox hospital ruins at the southern end of the island.
Katz Deli – New York is well know for its food scene, but one of the lesser know restaurants to tourist is Katz Deli. They serve monster cold cut sandwiches and I had the absolute best pastrami sandwich I have ever had.
Swiss Cottage – Deep in Central Park you might be able to find the Swiss Cottage (near Belvedere Castle) that houses a marionette puppet theater. This is the type of place I have been told by New Yorkers they did not know about. One caveat, there will be lots of kids around!
Movie in the park – While the best know park in New York City is Central Park there are plenty of others all over the city and while each is worth visiting in their own right I think a free movie in the park is a truly local thing to do in the summer. So grab a blanket and some food and have dinner and a show right in the middle of nature.
Alice In Wonderland – Speaking of Central Park, there are lots of statues within its borders, but my favorite is the huge one based on the Lewis Carroll.
Woolworth building – skyscrapers are synonymous with New York City and everyone flocks to the Empire State Building and others, but I recommend you check out the tour for the Woolworth Building in the Financial District. Not only was this the world’s tallest building at one time, but there are lots humorous features built into this 100 year old building and a tour is worth your time.
Cloisters – While the Metropolitan Museum of Art is world renown (and rightfully so) if you want to visit an uncrowded art museum specializing in European medieval art and housed in a 12th century French monastery then you need to head uptown….I mean really uptown. Almost to the northern most end of Manhattan in Fort Tryon Park.
