From Broadway to Brooklyn rooftops to museums that will destroy you emotionally, here’s what actually matters in NYC
New York City is overwhelming in the best possible way, which is basically the entire point of New York City. You can walk from world-class art museums to hidden rooftop bars to pizza places that have been perfecting the same slice for 50 years. The city moves at a pace that either energizes you or exhausts you, usually both simultaneously. With 40 things worth doing across five boroughs, the challenge isn’t finding activities it’s deciding what to skip because you literally don’t have time for everything.
- From Broadway to Brooklyn rooftops to museums that will destroy you emotionally, here’s what actually matters in NYC
- Start with the tourist stuff because honestly, the tourists are right
- Then do the things that separate visitors from people who actually experience NYC
- The museums will destroy you if you let them
- Eat your way through the city systematically
- Experience the city from every perspective
- The hidden gems matter more than the major attractions
Start with the tourist stuff because honestly, the tourists are right
Broadway shows are mandatory. Yes, everyone goes. Yes, it’s expensive. Yes, you’ll see Wicked or The Lion King alongside 2,000 other people. But there’s a reason native New Yorkers and visitors from everywhere congregate in the Theater District it’s extraordinary. Walk the Brooklyn Bridge early morning before crowds arrive. Thirty minutes, 1.3 miles, some of the best views of Manhattan you’ll ever see. Take the ferry past the Empire State Building for $4.50. Seriously. The water perspective changes everything about how you understand the city.
Then do the things that separate visitors from people who actually experience NYC
Pack a picnic in Central Park not just the lawn, but an actual thoughtful meal you bring. Walk the High Line through Chelsea, an elevated rail track turned into a 1.5-mile greenery-filled walkway with 500 species of plants. Stroll through DUMBO in Brooklyn for the Instagram-worthy Brooklyn Bridge photo, but stay for Cecconi’s handmade pasta and the Brooklyn Flea for vintage finds. Hit Arthur Avenue in the Bronx, which is more authentically Italian than Manhattan’s Little Italy. Get dim sum in Flushing’s Chinatown, which outshines the Manhattan version completely.
The museums will destroy you if you let them
The Met is massive go to the Cloisters if you want medieval art in a peaceful setting instead. MoMA has nearly 200,000 works. The Whitney focuses on American 20th-century art. The American Museum of Natural History has 30 million specimens. You could spend years in NYC’s museums and never finish. The solution: pick one, go deep, don’t rush.
Eat your way through the city systematically
Pizza crawl through Scarr’s (Lower East Side), L’Industrie (Williamsburg), and Pop’s Pizza (near Central Park). Breakfast at Tiffany’s literally at the Blue Box Café inside the Fifth Avenue location. Dim sum in Flushing. Afternoon tea at The Plaza. A Michelin-starred meal at Eleven Madison Park or Le Bernardin. The hierarchy of NYC dining is: good food everywhere, great food if you know where to look, incredible food if you commit to exploration.
Experience the city from every perspective
From the Edge at Hudson Yards (1,000+ feet up with glass-bottom floors). From One World Observatory (1,250 feet). From a rooftop bar like Magic Hour in Midtown or Panorama Room on Roosevelt Island. From the ferry to Governors Island or Coney Island. From a helicopter ride if you’re ridiculous with money. From above, below, horizontally, vertically the city looks different from every angle.
The hidden gems matter more than the major attractions
Little Island (2.5-acre floating structure with 350 plant species). Snug Harbor Cultural Center in Staten Island (28 historic buildings in 83 acres). Socrates Sculpture Park in Queens. The Bronx Zoo. The New York Botanical Garden. These are the spots that separate tourists from actual NYC explorers.
The real NYC experience is walking randomly and discovering things. A bathhouse you didn’t know existed. A comedy show in a hidden Bushwick venue. A rooftop bar that nobody lists in guides. A street corner where a local street musician is better than any concert venue.
Plan your Broadway show. Walk the Brooklyn Bridge. Take the ferry. Then let the city surprise you from there.
