Things to do in New York
From the 70th floor, Top of the Rock gives panoramic views of Manhattan's skyscrapers. Midtown is home to ornate Grand Central Terminal and Downtown has crowded Canal Street in Chinatown. On the Upper East Side, locals rollerblade through Central Park, browse art at the white-spiralled Guggenheim and heritage at the Jewish Museum. Walk over Brooklyn Bridge to Brooklyn, home to Egyptian statues at Brooklyn Museum. Most museums open daily, with free entry on Friday evening. Some close on Monday.
International Center of Photography
World's best photographers
Manhattan's spacious International Center of Photography's huge permanent
collection spans photographic history from early gelatin silver to digital
colour prints. Other exhibits include illustrated magazines published
between World Wars I and II, and classics by Cartier-Bresson and Eugene
Smith.
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Cost
US$12; concessions US$8; under-12s free
Opening Hours
Tue-Sun 10am-6pm (until 8pm Fri)
Address
1133, Sixth Avenue (at 43rd Street), New York City 10036
Telephone
+1 212 857 0000
Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)
Contemporary creations
Revamped in 2004 by Yoshio Taniguchi, MoMA's spacious and skylit Manhattan
galleries contain the world's finest collection of 20th-century art. After
browsing Léger's oils, Giacometti's sculpture and Schiele's drawings, watch
a classic movie in the Roy and Niuta Titus Theatres.
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Cost
US$20; concessions US$12; under 16s free
Opening Hours
Wed-Mon 10.30am-5.30pm (Fri until 8pm)
Address
11, West 53rd Street (between 5th and 6th Avenues), New York City 10019
Telephone
+1 212 708 9400
Ellis Island Immigration Museum
Honouring the immigrants
In the Statue of Liberty's shadow, Ellis Island Immigration Museum honours
the 12 million immigrants who landed here from countless countries, between
1892 and 1954. Photographs, archives and interviews tell their heart-rending
stories of hope.
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Cost
Free; ferry US$12; concessions US$10; children US$5
Opening Hours
Daily 9am-5.15pm
Address
Statue of Liberty National Monument and Ellis Island, New York City 10004
Telephone
+1 212 363 3206 (info); +1 212 269 5755 (boat schedules)
Transport
Access to the island is by the Circle Line Statue of Liberty Ferry, which leaves from Battery Park in Lower Manhattan and from Liberty State Park in New Jersey
Website
Jewish Museum
Cultural and historical collection
Housed in the ornate 1908 Warburg Mansion on the Upper East Side, the Jewish
Museum includes over 28,000 paintings, religious icons and interactive
installations. One of the best displays, Culture and Continuity: The Jewish
Journey, illustrates the impact of history on Jewish culture.
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Cost
US$12; concessions US$10; under-12s free
Opening Hours
Thu-Tue 11am-5.45pm
Address
1109, Fifth Avenue (at 92nd Street), New York City 10128
Telephone
+1 212 423 3200
Solomon R Guggenheim Museum
Extraordinary arts
A white spiral building designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, the Solomon R
Guggenheim Museum is an architectural icon on Fifth Avenue's Museum Mile.
World-famous contemporary art includes exhibits by Kandinsky, Picasso and
Chagall, and there are regular temporary exhibitions.
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Cost
US$18; concessions US$15; under-12s free
Opening Hours
Sun-Wed & Fri 10am-5.45pm; Sat 10am-7.45pm
Address
1071, Fifth Avenue (at 89th Street), New York City 10128 0173
Telephone
+1 212 423 3500
Brooklyn Museum
World history and art
The renowned Brooklyn Museum gets all New Yorkers travelling to the suburbs
for its five floors of exhibits, which include ancient Egyptian statues,
feminist art and American paintings. The museum hosts free concerts the
first Saturday of every month.
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Cost
Suggested donation: US$10; concessions US$6; under-12s free
Opening Hours
Wed-Fri 10am-5pm; Sat & Sun 11am-6pm
Address
200, Eastern Parkway (at the corner of Washington Avenue), New York City 11238
Telephone
+1 718 638 5000
Grand Central Terminal
Iconic train station
The Beaux Arts Grand Central Terminal in Midtown gleams with its gold-leaf
ceiling of the main concourse, the iconic four-faced brass clock and marble
staircase. There's also a selection of restaurants and bars here.
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Cost
Free
Opening Hours
Daily 5.30am-1.30am
Address
200, Park Avenue (at 42nd Street), New York City 10022
Telephone
+1 212 340 2345
Central Park
City's green lung
Manhattan's vast Central Park, over 2.5 miles long, would take several days
to explore fully. Locals love ice-skating in winter, boating in summer and
cycling or rollerblading all year. Other relaxing places include the
secluded conservatory and the Victorian Belvedere Castle.
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Cost
Free
Opening Hours
Daily 6am-1am
Address
59th Street to 110th Street, (between 5th Avenue & Central Park West), New York City 10022
Telephone
+1 212 360 3444
New York Public Library
Bibliophiles' heaven
Guarded by huge marble lions Patience and Fortitude, the Beaux Arts New York
Public Library on Fifth Avenue has scholarly volumes for reference only and
temporary exhibitions. Look upwards in the gallowed Rose Main Reading Room
to see the restored ceiling murals, lit up by 18 chandeliers.
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Cost
Free
Opening Hours
Mon-Thu 8am-11pm; Fri 8am-8pm; Sat & Sun 10am-6pm
Address
5th Avenue & 42nd Street, New York City 10018-2788
Telephone
+1 917 275 6975
Brooklyn Bridge
Suspension bridge to Manhattan
An iconic 1595-foot suspension bridge, completed in 1883, Brooklyn Bridge
links Brooklyn to Manhattan over the East River. Chunky cables, steel
girders and views make a wonderful walk, especially towards Manhattan's
skyline. Walk, cycle or rollerblade across its wooden platform.
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Cost
Free
Opening Hours
24 hours daily
Address
New York City 11201
Telephone
+1 212 442 7000
Transport
City Hall (Manhattan side) or High Street (Brooklyn side) subway
Website
New York City Department of Transportation Website
Website
Canal Street, Chinatown
Oriental market and mayhem
The eastern half of Canal Street is the hub of busy Chinatown and the largest
Chinese community outside Asia. It comes alive here at the weekend market,
when stall holders set up to sell pork dumplings and buckets of live eels,
and hawkers their fake designer goods.
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Cost
Free
Opening Hours
Most stores open 10am-8pm
Address
China Town, New York City 10013
Transport
Canal Street subway
Staten Island Ferry
Harbour views
Not just any commuter trip: the half-hour journey on the passenger ferry
between Manhattan and Staten Island traverses New York's busy harbour,
offering views of the Statue of Liberty. Ride the return trip towards
Manhattan for sunset views of the city.
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Cost
Free
Opening Hours
Daily 24 hours
Address
1, Whitehall Street (at South Street), Battery Park, New York City 10004
Telephone
311 (from New York); +1 212 639 9675 (outside New York)
Transport
1, 4, 5, N, R subway lines as well as the M1, M6 and M15 bus lines
Website
New York City Department of Transportation Website
Website
Mother AME Zion Church
Gospel chapel and song
For an uplifting Sunday, join the gospel singing by both congregation and
choir at the Mother AME Zion Church, perfectly capturing Harlem's spirit.
This was New York's first black church, established in 1796, and gave
shelter to escaped slaves, including Frederick Douglass.
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Cost
Free (donation suggested)
Opening Hours
Services: Sun 11am-1pm; open other days for visits
Address
140-147, West 137th Street, Harlem, New York City 10030
Telephone
+1 212 234 1544
Transport
135th Street subway
Top of the Rock
City-wide views
From the top of the iconic Art Deco Rockefeller Center's 70 floors there are
360-degree views of Manhattan. Reopened in 2005 after 20 years, the Empire
State Building, Central Park, and Rockefeller ice-rink are visible from Top
of the Rock.
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Cost
US$21; concessions US$19; 6-12 year olds US$14
Opening Hours
Daily 8am-12am (last elevator 11pm)
Address
70/F 30, Rockefeller Plaza (entrance on 50th Street), between 5th and 6th Avenues, New York City 10112
Telephone
+1 212 332 6868
Russian & Turkish Baths
Sauna and scrub
For a deep clean and reviving massage, the Russian & Turkish Baths in
East Village has an old-world feel. Try the sizzling Russian sauna, ice-cold
pool and Turkish steam room, followed by Dead Sea salt scrub.
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Cost
All-day pass US$30 including sauna, steam & pool; treatments US$35-US$90
Opening Hours
Mon, Tue & Fri 12pm-10pm; Wed & Sun 2pm-10pm; Thu 5pm-10pm; Sat 9am-10pm; women only Wed 10am-2pm; men only Thu 12pm-5pm; Sun 8am-2pm
Address
268, East 10th Street, (between 1st Avenue & Avenue A), New York City 10009
Telephone
+1 212 674 9250
