Our Favorite Less Known New York Attractions

Being born and raised in New York until I graduated college, I have fond memories of growing up there and touring and hanging out in the top tourist sites like the Statue of Liberty and Central Park for NYC tourists. I still go back to NYC as frequently as I can. When I do other than catching up with friends or Broadway shows, I am likely to be at some less touristy destinations in the city. Here are my favorite less known New York attractions.

The Cloisters

Located in the Washington Heights neighborhood, this museum which is part of the Metropolitan Museum offers a taste of the Middle Ages. It does not look like something you would expect to see in the middle of New York City. It offers a wonderful collection of stained glass, crosses and other religious objects. Our favorite part of their collection is the Unicorn tapestries which complement the collection at the Musee Cluny in Paris. The museums is also peaceful.  Its cloistered gardens are a great place to meditate and relieve city stress.

Riverside Park

While visitors flock to Central Park, and deservedly so, we love this park as well. It is located on the Upper West Side where I grew up. It offers good views of the Hudson River and is a pleasant place to jog or sit. This is also where Grant’s Tomb (do we need to tell you who is buried there?) is located. If you look at the tiled benches surrounding the Tomb, you will see some of my limited artistic talents as I and other children from the neighborhood assisted.

The Frick Collection

While we love the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Frick Collection down the street is more special. Housed inside a mansion that was owned by Henry Clay Frick, the Gallery includes an impressive collection of painters including Gainsborough, Vermeer and the Impressionists as well as porcelain. The central garden also makes this museum special.

Ethnic Food

While NYC is known for such culinary delights as New York style pizza and hot pretzels, we love the broad variety of wonderful and reasonably priced ethnic restaurants in the city. Some of the City’s most authentic ethnic places are in Queens. While in Manhattan, we like to go to the wide variety of ethnic restaurants in the Hells Kitchen neighborhood. The choices are many including Thai, Balkan, Middle Eastern and the first rate casual Peruvian restaurant Pio Pio.

New York’s Piano Bar Scene

Only in New York can you go into one of the city’s many top piano bars and see a Broadway star get up to the mike and belt out a show tune after they finish their performances on stage. From Brandy’s on the Upper East Side to the Duplex and Marie’s Crisis in the Village, these piano bars are campy and fun.

Would you like to plan a trip to NYC? We know the places to go and are happy to help you.

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