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The New York List

One hundred things to do in New York, before you call yourself a New Yorker

Some are famous for good reason, like the free ferry past the Statue of Liberty and the Brooklyn Bridge at first light. Others take a bit of finding: a bend in Doyers Street, a museum in a freight elevator, a forest at the top of Manhattan. Born here or just arrived, you probably haven't done them all.

Tap I've done this as you go and each one gets a stamp. Your list is saved in this browser only. When you're ready, share your count and find out who has really done the most. Every item links to our page with the details, checked against the official source.

0/ 100done so far
  1. Classics0/14
  2. On the Water0/10
  3. After Dark0/14
  4. Eat Like a New Yorker0/12
  5. Hidden New York0/14
  6. Beyond Manhattan0/18
  7. Wild New York0/8
  8. Through the Seasons0/10

The Classics

The ones everybody means when they say New York, and are right to.

  1. The orange Staten Island Ferry crossing New York Harbor with the lower Manhattan skyline behind it

    Ride the Staten Island Ferry past the Statue of Liberty

    Manhattan

    A free 25-minute harbor crossing past the Statue of Liberty, running day and night.

  2. The Brooklyn Bridge promenade, cables and Gothic towers in early-morning light

    Walk the Brooklyn Bridge at sunrise

    Manhattan

    The world's most famous footpath, empty and gold, for the price of an early alarm.

  3. Grand Central's Main Concourse with its turquoise zodiac ceiling and the opal clock on the information booth

    Stand in Grand Central's Main Concourse and look up

    Midtown

    A backwards zodiac, an opal clock, and the landmark fight that saved the city's face.

  4. The Met's Beaux-Arts facade on Fifth Avenue from above, its broad steps and fountains busy with visitors

    Lose a morning in the Met

    Upper East Side

    Five thousand years of making, walled up along Fifth Avenue.

  5. The High Line's planted walkway between buildings, old rails visible among grasses

    Walk the High Line end to end

    Chelsea

    A mile and a half of garden grown from an abandoned rail line, thirty feet over Chelsea.

  6. Rowboats drifting across the tree-lined Lake in Central Park on a sunny summer day, seen from Bow Bridge

    Row a boat on the Central Park Lake

    Manhattan

    Row each other around the Central Park Lake — about $15 each for an hour.

  7. Bethesda Fountain's Angel of the Waters with the Lake and terrace staircases behind

    Find the Angel of the Waters at Bethesda Terrace

    Upper West Side

    The Angel, the Lake, and a tiled arcade built for echoes — the park's grand heart.

  8. Bow Bridge across the Lake in Central Park, framed by autumn foliage

    Cross Bow Bridge

    Upper West Side

    A single cast-iron bow over the Lake, with the San Remo's towers in the water.

  9. View south from Top of the Rock with the Empire State Building centered in the skyline

    Watch the city light up from Top of the Rock

    Midtown

    The deck where the Empire State Building and Central Park both line up correctly.

  10. Washington Square Arch framing the fountain plaza, with people gathered on the fountain rim

    Sit by the fountain in Washington Square Park

    Greenwich Village

    The Village's marble-arched front room, where Fifth Avenue ends and the show begins.

  11. The Rose Main Reading Room, with readers at long wooden tables under chandeliers and a painted ceiling

    Read under the ceiling of the Rose Main Reading Room

    Midtown

    Docents lead free tours of the Fifth Avenue library, ending beneath the painted ceilings of the Rose Main Reading Room.

  12. Theater signs and billboards crowding Times Square in the Broadway theater district

    Win a Broadway lottery, or line up for rush seats

    Midtown

    How to see Broadway for a fraction of the price: daily digital lotteries and rush, through official channels.

  13. The TKTS booth under the red steps in Duffy Square, Times Square, with people seated on the steps

    Buy same-day theater tickets at the TKTS booth

    Midtown

    Half-price same-day tickets sold under the red steps in Times Square, plus a view straight down Broadway.

  14. Manhattan Bridge tower centered over cobblestoned Washington Street between brick warehouses in DUMBO

    Frame the Manhattan Bridge from Washington Street

    Dumbo

    The bridge-framed block that made DUMBO's name — and it looks exactly as advertised.

On the Water

New York is an archipelago. Get out on it.

  1. An NYC Ferry boat crossing the East River just east of the Manhattan Bridge

    Take the NYC Ferry up the East River

    Citywide

    A commuter ferry fare buys a bridge-by-bridge cruise between three boroughs.

  2. Classic Harbor Line's schooner Adirondack under full sail in New York Harbor

    Sail the harbor at sunset

    Chelsea

    An evening under sail from Chelsea Piers, timed to sunset over the harbor.

  3. The Pier 26 Boathouse in Hudson River Park, its roll-up kayak bay doors under the 'Pier 26 Boathouse' sign, with One World Trade Center behind

    Paddle a free kayak off a Hudson River pier

    Tribeca

    Free kayaking on the Hudson on summer weekends — back next season.

  4. The NYC Ferry landing at Beach 108th Street in Rockaway, with its white canopy and gangway on Jamaica Bay

    Take the ferry to Rockaway Beach

    Queens

    An hour on open water from Wall Street to the city's surf beach, for the price of a subway fare.

  5. Two surfers carrying boards out of the morning surf at Rockaway Beach, with apartment towers hazy behind

    Catch a wave on a Rockaway surf lesson

    Queens

    Two hours, a soft-top board and real Atlantic waves, all within the city limits at Beach 69th Street.

  6. Visitors resting at the top of Outlook Hill on Governors Island, the harbor, a Staten Island ferry and the Statue of Liberty beyond

    Spend a whole day on Governors Island

    Manhattan

    A car-free harbor island of lawns, hills, and hammocks, eight minutes from downtown.

  7. The schooner Clipper City moored at South Street Seaport with the Financial District towers behind

    Go out under canvas on a tall ship

    Lower East Side

    Canvas up, engine off: a tall-ship sail past the Statue of Liberty, with jazz on the evening run.

  8. The 1885 schooner Pioneer under full sail in New York Harbor, the Statue of Liberty behind

    Sail on the 1885 schooner Pioneer

    Financial District

    An 1885 schooner from the Seaport Museum's fleet, under sail on the harbor with your own picnic aboard.

  9. Harbor seals hauled out on the rocks in New York Harbor under a clear winter sky

    Look for harbor seals on a winter cruise

    Chelsea

    A naturalist-led winter cruise to two abandoned quarantine islands where seals haul out off Staten Island.

  10. Two red Roosevelt Island tram cabins crossing the East River beside the Queensboro Bridge

    Ride the Roosevelt Island Tram over the river

    Upper East Side

    A commuter cable car at skyline height, for the price of a subway ride.

After Dark

The rooms where New York does its best work, mostly after nine.

  1. The Village Vanguard's red awning and entrance on Seventh Avenue South at night

    Hear a set at the Village Vanguard

    West Village

    The most storied basement in jazz, in continuous operation since 1935.

  2. A quartet playing on the small, crowded bandstand inside Smalls Jazz Club, photographed from the audience in 2025

    Stay for the late set at Smalls

    West Village

    A Village basement where working New York jazz musicians play from early evening into the small hours.

  3. The canopied East 76th Street entrance of the Carlyle hotel, home of Café Carlyle, with potted topiaries and holiday wreaths

    Dress up for cabaret at Café Carlyle

    Upper East Side

    The Carlyle hotel's supper-club room, with seasonal headliners singing to a hundred people at dinner.

  4. Marie's Crisis, the red-and-white-awninged piano bar at 59 Grove Street in the West Village

    Sing show tunes at Marie's Crisis

    West Village

    A Grove Street basement where a pianist plays Broadway and the entire room sings along, no microphones.

  5. The Comedy Cellar's bulb-lit sign above its MacDougal Street stair entrance

    Laugh in the basement of the Comedy Cellar

    Greenwich Village

    Short sets, close tables, and the ever-present chance of an unannounced drop-in.

  6. Audience judges holding up scorecards, a 9.8 among them, at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe Grand Slam

    Catch a Nuyorican poetry slam

    East Village

    Poetry as a contact sport: Monday slams on the Bowery and a monthly Final Friday bracket in Loisaida.

  7. A vintage microphone on a stand

    Tell a story, or listen to one, at a Moth StorySLAM

    Citywide

    Ten names from a hat, five minutes each, true stories with no notes: The Moth's open-mic nights.

  8. Film Forum's marquee and glass-block entrance on West Houston Street at dusk

    See a classic on the big screen at Film Forum

    Greenwich Village

    A nonprofit four-screen cinema since 1970, known for its repertory double bills and new restorations.

  9. IFC Center's marquee and facade on Sixth Avenue at West 3rd Street, 2024

    Stay up for a midnight movie at IFC Center

    Greenwich Village

    Independent premieres, director Q&As and weekend midnight cult films in the old Waverly theater.

  10. The Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center at night, its arched windows lit from within

    Get rush tickets to the Met Opera

    Upper West Side

    A night under the Met's chandeliers for $25, if you know how the rush tickets work.

  11. The David H. Koch Theater's auditorium seen from the fourth ring before a New York City Ballet performance

    See New York City Ballet for $30

    Upper West Side

    Balanchine's company in its own theater, with $30 rush tickets for anyone aged 13 to 30.

  12. Carnegie Hall's brick and terracotta facade lit gold at dusk on the corner of 57th Street and Seventh Avenue, flags over the entrance

    Hear a concert at Carnegie Hall

    Midtown

    An evening in the 1891 hall on 57th Street, where the upper tiers are cheaper and the sound is famous.

  13. BAM's Peter Jay Sharp Building lit up at night on Lafayette Avenue in Fort Greene

    Spend a night at BAM

    Fort Greene

    Brooklyn's multi-arts center, home of the Next Wave festival, with the Howard Gilman Opera House, the Harvey Theater and BAM Rose Cinemas.

  14. A coin-operated viewer above city lights at night

    Look through a telescope on the High Line

    West Village

    Volunteer astronomers set up telescopes on the High Line on Tuesday nights in season, and anyone can step up and look.

Eat Like a New Yorker

A short syllabus, with plenty of homework.

  1. Everything bagels piled on a white plate with small yellow and pink flowers

    Eat a real New York bagel

    Guide

    Hand-rolled and kettle-boiled, untoasted on principle or hot enough to burn your fingers, carrying lox or a bacon, egg and cheese — here is where to get each kind of New York bagel, and exactly what to ask for.

  2. Pizzas and plates on the table at Ops in Bushwick

    Fold a slice and eat it standing up

    Guide

    A plain slice on a paper plate, a coal-charred pie from a Depression-era oven, a square with the sauce on top, a sourdough crust from a Bushwick wine bar — New York pizza is a dozen styles, not one. Here is what to order, and where.

  3. Smorgasburg food stalls and crowds at its Prospect Park location

    Graze your way through Smorgasburg

    Williamsburg

    An open-air weekend food market where the city's next restaurants audition first.

  4. Crowds at the long tables of the Queens Night Market at sunset in Flushing Meadows Corona Park

    Go to the Queens Night Market

    Corona

    More than 100 vendors cooking the food of Queens' many cultures, on Saturday nights by the Hall of Science.

  5. Inside the Arthur Avenue Retail Market, Little Italy in the Bronx

    Shop the Arthur Avenue Retail Market

    Arthur Avenue (Belmont)

    The 1940 market hall that brought Arthur Avenue's pushcarts indoors, and still the loudest room in Belmont.

  6. Mario's stucco façade and maroon awnings on Arthur Avenue, Bronx

    Eat your way down Arthur Avenue

    Guide

    Fresh mozzarella, house-cured soppressata, lard bread and century-old dining rooms — plus the Albanian and Ivorian kitchens on Belmont's side streets. Where to eat on and around Arthur Avenue.

  7. Soup dumplings in a paper-lined bamboo steamer

    Go deep on Chinese food, borough by borough

    Guide

    Manhattan's Chinatown is where the story starts. The widest range of regional Chinese cooking in the city is in Queens — Flushing above all, then Elmhurst and College Point — with Sunset Park close behind. Here is what to order, and where.

  8. The Riegelmann Boardwalk at Brighton Beach in late-afternoon light, lined with brick apartment towers

    Eat Russian and Georgian in Brighton Beach

    Guide

    Russian banquets on the boardwalk, Ukrainian vareniki, Georgian khachapuri and Uyghur hand-pulled noodles under the Q — then a clam bar on the Sheepshead Bay piers.

  9. The steel-and-glass Chelsea Market canopy with its gold lettering on the old Nabisco factory

    Wander the halls of Chelsea Market

    Chelsea

    The Oreo's birthplace, hollowed into a brick tunnel of food stalls.

  10. Zabar's storefront with its orange signage and awnings on Broadway at West 80th Street

    Shop the counters at Zabar's

    Upper West Side

    Lox sliced by hand since 1934, coffee roasted on-site, and a legendary housewares mezzanine.

  11. Tenement buildings with fire escapes on a narrow downtown street

    Take an eating tour of the Lower East Side

    Lower East Side

    Two hours of Lower East Side history with tastings along the way, led by historian-guides since 1991.

  12. Freshly shaped filled pasta dusted with flour, from ICE's Handmade Filled Pastas class

    Learn to make fresh pasta

    Financial District

    Four hours in a professional kitchen making ravioli and tortellini from scratch, then eating them with wine.

Hidden New York

Crooked streets, private mews and the museums that fit in a freight elevator.

  1. The brown Gay St sign of the Greenwich Village Historic District against brick and summer trees

    Walk the bend of Gay Street

    Greenwich Village

    One block, one perfect bend, two centuries of rowhouses leaning into the turn.

  2. Brick rowhouses of Grove Court seen through its iron gate, with a small shared garden

    Peer through the gate at Grove Court

    West Village

    Six brick houses around a locked garden — the Village's best view through a gate.

  3. Cobblestone lane of Washington Mews lined with low converted stable houses and climbing vines

    Find the old stables of Washington Mews

    Greenwich Village

    A cobbled stable lane the city grew around and never got around to demolishing.

  4. The sharp bend of Doyers Street with lanterns, painted roadbed, and glowing storefronts

    Follow the bend of Doyers Street

    Chinatown

    Two hundred feet, one notorious bend — the most story-dense street in Manhattan.

  5. The view west down tree-lined East 42nd Street from the Tudor City Place overpass

    Look down 42nd Street from the Tudor City Overpass

    Midtown

    The Manhattanhenge railing — 42nd Street in one straight shot, Chrysler at your shoulder.

  6. Mmuseumm's open steel doors in Cortlandt Alley, revealing lit shelves of objects inside a former freight elevator

    Visit Mmuseumm in Cortlandt Alley

    Tribeca

    A tiny museum in a Tribeca freight elevator, displaying the overlooked objects of modern life.

  7. The City Reliquary's storefront on Metropolitan Avenue, with its painted sign and windows packed with objects

    Browse the curiosities at the City Reliquary

    Williamsburg

    A Williamsburg storefront museum devoted to the everyday ephemera of New York and the people who collect it.

  8. A corridor washed in magenta light

    Sit inside the sound and light of the Dream House

    Tribeca

    A Tribeca room of continuous sound and colored light by La Monte Young and Marian Zazeela, in its 33rd year.

  9. A first-floor room at the Merchant's House Museum set for dinner, with red drapes, a chandelier and period furniture

    Step into 1830s New York at the Merchant's House

    Manhattan

    A 19th-century family home with its original furnishings intact, and a hidden passage from the early Underground Railroad.

  10. The restored sanctuary of the Museum at Eldridge Street, its great round window glowing above the ark

    See the rose window at the Museum at Eldridge Street

    Chinatown

    The Museum at Eldridge Street, in a restored 1887 synagogue: the first grand house of worship built by Eastern European Jewish immigrants in North America.

  11. The Tenement Museum's storefront and sign on Orchard Street, beneath a red-brick tenement with fire escapes

    Tour a restored apartment at the Tenement Museum

    Lower East Side

    Step into restored Lower East Side apartments and meet the real immigrant families who once lived in them.

  12. The 'Russian & Turkish Baths, Since 1892, Health Club' sign hanging over the entrance on East 10th Street

    Sweat it out at the Russian & Turkish Baths

    East Village

    An East Village bathhouse running since 1892: five hot rooms, a cold plunge and a roof deck, walk-ins only.

  13. The long nave of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine seen from floor level, rows of chairs leading to the altar

    Climb into the roof of St. John the Divine

    Manhattan

    Climb spiral stairs more than 124 feet up inside the Cathedral of St. John the Divine for views few visitors get.

  14. The East Room of J. P. Morgan's library: three tiers of walnut bookcases rising to a painted, gilded ceiling

    See Pierpont Morgan's library

    Midtown

    A banker's marble vault of Gutenbergs, wrapped in a Renzo Piano glass court.

Beyond Manhattan

Four more boroughs, each with a weekend's worth of reasons.

  1. The Panorama of the City of New York at the Queens Museum, a vast scale model of Manhattan's skyline and the surrounding boroughs

    Find your block on the Panorama at the Queens Museum

    Corona

    All five boroughs in miniature: a 9,335-square-foot scale model of the city built for the 1964 World's Fair.

  2. The sculpture garden at the Noguchi Museum, with a stone column, birch trees and gravel beds beside the brick gallery

    Sit in the garden at the Noguchi Museum

    Long Island City

    Isamu Noguchi's own museum and sculpture garden in Long Island City, as quiet as a temple.

  3. The brick facade of the Louis Armstrong House on a residential street in Corona, Queens

    Visit Louis Armstrong's house in Corona

    Corona

    Satchmo's own Queens home, kept as he and Lucille lived in it and seen on small guided tours.

  4. The lawn at Gantry Plaza State Park, with the Midtown skyline and the Empire State Building across the East River

    Watch the sunset from Gantry Plaza

    Long Island City

    Rail-crane relics, the Pepsi sign, and midtown closer across the water than anywhere else.

  5. An outdoor art installation on the green lawns of Socrates Sculpture Park

    See the art by the river at Socrates Sculpture Park

    Astoria

    An illegal dump turned open-air studio, rebuilt by sculptors season after season.

  6. The red-brick former schoolhouse of MoMA PS1 in Long Island City, seen from the street

    Spend an afternoon at MoMA PS1

    Long Island City

    An 1890s schoolhouse where the art world keeps its rough drafts and loud ideas.

  7. The Gothic Revival main gate of Green-Wood Cemetery rising over a green lawn in spring

    Tour Green-Wood Cemetery

    Brooklyn

    Ride a trolley or walk with a guide through Green-Wood's hills, Gothic gate and centuries of Brooklyn history.

  8. One of the historic Hunterfly Road Houses at Weeksville, a small wooden house set back on a green lawn

    Visit the Hunterfly Road Houses in Weeksville

    Crown Heights

    Tour the surviving houses of Weeksville, a free Black community founded in Brooklyn in 1838.

  9. BLDG 92, the Brooklyn Navy Yard's museum and visitor center, with its brick and metal-clad facade

    Walk the Brooklyn Navy Yard

    Fort Greene

    Two hours inside the gates of the shipyard that built America's warships, now a working industrial park.

  10. Jane's Carousel glowing inside its glass pavilion by the East River at dusk

    Ride Jane's Carousel

    Dumbo

    Forty-eight restored horses spinning in a glass box between the bridges.

  11. The lower Manhattan skyline and harbor seen across benches and railings on the Brooklyn Heights Promenade

    Stroll the Brooklyn Heights Promenade

    Brooklyn Heights

    Manhattan at exactly the right distance, from a terrace floating over the BQE.

  12. A large yellow-and-black lettering mural on a Bushwick Collective wall in Bushwick, Brooklyn

    Hunt for murals with the Bushwick Collective

    Bushwick

    An open-air gallery of murals by artists from around the world, repainted so often that no two visits match.

  13. Flower borders in bloom at Wave Hill, with the Hudson River and the Palisades beyond

    Spend a garden afternoon at Wave Hill

    Riverdale

    Public gardens and a hilltop estate above the Hudson in Riverdale, free on Thursdays.

  14. The white clapboard Edgar Allan Poe Cottage in Poe Park on the Grand Concourse, its porch edged with flowers

    Visit Poe's last home in the Bronx

    Bronx

    The small Bronx cottage where Poe spent his last years and his wife Virginia died, now a literary center.

  15. A fan in a number 23 jersey facing the wall of retired Yankees numbers in Monument Park

    Take a classic tour of Yankee Stadium

    The Grand Concourse

    Monument Park, the Yankees Museum and baseball's most decorated franchise on an hour-long guided tour.

  16. A tall scholar's rock, a pavilion and a pond in the walled New York Chinese Scholar's Garden on Staten Island

    Find the Chinese Scholar's Garden at Snug Harbor

    Staten Island

    A Ming-style walled garden built by artisans from Suzhou, with koi, pavilions and scholar's rocks, on Staten Island.

  17. The low, vine-covered Alice Austen House with its white dormers, behind a sloping green lawn

    See the Narrows from the Alice Austen House

    Staten Island

    A photographer's waterfront cottage and a landmark of LGBTQ+ history, facing the Narrows and the Verrazzano.

  18. The fieldstone Christopher House at Historic Richmond Town, set in a grassy field behind a split-rail fence

    Walk back in time at Historic Richmond Town

    Staten Island

    Staten Island's open-air history village, where guided tours move through three centuries of New York life.

Wild New York

Forest, dune and salt marsh, all inside the city line.

  1. The East Pond at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge under a stormy sky, edged by marsh grasses

    Go birding at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge

    Queens

    Walk the West Pond loop on a national wildlife refuge reachable by the A train, one of the Northeast's largest bird habitats.

  2. Birders raising binoculars to the canopy on an NYC Bird Alliance walk in the Ramble

    Join a bird walk in Central Park's Ramble

    Manhattan

    Warblers, hawks and woodpeckers in the Ramble during migration, with an expert from the city's bird alliance.

  3. A path climbing into the woods of Inwood Hill Park from Payson Avenue, with a park sign at the entrance

    Walk Manhattan's last forest in Inwood Hill Park

    Inwood

    Tulip trees, salt marsh and the stone that marks Manhattan's legendary sale, at the island's northern tip.

  4. Binnen Falls in Prospect Park's Ravine, water spilling over boulders beneath a rustic wooden bridge into a still pool, under a green spring canopy

    Find the Ravine in Prospect Park

    Park Slope

    A stream, small cascades and a high canopy hidden in Prospect Park, on a half-mile loop to Boulder Bridge.

  5. The graffitied concrete casemate of a 16-inch gun battery at Fort Tilden, half-buried in grassy dunes

    Climb the dunes at Fort Tilden

    Queens

    A wild beach, dunes and maritime forest wrapped around the concrete casemates of a World War II gun battery.

  6. A shaded dirt trail and wooden bench in the Staten Island Greenbelt's woods

    Hike the Staten Island Greenbelt

    Staten Island

    More than 35 miles of forest trail in the middle of Staten Island, with deer and glacial ponds for company.

  7. The brick walkway of the High Bridge stretching toward the Bronx, with lampposts and safety fencing on either side

    Walk across the High Bridge

    Washington Heights

    New York's oldest standing bridge, built in 1848 to carry the city's water, now a walk across the Harlem River.

  8. Glacial rocks and marsh grass on the northern tip of Hunter Island in Pelham Bay Park, with Long Island Sound beyond

    Explore Hunter Island in Pelham Bay Park

    Pelham Bay

    Owls, glacial boulders and salt marsh on a wooded trail, reached along a 1930s crescent beach in the Bronx.

Through the Seasons

A year in New York, one ritual at a time.

  1. Kanzan cherry trees in full pink bloom lining the lawn of the Cherry Esplanade at Brooklyn Botanic Garden

    See the cherry blossoms at Brooklyn Botanic Garden

    Crown Heights

    Double rows of Kanzan cherries in full pink bloom along the Cherry Esplanade, timed with the garden's own bloom map.

  2. A mermaid in a rainbow wig and sequined tail throws her arms up on the Coney Island boardwalk, the crowd behind her in black and white

    Dress up for the Coney Island Mermaid Parade

    Coney Island

    Mermaids, sea monsters and brass bands open summer on the Boardwalk, then everyone follows them into the sea.

  3. A full house at the Delacorte Theater at dusk, the red stage lit for Twelfth Night under the light towers

    Get free tickets to Shakespeare in the Park

    Manhattan

    Free open-air Shakespeare at the Delacorte in Central Park, with Belvedere Castle as the backdrop.

  4. The SummerStage band shell and lawn in Central Park on a summer afternoon, with a small crowd on the grass

    Catch a free SummerStage concert

    Manhattan

    Forty seasons of free outdoor concerts, in Central Park and in neighborhood parks across all five boroughs.

  5. Crowds settling on the Bryant Park lawn on a summer evening before a Movie Night, with Midtown towers behind

    Bring a blanket to Bryant Park movie night

    Midtown

    A free film on a giant screen, a blanket on the lawn and the Midtown towers lighting up on summer Mondays.

  6. Marchers dressed as a deck of playing cards, led by the King of Hearts, in the Village Halloween Parade

    March in the Village Halloween Parade

    Greenwich Village

    Anyone in costume can march up Sixth Avenue with the giant puppets. It's always October 31, whatever day that falls on.

  7. A New York skyline built from bark, seeds and leaves over a reflecting pool in the Haupt Conservatory at the Holiday Train Show

    See the Holiday Train Show at the Botanical Garden

    Bronx

    Model trains wind past nearly 200 New York landmarks made of bark and pinecones, inside a Victorian glasshouse.

  8. The Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lit at night above a crowd, with the tower of 30 Rockefeller Plaza behind

    See the Rockefeller Center tree at dawn

    Midtown

    See the tree on a weekday morning, nearly alone with the lights and the Channel Gardens angels.

  9. Black-and-white view of skaters on Wollman Rink in Central Park, with the Midtown skyline including the Sherry-Netherland rising behind the trees

    Skate at Wollman Rink

    Manhattan

    Open-air skating under the midtown skyline, in the park's southeast corner.

  10. Plungers charging across the sand toward the ocean at Coney Island on New Year's Day, the Wonder Wheel behind

    Run into the Atlantic at the Polar Bear Plunge

    Coney Island

    Start the year by running into the Atlantic at Coney Island with a few thousand strangers and the Polar Bear Club.

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