NYC hidden gems?

[luvmyfam444]

Heading there over T'giving. We've visited most touristy things except the art museums. Would love to know of any things to do/restaurants you suggest which maybe is a hidden gem? or even tours

 

[mjkacmom]

I’ve heard the tenement museum is great. Have you been to little island?

 

[luvmyfam444]

I’ve heard the tenement museum is great. Have you been to little island?

ok - I'll google it and no we haven't been to the little island

 

[JaxDad]

Little Island is close to the High Line if that is part of your plans. And speaking of islands, I recommend the tram to Roosevelt Island as something a little off the beaten path. Also, the market at Grand Central Terminal is great; it’s not really a hidden gem, but the nearby “whispering gallery” is cool.

I noticed you wrote “except the art museums.” If you haven’t been, you should definitely consider the Met and the MOMA (and many other museums and galleries), even if you’re not a huge art fan.

 

[luvmyfam444]

Little Island is close to the High Line if that is part of your plans. And speaking of islands, I recommend the tram to Roosevelt Island as something a little off the beaten path. Also, the market at Grand Central Terminal is great; it’s not really a hidden gem, but the nearby “whispering gallery” is cool.

I noticed you wrote “except the art museums.” If you haven’t been, you should definitely consider the Met and the MOMA (and many other museums and galleries), even if you’re not a huge art fan.

thanks - I'm a fan , just gotta drag the others along - ha

 

[Miffy]

Well, not very hidden, but the Bronx Zoo and the New York Botanical Gardens, both in the Bronx. You can take the subway or an express bus. And have a meal in the Bronx's Little Italy on Arthur Avenue.

 

[bcla]

I would have suggested a tour of the UN Headquarters, but they're currently suspended.

 

[jaiminee krikit]

If you like donuts, one of my favorite little things I had in NYC was a donut from The Doughnut Project. Some of their flavors are.... unique, but I had honestly the best donut of my life there - a creme brulee donut filled with corn pudding. I know it sounds strange, but seriously I dream about that donut. I also had gotten a strawberry balsamic donut and it was good, but not as good as the creme brulee. Check their website as the flavors change I believe seasonally, thedoughnutproject.com

 

[GAN]

I don't know if it's a hidden gem, but if I'm not drinking an Ale @ McSorley's I'm not in NYC....

 

[MB_Ellie]

It's not a hidden gem, but if you like Gideon's cookies, Levain has oversized chocolate chip cookies as well that I happen to think are even better than Gideon's. There are a few different locations throughout NYC that you can find from their website.

For restaurants, Tableside Italian Cook Shoppe is cozy spot on the Lower East Side with homemade pasta, as is Max in Tribecca.

If you're a Harry Potter fan, there's also the new Harry Potter store in the Flatiron District.

 

[rlk]

I don't know if it's a hidden gem, but if I'm not drinking an Ale @ McSorley's I'm not in NYC....

Have you been to The Ear Inn? They have live music some nights. http://www.theearinn.com/about

 

[NYCgrrl]

Possibilities:

Visit Ellis Island, then Katz’s for a deli sandwich followed by a visit to the Tenement Museum. You can walk through the 1930s WPA market called Essex just for the fun of it. Sort of an idea of what life was like for a stereotypical immigrant in the early 1900s.

Walk over the Brooklyn Bridge and grab a bite to eat at Juniors on Flatbush. Take the N train back to Manhattan. Keep your eyes opened on the righthand side for a moving cartoon art piece near the abandoned Mrytle Avenue train station before you cross over the Manhattan Bridge. You can only see it entering Manhattan. Think it’s called “Masstransitscope”. Get off at Canal St, switch to the downtown R train going to Cortland St.and get off to view the Occulus. You can also shop for Italian groceries at Eataly as they make great souvenirs.

 

[iheartglaciers]

The tenement museum is really interesting, as well as the transit museum in Brooklyn.

There’s a Pixar themed pop-up mini golf course downtown right now (I think it closes after Thanksgiving). And the Harry Potter store that was mentioned is new.

 

[mjkacmom]

Have you been to The Ear Inn? They have live music some nights. http://www.theearinn.com/about

OMG, I’ve eaten there so many times! My husband’s band (before he was my husband) played at McGoverns across the street for many years, he worked in manhattan and I’d drive in every Thursday after work through the Holland tunnel to spring street.

 

[fly girl]

I’ve heard the tenement museum is great. Have you been to little island?

My sister and I were disappointed in the tenement museum. Maybe we picked the wrong tour, or had the wrong guide. We did Shop Life. Our tour guide was very nice but she made the tour about the guests, not the actual building and its people. My sister and I kept saying tell us about life then, not these strangers in our group TODAY. lol

However, we loved a little pie shop not far from the tenement museum, Peete's Pie Company.

If you haven't done Ellis Island yet, I highly recommend. So informative and it is at your pace, which I like.

 

[bcla]

I doubt that there are any hidden gems per se in a place with that many people and that many visitors. But there are a lot of things to do that's it's going to be difficult for anyone to do more than just a fraction of everything in one or a few visits.

 

[georgina]

I don't know if it's a hidden gem, but if I'm not drinking an Ale @ McSorley's I'm not in NYC....

Be good or be gone!

 

[SirDuff]

I enjoyed the Museum of the City of New York. If you follow the advice to see Occulus, right by there is the Memorial to the Irish Famine. Also, I love Laconia Verde for a meal. Or Bubbys. Both nearby.

 

[NYCgrrl]

Well, not very hidden, but the Bronx Zoo and the New York Botanical Gardens, both in the Bronx. You can take the subway or an express bus. And have a meal in the Bronx's Little Italy on Arthur Avenue.

Good ‘un. I’d choose the Botanical Gardens since GLOW and the holiday train will have started by then. Here’s the link:
https://www.nybg.org/event/holiday-train-show-2021/nybg-glow/Should you decide to eat on Arthur Ave(it’s really close by) these are some of my favorite haunts:
https://www.seriouseats.com/a-chefs-guide-to-eating-out-in-new-york-city-5181714
Want to extend your Bronx visit? Visit City Island.Sure you can wander around wondering how this New England type seaport village wound up in NYC or just eat some seafood and be happy.

Maybe visit Wave Hill instead? Get on Metro North at Grand Central Station (there maybe an Transit Museum shop and permanent exhibit there still; great souvenirs in the store) and it’ll take you straight there. Check out the whispering galley outside the Oyster Bar mentioned by another poster and view the constellation ceiling too. Sit on the left side of the train going up and admire the changing landscape.

 

[jillinastoria]

Museum of the Moving Image in Queens, especially if anyone in your family loves the Muppets.