New York's secrets and fun places

[Kastanok]

So, I'm considering taking an immediate trip to New York. When some money I'm expecting comes in, I'll just up-sticks and take a vacation. I can get there and back and have a room at a hostel for a week for under £500, which isn't bad at all.

What I'm wondering is... what cool places and things to do around NYC does anyone know here that the average tourist might miss?

[Ashtar]

I recommend going to the Queen's Museum of Art, it's awesome for many reasons: The first and foremost being the Panorama of NY (http://www.queensmuseum.org/exhibitions/visitpanorama). "a 9,335 square foot architectural model includes every single building constructed before 1992 in all five boroughs; that is a total of 895,000 individual structures.".

Also the site on which it is located is the 1964 world fair (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1964_New_York_World's_Fair) known for its appearance in films such as Men in Black and Iron Man 2 (Stark Expo location).

More later....

[Seonor]

While I was never in New York, Scouting NY (http://www.scoutingny.com/) has many interesting and hidden wonders of the city.

[snoopy13a]

NY is fairly expensive (unless you're from London, then it'll seem cheap :smalltongue: ).

As a red-blooded American, I recommend going in the late spring or summer so you can see a baseball game. Usually either the Mets or Yankees will be in town.

[askandarion]

Yeah, NYC ain't cheap, and it's a bit more difficult in winter. I recommend walking around the city- areas like lower Manhattan, the High Line Park, the Hudson River Greenway along the western edge of Manhattan, Prospect Park, Greenwood Cemetery...

If you can afford it, check out Watson Adventures Scavenger Hunts- they're a lot of fun, and it's a good chance to meet locals as well as tourists. BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music) has fun things, and I think Fridays and Saturdays there's some free events as well.

You can head out to Governors Island for an interesting experience as well as a good view of the skyline of lower Manhattan. Certain museums are free on the first Saturday of the months, or have "suggested" donations.

What sort of things do you like doing? That might help narrow suggestions down a bit. A lot of New York's experiences are spontaneous or random, so make sure you travel around the city a lot- the subway, the streets, however and wherever.

[Orzel]

What exactly do you enjoying doing? It'll help me think of ideas.

Also don't come in the winter. NYC winters suck and you get trapped here by snow. Come in the spring.

[CoffeeIncluded]

I find that the most fun comes in traipsing around and doing whatever comes to mind. (Of course, this is best done when with a friend, so...)