Choose from 201 Fun Things to Do in New York
Bryant Park
Frick Collection
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Central Park Zoo
- Central Park Zoo is a must for families.
- Leave scooters, bikes, rollerblades, selfie sticks, and balloons at home, as they are not allowed within the zoo.
- Wi-Fi is available at the zoo.
- Many of the zoo’s exhibits, including the penguin and sea lion habitats and the 4D Theater, are wheelchair-accessible.
Artists and Fleas
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Friends Building
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Brooklyn Bridge Park
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Brooklyn Bridge
- In cooler months, wear an extra layer or two, as it can be colder and windier on the bridge than on street level.
- The bridge’s pedestrian path is narrow; be careful not to veer into the adjacent bike lane.
- Crossing the bridge on foot takes around 25 minutes, or longer if you pause for photographs.
Grand Central Station
Manhattan's truly wonderful Grand Central Station (meticulously restored in the 1990s) is a train terminal in the grand tradition from the glory days of the nation's railroads.
Built for the New York Central Railroad between 1903 and 1913, Grand Central is the world's largest train station and a vital New York attraction (even if catching a train is the last thing on your mind).
The main features of the lofty, opulent Main Concourse are its huge arched windows, ticket booths, the famous four-faced clock, grand staircases, chandeliers and, up above, the cerulean blue ceiling gilded with astronomical details. Statues and a Tiffany glass clock dominate the Beaux Arts exterior.
Join a public or private tour of the terminal's highlights, drop into the famous Oyster Bar while you're here, grab a snack at any number of food outlets, or join the 125,000 commuters who pick up a train or subway from Grand Central every day.
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Grand Central Station is on 42nd Street at Park Avenue in Midtown. Commuter trains and subway services stop here.
Brooklyn Navy Yard
The Navy Yard reached its peak of operations during World War II, when 70,000 employees worked here around the clock. After a period of decline in production, the shipyard was decommissioned in 1966 and a few years later the entire yard was purchased by the city of New York.
Today, the 300-acre Brooklyn Navy Yard is an industrial park operated by the nonprofit Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation, with over 40 buildings leased by more than 330 companies in a wide range of industries, from movie and television production to green manufacturing. One building houses BLDG 92, a LEED-Platinum Visitor Center that includes exhibitions about the past, present, and future of innovation at the Brooklyn Navy Yard and a café that overlooks the site. From World War II history to sustainable architecture and industry, there are various tours of the yard available, including theme-based bus and bike tours start and end at BLDG 92. A portion of all ticket proceeds go to support the Visitor, Exhibition, and Employment Center at BLDG 92.
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Frederic Remington Art Museum
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Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site
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Grand Army Plaza
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Brooklyn Botanic Garden
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Brooklyn Brewery
Due to Brooklyn zoning laws, neighbors and home-brewing enthusiasts Steve Hindy and Tom Potter originally had to open their operations in Utica, New York, but were finally able to move to their present Williamsburg digs in 1996. Garrett Oliver, Hindy and Potter’s first apprentice, has been their brewmaster since 1993 and is now one of the most famous faces in the beer industry. All three of these gentlemen have written books on beer, and all are available for sale at the brewery.
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Fraunces Tavern Museum
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Ford Foundation Building
The Ford Foundation, created in the 1936 by automotive engineers Henry and Edsel Ford, makes considerable grants to interests in education, the arts and Third World development. Their headquarters were designed to illustrate their community involvement, and the L-shaped building, made largely of organic weathering steel, manages to integrate its garden surroundings and employ an open interior plan that encourages both employees and administrators to interact with one another.
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Daily News Building
The model for the Daily Planet building in the Superman movie franchise, the Daily News Building features the world’s largest indoor globe in its lobby, as well a collection of vintage weather instruments. An addition was built on the building’s east side in 1958, designed by Wallace Harrison and Max Abramowitz, then one of America’s premier architectural firms.
This iconic building is now home to Manhattan’s local CW affiliate, WPIX TV-Channel 11, as well as the Omnicom Group, one of the world’s largest and most influential advertising and marketing firms, and offices for a variety of initiatives affiliated with the United Nations. The New York Daily News is still in print and online, but its headquarters are now found at 4 New York Plaza on the lower East Side of Manhattan, near Battery Park.
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Central Park
- Several spots offer information about the park: the Dairy Visitor Center, Belvedere Castle, the Charles A. Dana Discovery Center, the Chess & Checkers House, and the Columbus Circle information kiosk.
- No parking is available in the park, but parking garages are nearby.
- Wheelchairs can be used on many paths, but there are stairs around the park, so consider starting at an information center to pick up a map.