Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island

Many tourists miss out on seeing these three boroughs, and that's a shame. They contain some of the city's best restaurants, museums, and attractions. They're closer than you think, and certainly worth the trip.

Queens is a patchwork of diverse neighborhoods, each a small world with a distinct culture, all fascinating to explore. Thanks especially to the borough's strong immigrant population (almost 50%), you'll also find some of the city's most interesting cuisine here. Art lovers will definitely want to make the short trip for world-class museums such as P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center and the Noguchi Museum.

The Bronx is the city's most maligned and misunderstood borough. Its reputation as a gritty, down-and-out place is a little outdated, and more than a little incorrect. There's lots of beauty in the Bronx, including more parkland than any other borough, one of the world's finest botanical collections, and the largest metropolitan zoo in the country. Be aware that the borough covers a large area, and its attractions are spread out. However, on weekends from April through October the city operates the free Bronx Trolley, which departs from Manhattan in the morning, and offers hop on/hop off service to all major attractions. Whether you're relaxing at a ball game or scoping exotic species at the zoo, there's plenty of fun to be had here.

Staten Island is legally a part of New York City but in many ways it's a world apart. The "Forgotten Borough," as some locals refer to it, is geographically more separate, less populous, politically more conservative, and ethnically more homogeneous than the rest of the city. Along with suburban sprawl, there are wonderful small museums, walkable woodlands, and a historic village replicating New York's rural past. And for a view of the skyline and the Statue of Liberty, nothing beats the 25-minute free ferry trip to Staten Island.