hidden treasures of manhattan
 

i am travelling to NYC in december, staying in flatiron/gramcery area. this is my 5th trip to NYC. we've done all the touristy stuff and some. we'd like to go off the beaten path this time. any suggestions??? thanks, adriang177

Have you been here -
http://www.tenement.org/

or http://www.frick.org/

And my favorite store -
http://www.fishseddy.com/

And if you like candy -
http://economycandy.com/

Any tour by http://www.foodsofny.com/
The Greenwich Village is my favorite

And walk on http://www.thehighline.org/

Those are my favorites

There may be some things you have seen or done but:

Walking the city is one of the great pleasures. Besides the East and West Villages where the quirky still lives, the Upper East Side has some spectacular residental architecture and very expensive stores.

You an also get books that outline self-guided literary and movie walks.

The city is filled with all sorts of ethnic stores and restaurants that many visitors miss especially in Queens.

There is the new section of the Highline, hundreds of art galleries and the Cloisters.

Try taking the #7 train to the end of the line (Main Street). You are in Flushing - but you might think you are in Hong Kong or Seoul. A vibrant, bustling neighborhood replete with interesting shops and restaurants. Stop in and have lunch or dinner -- Imperial Palace, Joe's Shanghai are a couple of good choices. BTW - while riding the #7 train note your fellow riders -- the faces and languages of the world (see their newspapers). This is the most multi-ethnic area in the world.

wow! lots of great stuff. did the frick and the high-line in summer. will definitely check out flushing via the #7. keep the ideas coming people!!! ag

If you've never beenin Dec before plan to spend an evening walking up Fifth Ave looking at the inredible displays n the store windows, visit Rock Center and St Pats, then head over 57th to see Bloomies.

Go skating at Rock Center or one of the city's other outdor rinks.

Visit the Cloisters.

Revisit the Met (Neapolitan tree and creche) and natural History (origami tree) museums.

Have a look at Time Out New York and the event section of the New York magazine web site. or the holidays there will be a huge number of special activities.

Visit the Bronx Botanical Gardens which has a fantastic display of trains for the holidays.

Track down some new museums - the ity has dozens - from the Asia Society to the Museum of Sex. If you haven;t been definitely visit the Museum of the city of NY, the NY Historical Society and Museo del Barrio,

I always liked the tour of the Federal Reserve Bank. It's free, but you need reservations. There are exhibits and they take you downstairs into the gold vault. http://www.newyorkfed.org/aboutthefed/visiting.html

Go gallery hopping in Chelsea and stop in the FIT museum while in the neighborhood. Some other museums/galleries if you haven't been already: American Folk Art Museum, Forbes Gallery, Neue Galerie, Museum of Art & Design, Jewish Museum. Stroll/bike/skate along the west side, from Battery Park to the GW Bridge.

I think Folk Art has been closed - not sure.

Just topping, am interested!

I thought the Folk Art Museum is now in their smaller location at Lincoln Center. The one near MoMA closed.

If you are a book lover, Strand Books is a must visit.

It's at 2 Lincoln Center now.

If you go to the Federal Reserve Bank, also check out Federal Hall National Memorial (http://www.nps.gov/feha/index.htm) and the 9/11 memorial (timed tickets required http://www.911memorial.org/)

I was last in NYC about 3 years ago so check if these tips are still relevant...but these were some of my favourite things.
On Fridays there was a free walking tour of Grand Central station - very interesting and entertaining. http://gonyc.about.com/od/toursbr/tp...king-Tours.htm
On Monday nights when there are no Broadway shows, the Birdland club hosts Jim Caruso's Cast Party when cast members just go up on stage and give impromptu performances. I posted a few days ago to get some recent reviews but noone replied...but I really enjoyed it when I went.
I love dance and especially Alvin Ailey, and the best $15 I ever spent was going to a dance class at the Alvin Ailey Extension school. It was a thrill just to be in the building and watch classes, and they have a glass walled studio that you can see classes from the street...and I just loved it.

i second the Botanical Garden and Bronx zoo--if I you really want to see a non-touristy area go to almost any Italian restaurant on Arthur Ave, theyre better than the best in Manhattan,really--its about a 10 minute can ride from the zoo--if your adventurous, its one bus,straighshot ( you can tell i was raised in the Bronx by now).Id think itd be a fun day--do the zoo in theAM while the animals are hugry, head over to Arthur avenue, then back to Botanical gardens A few take reservations, but most dont

Have you seen the Panorama of the City of New York in Queens? It's quite amazing!

http://www.queensmuseum.org/exhibitions/visitpanorama

I'm assuming you've walked over a bridge or two? Gone to Ellis Island? Done a scavenger hunt in the Metropolitan Museum of Art? Had cocktails at dusk there? Signed up for a BAG? Seen an off-Broadway show, an opera, a ballet?

I'm hoping to have lunch at the United Nations Delegates Dining Room during my trip in February. It requires reservations.

http://www.un.org/MoreInfo/pubsvs.html

Bowsprit - what's a BAG?

Right in the neighborhood in which you are staying is the Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace. It might be closed while they replace the fire escape. Since you'll be nearby it will be easy t verify if it's open.

http://www.nps.gov/thrb/index.htm

You might enjoy Eataly across from Madison Square:
http://eatalyny.com/

BAG: Big Apple Greeters are free tourguides who volunteer their time and offer a wonderful service. You have to request a volunteer in advance and you may not know if you've gotten one until your arrival but you're in for a treat if you can 'bag' a BAG. Here's the link:

http://www.bigapplegreeter.org/01-bi...0-what_is.html