358 Best Sights in New York City, New York

This 2½-mile beach, flanked by the Riegelmann Boardwalk and the amusement park rides beyond, has become an essential part of New York legend. Although open (and visited) year-round, the beach really heats up in summer, when it can feel like the entire population of New York is out sunning and swimming. In winter, you'll see Russian, Eastern European, and Central Asian inhabitants of neighboring Brighton Beach strolling the boardwalk in their Sunday best. Moreover, the annual Polar Bear Plunge on January 1 sees thousands of revelers greet the new year by diving into the frigid waters of the Atlantic. Run by the Coney Island Polar Bear Club ( www.polarbearclub.org), a winter bathing club founded in 1903, it's free and open to everyone as long as they've registered on the website—although donations are highly encouraged at registration, to benefit local nonprofits and the community. Amenities: toilets; food and drink. Best for: swimming; people-watching.

The cast of talented freaks and geeks who keep Coney Island's carnival tradition alive include sword swallowers, fire-eaters, knife throwers, and contortionists. Every postmodern show is an extravaganza of 10 different acts to fascinate and impress. Next door is The Coney Island Museum with a large collection of artifacts celebrating the history of this legendary amusement area. The vibe continues at the Freak Bar, offering beverages and pinball. Museum and bar open year-round.

The 6-acre formal garden is known for its ever-changing seasonal plantings, including tulips, lilacs, crabapple trees, summer perennials, and chrysanthemums. Opened in 1937, it is named for the large greenhouse built at this location in 1899 to grow plants for the park's landscapes and to offer seasonal displays to the public. Each of the garden's three areas has a distinct design: the French-style North Garden, the Italianate Center Garden, and the English-style South Garden. The ornate Vanderbilt Gate at the main entrance was donated by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney; it once adorned the Vanderbilt mansion on 5th Avenue.

An affectionate play on the name of the nearby Murray Hill neighborhood to the north, Curry Hill is a roughly three-block area with a large concentration of Indian restaurants. There are dozens of eateries peppered (or is it spiced?) around Lexington Avenue between 26th and 28th Streets, with many regional cuisines represented, including a number of South Indian dosa spots. Check out Kalustyan's ( 123 Lexington Ave.), the long-standing Indian spice-and-grocery market, too.

Built in 1840 for merchant and developer Don Alonzo Cushman, this string of redbrick beauties between 9th and 10th Avenues represents some of the country's best examples of Greek Revival row houses. Original details include small wreath-encircled attic windows, deeply recessed doorways with brownstone frames, and striking iron balustrades and fences. Note the pineapples, a traditional symbol of welcome, on top of the black iron newels in front of No. 416.

The landmark lobby of this Art Deco tower contains an illuminated 12-foot vintage globe that revolves beneath a black-glass dome. Around it, spreading across the floor like a giant compass and literally positioning New York at the center of the world, bronze lines indicate mileage to various international destinations. Movie fans might recognize the building as the offices of the fictional newspaper The Daily Planet in the original Superman movie. Photos from the film's shooting are shown, along with a large clock displaying time zones around the world. On the wall behind the globe, you can check out meteorological gauges, which read New York City's weather—especially fun on a windy day when the meters are whipping about. The Daily News hasn't called this building home since 1995; only the lobby is open to the public (but that's enough). The globe was last updated in 1967, so part of the fun here is seeing how our maps have changed; note Manchuria and East and West Germany.

Trevor Noah may have moved on, but Comedy Central continues to host free tapings of The Daily Show from Monday through Thursday. Reservations can be made online only, with tickets released gradually for future shows, so check the website often to RSVP for your preferred date. Only the person whose name is on the reservation can check in, and all attendees must be at least 18. The big caveat is that a reservation doesn’t guarantee entry, so get in line early. Check the website for more details.

Zwirner is one of the most prominent figures in the world of contemporary art, and his several galleries around the world show multimedia work by big-name, Instagram-friendly artists including Richard Serra, Dan Flavin, Donald Judd, Jeff Koons, Gordon Matta-Clark, Yayoi Kusama, and Alice Neel. The sleek, modern building on 20th Street has two floors of exhibition space, and there's a complex of buildings on West 19th Street a block away, as well as another gallery on the Upper East Side.

The star attraction at Deno's is the towering 150-foot-tall Wonder Wheel, a New York City landmark. The Ferris wheel first opened in 1920, making it the oldest ride in Coney Island, and the spectacular views from the top take in a long stretch of the shoreline. Higher speed thrills come from the Phoenix, the harrowing, inverted steel-track roller coaster. For the tots, there's the Pony Carts and a brightly painted carousel. Older kids will appreciate Stop the Zombies, a virtual-reality arcade game.

Once the grounds of the Domino Sugar Factory, this riverside park tastefully incorporates clunky metal remnants of its refinery past, including its Artifact Walk, an elevated walkway with Manhattan skyline views. There's also a playground, a garden, dancing fountains, and Tacocina, a walk-up eatery from Danny Meyer of Shake Shack fame. You’ll see locals at the bocce court or playing with their pooches at the dog run, but most of all, you’ll marvel at a truly spectacular view of the Williamsburg Bridge, seemingly right above your head.

At this nonprofit organization, the focus is on drawings—contemporary and historical. The frequently changing exhibits often push the envelope on what's considered drawing so there's usually some thought-provoking material. Many projects are commissioned by the center.

Drew Barrymore’s upbeat talk show launched in 2020 and covers everything from lifestyle segments to celebrity interviews. There are often tickets available last minute, making it one of the easiest TV shows to attend without advance planning. Reserve online for one of two tapings—10 am or 2 pm—Tuesday to Thursday. Audience members must be 18 or older; 16 years or older if attending with a parent or legal guardian.

Look under and around the Manhattan Bridge and the Brooklyn–Queens Expressway (near the staircase to the Brooklyn Bridge walkway) for colorful murals by the likes of Apolo Torres, Craig Anthony Miller, and Sophia Dawson—all sponsored by the DUMBO Improvement District and the NYC Department of Transportation Urban Art Program.

Cherished by residents for its grassy knolls and superb Manhattan views, this park contains vestiges of the 19th-century dock that once occupied these 7 acres. On Saturday, more than a hundred vendors sell artisanal goods at the Smorgasburg open-air market (see Chapter 8, Park Slope and Prospect Park, for full listing). The park can get crowded on summer weekends, so don't be surprised if you find yourself scavenging for an open patch of grass.

Although American author and poet Edgar Allan Poe was born in Boston, his final home was a cottage in the village of Fordham—now a neighborhood of the Bronx—where he lived with his young wife Virginia and her mother Maria Clemm. The 19th-century cottage has since been moved to a small green space now known as Poe Park, where it was restored and opened to the public in 2011 for literary and history buffs. You can learn all about the macabre writer who popularized the word "nevermore" with an audio tour by the Bronx County Historical Society.

Opened in 2020, Edge is the gleaming observation deck at the Hudson Yards development, and at 1,131 feet, it is the highest outdoor sky deck in the western hemisphere. Its angular floor juts out 80 feet from the tower's summit, wrapped in a clear wall, with a section of clear floor to watch the street traffic 100 stories below. The views here are a 360-degree panorama overlooking Central Park, the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, and beyond. A staircase connects Floors 100 and 101, home to a gift shop and champagne bar (you can take your beverage outside and sit on the observatory's steps). Floor 101's posh Peak restaurant and cocktail bar is spectacular for a magical dining experience, with an outstanding menu; plus deck access is included for dining guests. Weekends bring special lounge DJs nights and live performances. Besides regular adult timed tickets, there are packages with extras, such as the Flex Pass ($60), which includes flexible-arrival-time tickets and a digital souvenir photo. For $185, courageous visitors can harness in and join City Climb, an outdoor aerial-walk experience that leans out over the 1,200-foot-high edge.

The impressive stable of 20th-century photographers represented and shown here includes Sally Mann, Robert Polidori, Bill Brandt, Lalla Essaydi, Herb Ritts, Mona Kuhn, and Elliott Erwitt. The gallery also has prints by masters Dorothea Lange and Diane Arbus. Along with focusing on vintage photographs from 1917 to 1939, the gallery has extended to featuring an exclusive circle of contemporary photographers such as Annie Leibovitz.

El barrio, Spanish for "the neighborhood," is the nickname for East Harlem, a largely Spanish-speaking community; the museum, on the edge of this neighborhood, focuses on Latin American, Latino, and Caribbean art. Founded in 1969, the museum's permanent collection of more than 8,500 objects is highlighted through evolving themes, including women, African and Indigenous artists, Latinx representation and more. Art and crafts from Latin America are prominent. One highlight is the over 300 santos, carved wooden folk-art figures from Puerto Rico. El Teatro, formerly the Heckscher Children's Theater, has stunning 30-foot murals and stained-glass roundels. The museum's events include lectures, films, festivals and parties for Latin and Caribbean holidays, including a Three Kings Day parade.

Started in 1940 as an attempt by Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia to corral street pushcarts and vendors (and thereby get them off the streets), the Essex Street Market was defined early on by the Jewish and Italian immigrants of the Lower East Side and went through several incarnations. The latest and most exciting is the wholesale move from its original location on the northeast corner of Delancey and Essex Streets, across the street to the southeast corner, trading in a windowless and cramped space for one spread over three levels, including a light-filled atrium and plenty of seating. Although many of the vendors selling meat, fish, cheeses (vegan and dairy), produce, bread, pastries, and coffee, tacos, and tajines remain—as does the eccentric Shopsin's restaurant—there are many new shops and restaurants.

It's a museum now, but this Federal Hall is monumental as the "birthplace of American Government." George Washington was sworn in here as the first president of the United States, in 1789—you can even view the bible Washington used to swear his oath (on the first floor). The museum covers 400 years of New York City's history, with a focus on the life and times of what is now the city's Financial District. You can spot the building easily—it was modeled on the Parthenon, and a 12½-foot-tall statue of George Washington stands proudly on its (south-facing) stately steps.

With its imposing mix of sandstone, limestone, and ironwork, the Federal Reserve looks the way a bank ought to: strong and impregnable. The gold ingots in the subterranean vaults here are worth roughly $350 billion—reputedly a third of the world's gold reserves. Tours of the building's museum and gold vault are open only to school groups as of this writing, but check the website for updates.

A former military site, this section of the Rockaway peninsula is still dotted with intriguing detritus. Two brutalist concrete batteries—Battery Harris West and Battery Harris East—are covered in graffiti and overgrown plant life, making for astonishing sights and choice photo backdrops. There are also two other batteries buried beneath the sand, as well as an underground missile silo, but you'll largely have to imagine what those looked like as they're blocked by a tall chain-link fence. Thanks to its relative inaccessibility (you really need a car, or be prepared to take a long subway ride followed by a bus), the beach itself remains blissfully empty for much of the year. Amenities: toilets. Best for: swimming; solitude.

Turned over to the National Park Service in 1994, this 226-acre historical military site on the Narrows of New York Harbor was on defense from the Revolutionary War to World War II. Today, it's the starting point of the New York Marathon each November, and makes for a relaxed summertime hangout, with views of Battery Weed and the Verrazano Narrows Bridge. Tours and events are ongoing but irregular, so make sure to check their website's calendar beforehand.

Join New Yorkers cyling, strolling, playing tennis, picnicking, and in summer, partying in droves on the lively and scenic stretch of park that runs from West 155th Street alongside the Hudson River under the George Washington Bridge (G.W.B.) and up to Dyckman Street in Inwood. The park offers unique views of Manhattan, and spectacular views of the bridge and the tree-filled cliffs of New Jersey Palisades across the way. The Little Red Lighthouse, a beloved local icon (and popular photo op) made famous in a children's storybook—The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge, written by Hildegarde Swift and Lynd Ward in 1942—is the island of Manhattan's last remaining lighthouse.  If you don't want to walk along the river from 155th Street and just want to visit the lighthouse and linger in the park under the G.W.B., enter the park at 181st Street. You can also grab a CitiBike on 181st Street.