STATEN ISLAND
The main draw of Staten Island is the actual ferry ride there. The view is excellent from the ferry towards the southern tip of Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty. The free ferry ride is the best deal in the city.
GOVERNOR ISLAND
The ferries towards Governor Island leave from the southern tip of Manhattan, and it’s a calm and cheap excursion – the return ticket is only $2 and there is a free guided tour in the circular fortress. The best, of course, is the view again from both the ferry and the island towards Manhattan.
QUEENS
Queens is the borough most neglected by visitors. Even Staten Island, which is not considered by some to be part of the city, is visited by more people – although mainly for the ferry ride. Although Queens is easier to access than Staten Island, larger than Brooklyn and way safer than the Bronx, it just can’t attract the people. It’s somehow missing character.
One of its most interesting sights is the New York Hall of Science, a world-leading science museum which is hugely enjoyable for children. It was ahead of its time by being one of the first museums to introduce interactive exhibits and programs.
Film buffs shouldn’t miss the Museum of Moving Image where you can see loads of old cameras, scripts, photos and you can try dubbing a movie, create animation, or play with a 1985 Nintendo. Beside the movie making of the past you can learn about its future as well. You can easily spend half a day there, especially on a rainy day or with teenagers. Although it’s in Queens, it can be reached from Manhattan in 20-30 minutes on the R train.
One of my favourites, the Isamu Noguchi Garden, is also in this borough. If the throb of the city gets too much, you can relax among these Japanese sculptures.
The Socrates Sculpture Garden in Queens is also worth a mention. In a bit of a bleak area, in place of a rubbish dump, we can find all kinds of interesting sculptures – the whole place resembles more a playground than a museum. The sculptures can be touched, sat on, leant against, etc; there are no strict museum guards.
Queens can be also interesting for fans of tennis because of Flushing Meadows, the venue for the US Open tennis tournament. Once I managed to get tickets for the final and my enthusiastic support brought results: my old favourite, Pete Sampras easily won against Agassi.
A less-known sight of the borough is the Steinway piano factory established here in the 1860s.
A culinary curiosity is the canteen of the Ganesh Temple offering Indian dishes with the best price/value ratio in the city.
THE BRONX
The city is not a concrete jungle, it is a human zoo.
(Desmond Morris)
The city is not a concrete jungle, it is a human zoo. (Desmond Morris)
From the Bronx, I would point out only one place, the Bronx Zoo (crossing of Fordham Road and Bronx River Parkway). There are more than 4000 animals in the largest city zoo of the country. Although I don’t like zoos, even hardened animal activists can’t complain here. The inhabitants have reasonably sized spaces to run around and the visitors are the ones forced on marked pathways. The zoo’s architect clearly knew that the animals feel better and look better in natural environments and they tried to emulate those as much as possible. All the favourites are here, zebras, giraffes, gorillas, lions, crocodiles, pandas amongst lots of others.
My personal favorite in Bronx is the Bug Carousel – you ride all your favorite insects: a long-legged praying mantis, a bright green grasshopper, even a dung beetle.
In addition, during the Christmas period there is a light show at the Zoo and a Train show at the nearby Botanic Garden – they are both Christmas favorites!
