The Best Things to Do in New York City

The Metropolitan Museum of Art is the largest art museum in the Western Hemisphere, and it is one of the few institutions in the world where you could spend a week and still not see everything. The permanent collection spans 5,000 years of human creativity across every culture and medium. The Egyptian collection (anchored by the Temple of Dendur, a first-century BC temple relocated from the banks of the Nile) is one of the best outside of Cairo. The European paintings galleries contain more masterworks per square foot than almost any other museum on earth. The rooftop bar, open in summer, has a view of Central Park and the Manhattan skyline that is among the best in the city. Admission is pay-what-you-wish for New York State residents; for everyone else, the suggested admission is $30 and worth every dollar. The High Line is the most significant urban design project in America in the past twenty years. The 1.45-mile elevated park was built on a disused freight rail line on the west side of Manhattan, running from the Meatpacking District through Chelsea to Hudson Yards. The design (by landscape architects James Corner Field Operations and architects Diller Scofidio + Renfro) preserved the wild, overgrown character of the abandoned rail line while creating a public space that has become one of the most visited in the city. The art installations change regularly and are consistently excellent. The views of the Hudson River and the West Side are best in the late afternoon. Enter at the Gansevoort Street entrance for the most dramatic introduction. Central Park is 843 acres of designed landscape in the middle of Manhattan, and it rewards exploration beyond the obvious entry points. The Ramble is a 36-acre woodland in the center of the park, the best urban birding in America, with over 200 species recorded during migration season. The Conservatory Garden on the northeast side (enter at 105th Street and Fifth Avenue) is the only formal garden in the park and one of the most peaceful places in the city. The Reservoir (the 106-acre body of water in the middle of the park) has a 1.58-mile running track with views of the skyline in every direction. Free Shakespeare in the Park at the Delacorte Theater runs every summer; tickets are distributed by lottery through the TodayTix app. Broadway is the most competitive theater market in the world, and the season runs year-round with 40 or more productions playing simultaneously. The TKTS booth in Times Square sells same-day tickets at 20–50% off for most shows; arrive early for the best selection. The difference between Broadway (theaters with 500 or more seats in the Broadway district) and Off-Broadway (smaller theaters, often more experimental work) is worth understanding: some of the best theater in New York happens Off-Broadway, at venues like the Public Theater, Playwrights Horizons, and Second Stage. The best way to see a show is to book in advance for the production you want; the best way to discover something new is the TKTS booth. The Brooklyn Bridge walk is one of the great urban experiences in New York, a 1.3-mile pedestrian and bicycle path across the most beautiful bridge in the city, with views of the Manhattan skyline, the East River, and the Brooklyn waterfront. Start from the Manhattan side (enter at the base of the bridge near City Hall) and walk to DUMBO, where Washington Street frames the bridge perfectly for the most photographed shot in Brooklyn. Go early in the morning (before 8am on weekdays, before 9am on weekends) to avoid the crowds that make the bridge unpleasant at peak hours. The walk takes about 30 minutes at a leisurely pace. The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island are the most historically significant sites in New York, and they are worth the effort required to visit them. The ferry departs from Battery Park at the southern tip of Manhattan and runs to Liberty Island and Ellis Island. The crown of the Statue of Liberty requires advance tickets; book months ahead, as they sell out quickly. The pedestal and grounds are accessible with the standard ferry ticket. Ellis Island is the more emotionally resonant experience: the Great Hall where 12 million immigrants were processed between 1892 and 1954, the records that allow visitors to search for their own family's arrival, and the museum that tells the story of American immigration in full. The Museum of Modern Art is the most important collection of modern and contemporary art in the world. The permanent collection includes Van Gogh's The Starry Night, Picasso's Les Demoiselles d'Avignon, Monet's Water Lilies, and works by Matisse, Warhol, Pollock, and Rothko. The design collection (furniture, typography, industrial design, architecture) is the best of its kind anywhere. The film program at MoMA is one of the best in the city, with daily screenings from the archive and regular retrospectives. Admission is $30; free on the first Friday evening of each month, when the museum stays open until 9pm. The Brooklyn Museum is the second-largest art museum in New York and one of the most underrated cultural institutions in the city. The Egyptian collection is among the best in the world outside of Cairo. The Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art houses Judy Chicago's The Dinner Party, one of the most important works of feminist art ever made. The First Saturday program, held on the first Saturday of each month, offers free admission and programming including music, dancing, and special exhibitions. The museum is a 10-minute walk from Prospect Park and easily combined with a visit to the park. One World Observatory, at the top of One World Trade Center, offers the highest public observation deck in the Western Hemisphere; 1,250 feet above the streets of Lower Manhattan. The elevators are the fastest in the Western Hemisphere, rising 102 floors in 47 seconds. On a clear day, visibility extends 50 miles in every direction. The view encompasses all five boroughs, New Jersey, Long Island, and the Atlantic Ocean. Tickets should be booked in advance online; the experience is best on a clear weekday morning when crowds are thinner.