New York City for Free
by Meryl D. Pearlstein, Travel and Food Notes, www.travelandfoodnotes.com , and author of Fodor’s Family: New York City with Kids.
If you think everything in New York costs too much, well, you're right—almost. In fact, the city has tons of free attractions and activities; you just need to know where to look for them.
Outdoor Fun.
Walk across the Brooklyn Bridge for a spectacular view of the Financial District, Brooklyn, the seaport, and Manhattan.
Ride the Staten Island ferry to see the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, and the southern tip of Manhattan from the water. Check out the spiffy Whitehall terminal in Manhattan, completed in 2005 after a $200 million renovation. The ferry is popular as an inexpensive date spot—the cafeteria on board is a surprisingly inexpensive place to buy beer and snacks.
Catch a free movie screening in Bryant Park in summertime. A tradition since 1992, watching films alfresco surrounded by tall Midtown buildings is a summertime rite of passage for New Yorkers. Bring a blanket and a picnic basket, and be prepared to stake out a good spot on the lawn well in advance. The park runs from 40th to 42nd streets between 5th and 6th avenues; movie schedules are posted on www.bryantpark.org.
Wander Battery Park City's waterfront promenade; the breeze and passing boats will make you forget you're in the gritty city, though the view of the Statue of Liberty will remind you that you couldn’t be anywhere but New York.
Kayak on the Hudson; the Downtown Boathouse gives free lessons and paddling tours. There’s even an indoor-swimming-pool program to hone kayaking skills in the winter months. The boats are distributed out on a first-come, first-served basis, so cloudy days and early mornings are the best times to avoid the crowds.
www.downtownboathouse.org.
Watch wannabe trapeze artists swing and soar at the Trapeze School New York (as shown on Sex and the City). They’ve helped locals and visitors alike make leaps of faith since 2002.
www.trapezeschool.com.
Taste the goods at the Union Square green market (on Mon., Wed., Fri., and Sat.), where farmers offer samples of their organically grown produce, artisanal cheeses, and fresh bread. The green market is a hip outing for all often filled with families shopping for dinner, famous chefs choosing ingredients, and foodies searching for famous chefs.
Stroll the Coney Island boardwalk for some old-school kitsch (before it's redeveloped into swanky condos). There are also plenty of annual events for free here, including the outrageous Mermaid Parade and the Fourth of July hot-dog-eating contest.
Check out the street performers around New York's parks: break-dancing crews in Union Square, ragtime duets in Central Park, nutty unicyclists in Washington Square. Buskers in the subway are better than you’d expect—in order to perform, they must first be vetted by an MTA committee, with the top performers assigned to the busiest subway stops.
Smell the cherry blossoms in spring at the Central Park Conservatory; the pathways beneath the blossoming trees are gorgeous, and much closer than the botanical gardens in the outer boroughs.
Music, Theater & Dance
Watch tango dancers and jazz musicians outside Lincoln Center at the annual month long Out of Doors festival, held in August. It includes over 100 performances of spoken word, beat boxing, and bigwigs like Dave Brubeck and Arlo Guthrie.
Hit Central Park Summer stage for big-name performers like rap artist Lady Sovereign and Brazilian sensation Seu Jorge.
Catch rising stars in classical music, drama, and dance at the Juilliard School's free student concerts (check www.juilliard.edu for a calendar of events). Free tickets are available at the Juilliard box office for theater performances; there’s also a line for standby an hour before the show. Smaller acts don’t require tickets beforehand.
Get gratis giggles at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre's comedy shows. The theater has moved a few times since 1999, but the improv comedy, inspired by Chicago’s Second City, remains sharp regardless of location. Professional comedians, including UCB co-founder and Saturday Night Live regular Amy Poehler, are sprinkled in with amateurs during the shows.
www.ucbtheatre.com.
Art, Lit & Architecture
Visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art; if you'll believe it, the $20 entry fee is really a suggested donation. You may get some eye-rolling from the cashier, but it’s a small price to pay for access to world-famous works.
www.metmuseum.org
Browse through the galleries scattered throughout the city. Chelsea’s full of expensive galleries with superstar artists, though things get edgier the closer you get to the West Side Highway; you’ll also find a busy, if self-involved, art scene in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
Marvel at Grand Central Terminal's spectacular main concourse; the ceiling painted with the constellations of the zodiac is one of the city's treasures.
Attend a reading at one of the city's hundreds of bookstores. Night owls shouldn’t feel left out—they can attend readings of their own at bars like the Half King in Chelsea or Pete’s Candy Store in Brooklyn.
Explore the new MoMA on Friday between 4 and 8pm, when the $20 entry fee is waived during Target Free Friday Nights. Tickets are not available in advance, so plan to wait in line.
If you think everything in New York costs too much, well, you're right—almost. In fact, the city has tons of free attractions and activities; you just need to know where to look for them.Outdoor Fun.
Walk across the Brooklyn Bridge for a spectacular view of the Financial District, Brooklyn, the seaport, and Manhattan.
Ride the Staten Island ferry to see the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, and the southern tip of Manhattan from the water. Check out the spiffy Whitehall terminal in Manhattan, completed in 2005 after a $200 million renovation. The ferry is popular as an inexpensive date spot—the cafeteria on board is a surprisingly inexpensive place to buy beer and snacks.
Catch a free movie screening in Bryant Park in summertime. A tradition since 1992, watching films alfresco surrounded by tall Midtown buildings is a summertime rite of passage for New Yorkers. Bring a blanket and a picnic basket, and be prepared to stake out a good spot on the lawn well in advance. The park runs from 40th to 42nd streets between 5th and 6th avenues; movie schedules are posted on www.bryantpark.org.
Wander Battery Park City's waterfront promenade; the breeze and passing boats will make you forget you're in the gritty city, though the view of the Statue of Liberty will remind you that you couldn’t be anywhere but New York.
Kayak on the Hudson; the Downtown Boathouse gives free lessons and paddling tours. There’s even an indoor-swimming-pool program to hone kayaking skills in the winter months. The boats are distributed out on a first-come, first-served basis, so cloudy days and early mornings are the best times to avoid the crowds.
www.downtownboathouse.org.
Watch wannabe trapeze artists swing and soar at the Trapeze School New York (as shown on Sex and the City). They’ve helped locals and visitors alike make leaps of faith since 2002.
www.trapezeschool.com.
Taste the goods at the Union Square green market (on Mon., Wed., Fri., and Sat.), where farmers offer samples of their organically grown produce, artisanal cheeses, and fresh bread. The green market is a hip outing for all often filled with families shopping for dinner, famous chefs choosing ingredients, and foodies searching for famous chefs.
Stroll the Coney Island boardwalk for some old-school kitsch (before it's redeveloped into swanky condos). There are also plenty of annual events for free here, including the outrageous Mermaid Parade and the Fourth of July hot-dog-eating contest.
Check out the street performers around New York's parks: break-dancing crews in Union Square, ragtime duets in Central Park, nutty unicyclists in Washington Square. Buskers in the subway are better than you’d expect—in order to perform, they must first be vetted by an MTA committee, with the top performers assigned to the busiest subway stops.
Smell the cherry blossoms in spring at the Central Park Conservatory; the pathways beneath the blossoming trees are gorgeous, and much closer than the botanical gardens in the outer boroughs.
Music, Theater & Dance
Watch tango dancers and jazz musicians outside Lincoln Center at the annual month long Out of Doors festival, held in August. It includes over 100 performances of spoken word, beat boxing, and bigwigs like Dave Brubeck and Arlo Guthrie.
Hit Central Park Summer stage for big-name performers like rap artist Lady Sovereign and Brazilian sensation Seu Jorge.
Catch rising stars in classical music, drama, and dance at the Juilliard School's free student concerts (check www.juilliard.edu for a calendar of events). Free tickets are available at the Juilliard box office for theater performances; there’s also a line for standby an hour before the show. Smaller acts don’t require tickets beforehand.
Get gratis giggles at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre's comedy shows. The theater has moved a few times since 1999, but the improv comedy, inspired by Chicago’s Second City, remains sharp regardless of location. Professional comedians, including UCB co-founder and Saturday Night Live regular Amy Poehler, are sprinkled in with amateurs during the shows.
www.ucbtheatre.com.
Art, Lit & Architecture
Visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art; if you'll believe it, the $20 entry fee is really a suggested donation. You may get some eye-rolling from the cashier, but it’s a small price to pay for access to world-famous works.
www.metmuseum.org
Browse through the galleries scattered throughout the city. Chelsea’s full of expensive galleries with superstar artists, though things get edgier the closer you get to the West Side Highway; you’ll also find a busy, if self-involved, art scene in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
Marvel at Grand Central Terminal's spectacular main concourse; the ceiling painted with the constellations of the zodiac is one of the city's treasures.
Attend a reading at one of the city's hundreds of bookstores. Night owls shouldn’t feel left out—they can attend readings of their own at bars like the Half King in Chelsea or Pete’s Candy Store in Brooklyn.
Explore the new MoMA on Friday between 4 and 8pm, when the $20 entry fee is waived during Target Free Friday Nights. Tickets are not available in advance, so plan to wait in line.
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