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New York, New York, it’s a heck of a town… We asked our personal travel managers to share some of their best-kept secrets hidden within this incredible city. Here are seven to keep you busy during your next visit.
Hidden Subway Station at City Hall
New York’s first ever subway station, City Hall, is buried underneath the city’s oldest government building and has been inactive since 1945 due to infrastructural shortfalls for transporting passengers.
It’s well worth venturing down to the station’s platform to admire its elegant and breathtaking design.
Where: City Hall Park, Civic Center Area of Lower Manhattan, NY 10007
Secret gardens of Rockefeller Center
Most locals and tourists have stopped by Rockefeller Center to gaze over the city, shop, dine, and ice-skate during winter. However few have journeyed up to its rooftop gardens. Majestic in their unexpected tranquillity, the secret gardens are the perfect place to take a time out from the buzzing streets below and breathe in a fresh, new perspective.
Where: 45 Rockefeller Plaza, NY 10111
Hidden Waterfall at Greenacre Park
This pocket park in Midtown East has leafy corners, fragrant flowers and an enchanting, tumbling 25-foot-high waterfall.
The appeal of this park is its incongruity, wedged between looming buildings.
The park was created by the Greenacre Foundation to provide New Yorkers with “some moments of serenity in this busy world”, and “Project for Public Spaces” lists it as one of the best parks in the world.
Where: 217 E 51st St, NY 10022
Miniature Fairy Doors
If you stop and look down while waiting to cross the street you may notice tiny fairy doors alongside the bases of lampposts, signs, window ledges and brick walls.
These quaint little creations are crowd sourced art installations designed by fans of the renowned performance artist, Cynthia von Buhler. Most contain a tiny QR code located in the peephole, which when scanned lead you to Buhler’s Speakeasy Dollhouse project.
Where: scattered throughout the New York City
Whispering Gallery in Grand Central Terminal
A little known feature hidden within the Grand Central Terminal is the Whispering Gallery. The unusual design of the walls allows sound to travel across the domed ceiling, so that two people standing at diagonal arches can hear each other’s whispers.
Where: 89 E 42nd St, NY 10017
Remnants of the Berlin Wall
Subtly installed alongside a courtyard in Midtown East, lies a piece of the Berlin Wall. This 12-foot high, 20-foot long historic remnant has been transformed into a work of art by German artists Thierry Noir and Kiddy Citny. It includes five original concrete slabs of the wall that divided Berlin from 1961 to 1989.
Where: Parley Park, 3 E 53rd Street, NY 10022
Smallpox Hospital on Roosevelt Island
Resting on the southern tip of Roosevelt Island located in the middle of the East River lays remnants of a Gothic Revival structure, the Smallpox Hospital.
Originally constructed for the treatment of smallpox, this architectural gem was eventually abandoned in the 1950s. It is now a picturesque ruin where visitors can take a step back in time and witness the beautiful edifice in its naturally aged state.
Where: Southern tip of Roosevelt Island, east of Manhattan Island, NY
To uncover these or your own hidden gems of New York, contact your personal travel manager or find one here.
TravelManagers respects and honours the Traditional Custodians of the land and pay our respects to their Elders past, present and future. We acknowledge the stories, traditions and culture of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples on the lands where we work and gather, and those we visit.
