🗽Beyond Manhattan: A Guide to Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx
For most tourists, New York is completely identical in its attractions to Manhattan. And vice versa. Who can argue: the legendary island is home to the “meccas” of shopping, entertainment, culture and the financial world. But this does not mean that a prairie with lonely wigwams begins outside of Manhattan. New York's four other boroughs aren't nearly as rich or famous. But it is there that you will experience the life of a real New Yorker, discover the metropolis from an unusual side, and even admire monuments forgotten by the guidebook.
Staten Island and Richmond Town
The smallest borough (district) of New York, in which “only” half a million citizens live. And perhaps the least known. But it is considered the ideal metropolis sleeping bag.
The island's most famous attraction is the Richmond Town Historic District. The city authorities turned a small block of 15 historical buildings into an open-air museum. Next to them you can feel the spirit of the colonial era. Bison still grazed in the American meadows, the Indians were the owners of the lands, and the first Americans were not brokers and diplomats, but simple farmers.
The complex includes New York City's oldest continuously operating family farm, as well as one of the oldest residential buildings in the country. He found the first settlers of America 350 years ago.
The town often hosts special events in a traditional style. If the timing is right, you can go to Pumpkin Picking Day at Decker Farm or see how Harvest Day (better known as Halloween) was celebrated in ancient times. The cost of the visit is $10.
Liberty Island and the Statue of Liberty
Who doesn't know this symbol of the USA? At a time when crossing the Atlantic was possible only on ocean liners, the Statue of Liberty was the first structure in New York to greet guests in the harbor. Silently and at the same time loudly declaring the main value in the lives of Americans. And the statue is ready to share this value, because its official name is “Freedom Illuminating the World.”
The monument was a gift to the States from France to commemorate fruitful cooperation. Its installation was completed in 1886. And before that, it was the largest reinforced concrete constructor in the world: when disassembled, the statue consisted of 300 pieces. Someone calculated that Madame Liberty is such a plump person. She wears size 879 sandals and has a waist measurement of 11 meters. Although, with a height of 93 meters, this does not make her look fatter.
There is a museum inside the pedestal of the monument. However, visitors are more attracted to the observation deck with its beautiful views of New York Harbor. To get to this view, you have to climb 354 steps. By the way, the seven rays on the crown of the statue symbolize the seven seas and seven continents.
The pleasure of visiting the symbol of New York is not cheap. A ferry ticket to the statue costs $24.5, tickets for the pedestal and crown of the monument are purchased separately ($24.8 each). It is better to book tickets in advance on the official website.
Brooklyn
For some reason, this particular borough of the Big Apple is especially attractive to Hollywood screenwriters. It appears in dozens of films, and every second of them is about showdowns between cops and bad guys in the area. Well, let's give in to temptation and look deep into the most densely populated part of New York.
The Brooklyn Bridge
The bridges of New York are not as famous as their twin cities in Budapest. But, nevertheless, they are not only your reliable intermediaries between Manhattan and Brooklyn, but also, at times, brilliant works of architecture and engineering. One of these, without a doubt, is the Brooklyn Bridge.
When it opened in 1883, the two-mile long Brooklyn Bridge was the largest suspension bridge in the world. And the first of its kind in the USA. It's always hard for pioneers. The locals were so afraid of its collapse that the city administration had to resort to a trick. To demonstrate its reliability, 21 circus elephants were allowed across the bridge. The exam has been passed, public trust has been restored: today about 100,000 cars and 10,000 pedestrians move across the bridge every day. Be one of them and capture the excellent views in your memory and in your photos.
Brooklyn Heights
New York is undoubtedly tiring with its altitude. There's no better place to escape the skyscrapers than Brooklyn Heights, one of Brooklyn's oldest neighborhoods.
This is one of the last shreds of the metropolis in classical buildings. Victorian-style buildings, traditional brownstones, gardens and wide avenues create a cozy and neighborly feeling . Imbued with them during his emigration, the Soviet poet Joseph Brodsky settled here.
Brighton Beach
Signs in Cyrillic make you forget that you are in the States. Next to them, English-language shop windows huddle shyly like straight-A students at the sight of a school bully. If you have just arrived from Eastern Europe, it is unlikely that nostalgia for your native land will torture you enough to be moved by Brighton. But the area is definitely worth a look to understand how multicultural and diverse the country is before us.
Paradox: if you enter the name “Brighton Beach” into a search engine, it will show you the notorious rows of expat shops. And if in English, then no shops – only beaches. Native Americans truly perceive Brighton as the resort area that it originally was.
Nathan's Famous
The most appetizing attraction on our short list. Unless, of course, you love hot dogs. I don’t consider myself one of those, but to experience the taste of real American cuisine, it’s worth trying them. And it's better to do it at the most famous eatery in New York, Nathan's Famous.
It was created in 1916 by a Polish Jewish emigrant. To make hot dogs sell better, Nathan Hendwerker set the price for them at half the price of his competitors. People began to grumble: were hot dogs really made from those same “dogs”. And the owner came up with a marketing ploy: doctors could eat for free in his diner, provided they were wearing white coats. Well, when there were not enough doctors, it was possible to dress up some rogues in scrubs. The establishment began to flourish.
Today, Nathan's Famous hosts the World Hot Dog Eating Championships. In 2021, a world record was set at such a gluttonous championship: 76 hot dogs in 10 minutes. Even thinking about that amount of food is painful.
Bronx
Already from the film “A Bronx Tale ” we can conclude that this borough of New York is not the safest. That's right, there are a few areas of the Bronx you should completely avoid, such as Hunts Point and Mott Haven. Otherwise, the borough is a standard sleeping place, not without its own atmosphere and several important attractions.
Yankee Stadium
The main religion of Americans is not Christianity. And baseball. Most American children swing bats carefree in their backyards, dreaming of sporting exploits. And how can you not visit the holy of holies of US baseball, Yankee Stadium.
This Bronx stadium is home to the New York Yankees. America's most decorated baseball team. Thanks to pop culture, her fame has spread even to those who know nothing about baseball.
Just coming to the stadium is worth it just for the Yankees merch. Better to get a ticket to the game and be absorbed by the crowd of fans. Ticket prices are reasonable, starting at $35, and can be purchased here.
Bronx Zoo and Botanical Garden
Kids will appreciate a hike through New York's ugliest borough if they follow a baseball game to the Bronx Zoo. There are about 6,000 animals of 700 species from all over the world. In addition to the standard lions, zebras, and antelopes, you can admire the native American species: bison, eagles and grizzly bears. Admission starts at $38, but the zoo sells a limited number of free tickets on Wednesdays. They need to be caught on the website.
The Bronx Botanical Garden is located next to the zoo. This is one of the largest establishments of its kind in the United States. About a million plants are planted here. Those who are not interested in floristry will be interested in the preserved buildings of bygone eras. For example, the Stone Tobacco Mill (where else can you see that!) Admission for adults is $35, and you can also get free tickets on Wednesdays.
Queens
New York's largest borough by area, Queens, is a typical sleeper. It’s worth going there only if you have a lot of time and nothing to occupy it with.
Its few interesting locations include the Long Island waterfront with excellent views of Manhattan, MoMA PS1 with eye-catching abstract installations, and Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, home of the US Open tennis tournament.