25 NYC Tourist Activities That Are Actually Cool

Neighborhood: Battery Park
Address: 4 South St.
Website: nyc.gov

Overpriced "handcrafted" cocktails are cool every once in awhile. But sometimes a bottom-shelf vodka-and-cranberry aboard a boat—excuse us, a ferry—is just what the doctor ordered. Bring your parka and your scarf and mingle with tourists as you get toasted crossing the water. Enjoy an unmatched glimpse of the city's skyline and unobstructed views of the Statue of Liberty. Throw in a bag of pretzels and you've got yourself the perfect low-key afternoon.

Neighborhood: Battery Park and Dumbo, Brooklyn
Address: Map
Website: N/A

Living in the city, it can become easy to hate the Brooklyn Bridge, especially if you commute over it by bike. The camera-wearing hordes make the ride a treacherous hell. But set those feelings aside, and commit yourself to a leisurely stroll across the mighty structure, designed by John Augustus Roebling in the 19th century. It offers beautiful views of the sun setting among the boroughs, and if you walk it from Manhattan to Brooklyn, you can get a slice at Grimaldi's, in Dumbo, when you're done. You'll just have to wait some more.

Neighborhood: Chinatown
Address: Canal St.
Website: explorechinatown.com

During the summer, Chinatown is Manhattan's most fragrant neighborhood. But in winter months, the potent smell of fresh fish fades to a more subtle fragrance, which makes poking around cluttered side streets for exotic eats far more enjoyable. Get a cheap massage, pick up a knock-off for the girlfriend you're on the fence about, and eat as many mysterious Chinese ingredients as your stomach can handle. Sample candied fish bits, Durian, and sticky buns as an appetizer before heading to Wo Hop for the main event.

Neighborhood: Chelsea
Address: Map
Website: thehighline.org

It's maddening that when so many people flock to NYC from other states and countries, they wind up in Times Square. The sidewalk-to-sky advertisements, the bad restaurants, the shitty stores—it presents a sickly face that reflects poorly on the city. That's why the High Line, a re-purposed section of the former elevated New York Central Railroad, is necessary. It attracts just as many tourists, meaning you'll still feel hemmed in walking above Chelsea, but instead of billboards, there's green. There are plants. Living things. It's a real urban park that won't make you hate humanity.

Neighborhood: Chelsea
Address: 75 9th Ave.
Website:chelseamarket.com

The Chelsea Market is the jam. Where else can you get some of the best coffee in the city (at Ninth Street Espresso), the best baguettes (at Amy's Bread), and pick up a great bottle of wine (at Chelsea Wine Vault) for dinner, all in the same place? From browsing in Posman's Books while snacking on brownie samples from the Fat Witch, or just basking in the intoxicating scents wafting from the specialty food boutiques, this is Holy Grail for food fanatics, and not even tourists can take that away from them.

Neighborhood: Flatiron
Address: 200 5th Ave.
Website: eataly.com

A mall dedicated to the cuisine of Italy, Eataly is impressive, overwhelming, decadent, fun, and frustrating all at the same time. The sheer number of humans = not good. The sheer number of olive oil bottles = very good. Prepare yourself to strike a balance between these sorts of extremes, and you'll have a good time. Just don't get too caught up in one place, or at one stand. There are too many nooks and crannies and restaurants and counters to explore. The rooftop beer garden is also great; just know that you have to make a reservation.

Neighborhood: Turtle Bay
Address: 405 Lexington Ave
Website: tishmanspeyer.com

One of the most beautiful buildings in the skyline, William Van Allen's Chrysler Building is an Art Deco masterpiece. Your folks will want to see because it gets mentioned in Annie. You can walk them around the grand lobby, have them gawk before it from the sidewalk, and then leave them with this great story: Walter Chrysler had his office and private residence built on the top three floors, because he wanted to ensure that his toilet was the highest in New York. That way, he could "look down upon the city from his porcelain throne and shit on Henry Ford and the rest of the world." Welcome to New York, Mom and Dad.

Neighborhood: Midtown
Address: 30 Rockefeller Plaza
Website:rockefellercenter.com

Yes, it's just a large, well-lit Christmas tree. But just like how picking out the tree and decorating it as a child was a sign of the holidays, this 80-foot spruce ushers in the season for the entire city. It's a tradition, and something about seeing people skating in the rink below, surrounded by toy soldiers and 30,000 lights lit up all at once just melts some of the ice off our jaded, metropolitan hearts.

Neighborhood: Midtown East
Address: 87 East 42nd St.
Website: grandcentralterminal.com

The Grand Central Terminal is not a mere transportation hub. It's like stepping inside a time capsule. The depressing terminal that is Penn Station doesn't hold a candle to this functional art piece. From the constellation-cloaked ceiling to the monstrous gold-plated clock, the building's architecture is trumped only by the unmatched people watching. Actually, it's a three-way tie between gawking at strangers, the fully stocked specialty food market (home to that wild, upside down crystal tree sculpture), and the whispering walls. If you don't know, now you know.

Neighborhood: Midtown West
Address: 200 East 45th St.
Website: lionking.com

We're not going tell you about how watching The Lion King at Minskoff Theatre will make you feel like a kid again. You're old as hell, and we both know your innocence is gone for good. But you will smile a lot. And feel suitably wowed at the intimate theater, where the sets are elaborate and the costumes wild and gorgeous. Watching Simba dance will make you feel something weird you can't quite describe. It might be called happiness.

Neighborhood: Midtown West
Address: 10 Rockefeller Plz.
Website: topoftherocknyc.com

The out-of-towners can keep the Empire State Building. The too-costly, too-crowded observatory can't compete with the Top of the Rock's panoramic views of the city's classic landmarks. The view from the 70th floor is particularly stunning in the winter, looking down on the bundled masses milling about in the snow below. Skip the canned photos they encourage you to take, and talk a tourist into snapping a shot of you at the top.

Neighborhood: Midtown West
Address: 5th Ave. & 42nd St.
Website:nypl.org

Situated on the edge of Bryant Park, tourists flock to the landmark main branch of the New York Public Library, mostly because they caught a glimpse of its ornately decorated ceiling in Ghostbusters. But locals know the NYPL as a quiet place to work, reflect, and get inspired. Skip the guided tour and head to the Rose Main Reading Room, where even the most juvenile scribblings will seem profound, or spend an afternoon pouring over old Brooklyn cartography in the map room. Stop in, sign up for a library card, and peep their ongoing exhibits, like their current offering: "Charles Dickens: The Key to Character." Nothing like a lesson on Scrooge's scribe to get you in the spirit.

Neighborhood: Midtown West
Address: 25 West 40th St.
Website: bryantpark.org/

Leave the lackluster Columbus Circle market, and the perpetually packed Union Square for the tourists—the best outdoor holiday shopping is housed in Bryant Park. With the New York Public Library in the background, and Citi Pond strewn with skaters in the middle of it all, it's a picturesque place to check people off your shopping list. With over 100 luxe boutiques stocked with unique goods—everything from handmade jewelry to locally made art—it won't be difficult.

Neighborhood: Upper East Side
Address: 1000 5th Ave.
Website: metmuseum.org

Museums attract tourists in a way that too often feels like Times Square boxed up (remember the Alexander McQueen exhibition?). Of course, that taints the Met, one of the most attractive, inviting museums in the city. But it's still one of the most attractive, inviting museums in the city. Admission is donation based, meaning you can saunter in with just a quarter in your pocket (shake the shame off!), and take in priceless works from around the world. It's a great way to steer your parents away from a blistering cold day in Central Park. Mom and Dad want to see Strawberry Fields? Let them steal a glance while you guide them to the Met.

Neighborhood: Upper East Side
Address: 830 5th Ave.
Website: wollmanskatingrink.com

The Trump-Wollman Rink has been a Central Park staple for over 60 years. The surreal fact of an open-air skating pond inside the tranquility of the park, the cityscape looming around the edges, provides a classic holiday backdrop. Even the most jaded girlfriend will appreciate the gesture. And bonus: It's not nearly as crowded as Rockefeller Center's tourist-clogged rink.

Neighborhood: Upper West Side
Address: 2090 Broadway
Website: N/A

Gray's UWS location is cool because the hot dogs are cheap and good. Your mom will probably appreciate that it shows up in Nora Ephron's You've Got Mail. Your dad will probably appreciate a hot dog, especially since you've threatened him with nose-to-tail eating at a basement in Williamsburg. Which is ironic because hot dogs are made from...never mind. Get a dirty water dog at Gray's on a chilly winter day, and everyone leaves happy.

Neighborhood: Washington Heights
Address: 99 Margaret Corbin Dr.
Website: metmuseum.org

In a city where alone time can be tough to track down, the Cloisters castle-like setting gives you the reprieve you need. Located in under-appreciated Fort Tryon Park, the Cloisters is an outdoor branch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art that spotlights medieval art and architecture, enclosed in peaceful gardens made for roaming. Marvel at stained glass and learn about the famed unicorn tapestries before taking off into the painstakingly-maintained medieval gardens. An afternoon here will effectively satisfy the loner in you.

Neighborhood: Morningside Heights
Address: West 122nd St. & Riverside Dr.
Website: nps.gov/gegr

More than just an old Groucho Marx punch-line, Grant's Tomb is a beautiful piece of solemnity located in Manhattan's Morningside Heights neighborhood. The tomb complex, which overlooks the Hudson, was designed by John Hemenway Duncan, who won the contest held by the Grant Monument Association in 1889. It feels like a bit of D.C. in the midst of New York.

Neighborhood: Crown Heights, Brooklyn
Address: 1000 Washington Ave.
Website: bbg.org

The sprawling, once green landscape of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden maintains its allure during winter months.The koi pond may be frozen over, but roses still peek through the snow, making for one of the quietest, most peaceful places in all the boroughs. If you want to escape winter's harsh hand, escape into the tropical and desert pavilions, where you can find South African plants in full bloom.

Neighborhood: Prospect Heights, Brooklyn
Address: 620 Atlantic Ave.
Website: barclayscenter.com

Plenty have discussed what's wrong and right about the new arena, including Complex, but now that it's here, it's hard to argue against it's status as a cool destination. One, it gets you out of the crowd crush of Manhattan. Two, you can watch an NBA game scored to more rap music than you can shake a fist at (including an excellent mix of "Unbelievable" that plays during peak moments). Three, it works as a gateway to Brooklyn, getting your family further away from the bigger tourist attractions and into dive bars, great sandwich spots, and Prospect Park (which is really pleasant, guys).

Neighborhood: Coney Island, Brooklyn
Address: Map
Website: coneyisland.com

Coney Island is the greatest, because regardless of how many people are there, the Brooklyn seaside alternate universe is always weird. No number of people with cameras and out-of-town accents will change that. You bend to Coney Island's will, not the other way around. Sandy hit the area hard, and it's all the more reason to get down there and support the locals businesses. And freaks. Your family won't believe it.

Neighborhood: Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn
Address: 130 Livingston St.
Website: mta.info/mta/museum

Don't let the museums in Manhattan monopolize all your time. The Transit Museum in Brooklyn is a must for tourists and natives alike. The subway and its precursors have a fascinating history, full of death and intrigue (like any big organization that serves the public should). You can explore subway cars of past eras, complete with era-appropriate advertisements, easily the highlight of the trip.

Neighborhood: Long Island City, Queens
Address: 4-09 47th Rd.
Website: nysparks.com/parks/149

Unless they're big Men in Black fans, tourists don't head to Queens for much outside of sporting events. That provides you with the perfect opportunity to escape the horde in the regal borough, specifically at majestic Gantry Plaza State Park. The 10 acres along the East River first opened in 1998, letting the public explore the old dock facilities that once occupied the area. Check out the view of the United Nation Headquarters across the water in Manhattan from a park that once housed a Pepsi bottling plant.