OFF THE BEATEN PATH
1.Governors Island
New York Harbor • Open Labor Day to Memorial Day • www.govisland.com 
The ferry ride only takes 10 minutes to this former Coast Guard base in the middle of New York harbor. It features open-air sculpture exhibits, summer concerts, and festivals.
Aerial view of Governors Island
2.Socrates Sculpture Park
32-01 Vernon Bvd, Queens • Open daily 10am–sunset • www.socratessculpturepark.org Tap into New York City’s vibrant outdoor art scene at this free sculpture park. It hosts lots of free events, from summer solstice to Halloween.
3.Green-Wood Cemetery
500 25th St, Brooklyn • Open Mar–Apr & Nov–Mar: 7:45am– 6pm; May–Sep: 7:45am–7pm; Oct–Nov: 7:45am–6pm • www.green-wood.com Roam the final resting place of many New York personalities, from F. A. O. Schwarz to Leonard Bernstein, at this landscaped beauty.
4.Roosevelt Island and Tramway
Climb aboard the Roosevelt Island Tramway, one of the oldest aerial commuter tramways in the US, to this narrow island in the East River, with everything from a 19th-century lighthouse to the quiet, riverfront Southpoint Park.
5.New York Earth Room
141 Wooster St • Open Sep–Jun: noon–3pm & 3:30– 6pm Wed–Sun • www.diart.org/sites/main/earthroom The draw of this modern installation by Walter De Maria is the juxtaposition – in SoHo, amid the most expensive real estate in the world, is a massive room filled with nothing but dirt.
6.Wave Hill
West 249th St, Riverdale, Bronx • Open 9am–5:30pm • www.wavehill.org Walk in the footsteps of Mark Twain and Theodore Roosevelt, who once resided in the stately Wave Hill House, which presides over this historic garden and cultural center overlooking the Hudson River.
7.Alice Austen House
2 Hylan Blvd, Staten Island • Open Mar–Dec: 11am–5pm Thu– Sun • www.aliceausten.org • Donation See historic New York City through the photos of Alice Austen, one of the nation’s pioneering photographers, in this museum on the shores of the Narrows on Staten Island.
Alice Austen House, Staten Island
8.Museum of the Moving Image
It’s a long way from Hollywood, but Queens has one of the finest movie museums in the nation – and it’s free on Friday nights (4–8pm). The permanent exhibition includes historic cameras and vintage TVs, but the real draw is the museum’s interactive exhibits; for example, you can dub in your own voice over famous movie scenes (for further details see Museum of the Moving Image).
Museum of the Moving Image
9.Greenacre Park
East 51st St, between 2nd and 3rd Aves • www.sasaki.com/project/111/greenacre-park A waterfall in Midtown Manhattan? Your eyes do not deceive you. This often overlooked but lovely “vest-pocket” park features leafy corners, fragrant flowers and a tumbling 25-ft- (8-m-) high waterfall that sends off a refreshing spray of cooling water over passersby.
10.Red Hook
South Brooklyn • www.redhookwaterfront.com Take in gorgeous vistas of the New York City skyline and a straight-on view of the iconic Statue of Liberty (Manhattan and New Jersey only get views of the back and side) from this waterfront Brooklyn neighborhood, dotted with homey spots like the Red Hook Lobster Pound and Steve’s Authentic Key Lime Pies.
TOP 10 PARKS AND GARDENS
1.Central Park
The grand dame of New York City’s parks (for further details see Central Park).
2.The High Line
This elevated train-track-turned-stylish-park has transformed the surrounding Meatpacking District (for further details see The High Line).
3.Bryant Park
6th Ave, between 41st and 42nd Sts A swath of green with formal planting in Midtown, behind the New York Public Library.
4.Madison Square Park
5th Ave and Broadway, at 23rd St This landscaped park has striking displays of public art.
Madison Square Park in spring
5.91st Street Community Garden
Riverside Park, at 91st St A lovely grove filled with flowers.
7.New York Botanical Garden
The city’s premiere botanical garden with plants and flowers from all around the world (for further details see New York Botanical Garden).
8.The Cloisters’ Gardens
An oasis of serene beauty, where over 250 kinds of plants grown in the Middle Ages can be found (for further details see The Cloisters).
9.Battery Park
Southern tip of Manhattan Waterfront park with views of New York Harbor and the Statue of Liberty.
10.John Jay Park
East 77th St and FDR Drive Past the playgrounds is a placid seating area with East River views.
