A calming respite in the midst of the hustle and bustle of midtown…read more It's a peaceful glass enclosed spot with plenty of light, nice views. plenty of seating, and nice landscaping. Some small birds in here too. Clean and well maintained. Great spot to escape and take a rest to check your emails, have a coffee, and decompress. No bathroom but there is an Obica Mozzarella eatery kiosk inside here to grab a cold drink, bite, or hot coffee beverage,

Don't go by the closing time as we got there 15 mins before closing and they were locking the doors…read morebefore we got there. Says 10pm close but I would go with at least 20 mins before that. Such a shame as 10 mins would have been all we needed to take photos but were ignored by staff inside. Gutted as close to end of our trip and we have had to cram so much into visit.

Yeah, it's kind of a goofy audio science phenomenon due to the architecture in Grand Central…read more Located in the lower level near the Oyster Bar you'll locate the whispering gallery, and in fact you might find other people doing the same thing smiling into a corner, whispering, and the other person on the opposite side of the arch can clearly hear you as if you're next to them. That's pretty much it. I tried it with a friend and it works.

The Whispering Gallery is a New York moment that reminds you why the city is so special. Tucked…read moreinside Grand Central, it's charming and very New York. Stand at opposite corners, whisper into the wall, and somehow your voice travels perfectly across. You can stop by on a random weekday and end up smiling like a tourist. It's free, takes five minutes, and is perfect for a quick stop or showing out-of-town friends.

Walked by tonight and being buried in snow its not a spot to sit at during this frigid NYC cold…read moreweather right now. But when its sunny and warm its a nice respite to take a load off and relax. Has a fun pop art esthetic to it with its structures and colors. There is also a water fountain here that is operational during the warmer weather season.

Gracie Mews Public Space is very comfortable in all seasons. I've been sitting here relaxing a lot…read morethis Spring and Summer. Recently they put up screens and scaffolding so I'm not as comfortable sitting here. Gracie Mews Management maintains this great public space with colorful art installations. There's several types of seating in the space. There's lots of people eating breakfast or business men having impromptu meetings before they head for their office. Let's not forget about the nannies with babies out for their morning stroll. Gracie Mews Public Space has colorful artwork installed to brighten the space. It definitely stands out as you pass this way. It's close to the Governor's Mansion, the Gracie Mews Diner and many more of my favorite businesses. I'm recommending you visit if you need an escape place to drink your morning coffee. I'm a fan.

This little section of Astoria on Steinway Street covers Middle Eastern foods -from Egyptian to…read moreYemeni dishes. Though some restaurants are in the south of Steinway Street, most are located on the Northwest side of the street from 28th Ave to Astoria Blvd, with the greatest number found around 25th Avenue. There you will find bars, nightclubs, restaurants, delis, grocery stores and much more. Q101 go up and down Steinway Streets, and you are a 20-minute walk from the N, W, R, and M subway lines.

What a beautiful place , they are by the water and have nice restaurants around with water view …read more They did an amazing job expanding the park with pathways on the water , plenty of benches to rest . Clean bathrooms , dog park , kids playground or if you just wanna go for a jog or a nice walk . You can also conveniently take the ferry to/from pier 11 Simply beautiful

In the passage of my travels, Long Island City is a neighborhood where I trekked for waterfront…read moreparks Gantry Plaza State Park, Hunters Point South Park, and good food finds within the New York City borough of Queens. Queensboro Bridge located within the vicinity. Astoria borders to LIC's north. On a sunny day I was able to enjoy my walk to explore these parks and the neighborhood. LIC is a very diverse residential neighborhood becoming less of the once formerly known industrial neighborhood. "Long Island City became known for its rapid and ongoing residential growth and gentrification, its waterfront parks, and its thriving arts community. The area has a high concentration of art galleries, art institutions, and studio space. Long Island City is the eastern terminus of the Queensboro Bridge." (source: Wikipedia)

I will admit that New York City has some really amazing hole-in-the-wall places that are worth…read morechecking out. But at what cost? Well, I will say that this experience that I had on my most recent trip was absolutely 100% FREE and worth every minute! And for anyone that truly appreciates some breathtaking artwork & graffiti, I definitely encourage you to visit "Freeman Alley". Located in the Lower East Side neighborhood of New York City, this alley is situated directly off of Rivington St and tucked in between Bowery/Chrystie St's. I ended up coming here during the night of Monday 10/13/2025 at around 10:30pm. Getting here is fairly simple as you can arrive by taxi, subway, rideshare, bike, or on foot. However, finding this alley can be a bit tricky. But once you're here, you will be blown away with the amount of amazing art in all directions. During my visit, I saw murals of past and present fictional and real characters that included Mr. Monopoly, Aaliyah, Count von Count, Ozzy Osbourne, and many more. There are also stickers that represent local businesses, organizations, and other various ways to advertise. From an artists perspective, this place is really unique but some might find some of the wording a little bit offensive. However, I enjoyed strolling through this alley as it represents much of what New York City is all about. My rating, a perfect five stars.

This is a free tourist attraction or not so hidden local gem. Its a long alley way hidden between…read moreresidential and business buildings. Great art, graffiti and stickers to look at. Great photo ops. Theres a restaurant at the end which ive heard is great. Max time spent here can be 30 mins. Kid friendly.

Went here for the first time the food was delicious didn't get a chance to take photos of the…read morebefore y the food was so good but I managed. The service was great and very nice and clean establishment. I will definitely come back again. The food was amazing as well as the wine

We attended a private event here and it was very spacious. The decor is beautiful with a plant…read morewall. There were 2 bars set up with quick service. The buffet choices were delicious especially the pralines!

THE TRIANGLE: Situated right where the TRIBOROUGH BRIDGE converges with the GRAND CENTRAL PARKWAY,…read morethe Park is incredibly accessible, featuring an elevated SUBWAY Station nearby and a direct BUS connection to LGA which I've used in the past. Took a break here before visiting my old neighborhood a couple of blocks away. WORTH VISITING.

Before I begin, let me start off by saying that this review is based solely upon my personal…read moreexperiences and my personal experiences alone. So with that being said let's review!!.. Astoria Queens: first thing that comes to mind for me! Queen's bridge projects, home of Nas, Mobb Deep.. just to name a couple.. Only my fellowNY'ers can relate to what and whom I'm referring to, others might say "what is he talking about"? The N train was my transportation when I was living up there as a young black man, trying to make a living for me and my family at that time. I must have did something right because I'm still here to write about it!!. Astoria, Queens NY, stand up!!..

In my many times at Central Park, this was my first visit to Belvedere Castle…read more If you're in the Central Park area, add this to your points of interest for elevated and picturesque views of Turtle Pond and Central Park. Built in the 1800s and now functions as a visitor center. Surrounding area is a fairy garden feel. Exit the castle through the gift shop. Free admission with donations appreciated. It was about a 10 minute wait as it requires taking turns to go up and down a narrow winding staircase to the second floor. Inside is air conditioned.

Historic and well-located right in the center of Central Park - yet not much to it. You go inside…read moreand there's a small room and then you go up a flight of steps where you get a view of other parts of the park. I was in and out in 15 minutes.

Banksy popped into my radar one day and I bookmarked it. I forgot all about visiting this public…read moreart until today when it showed up nearby in my search. It's unusual so I felt lucky I saw it as I passed by. It's been covered in plexiglass for protection against the weather. It appears people and businesses are rallying to keep it from removal. It fun to photograph public art or as some call his work Graffiti. I'm glad I have the photos in my collection. It's my first Banksy.

Banksy made this public art in 2013 and it's still intact. It's covered by an acrylic shield…read more Pretty hard to find unless you're using a map app or Yelp. Check it out on the UWS and get some cool pictures in front of here. The art doesn't look like it's complex, more of like a commentary that's the more complex thing about this. It somehow has become a thing to check out, because it's one of the few surviving pieces of Banksy public art. Officially it's titled Better Out Than In #20, and was part of a series. These appeared on the UWS in October 2013 and most disappeared soon after that. An acrylic panel protects it from graffiti artists...such as Banksy. So ironic. Zabar's put up the protection and has made the public aware of this. Cool that a great place like that takes an interest in art. They have some of the best bagels so be sure to go get some. As Banksy has gone onto bigger things it's cool that one of his older projects is around. It's at Broadway and 79th on the side of a building. This is a few blocks from Zabar's.