27 Underrated Tourist Attractions To Add To Your NYC Itinerary

Part of a former port area, this public park opened in 2014 after an extensive overhaul. It sits on the edge of an industrial part of Brooklyn, Sunset Park, and that history is evident from the old factory/warehouse that runs alongside one section of the park, near the soccer and baseball fields. 

The best part of a visit here is that it lets travelers appreciate how connected the city is to the water, with rocky stretches that push out toward Bay Ridge Channel and create small tidal pools. There's always a mix of people here, and you might see locals walking their dogs, flying kites, sitting down and taking in the breeze, or admiring the sweeping views of Downtown Manhattan that really are spectacular.

What almost appears as a repository for oversized sculptures of industrial equipment was actually a former concrete manufacturing facility. This stretch of urban renewal sits close to Bruckner Boulevard, one of the busiest commercial strips of the Bronx, populated by warehouses and auto repair shops, but it is a realm of peace that hugs that Bronx River. 

The giant pieces here, painted the color of chocolate or rust, depending on what a visitor wishes to see, were once functioning hoppers and silos for the company Transit-Mix Corporation, a cement manufacturer that operated a facility here from 1945-1987. After the operations ceased, the plant fell into disrepair, a common urban tale of decay exacerbated by dangerous materials left behind and a general sense of despair about the future of the site. But, after concerted community efforts and cooperation by the NYC Parks Department, the plot was reinvented, opening in 2009 with chess tables, pedestrian and bicycle paths, and shaded seating, all of which are great spots to take in this unheralded gem on a sunny day.

A stretch of the Upper East Side, the posh neighborhood in Manhattan that sits east of Central Park, is where to find the Museum Mile. Along here, some of the city's finest institutions can be found, such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, the Museum of the City of New York, and the Cooper Hewitt. At the northern cusp of this ribbon, visitors will find the often-overlooked El Museo del Barrio, which celebrates the heritage of Puerto Ricans in the United States, as well as other Latino achievements. 

Exhibitions take a distinctive, in-depth, and unexpected look at the experience of Puerto Ricans, and other Latins, including recent waves of Mexicans and Dominicans that have immigrated to New York, presenting art in creative, groundbreaking ways.

Named for the street in Downtown Manhattan where it once stood, this fish market, in a large commercial food terminus in the Bronx, is a hive of activity, a noisy, smelly, slice of New York that most tourists will never witness. But catching the action requires a little effort, and visitors will need to get here early in the morning to see all the drama unfold. The original fish market was a short distance from Wall Street in Manhattan, first debuting in 1807, and it sold not only fish but other items as well.

Fifteen years later, the market moved to new premises on South Street, not far away, and more than a century later it was the commercial nexus for one-quarter of all the seafood sold in the country. The whole operation moved to the Bronx in 2005, into a 400,000-square-foot home that cost more than $80 million to build, and while much of the business done daily is wholesale, representatives of some of the city's finest restaurants can be found here in the wee hours snapping up snappers and other fresh finds.

This building in Staten Island was made to look resemble the rustic form of a Tibetan monastery, the perfect stage for the trove of items here. It is located on a hill, close to a golf course and cemetery, and has views of New York waterways like Lower Bay and Raritan Bay. The collection here, not all of which is displayed, is vast, with thousands of works from northern China, Mongolia, and Tibet, some more than 500 years old. 

Open from Thursday through Sunday, and only in the afternoons, it showcases a range of artistic mediums, from sculpture to religious reliquaries, from musical instruments to paintings artfully captured on scrolls, and a visit here feels like making a trip to another continent.

Linking Queens and Brooklyn, and tastefully lit at night, this bridge is actually not much to see per se, and it is frequently choked with traffic (it forms part of one of the city's most busy expressways, and is close to the entry point to another, the Long Island Expressway). And yet, by dint of its location, it has views over Newton Creek and onto the Manhattan skyline that are stunning. 

A cycle and walking path on the west side of the bridge, which is cable-stayed and has two sections that are separated in the middle, allows visitors to look across over Calvary Cemetery, along the winding creek that adds another visual element to the panorama, and to soaring towers across the East River. While the views are breathtaking during the day, at night the whole scene becomes even more spectacular. After dark, the skyline is lit, appearing like a series of glinting gems, while the bridge's cables, bathed in deep, pastel hues, look like they belong to a spaceship about to land.

Near a shiny wastewater treatment plant, and along the waterway that separates parts of Brooklyn and Queens, this walk feels both urban and not. Extending about one-half mile along the water, near the water facility and along Newton Creek, it first debuted in 2007, though was added to in 2021 following the opening of a new section. 

It aims to draw a link between water and life, done not only through the location of the walk — by a waterway and the wastewater plant — but also through features like the entry gates that are shaped like waves, and sculpted sections that resemble a boat. Along the route, visitors will encounter native plants like swamp white oak and eastern red cedar.

Formerly known as the Museum of Television and Radio, the Paley Center For Media is a great place for anyone fascinated by the history of TV and radio, with more than 150,000 programs that look back over a century of these mediums. It's also close to the cultural behemoth, the Museum of Modern Art, which sits one block to the north, and can be easily combined with a visit there — assuming you have the energy. 

Visitors to Paley can pore over an archive that contains news, sports, documentaries, comedy, and even old advertisements for anyone that is nostalgic for jingles and ditties from their youth. It's like an encyclopedia for the broadcast arts, with the archive available at each viewing station; large consoles can be watched by up to four people, ideal for a family. The center also holds debates on the rapid changes in media, and film and television screenings.

Unless they are lucky enough to be on the correct side of a plane, and flying the appropriate route, travelers are unlikely to see that sweeping overview of the city, the kind that appears on postcards or movies and TV shows set in NYC. But visit the Queens Museum, located in Flushing Meadows Corona Park (where the U.S. Open tennis tournament is played), and you'll be able to see the entire expanse of the city — or at least a model of it. 

The Panorama of New York City is one of the museum's permanent exhibitions and is not to be missed. First constructed for the 1964-1965 World Fair, it took three years to complete, and covers almost 10,000 square feet of exhibition space (it has undergone renovations to keep it current). Standing next to it, visitors will be able to get a real grasp of the layout of the city, with models scaled 1:1200 (so one inch is the equivalent of 100 feet), and will be able to make out lesser known landmarks like the Newton Creek Wastewater Plant, as well as the more familiar bridges, buildings, and stadiums.

A great beach getaway at the end of Queens, and south of Jamaica Bay, this part of the city was greatly affected by Hurricane Sandy in 2012. The strong winds and surging seas wreaked havoc on homes and the boardwalk, a winding piece of seaside history that had been open since 1931. After Sandy, the city stepped in with a rehabilitation plan, and in the summer of 2017, the restored boardwalk was opened, with wide concrete paths and places to sit. 

The beach itself is broad and topped in soft sand, fronting the Atlantic Ocean and accessible by both subway and water ferry that departs from Wall Street in Manhattan, and Sunset Park in Brooklyn.

Watchers of the movie "Joker" will understand why Joaquin Phoenix won an Oscar in 2020 for his role of the title character — his portrayal was heart-wrenching, moving, unnerving, and terrifying, a remarkable tour de force by the talented actor. One of the most famous scenes in the film takes place when his character wiggles and dances down a long, vertiginous set of stairs, a watershed moment when he finally feels comfortable in his skin. 

That iconic scene was filmed in the Bronx, on a set of steps that descends from Anderson Avenue, a little north of Yankee Stadium. Come for a visit, it's close to the 4 Train stop at 167 Street, and you can re-enact the scene, though you are not likely to be alone — these, after all, are a functioning set of city steps that serve a very practical purpose.

A short walk away from another great realm of sculpture, the Noguchi Museum, this waterfront outdoor arts park in Long Island City, Queens, is a wonderful excursion. There are always new exhibitions on show here, and a recent one featured a complex structure of scaffolding that reflects the city's skyline, while pieces of vegetation dotted up high in the scaffolds represent the fragility of the coast and its ecology. 

Yet the park isn't just about art, and there are many other events that draw visitors, from musical performances (including opera), workshops on nature, meditation sessions at sunset, and morning yoga.

How many places in the United States can lay claim to a museum celebrating the traditions of this country currently under siege? Located in the East Village, which for many years had a strong cadre of residents from Ukraine, and that is home to an area called Little Ukraine, this small museum is a fabulous way to learn more about this Eastern European country. 

Drop by, and you might see pretty pieces of folk art, tokens that are perceived as good luck charms, made from leather, wood, and eggs, as well as artfully embroidered items of clothing, and also paintings by leading Ukrainian artists.

Another example of green goodness in the Bronx, this 28-acre site is beautifully landscaped, and perfect for photos. Wave Hill describes itself as an open-air museum, but most visitors will see it as a botanical wonder, where thousands of trees, plants, vines, shrubs, and flora, appear both in finely manicured form and also gorgeously wild. 

Guests will be able to marvel at the plants in greenhouses, the beautiful forms and shapes in the gardens, and even get lost in a wood. The park is open most days of the week, but visitors on a budget should plan to come on a Thursday when entry is free, something that is never underrated.