Always free attractions
–Central Park – Nothing beats a picnic and a stroll in one of the world’s most famous parks.
- Subway: for Central Park West: 72nd Street, 81st Street, 86th Street, 96th Street, 103rd Street; for the South-West corner Columbus Circle stop; for the South-East corner the 5th Avenue subway stop on the R line, for the North-West corner the Cathedral Parkway Station at 110th Street
–Staten Island Ferry – Check out the views of Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty.
- Subway: J or Z line to Broad Street; 1 or 9 line to South Ferry
–Grand Central Terminal – More colloquially known as Grand Central Station, it’s the largest train station in the world and a famous image in many films and TV productions.
- Subway: 4, 5, 6, 7, and S lines to Grand Central
–New York Public Library – Book worms be forewarned, there are more than 53 million items to browse at the USA’s second largest library.
- Subway: 7, B,D,F,V lines to 42nd Street/Bryant Park
–Federal Reserve Bank – Go five storeys below street level to see the gold vault on display.
- Tip: Though it’s free, a reservation in advance is required
- Subway: R to Rector Street; A,C, 4,5, 2,3, J,M,Z to Fulton Street
–Times Square – Be one of the 39 million annual visitors to pass through the iconic “Crossroads of the World”.
- Subway: A,C,E,N,Q,R,W,S,1,2,3,7 to Times Square/42nd Street Station
–Rockefeller Center – Although heading up to the observation deck, the “Top of the Rock” isn’t free, you can go just inside to check out the building, or with tickets acquired in advance, see one of the many shows filmed here like Saturday Night Live.
- Subway: F,D,B,V to 47-50th Street/Rockefeller Center
–Chrysler Building – Once the tallest building in the world, it’s free to admire the Art Deco building inside and out, unfortunately this doesn’t include the observation deck on the 77th floor ($21).
- Subway: S,4,5,6,7 to Grand Central Station
–St. Patrick’s Cathedral – Check out the huge cathedral (it takes up a whole city block) and marvel at its Neo-Gothic architecture including the rose window.
- Subway: B,D,F,V to 47th-50th Street/Rockefeller Center; E,V to Fifth Avenue/53rd St.
–Chelsea galleries – Do an artistic “gallery crawl” without feeling pressured to buy.
- Tip: Every Thursday the galleries provide free wine and cheese
- Subway: C,E to 23rd Street/8th Avenue
–Fashion Institute of Technology Museum – The museum boasts over 50,000 garments from 1800 to present.
- Subway: L,N,R,Q,W,4,5,6 to 14th Street/Union Square to 34th Street
–Forbes Collection – See an original exhibition in the Forbes Magazine Headquarters from the personal collection of the late publishing tycoon Malcolm Forbes.
- Subway: A,C,E,B,D,1,9 to 14th Street; 4,5,6,N,R to 14th Street
–Tomb of General Ulysses S. Grant “Grant’s Tomb” – Head back in time to the era of the American Civil War and see the impressive mausoleum of the famous General.
- Subway: 1,9 to West 116th Street Station at Broadway
–Ferry to Governor’s Island – The island was once home to the oldest European settlement in New York, now a great place to take a stroll and visit its two forts, Fort Jay and Castle Williams.
- Subway: 1 to South Ferry; 4.5 to Bowling Green; R to Whitehall Street
