The considered guideNew York

New York, with room to breathe

Three free places to spend time, from a SoHo art room to the Brooklyn waterfront. Pick one and let the day grow from there.

Lower Manhattan seen from Brooklyn Bridge Park, photographed in May 2015

King of Hearts / Wikimedia Commons, 2015. Resized and compressed; display crops vary. · CC BY-SA 3.0: License (including resized version); Source

You do not need a ticketed attraction for every part of a New York day. A gallery, a stretch of elevated garden or a seat by the river can be enough of a destination.

These are three separate ideas, not a promise that they fit into one quick walk. Choose the side of the city you want to spend time in, then check the linked place for practical details. Ordinary admission is free at each; optional purchases and separately organised activities can cost extra.

01.

Brooklyn Bridge Park

Let the river give the day some space. Choose a pier or a patch of lawn and make the pause part of the plan.

Pier 1, Old Fulton Street and Furman Street, Brooklyn · Brooklyn waterfront
Take a closer look
02.

The Drawing Center

For an indoor stop, give one exhibition your full attention. Check the current programme before building an afternoon around it.

35 Wooster Street, Manhattan · SoHo
Take a closer look
03.

The High Line

Try a shorter stretch with more pauses. The pleasure can be in the view down one side street as much as the full length of the park.

Gansevoort Street and Washington Street entrance, Manhattan · Meatpacking & Chelsea
Take a closer look