My wife and I first went to New York City in 2012 and loved it. When we had the chance to go again in 2019 as part of a three-day business trip, I was less excited since we’d already seen the major highlights. If you’ve never been to NYC before, you can pretty much do everything the CityPASS recommends and have a great time. Many of those attractions would probably be fun to see again a second time, too, but if you’re wanting to experience entirely new parts of New York, you have to dig a little deeper.
On our second NYC trip, my favorite attraction was the Gulliver’s Gate museum near Times Square. I know, I know, a museum of miniature models doesn’t sound that exciting, but the detail that went into these tiny cities from around the world is truly impressive. If you look closely, you’ll find all sorts of fun, little Easter eggs hidden throughout.
My next favorite memory is probably walking across the Brooklyn bridge. The Dumbo, Brooklyn area on the South side is a quaint starting/stopping point, and the walk itself gives you some nice, 360-degree views of the surrounding skyscrapers. It’s a refreshing change of pace from what you might normally do in New York.
Another interesting walkabout tucked in between the buildings of New York is Roosevelt Island. The island itself doesn’t really have much to see on it, except for a small lighthouse and statue of FDR. I just found it really interesting that such a place—an island in the middle of a busy city—existed at all. Plus, you can take an aerial tram from Manhattan to the center of the island! If you buy a MetroCard during your visit, the tram is included.
Lastly, if you haven’t had your fill of museums yet, New York City has plenty of others to explore. Seriously, you can stand anywhere in the city, look up “nearby museums” on Yelp, and find something interesting. The Mmuseumm, for instance, is a 10-minute experience at most but is one of the weirdest museums I’ve ever encountered.
The most notable museum we visited this time around was the Color Factory pop-up museum. If you’ve been to any other pop-up, you can safely skip this one. The Color Factory was a bit on the expensive side and was only mildly amusing, but if you’re in the area and itching for some cute photo ops, it wouldn’t hurt to check it out. Hey, at least they give you lots of treats while you’re there:
