There are a lot of great things to do in New York City. You can go to the top of the Empire State building, have a meal in Little Italy or take a boat to Liberty Island, but how about something a bit different? As soon as the covid period will be behind us, here are four alternative ways to visit NYC.
Everyone visits Manhattan’s beautiful Central Park, but for a different view of New York, you should visit the High Line. It is a park on an old New York train line: it goes above the ground along the west side of Manhattan, over the streets and through some buildings. It’s 1.6 kilometres long and it takes about an hour to walk all along the park. You see the city in a different way and there are lots of places to sit or have a drink. There’s also a park theatre, so you can watch a play above the streets.
Another way to see Manhattan is from the water. You can hire kayaks on the Hudson River from the New York Kayak Club. Tours last from one and a half hours, for a quick trip along the river, to ten hours, for a tour around Manhattan Island. Instructors give all tourists a quick lesson before they go on the river, so don’t worry if you don’t know how to kayak.
Tourists usually visit the most famous buildings and parks of New York, but they don’t meet local people. The big apple Greeter service gives tourists the opportunity to meet and spend time with New Yorkers. Volunteers take people around the Big Apple for a few hours. They won’t take to the big tourist attractions, but they’ll show you some places that most tourists never see. The service now has 300 volunteers, and they give tours in 20 languages. It’s a great way to see the city and it’s free.
Accomplice is a different way to meet people and see the city at the same time. On an Accomplice tour, you play a game. The day before the tour, somebody phones you with a strange message in which that person writes a time and a place where you have to go. The next day you meet a group of people there and someone gives you more instructions. Your group must go around the city, meet people, find clues and answer questions. Accomplice takes about three hours and you see some cool places.
Virginia Masneri 3BL
