Hidden Treasures of New York City

Here are the coolest and most usual things to do in New York City

City Hall Station

A superb subway station created in 1904 but is now abandoned. In the past, the train would leave from City Hall station and would reach Grand Central Station. That was when a subway ticket was only 5 cents. The architects Rafael Guastavino, George Lewis Heins and Christopher Grant LaFarge built City Hall Station. You may recognize the names because they also built St John The Devine.

How to see City Hall Station without joining a tour

1) The station is below Manhattan Municipal Building at the corner of Centre Street and Chambers Street. You must take line 6 Downtown direction.

2) Once you arrive at the last station Brooklyn Bridge – City Hall / Chambers Street, passengers must exit the train.

3) Stay inside the train and duck so no one sees you. Once the train leaves the station, it passes by City Hall station. That’s how you will be able to see it.

Dream House

Lamonte Young and Mariane Zazeela’s “Dream House” will immerse you in an ever changing world of sound and light.

Evolution Nature Store

A terrific purveyor of natural history objects and curios.

Mmuseumm

Tiny museum housed in a New York freight elevator specializes in the “overlooked, dismissed, or ignored.”

5 Beekman Street

This beautiful building in the heart of Manhattan’s Financial District was empty for decades. It now houses prestigious residences and a luxurious hotel.

Track 61

This abandoned subway station beneath the Waldorf-Astoria hotel is allegedly used to secretly transport presidents.

The SeaGlass Carousel

Manhattan’s Battery Park has a new carousel, full of spinning, glowing fish.

The MoMath – The Museum of Mathematics

A Pythagorean funhouse that tries, successfully, to prove that math is the coolest thing ever.

Tannen’s Magic Shop

New York’s first and oldest magic shop

The Earth Room

A room in New York City that contains 250 cubic yards of dirt worth a million dollars. The New York Earth Room is an interior sculpture by the artist Walter de Maria located at 141 Wooster Street in New York City.

The New York Federal Gold Vault

More gold than anywhere else ever.

Freedom Tunnel

A tunnel once abandoned now thrives with graffiti art as an off-limits makeshift gallery.

Houdini Museum

Hidden in an ordinary Midtown building is a one-room museum dedicated to the greatest escape artist.

The Lexington Candy Shop

The oldest family-run luncheonette in New York still serves food and drinks the old fashioned way, last renovated in 1948.

The Secret Entrance to the Knickerbocker Hotel

An unassuming secret door leads to a legendary watering hole.

The White Horse Tavern

Great place to have a drink and a bite to eat in an atmosphere laden with New York’s Bohemian past.

Burger Joint

Slyly buy a shake in the Parker Meridien lobby.

Brooklyn Bridge Love Locks

A popular European tradition makes its way to the states on one of America’s most famous bridges.

The Troll Museum

Reverend Jen’s unique moving museum showcases her troll collection.

Strawberry Field Memorial

Central Park mosaic dedicated to John Lennon, groomed by a Beatles super-fan.

Radio City Music Hall Secret Apartment

Built as a gift to the hottest tastemaker of the time, these hidden quarters remain an Art Deco showpiece.

The Fearless Girl

Wall Street has a new heroine, a bronze statue of a small but fearless girl. The sculpture is placed in front of the Charging Bull to represent the power of women in leadership.

New York’s oldest phone number

Need to book a room at the Hotel Pennsylvania? Just dial up 6-5000.

U Thaunt Island

The smallest island in Manhattan is a manmade landfill dominated by a Buddhist peace arch.

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