A realistic guide to exploring New York beyond Manhattan

When people imagine New York City, they’re usually picturing the soaring skyscrapers of Manhattan. Fittingly, Manhattan is also where first-time visitors to New York usually stay. After all, it has the highest density of hotels, offices, and attractions in the city, so it makes sense for tourists to base themselves here. However, New York doesn’t end at the Hudson or the East River. The city actually comprises five major boroughs, each with its own unique history, attractions, and atmosphere. If you’ve got time during your stay, it’s well worth getting out of Manhattan and exploring the rest of the city.

Getting Around

The Big Apple has some of the best public transport in the USA, but to explore properly beyond Manhattan, it may be a good idea to rent a car in New York. This will allow you to get to and around the further boroughs without having to schedule your visits to subway and bus timetables, and will give you the freedom to get out into the wider state of New York if you want to.

It also opens up plenty of interesting waterfronts, parks, and residential areas off the subway system that rarely make it into guidebooks. You can still use public transport for parts of your trip (and, honestly, you should – riding the subway is all part of the New York experience!), but a vehicle gives you the freedom to explore with fewer limits.

Brooklyn

Brooklyn is on the other side of the East River from Manhattan, making it the perfect spot to capture panoramic shots of the New York skyline. You can get to it by crossing the iconic Brooklyn Bridge or, if you’d rather avoid the crowds, taking one of the many other bridges and tunnels that connect Brooklyn to the rest of New York. 

Brooklyn has quite a different feel from Manhattan. Here, you’ll find brownstones, narrow side streets, wide walkways, and generally a more ‘local’ feel. Brooklyn isn’t all towering, shiny glass walls like Manhattan – and many people find it more authentic and welcoming for this. 

Even if you’ve got a car with you, you’ll get the best out of Brooklyn on foot. Head to Prospect Park for a picnic on the open lawns, or admire the architecture of neighborhoods like Bay Ridge and Dyker Heights. Here, you’ll get a clearer sense of what daily life is like for most New Yorkers than you could ever find in Manhattan.

Queens

Queens is much more spread out than Brooklyn, so you might need to drive or hop on the subway if you want to visit far-flung areas of the borough. In Astoria, on the western edge, you’ll find mid-rise apartment buildings, riverfront parks, and plenty of Greek and Middle Eastern restaurants. It’s a great place to grab a coffee and watch the world go by. 

A couple of miles inland, you’ll find Jackson Heights, which has vibrant South Asian, Latin American, and East Asian communities. Jackson Heights can be busy, but it’s got a great atmosphere and plenty of eclectic shops and restaurants to enjoy. You can eat a Tibetan momo for lunch and a Colombian arepa for dinner without crossing a borough line.

The flavor of the borough changes as you head further east. Bayside and Douglaston are family neighborhoods with a more ‘suburban’ feel – the streets are leafy and the houses are bigger, family homes set apart from one another, unlike the row houses and apartments in more centralized areas of the city. The eastern edge of Queens meets the Long Island Sound, which has plenty of pleasant riverside walks, marinas, and beautiful views out over the water.

The Bronx

Head north from Manhattan, and you’ll find The Bronx. This borough is home to Yankee Stadium, which is easy for sports fans to reach by highway and subway. If you’re a food fan, you can easily lose days within just a few blocks, working your way through Italian restaurants, French bakeries, gourmet butcher shops, quirky delis, family-run cafes, fresh food markets, and more.

When you’re full, you can head to the Bronx Zoo or the New York Botanical Gardens, or simply wander through Pelham Bay Park until you reach Long Island Sound. For such a busy borough, the riverside areas of the Bronx are surprisingly quiet and peaceful.

Head northwest, and you’ll find Riverdale. This area is more family-focused and has a more ‘small town’ feel than the rest of the borough. Architecture-wise, you’ll find a range of detached family houses, low-rise apartment buildings, and shopping streets with a local feel. Keep heading north, and you’ll hit Woodlawn, which is a great place to stop for a pint in an Irish pub. Both areas are easily accessible by commuter trains and buses.

Staten Island

Staten Island is across New York Harbor to the south of Manhattan. To get here, you’ll either need to catch the Staten Island Ferry, which runs between St George and Lower Manhattan, or use the road bridges and tunnels that run between Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island. As a general rule, it’s a good idea to drive if you are heading to Staten Island, as many of the waterfront parks, etc., are a long way from subway stops. 

In St George, where the ferry docks, you’ll find a cluster of civic buildings, but for something more tourist-friendly, it’s a good idea to head east, towards South Beach and Great Kills. These areas have plenty of public beaches, fishing piers, and shady residential streets with some unique architecture.

Why You Should Get Out Of Manhattan

Travelling outside Manhattan will shift how you view New York. Those famous skyscrapers will become scenery rather than the main feature, and you’ll get a much clearer idea of the true character of New York, as experienced by its residents. Ultimately, exploring outside Manhattan shows you how New York functions beyond its main commercial core.