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Off the Beaten Path: 5 Places to Visit in New York City

New York is a city of a thousand and one attraction, so you can’t really get bored here during your trip.

New York is a city of a thousand and one attraction, so you can’t really get bored here during your trip. However, this doesn’t mean that you can’t make this trip original. There are many places in NYC that are fascinating and yet mostly ignored by tourists. Break this pattern and make your visit truly memorable by adding them to your itinerary.

The Cloisters

Of all the museums of NYC, the Cloisters is the one that must be on everyone’s “to see” list. However, the majority of the tourists coming here don’t even know it exists. This part of the Met is beautiful and very different from “regular” New York architecture. Built as a Medieval cloister, today it houses incredible art exhibits.

The place itself is amazing and you should take the time to explore all its courtyards. From there, move on to the Fort Tryon Park that will make you forget that you are in one of the busiest cities on the planet.

Museum of Jewish Heritage

Another underappreciated museum in New York, the Museum of Jewish Heritage is a place where you can learn a lot of interesting things. Contrary to what you may believe, one doesn’t need to be a Jew or have some interest in them to enjoy a visit to this place. Jewish Museum exhibits are versatile and can help you look at the events of world history from a different perspective.

Many of the exhibits are focused on the Holocaust, which was a tragedy for the whole of humanity. A visit to this museum is sure to make an impact, so you should take a walk around the Robert F Wagner Jr. Park after you are done with studying the exhibits.

Panorama of the City of New York

The Queens Museum houses one of NYC’s greatest treasures, which is a Panorama of the city itself. It’s a fantastic work of art that will take your breath away. Not the least of the reasons for that is the realization of just how huge NYC really is.

Even the Panorama, which is infinitely smaller than the original, takes up 9,335 sq.ft. The details are incredible and you can spend hours just studying this installation. It would be best to study some Google Earth shots of the places you are interested in before visiting this place. This will help you find them on the Panorama.

Smallpox Hospital

One doesn’t need to look very hard to find interesting places on Roosevelt Island. However, if you are looking for something more special, you should find the ruins of the Smallpox Hospital. Today it’s recognized as a city landmark, but it still doesn’t get much attention.

The building is an actual ruin. But even despite this, you can see how beautiful it once was. That’s not a surprise because it was built in the Gothic Revival style. The hospital was built in 1866 and remained active for a century. Sadly, no one ever cared enough for it to maintain the building after the shutdown. Therefore, it turned into the ruin it is now. Funnily enough, about $4.5 million was spent on the project to stabilize what’s left of the building so you could enjoy seeing it today.

Bartow-Pell Mansion Museum

The Bartow-Pell Mansion Museum is a beautiful place located in a beautiful park. This is where you should go to see the luxury of past day New York. But bear in mind that they say the house is haunted.

Admittedly, any building that’s over a century old and is big enough to be ranked a “mansion” has a haunting story or several. So, your chances of meeting any ghosts are slim. But you will definitely enjoy the artwork.