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Could anyone recommend good places (restaurants, parks, points of interest, etc.) where the majority of New Yorkers live--you know--the 6.8 million people that don't live in Manhattan?
Manhattan has everything going for it...but after seeing the same places and hearing how great it is ad naseum, I'm looking for something different. They don't have to be upscale--but if you know of any feel free to include them--just places that are worthwhile, yet most tourists wouldn't consider visiting simply because they're not in Manhattan.
Take a tour at the Louis Armstrong House Museum in Corona, Queens. Get there by taking the 7 train (aboveground) for an interesting view of Queens.
Then go eat somewhere in Corona, like one of the many Mexican restaurants near Roosevelt Ave, or try Nixtamal Tortilleria, which has the only (as far as I know) machine that makes fresh tortillas from masa. The famous Italian place, Leo Latticini aka Mama of Corona is right near there too, if you prefer Italian. If you're still hungry there is a homemade frozen custard place nearby called Timmy O's.
Check the schedule at the museum because I think they only offer tours on the hour. It is not a place where you can just go and wander around freely.
Blue Hill at Stone Barns in Pocantico Hills is a nice upscale restaurant that most tourists would not frequent, unless it's a group of gourmands making their way through Westchester. Nearby, you could visit the Rockefeller Preserve, and the Rockefeller mansion, Kykuit. Lyndhurst Castle, Sunnyside, former residence of Washington Irving, Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, and the Union Church of Pocantico Hills are all relatively close to one another in the Tarrytown-Sleepy Hollow-Pocantico Hills area.
In Katonah, Caramoor is a former estate turned center for the arts that hosts a large outdoor music fetival annually, along with other smaller concerts throughout the year. Nearby, you can also tour the state park that is the John Jay Homestead. And you can explore trails, cross country ski, downhill ski on a couple of slopes, etc. in the nature preserve that is the nearby Ward Pound Ridge Reservation.
On Long Island, the Sands Point Preserve gives a glimpse into life during the Gilded Age of the Gold Coast with Castle Gould, the stables, and Falaise being examples of two estates directly on Long Island Sound.
In The Bronx, you could visit Wave Hill, an estate turned park in Riverdale, with views along the Hudson, that once housed Arturo Toscanini. The Bartow-Pell Mansion in Pelham Bay Park, also in The Bronx, is not far from City Island and Long Island Sound, comprises a house and gardens worthy of a tour as it's a hidden oasis in the city, seemingly removed from civilization. You could also tour the Van Cortlandt House in Van Cortlandt Park, and can ride horses in the park as well.
In Queens, the Socrates Sculpture Park on the East River offers a changing exhibit space where artists display their work, against a backdrop of the East River, northern Roosevelt Island, and Manhattan.
Governor's Island, in season, offers an escape from Manhattan as well as another venue for the arts, or for enjoying a great park. It's currently in an early phase of redevelopment, but as such, the park offers much to like, and it's off-the-beaten-path as not too many tourists take the ferry trip.
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All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.
~William Shakespeare (As You Like It Act II, Scene VII)
I love the big Brooklyn public library at Grand Army Plaza and the Brooklyn Art Museum just up the road from it. I also think Prospect Park is much nicer than Central Park.
The NY Botanical Garden,in The Bronx, is a wonderful place to visit.Even in Winter,the Haupt Conservatory(largest victorian Glass house in the US) is worth the trip.It is a delight to all the senses. New York Botanical Garden
Wave hill,also in The Bronx,is another very special place.The views of the Hudson River Palisades are spectacular and the grounds are amazing.It's nicer in Summer of course but quite enjoyable at any time other than a cold windy day. Wave Hill: New York Public Garden and Cultural Center
Finally, I would highly recommend The Cloisters.Although it is actually in Manhattan it is not in an area that tourists think of when they think of Manhattan and it is truly one of NYC's greatest treasures. The Cloisters Museum & Gardens | The Metropolitan Museum of Art
By the way, both New York magazine and especially Time Out are very good for ideas outside Manhattan, in terms of touristy destinations (like museums), shopping, and restaurants.
All of these look like good ideas. I'll be looking into all of these places--especially the Italian food!
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