Manhattan is a hard act to follow, and the four outer boroughs - Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Staten Island - inevitably pale in comparison. But while they lack the glamour of Manhattan, and life in them, essentially residential, is less obviously dynamic, they all offer uniquely unexpected and refreshing perspectives on the city.

Most visitors never set foot off Manhattan, but if you have more than a few days there's much out here to be recommended. In Brooklyn, there's salubrious Brooklyn Heights and beautiful Prospect Park , along with the evocatively run-down, carnivalesque seaside resort of Coney Island . Queens features the bustling Greek community of Astoria and Flushing Meadows , a vast park that played host to the 1939 and 1964 World's Fairs. The Bronx has in recent years begun to conquer its reputation as a vast danger zone; the notorious South Bronx - whose highlight is Yankee Stadium - has been largely rehabilitated, and the borough contains one of the country's best zoos and several historic private estates. And while a trip on the Staten Island ferry affords a grand view of New York Harbor as well as the downtown skyline, there is little on the island itself to detain most visitors from the immediate return voyage to Manhattan.

Subway and buses
Be warned that the outer boroughs are much larger than Manhattan, and to get to some of the highlights you'll have to take various subways and buses in succession. It can be a long haul, but you'll grow to appreciate the MTA's ability to connect vastly separated areas. Make sure you're familiarized with the transit system by studying "City transportation", before you start. Taxi cabs can be taken to and from any borough, though remember they are harder to find the farther you are from Manhattan.

New York
guide, hotels

New York City
Highlights
When to go
Arrival
Transportation
Walking
Eating and drinking
KIDS:
  Kids New York
  Kids activities
  Kids toys, clothing
  Kids cultural activities
The Giuliani years
September 11, 2001
World Trade Center
Best of New York
Gays and Lesbian
G & L accommodation
G & L bars
G & L Clubs
Media
N Y tours: bus/copter
N Y tours: water/walking
Free museums hours
Staten Island ferry
Parades and Festivals
Shops and markets
Clothes, fashion
Diamond District
Food and drink
Liquor stores
Music
Music-special interest
Art galleries
 

New York
guide, hotels

Google maps

Exploring New York
v 42nd Street and around
v Central Park
v Chelsea
v Chinatown
v City Hall and TriBeCa
v East Village
v Fifth Avenue & around
v Financial District
v Garment District
v Harlem and N Manhattan
v Little Italy and NoLita
v Lower East Side
v Metropolitan Museum of Art
v Midtown East
v Park Avenue (Midtown)
v United Nations
v Midtown West
v Murray Hill
v Outer boroughs
v Bronx
v Brooklyn Heights
v Queens
v SoHo
v Statue of Liberty & Ellis Is
v Union Sq & Gramercy Park
v Upper E side
v Upper W side
v Walking Tours
vWest Village

New York City
Highlights
When to go
Arrival
Transportation
Walking
Eating and drinking
Kids New York
Kids activities
Kids toys, clothing
Kids cultural activities
The Giuliani years
September 11, 2001
World Trade Center
Best of New York
Gays and Lesbian
G & L accommodation
G & L bars
G & L Clubs
Media
N Y tours: bus/copter
N Y tours: water/walking
Free museums hours
Staten Island ferry
Parades and Festivals
Shops and markets
Clothes, fashion
Diamond District
Food and drink
Liquor stores
Music
Music-special interest
Art galleries