Beyond Manhattan: The highlights of New York most visitors miss
It has become a parody, too: quinoa milk lattes, tattoo parlours on every block, and unwanted innovations such as rainbow bagels and bars inside barbershops.
But there was a Brooklyn long before any of this, and a Brooklyn that lies beyond the reaches of gentrification still. It is reductive, in fact, to talk about Brooklyn as a whole – if it were a city, it would be the third most populous in the US and each Brooklyn neighbourhood has its own distinct vibe and calling card.
Each neighbourhood within Brooklyn has its own atmosphere. Williamsburg and Greenpoint are well-trodden by tourists, the first neighbourhoods to gentrify and still generating some of the city's hottest dining destinations – just try to get a table at Cantonese American spot Bonnie's (bonniesbrooklyn.com).
But the red brick artist lofts and gritty dives that once gave it character have given way to luxury condos and pricey cocktails, and it can feel like a hipster Disneyland.
Further south, Fort Greene hits that sweet spot between harbouring genuine local culture and excellent fodder for any visitor.
Catch a show at Brooklyn Academy of Music (bam.org), then stroll along DeKalb Avenue to find dinner – the eagerly awaited Saraghina Caffe (saraghinacaffe.com) just opened there – finishing at nearby Vanderbilt Avenue (prospectheightsplaces.com) for one of the city's best Open Streets.
From here, it is a short stroll to Prospect Park, designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux of Central Park fame. At weekends, the borough's de facto backyard is a ruckus of runners, cyclists, competing barbecues and birdwatchers, weddings and quinceanera birthday celebrations.
On its north side, the Brooklyn Museum (brooklynmuseum.org) is at the forefront of culture, and the bandstand hosts the BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival (prospectpark.org). In the evenings, fireflies dart between picnicking attendees while music plays.
But go deeper into Brooklyn still. To Gowanus, where the clean-up of its notoriously polluted canal continues (you can now take sunset canoe rides, bookable at gowanuscanal.org), ushering in a new era of development around clusters of great spots: Threes Brewing (threesbrewing.com) for craft beer; Insa (insabrooklyn.com) for Korean barbecue and karaoke; and the charming old-world Jalopy Theatre (jalopytheatre.org) for folk music.
Further south, Green-Wood Cemetery (green-wood.com) offers tours of its 194 hectares of ostentatious mausoleums and notable internees, such as artist Jean-Michel Basquiat and composer Leonard Bernstein. It has evolved into a cultural destination for the living, with outdoor movie screenings and pop-up performances.
End a visit on the waterfront in Red Hook, with a shrimp basket and sunset views at Brooklyn Crab (brooklyncrab.com).
Essentials
Brooklyn is well serviced by multiple subway lines (J, M, Z, F, B, D, N, Q, A, C, 2, 3, R, 4, 5, G), plus buses and the NYC Ferry (ferry.nyc) The Ace Brooklyn (acehotel.com) offers double rooms from about $A323 a night (excluding taxes).
The Bronx
Visitors come to the Bronx for its three main attractions: Yankee Stadium (try to catch the New York Yankees on their home turf; (mlb.com); the Bronx Zoo, which is as vast as it is impressive (bronxzoo.com); and the New York Botanical Garden, the country's largest with a million plants and a gorgeous Victorian-style glasshouse (nybg.org).
The latter two are adjacent to Arthur Avenue, far and wide considered the real Little Italy (Mario's Restaurant is the stuff of red sauce legend).
All of these are worth the ride and could fill a three-day itinerary on their own.
Affluent 19th-century New York families built their summer houses amid the greenery of the northwest Bronx, and many remain standing today.
The 18th-century Van Cortlandt House has been restored as a museum, and its surrounding land is now the 464 hectare Van Cortlandt Park. Nearby, Wave Hill (wavehill.org) was a private estate visited by Charles Darwin, Mark Twain, and Theodore Roosevelt, but is now a serene public garden, looking out over the Hudson River.
There are also unexpected architectural gems, such as the historic district of the Grand Concourse, originally modelled on the Champs-Elysees, or the Bronx Community College, a National Historic Landmark designed by Stanford White. Once a Roman-style aqueduct, the High Bridge (nycgovparks.org) has been restored and reopened as a footbridge connecting Washington Heights in Manhattan and the Bronx.
And it has its own quaint seaside escape; City Island is a fishing community, packed with seafood restaurants, local galleries and boat culture.
But none of that gets to the heart of what the Bronx is about: vibrant, tight-knit and eclectic, as exemplified by the emerging neighbourhood of Mott Haven. With easy access to Manhattan, this previously industrial hood has been slowly, quietly burgeoning with hip dining spots like Bricks & Hops (bricksandhops.com) and Beatstro (beatstro.com) drawing the crowds.
Other local businesses to check out include indie bookstore and wine bar the Lit Bar (thelitbar.com); Bronx Native (bronxnativeshop.com), a clothing line in homage to the designers' home turf; and Mottley Kitchen (mottleykitchen.com), a cafe with rooftop yoga and fresh juices.
Essentials
Take the 1, 2, 5, B, or D subway lines north to reach the Bronx, or the Metro-North commuter train from Grand Central station. Wingate by Wyndham (wyndhamhotels.com) offers double rooms from about $US135 a night (excluding taxes).
Queens
Some of the best views of the Manhattan skyline are from the Gantry Plaza State Park (parks.ny.gov) in Long Island City. But it would be a disservice to this borough to use it solely as a vantage point to its glitzier neighbour.
Queens is one of the most ethnically diverse boroughs in the US, with more languages spoken here than anywhere else on the planet.
This diversity breeds a wildly rich food culture with more than 3000 restaurants representing at least 120 nationalities. If nothing else, come here to eat your way around the world.
Corona is famed for its Latin American kitchens; Elmhurst veers more pan Asian; and Jackson Heights is the go-to for Indian, Mexican, Nepali and more. Queens' own Chinatown, Flushing, is the largest outside Asia. The New World Mall food court (newworldmallny.com) is the go-to for affordable and diverse Chinese cuisine. Tangram Mall food court is terrific, featuring many popular Queens food vendors (retail.tangramnyc.com).
If navigating between momos and chivitos is overwhelming, Culinary Backstreets (culinarybackstreets.com) offers a foodie walking tour of Queens to help you find that hole-in-the-wall Thai eatery you may otherwise overlook. Another way to taste it all is to head to Queens Night Market (queensnightmarket.com) in Flushing Meadows' Corona Park on a Saturday.
Down in the leafy residential neighbourhood of Ridgewood, gentrification has started to cross the border from Brooklyn's Bushwick. Multipurpose arts venue Nowadays (nowadays.nyc), with its massive outside space and dance parties, has a lot to do with the changes.
Venues such as Rolo's (rolosnyc.com) and Pizzeria Panina (instagram.com/pizzeriapanina), both helmed by impressive hospitality talent, have set out to create long-standing neighbourhood restaurants rather than flash-in-the-pan successes.
But Queens is more than its food (or, at least, in between eating, there is plenty to entertain). The contemporary arts institution MoMA PS1 (momaps1.org) is certainly responsible in part for heralding a new era in Long Island City, such was its impact.
In Astoria, the Museum of the Moving Image (movingimage.us), with its permanent Jim Henson Exhibition, is an immersive audiovisual experience too often overlooked.
Queens stretches all the way down to the Rockaways, a 17-kilometre peninsula of sandy beaches merely an A-train ride from the city.
Devastated by Hurricane Sandy in 2012, the revitalised Rockaways now boasts cute beachy boutiques such as the Swellife (theswellife.com) and popular eateries like Tacoway Beach (tacowaybeach.com).
Essentials
The 7 subway train traverses most of Queens; for the Rockaways, take the Far Rockaway-bound A train or the Rockaway Park-bound shuttle. The Rockaway Hotel and Spa (therockawayhotel.com) offers double rooms from $US290 a night (excluding taxes).
Staten Island
It's a classic New York City tourist hack to ride the Staten Island Ferry instead of coughing up for a boat trip to visit the Statue of Liberty. After all, the ferry is free, beer is served on board and it glides right past Lady Liberty herself. Yet many visitors make a U-turn and head straight back.
Staten Island has an entrenched outsider status – they did vote to secede from New York City in 1993 – and is closer geographically and culturally to New Jersey. Nicknamed "the forgotten borough".
With a population just shy of 500,000, Staten Island is the least populated of the boroughs, but also the greenest, with a 1133-hectare greenbelt cutting across its centre and flocks of wild turkeys.
Freshkills Park (freshkillspark.org) is an unlikely ecological success story, replacing what was formerly the world's largest landfill.
The attractions are fewer than those of her sister boroughs, but nonetheless intriguing – such as the Jacques Marchais Museum of Tibetan Art (tibetanmuseum.org), the largest collection outside Tibet, so groundbreaking that the Dalai Lama visited in 1991.
Another example is the Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden (snug-harbor.org), which comprises 14 botanical gardens, three museums (the Staten Island Museum is a great place to get some historical bearings), two art galleries and an urban farm which supplies restaurants across the city.
Visit the South Shore's Conference House where Revolutionary War peace talks were held, or the Historic Richmond Town (historicrichmondtown.org), home to 40 restored properties on the site of a 17th-century village, including the Dutch-style Voorlezer's House, the nation's oldest schoolhouse.
St George offers a cluster of good dining options like Enoteca Maria (enotecamaria.com), which has grandmas from around the world cooking up a storm and acclaimed beer outlet Clinton Hall (clintonhallny.com).
The Flagship Brewing Company (flagshipbrewery.nyc) launched in 2014 and brought new energy to the area; order an award-winning IPA and have a pizza delivered to the bar from nearby Pier 76 (pier76si.com). The prize for best pizza is keenly contested, thanks to the borough's Italian roots, but Joe & Pat's (joeandpatsny.com) usually takes the title.
Essentials
The Staten Island Ferry runs every 15 to 20 minutes from the Whitehall Ferry Terminal in Manhattan; tickets are free and the trip takes about 25 minutes. Fairfield Inn & Suites New York Staten Island (marriott.com) offers double rooms from about $A234 a night
…And if you must take Manhattan
Manhattan comprises six islands in total, plus a small section of the mainland, called Marble Hill, usually assumed to be the Bronx.
If you feel you have seen it all, try visiting the other islands. Governors Island (govisland.com), just minutes from Lower Manhattan by ferry, has been transformed over the past decade and is now packed with art, educational centres and some beautifully restored historic buildings.
There is also an array of wellness experiences at QC NY spa (qcny.com) and good things to eat at the beautifully designed Island Oyster (crewny.fun), which has views of Manhattan from the outdoor bar. The almost 70-hectare island is car-free; hire a bike and explore at leisure.
Roosevelt Island's first hotel, the 224-room Graduate (graduatehotels.com), on the campus of Cornell Tech, is spectacular, with a chic rooftop bar and dining room in anticipation of more visitors arriving on the aerial Roosevelt Island Tramway.
As well as the lesser-known parts of Manhattan, there are also new attractions for a return visitor. Little Island (littleisland.org), near the Meatpacking District, is an extravagant floating park, free to visit and offering an amphitheatre with live performances, food stalls and landscaped gardens.
Summit One Vanderbilt (summitov.com) is a sky-high viewing experience, this one including a dizzying 42-second ride in a light and mirror-lined lift.
The Museum of Broadway (themuseumofbroadway.com) in Times Square offers an in-depth lesson on Broadway's history and a fascinating look at what it takes to make the on-stage magic happen.
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The Advertiser
a day ago
- The Advertiser
I explored Asia's hottest new spot - and what I found blew me away
Sky capsules of Busan. Picture: Getty Images By Ben Silvester What on earth is going on here? Subscribe now for unlimited access. or signup to continue reading All articles from our website The digital version of Today's Paper All other in your area I'm standing in the sandy outer courtyard of Seoul's Gyeongbokgung Palace. It's an enormous fortified square - at least 100 metres from wall to wall - but it is thronged with a crowd that has stepped straight out of the 19th century. The women are wearing hooped, high-waisted dresses in satin and brocade, with pearls and flowers in their hair, while the men have bright, flowing robes and tall, black, Amish-looking hats. At first I think there must be some kind of costume drama being filmed. Then I notice the phones. Everyone is taking selfies or staging elaborate group shots, posing and then obsessively checking the results. A Korean girl sulks past in a white dress covered in golden flowers, ignoring her friends. But as soon as she sees me taking photos she flashes a serene smile and a peace sign and glides on. Locals dressed in hanbok at Seoul's Gyeongbokgung Palace. Picture: Ben Silvester A country in fast forward This scene - I realise later - is what South Korea is all about: it's a country that reveres its traditions while embracing the future like nowhere else on earth. The crowd were wearing hanbok, Korea's national dress, our Seoul insider guide Meggie explains on a walking tour the next day. In the past decade it has roared into vogue with young people dressing up to look their best at cultural landmarks and take photos of each other. Tourists have jumped on the trend, too, getting free entry to top attractions if they're wearing hanbok. "What you saw at the palace was basically a standard Sunday," Meggie says. Tourists dressed in hanbok enjoying free admission at Seoul's Gyeongbokgung Palace. Picture: Ben Silvester "Nothing makes an old Korean person happier than seeing a bunch of foreigners wearing hanbok. There are retiree social clubs where they'll spend the whole afternoon down at the palace just watching the foreigners in their hanbok taking pictures of one another." Our Seoul walking tour takes us along the Cheongyecheon, a miraculous stream fringed by willows, reeds and a forest of skyscrapers. Running through the centre of the CBD, the crystal-clear creek was a fetid trickle surrounded by shanties just a few decades ago. "The city literally went from dirt roads to skyscrapers in 10 years," Meggie says. "People donated jewellery and even the fillings in their teeth to the cause. They took amphetamine injections to work longer hours and drag their country into the future. "Korea is the only country in the world to have gone from an OECD borrower, to an OECD lender." Seoul now vies for the most liveable city in Asia, with the world's fastest internet and a subway system comprising 768 stations and trains every couple of minutes. But among the glittering glass towers you're still likely to find an ancient stone gate marking the city's original limits, or a grand 600-year-old palace sweeping across 40 hectares of the central business district. It's a dizzying collision of old and new. Cheonggyecheon Stream in Seoul. Picture: Getty Images Korea's bullet trains - operating since 2004 - are a prime symbol of the new. The Korea Train eXpress, or KTX, whisks us across the peninsula from Seoul in the north-west to Busan on the south-east coast, one of 69 services between the two cities each day. The conductor bows as he enters the spacious, spotlessly clean carriage and bows again as he exits. The 420 kilometre trip takes just over two hours, and as we glide along, the mountains, rivers and paddy fields feel like a stage sliding by the window. The earpopping whoomph as we plunge into a tunnel is about the only reminder we are travelling at 300 kmh. Busan is the gritty upstart to Seoul's sophisticated ancient capital. Built on maritime trade, commercial fishing and heavy industry, its roots are deeply blue collar. When Korea's film industry boomed in the 1990s, the bad boy, gangster or criminal character was always from Busan. Gamcheon neighbourhood of Busan. Picture: Getty Images "People here are tough. Hot tempered, but warm hearted," our new guide, Brian, says. "It might sound like they're shouting at you, but they're not. They call this the summer capital. It's my favourite city, a romantic city." Seeing the broad expanse of Haeundae Beach from our hotel's rooftop pool - framed by densely wooded low mountains plunging to the glittering sea - it's easy to see what he means. Korea's biggest fish market - Jagalchi - is the city's beating heart. It is a riot of colour, with huge rainbow umbrellas shading an endless array of molluscs, crustacea, squid and fish. Some of the seafood looks mouthwateringly good. Some, like the aptly named "dog penis fish", or spoonworm, not so much. Brian says chopped spoonworms are often included among the dozens of small dishes in your everyday Korean meal. "It's a delicacy for some people. Very chewy, like gum," he says. Spoonfish is best filed under "acquired taste", along with hongeo, aka "piss skate", which is basically a sting ray that's been fermented in its own urine. Most Korean food is far less challenging, but visitors should be prepared for bold flavours - from rich, marinated beef ribs or barbecued pork belly to bright, spicy octopus or a cauldron of chicken broth filled with delicate hand-cut noodles. A fish market in Busan. Picture: Shutterstock On one level the daily meal is simple, built around rice, soup and kimchi - the chilli-fermented vegetables served at breakfast, lunch and dinner. Most visitors, if they know about kimchi at all, only think of cabbage, but there's an astonishing array of choices. "There's actually a saying here: 'Does it kimchi?'" says Jun, our host for the trip and an endless source of fascinating and quirky facts. "People will make kimchi from basically any vegetable, fruits like apple and pear, seaweed, and even seafood and meat." Beyond the rice, soup and kimchi, each meal is distinguished by its banchan, or side dishes. Chris - our guide for a moonlit food tour of Busan - gets into an argument with the waitress about which banchan to order at our first stop. The term "waitress" might be misleading, this woman is formidable. She gives Chris a dismissive wave and shake of the head as she walks off to place the order. "She didn't like what I was ordering," Chris laughs. "She said 'what are you thinking? Don't get that, get the pork!'" Yangdong Folk Village. Picture: Getty Images Much of Korea is run by these ajumma, or "aunties", women of a certain age with a work ethic forged from a time when their country was far less prosperous. The two aunties running this hole-in-the-wall work 12 hours a day, seven days a week. One is on the grill while the other does everything else. "They don't mess about," Chris says. "This is their fiefdom and if you step out of line they'll kick you out." The waitress is right about the side dishes, of course - the spicy stir-fried pork and the prawn and spring onion pancake are incredible. The rest of our evening consists of three full dinners at different locations, finishing up at Busan's harbourside pocha - rows of mobile tented street carts complete with a grill, a selection of wonderfully fresh seafood and another stern-looking aunty. The grill provides some warmth against the chill breeze as it jangles the rigging of the nearby fishing boats. But more importantly it perfectly sears the fresh-caught mackerel, cockles and beef short ribs as they are cooked before our eyes. Gyeongju: the open museum South Korea is starting to catch on as a destination for Australian tourists, but it's still a dark horse compared to neighbouring Japan. More than 200,000 Australians touched down in Korea in 2024 - 25 per cent up on 2023 - but nearly 800,000 visited Japan. The relative lack of visitors has allowed Korean culture to fly under the radar, but the country is a treasure trove of hidden history. The ancient city of Gyeongju - just an hour north of Busan - is a stunning example. The hills of Daereungwon in Gyeongju. Picture: Ben Silvester Gyeongju was the capital of Korea's Silla kingdom for nearly 1000 years. At its cultural peak in the year 750 it was the fourth largest city in the world, but centuries of invasion and civil war buried many of its greatest treasures. Walking the city today, the skyline is dominated by dozens of mysterious rolling green hills. The 10 and 20-metre high mounds run literally through the centre of town. It was only in 1921 - when a local farmer dug up an enormous gold crown in his backyard - that archaeologists realised the hills were the tombs of Silla kings and queens dating back 20 centuries. Most of the tombs still lie unexplored, but one has been excavated and reinforced for public access. It is an eerie experience descending past the countless decades of soil and gravel, down through the thousands of melon-sized rocks surrounding the burial chamber to the tomb itself. The mummified occupant has been removed, but his heavy timber resting place remains, laden with the intricate gold and silver necklaces, belts and weapons that lay with him for so long. Burial mounds More than 16,000 artifacts have been dug from the Gyeongju soil over the past century. "This place has the name 'open museum', because you can dig almost anywhere and find thousand-year-old treasures," Brian says. Our accommodation channels the historic surrounds, with verandah-fronted rooms surrounding a peaceful stone-covered courtyard. These traditional timber and stone houses are called hanok, and despite dating back to the 14th century they're remarkably snug in winter and cool in summer. BUSAN The best way to see Busan's rugged coastline is on the unique Haeundae Blue Line Park Sky Capsule train. to see Busan's rugged coastline is on the unique Haeundae Blue Line Park Sky Capsule train. Don't miss Gamcheon Culture Village, where locals have painted an entire hillside of houses to transform a slum into a rainbow-hued wonder. GYEONGJU Yangdong Folk Village, a short drive from Gyeongju, is a must see , preserved as it was in the 15th century. , preserved as it was in the 15th century. Don't miss Seokguram Grotto and Bulguksa Temple, perched on a mountain outside Gyeongju. Both are UNESCO World Heritage Sites and among the few greatest achievements of Buddhist sculpture and architecture. Pop-ups and cherry blossoms Back in Seoul for a final day of touring, it is the official close of the cherry blossom festival. We have followed Jun to Yeouido, an island in the middle of the Han River. Han means "big", or "great", indeed no other major city on earth has such a broad river running through it. Yeouido is the home of the annual festival and its thousands of cherry trees are still heavily dusted with powder-pink and white blossoms. The avenue stretches out nearly a kilometre and it feels like the hushed crowd can sense the serenity of the moment. Suddenly a deranged scream bursts from the crowd. Then, after a short pause, another similar cry. I push forward, expecting a fight, or surprise protest, but then I decipher a snatch of the Korean phrase: "Kamsahamnida!" The Haedong Yonggungsa Temple outside Busan. Picture: Ben Silvester This means "thank you", which is confusing until I see the blue and yellow booth and the Ikea branding. A queue of locals are lining up at a pop-up event to celebrate the opening of a nearby store. Each one has to shout their welcome message into a tripod-mounted megaphone, earning themselves a small Ikea-branded chocolate as dozens film the spectacle. Several young Koreans deliver pretty tame efforts, but then an auntie steps up to the megaphone and unleashes, her voice breaking as she yells "KAMSAHAMNIDA!!" Getting there: Jetstar is the largest carrier between Australia and Seoul operating up to 10 direct flights each week. Flights from Brisbane start at $269, while Sydney fares start at $318. Touring there: Inside Asia's Soul of Korea small-group tour (maximum16 people) is designed for both first time and repeat travellers. The itinerary includes visits to Seoul, Jeonju, Busan and Gyeongju with nine nights' accommodation, private transfers and a full-time insider guide from $6080 per person. Explore more: The writer was a guest of Inside Asia
SBS Australia
3 days ago
- SBS Australia
Here's what people enjoyed at International Arts and Culinary Creativity Festival in Melbourne
LISTEN TO SBS Indonesian 09:33 Indonesian The Artistry's International Creativity & Culinary Festival took over Queen Victoria Market on 9 and 10 August 2025. The event featured signature dishes from around the world––including bakso ––and staged cultural performances, such as traditional Indonesian dance. The Artistry's International Creativity & Culinary Festival took over Queen Victoria Market on 9 and 10 August 2025. Credit: SBS Indonesian/Anne Parisianne SBS Indonesian spoke with several visitors and a vendor at the festival, and interviewed Geovannie Palembangan, the Consul for Information, Social and Cultural Affairs at the Indonesian Consulate-General in Melbourne. Listen to the full podcast. Listen to SBS Indonesian on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays at 3pm. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram , and don't miss our podcasts.
ABC News
7 days ago
- ABC News
Coki
Loading You'll be able to hear him live at parties around the country including boutique festival Soft Centre but up first don't miss his exclusive triple j heads will already know but for anyone new listeners, Coki is an OG when it comes to the UK's dance scene. He's been at the forefront of the dubstep genre since the 2000s, is one half of the duo Digital Mystikz with Mala, and heads up the DMZ label and collective with Mala and two decades on he's still at the top of the game, just check out this recent track with Dfuse:It's an honour to have this legend throwing down on the airwaves tonight with a 60 min masterclass in all things dubstep and bass. Run this one up loud, and make sure you grab tickets to his shows before it's too late!
