the 50 best free things to do in New York City in 10 minutes here we go want to impress your friends the best free rooftop view in the city is on the top floor of the stavos ne Aros library in Midtown head to the seventh floor and you can get a straight up shot of the Empire State Building and the skyline no entry or having to buy a drink required do you want to take a time machine check out the tww hotel attached to Terminal 5 at JFK airport this used to be the tww flight center and it's a free ticket to the Golden Era of flight in the 1960s why not visit the only old factory Art Gallery in the world dedicated to art that has sent this Hidden Gem in Chinatown is completely free to pop into during opening hours and you can sniff your way through all the pleasant Aromas or if you're feeling adventurous the stinky ones as well who is buried at Grant's Tomb I'll let you answer that one but the largest mausoleum in North America is open to the public and the final resting place of President ulyses S Grant and his wife Greenwood Cemetery was one of New York's most visited landmarks and we shot an entire video dedicated to showing you the famous sculptures and burial sites of this gem in Brooklyn completely free to stroll around if you're into the darker side of History you don't really need this video to tell you to walk the Brooklyn Bridge and while it's one of the most crowded tourist destinations in the city it should be on every first- timer's list try to go earlier in the morning if you really want to take better photos and enjoy one of the most famous icons in New York the elevated acre and Manhattan is one of my all-time favorite secret Parks take the nondescript escalator up and you're surrounded by big buildings and nature at the same time there's also tremendous views of the East River and Brooklyn Bridge the 911 memorial is a mustsee for any visitor to New York the two fountains where the towers once stood are Majestic but also a reflective and poignant reminder of one of the saddest days in the country's history please no smiling selfies here the New York Public Library is a perfect rainy day drop in you can admire the ceiling murals upstairs but the real winner here is the free Palante exhibition on the ground floor where you can see the original Winnie the Pooh and a copy of the Declaration of Independence you can easily budge it an hour inside Time Square is quite obvious but did you know every night from 11:57 p. m. to 12:00 a.
m. you can watch the midnight moment the world's largest digital public arts program it's on 92 displays spanning eight blocks if you're a night owl this is worth a quick stop over as many tourists are completely oblivious that it's even going on New York has tons of TV shows that need an audience absolutely for free I even once went to The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon and it was a little bit surreal check the show's website for details if you want to see SNL be prepared to wait in line all day the Irish hunger Memorial dedicated to the Great Famine is one of those hidden gems that you have to see to believe they imported all the grass and even an old cottage from the emerald aisle and its location in lower Manhattan makes this a great quick stop over to appreciate all the hardships that Irish immigrants had to endure on their journey to America Lincoln Center summer for the City offers a series of concerts and events outside of the historic Music Hall this is an absolutely fantastic way to feel like a local and taken worldclass music and culture we have a whole video dedicated to Central Park you could spend an entire day exploring America's most famous Park although bring your walking shoes but at least visit once to find out why both New Yorkers and tourists are so in love with it most most tourists walk the Brooklyn Bridge but did you know the Manhattan Bridge has a pedestrian path as well and you can't see the Brooklyn Bridge from the Brooklyn Bridge but you certainly can from the Manhattan New York is the fashion capital of the world and the museum at fit has a permanent collection of more than 50,000 garments and accessories dating from the 18th century to the present they even recently had an exhibition that showed fashion inspired by food which sounds right up my alley Chelsea in Manhattan is home to many of the city's art galleries and a tradition every Thursday night night is opening night for the public with free wine and even food as well check out galleries now. net for a full list of openings so you can plot an entire evening of Art Gallery hopping another great absolutely free museum is a national museum of the American Indian learn about the history of Native Americans with some interactive exhibits and plenty to learn for all ages I can't believe more people don't know about the Elizabeth Street Garden in SoHo this Gem of community sculpture garden is under threat of closure and there so many beautiful little nooks to just spend an hour or more relaxing it feels like you're on some rich philanthropist country estate greenacre Park in midtown east is such a pleasant surprise to find a 25-ft waterfall hidden in such a busy area Haley Park also has a little waterfall and there's something about these hidden parks in New York that just excite me as a local because finding peace in the concrete jungle isn't always as easy as you'd think only one block from Washington Square Park Washington Muse might be my favorite Street in Manhattan originally used as a row of stables for horses in the 18th and 19th centuries it's now part of NYU and walking this Cobblestone path feels like you've been transported to a lost New York City Fort Tron Park in Washington Heights is such a magical place to go for a walk with beautiful views of the Hudson River and George Washington Bridge it's a Local's favorite added bonus take a look at the cloysters Museum from the outside it's like staring at an old castle the Highline is New York's worst kept secret but I like to say it's my favorite tourist activity to do nothing quite like walking on an abandoned train line converted into a gorgeous elevated Park we have an entire video dedicated to the Highline if you want a more structured itinerary I always said If Money Was No Object I'd have an apartment in the West Village because you just can't beat the Charming neighborhood Vibes roing the beautiful Treeline blocks and admiring all the cute shops cafes and multi-million dollar homes Bushwick Brooklyn is an incredible neighborhood to appreciate the city street art scene take a self-guided walking tour and you can use free tours by footz website to admire some of the Bushwick Collective and other artist murals another fun summertime activity is movie night in Bryant Park now the lawn opens 3 hours early and I recommend going early to grab the best vantage point the Staten Island Ferry may be the most famous boat ride in the city it's completely free bored and sit on the right side to get a nice view of the Statue of Liberty the Met 81st Street Studio open last year and is any traveler with children's dream come true it's absolutely free located downstairs from the Met Museum and recommended for ages 3 to 11 it's very interactive and Hands-On during the warmer months you can go kaying for free on the Hudson River in Manhattan or East River in Brooklyn just sign up in advance online pretty surreal to experience the New York skyline for 20 minutes on board a kayak one of my favorite free activities in this video enjoy a free concert at the juliard school which is the world's best performing arts college see the stars before they perform at places like Carnegie Hall Check juli ard's website for the calendar summer stage annually presents nearly 80 free and benefit performances in Central Park and neighborhood parks throughout the five buroughs check the Summerstage website for a list of what's free and what's paid but it's first come first serve so plan on arriving early if you've ever been tired of watching lectures on YouTube go watch some famous and influential people talk at the new school they have so many topics available from economics to social justice and more see their website for what's coming up Grand Central terminal is just full of History the constellation mural on the ceiling and the whispering gallery and the food court are just some of the fun things you can get into at one of the most beautiful train stations in the world and after admiring Grand Central why not walk a few minutes to the Ford Foundation Building and explore their free Atrium Garden in the lobby it's a tropical rainforest in Midtown Manhattan get a Big Apple greeter for free seriously a local New Yorker will be matched with you based on your preferences and if they're available to show you their favorite spots no tipping aloud consider it a local Insider check out bigapple gre.