Seven free things to do in New York City

Aah, the handy everything else post (because I've covered the other iconic landmarks of New York City in various blog posts). So, here are seven free things you can do whilst in the Big Apple (there are obviously more, but these are the ones I went to):

1. Times Square

Time Square is proper tourist New York and whilst you won't spend a lot of time here, you do need to make sure you see it in daytime and at night. The photos above and below explain why more than any words can.

2. Grand Central Terminal

Again, you don't need to spend a lot of time at this iconic New York landmark, but it is worth popping in to see the grandeur of Grand Central Terminal. Isn't it quite something? (There's a food court downstairs if you're hungry - or it's a few minutes walk from Urbanspace.)

3. New York Public Library

There are actually 92 branches of the New York Public Library, but I'm talking about the Main Branch in front of Bryant Park. It's free to visit, and it will probably look oh-so-familiar as it has been featured in MANY films. Personally, I just love a library and the New York Public Library is no exception, which is why it made the list. 

4. Fifth Avenue

The quintessential shopping street but, because it's so long, it's also Museum Mile - and where you'll find St Patrick's Church. There are nine museums on 5th Avenue, including the Met and the Solomon R Guggenheim Museum. As long as you don't buy anything in the shops, it's free - the museums tend to have a free entry time each week, too. 

5. Firehouse, Hook & Ladder Company 8 (the Ghostbusters fire station)

Maybe it's just one for fans of Ghostbusters, but I love that this fire station both embraces its fictional heritage whilst still being a working fire station.

   

6. The Friends apartment building

Could this BE any more iconic? Actually, when you get to the West Village and realise that it's the Friends apartment building, you'll probably be thinking it's a lot smaller than it looks on TV. At least I did. If you fancy it, head inside to Little Owl, known to you and me as Central Perk.

          

(Bonus place to visit, though I didn't realise this until it was too late, the Friends apartment building is only a ten minute walk form Carrie Bradshaw's Sex in the City apartment.)

7. Walk the High Line

Stretching from Hudson Yards down to the Whitney Museum of American Art, the High Line is a 1.45 mile walk built on the abandoned freight rail line above the streets of Manhattan. You'll discover plants, trees, artwork and views of both Manhattan and New Jersey along the way. A thoroughly enjoyable walk.

Have you been to any of these places? x