Queens, Staten Island and The Bronx – A special Travel Experience

photo credit: BMigulski While Manhattan has long held the spotlight of the world and Brooklyn has recently come of age  as a destination in its own right, the other three New York City boroughs are not as devoid of attractions as the locals would have you believe and they can definitely provide a unique travel experience for those looking for something a little different.

Queens is not just a multicultural community of working-class immigrants who staff the fine hotels and boutiques of Manhattan; a lot is going on there, from excellent ethnic restaurants to good-time parties and a raging club scene.  Besides being home to the US Open tennis tournament and other major sporting events, Queens offers much to the regular subway rider who dares take the 7 across the East River.
View Larger Map Cinema lovers make the crossing to catch a weekend film screening at Astoria’s excellent Museum Of The Moving Image.  Astoria is New York’s place to be for movies, with both Silvercup Studios and Kaufman Studios situated next to the Movie Museum.  This is not strictly a film museum; moving images relate to film, television, and even video games, and all three genres have their places in the very imaginative exhibits.  The Museum also offers demonstrations of sound editing, film editing, and other aspects of what goes on behind the scenes of filmmaking.  You will never hear Titanic the same way again.  If you love movie locations, On Location Tours offers a visit to many familiar New York TV and movie locations and runs the extremely popular Sex And The City Tour that has become a female bonding experience like few others.

Staten Island, the forgotten child in the borough family, is closer to New Jersey than Manhattan and it certainly doesn’t feel very New York-like, but it too has attractions worth a ride on the (free) Staten Island ferry, which in itself is worth the journey because it affords the best view in town of the Statue of Liberty.  If you miss China while in New York, Staten Island is the place to go.  The Chinese Scholar Garden at the Staten Island Botanical Garden was created by a team of horticultural experts brought from China and is a tranquil retreat from city life; in the warmer months, people spend the entire day here.  Delve a little deeper into the heart of the island and you will find the small and very unexpected collection of the Jacques Marchais Museum Of Tibetan Art, housed in a recreated Tibetan monastery, perched on a hill just off Lighthouse Avenue.  All of this can be visited by local bus, look for the visitor information maps as you hop of the ferry.

The Bronx, named after Dutch settler Jonas Bronck when New York was still New Amsterdam, has its share of surprises, too.  While The Bronx Zoo and New York Botanical Gardens are already famous for their outstanding exhibits, there are other little gems which are not as well known but certainly still worth the subway or bus ride, like City Island and the Hall Of Fame of Great Americans.  City Island is an enclave of New England within New York and if you are a seafood lover this is the place to be and be seen especially during the weekend.  The Hall Of Fame Of Great Americans, which is on the grounds of the Bronx Community College, is the hall of fame that led to all other halls of fame.  This simple display of 98 bronze busts placed in an open-air, white-marble colonnade overlooking the Harlem River represents the inspiration that these leaders gave to the greater community of America.

They maybe the forgotten boroughs but if your really want to ’see’ New York then a visit to Queens, Staten Island and the Bronx and there hidden gems will certainly complete your Big Apple experience.