From the Empire State Building to the Statue of Liberty, NYC is bursting with postcard-worthy attractions. However, New York is also filled with gems that are hidden in plain sight from the traditional tourist itinerary. Before embarking on your trip, be sure to find Travel Insurance for New York so you can travel with confidence. 

Here’s a list of New York’s hidden gems that will leave you in awe.

1. City Hall Subway Station

The very first subway station, opening in 1904, is still open to the public despite it not being a subway stop since 1945.

Designed by New York City’s renowned architects Heins and LaFarge, the station was modelled with stained glass windows, beautiful arches, artful vaulted tile ceilings and lavish chandeliers.

You can book a guided tour through the New York Transit Museum, where the tour begins above ground with a historical walk in the area, followed by a visit to the station itself.

Four sections of the Berlin Wall

Did you know that pieces of the Berlin Wall were divided up and sold after the fall of it? Four pieces reside in different areas of New York City. You can find one inside Ripley’s Believe It or Not, another at a public plaza in Battery Park City, a third inside a public office building lobby in Midtown and the last at the United Nations. Check out why visiting the United Nation’s headquarters is an enlightening experience.

Swindler’s Cove

I know what you are thinking… a beach in New York? Well, Swindler’s Cove is a recently renovated section of Sherman Creek Park in Inwood. From an illegal dumping wasteland to a hidden sandy beach, as part of a New York Restoration Project (NYR) initiative to reclaim the waterfront and restore the city’s public spaces.

Walk along the sand and listen to the gentle lapping of waves and catch a glimpse of what the Manhattan may have looked like before urbanisation. Across the metal esplanade that goes over the waterfront, you will come into view with Peter Jay Sharp Boathouse, which is also a restoration effort by the NYRP.

Addisleigh Park

Take a stroll through history in the predominantly African American and Caribbean neighbourhood, Addisleigh Park. Situated in the St. Albans neighbourhood of Queens, the mysterious suburban enclave was once the home to the successful figures Ella Fitzgerald, Jackie Robinson, Lena Horne, Count Basie, and Cootie Williams, among many others.

Hidden Tennis Courts of Grand Central Terminal

Inside New York’s commuter rail terminal is hidden but accessible tennis courts; found in a little-known space called the Annex, which once served as the home to an art gallery before the 1950s, a TV studio for CBS and even a 65-foot-long indoor ski slope. Existing since the 1960s, the tennis court was taken over by Donald Trump, and created a private tennis club for celebrities and other wealthy tennis enthusiasts. Trump leased out the tennis court for $155 per hour on weekdays and $130 per hour on weekends; credit cards weren’t accepted at this “uber-exclusive” facility. The club catered to the rich and famous until 2009.

Looking for Travel Insurance for New York?

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