Author: Steven Palma

Ellis Island is the closest thing America has to a national origin story made physical. Between 1892 and 1954, over 12 million immigrants passed through its inspection halls, and today walking through those halls feels like walking through your own family history — even if your ancestors came through a different port. History Ellis Island…

The Brooklyn Botanic Garden is a 52-acre oasis in the middle of Brooklyn, and it punches way above its weight. The Japanese garden, the rose garden, the cherry esplanade — they all come together in a landscape that feels both meticulously designed and completely natural. I’ve spent whole afternoons here and barely covered half of…

Brooklyn Bridge stands as one of the most recognizable landmarks in New York City, connecting the boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn across the East River. Completed in 1883, it was the world’s first steel-wire suspension bridge and the longest suspension bridge in the world at the time of its opening. Designed by John A. Roebling…

The New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx is 250 acres of living collection, and it’s the kind of place that reminds you how big nature actually is. I’ve been here in every season and it’s a completely different garden each time — cherry blossoms in spring, roses in summer, brilliant foliage in fall, and…

The Staten Island Ferry is the best free thing to do in New York City, and I’ll fight anyone who says otherwise. It’s a 25-minute ride across New York Harbor that gives you front-row views of the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, the Lower Manhattan skyline, and the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, all for zero dollars. History…

The Flatiron Building is one of those New York landmarks that makes you do a double take. It’s not tall compared to the skyscrapers around it, but its triangular shape — like the prow of a ship cutting through the city — is unforgettable. Standing at the intersection where Fifth Avenue meets Broadway, it creates…

The Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum is not what you’d expect from a museum — it’s a floating aircraft carrier. The USS Intrepid, a World War II-era carrier, is permanently docked at Pier 86 on the Hudson River, and walking onto its flight deck is like stepping into the middle of military aviation history….

The Guggenheim Museum is a work of art that happens to contain art. Frank Lloyd Wright’s swirling white spiral on Fifth Avenue is so distinctive that even people who’ve never been to New York recognize it. Walking through the rotunda, following the gentle ramp upward, feels less like visiting a museum and more like taking…