United States of America (USA)

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…

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….

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…

Washington Square Park is the living room of New York University and the heart of Greenwich Village, but it belongs to everyone. The fountain in the center draws musicians, skateboarders, artists, and students like a magnet, and the massive marble arch at the northern entrance frames a view down Fifth Avenue that rivals anything in…

Bryant Park sits tucked behind the New York Public Library, and somehow it manages to feel like a secret even though thousands of people pour through it every day. The lawn is perfectly manicured, the chairs are movable (which is revolutionary in New York), and in winter the whole park transforms into a holiday village…