New York City is a vast metropolis with a rich history, so it’s no surprise that Gotham is filled with an endless amount of mysteries and hidden surprises. However, in a city such as NYC, it is easy to get swept up into the fast paced bustle of everyday life and overlook the tiny treasured concealed all around us. Next time you are looking to tap into your sense of adventure, consider checking out some of the hidden gems housed throughout New York City.
1. The old city hall subway stop
[via viraljuice.com]
While once a bustling station, the long-standing city hall subway stop on the 6 line closed in 1945 due to its inability to be modernized. Although this beautiful subway station is closed to the public, guided tours are periodically offered, or you can sneak a glimpse of the station if you stay on the 6 train after the last stop, since its passes through the station when it loops around to the uptown platform.
[via viraljuice.com]
2. 77 Water Street Rooftop
[via Rob Benett/WSJ]
While most bankers looking to travel in style opt for an apartment with a helipad, one high-rise in lower Manhattan has taken a different approach. Resting high above the bustling FiDi streets you will find a hidden airplane runway along with an old rusty World War I fighter plane. While the runway may not be functional, it does have working lights that you can see at night.
[via Rob Benett/WSJ]
3. Secret gardens of Rockefeller Center
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[via 620 Loft and Gallery]
In addition to the ice skating rink, the Christmas tree and Jeff Koons’ massive flowering sculpture, Rockefeller Center also houses a little green hidden gem. Scattered about the rooftops of this art deco building you will find 620 Loft and Gallery, a gorgeous private garden that boasts perfectly manicured greenery and incredible views of St. Patrick’s Cathedral.
[via 620 Loft and Gallery]
4. The Berlin Wall
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[via Alex Lopez]
Discreetly displayed alongside a courtyard in Midtown East lies a piece of the Berlin Wall. While many mistake this 12-foot high, 20-foot long historic remnant for just another street mural, this work of art by German artists Thierry Noir and Kiddy Citny actually consists of 5 original concrete slabs of the wall that divided Berlin from 1961 to 1989. You can find this historical treasure nestled between the Jefferies office building and Paley Park on 53rd Street.
[via Alex Lopez]
5. Secret train platform beneath the Waldorf Astoria
[via uniquescoop]
Known as Track 61, this secret train platform was once used to discreetly transport elite passengers, including Franklin D. Roosevelt among others, from Grand Central into the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. The clandestine track has a rich history, being used for the first time by General Pershing in 1938, and then later serving as the venue for Andy Warhol’s “Underground Party” in 1965.
[via uniquescoop]
6. The Smallpox Hospital on Roosevelt Island
[via shaddowhunters.wikia.com]
Resting on the southern tip of the small Roosevelt Island located the middle of the East River lies the remnants of an ivy-clad Gothic Revival building. While this architectural gem once housed the Roosevelt Island Smallpox Hospital, serving as the top center for smallpox treatment in NYC, the hospital was eventually abandoned in the 1950’s.
[via shaddowhunters.wikia.com]
7. The Whispering Gallery in Grand Central
[via levysuniqueny.com]
Among the many historical mysteries of Grand Central Terminal you will find the Whispering Gallery. Beneath an inconspicuous underpass, you will find people murmuring into the corners of the beautiful archways. While you may find this strange, the secretive walls allow sounds to travel across the domed ceiling. Therefore, when two people stand at diagonal arches, they can hear each other’s whispers.
8. McGraw-Hill Waterfall Tunnel
[via Mashable, Tyler Tronson]
While most of us know McGraw-Hill as the company that publishes textbooks (and makes college students poor), their Midtown building is home to a small hidden gem. If you make your way over to the western side of the building you will find a plexiglass tunnel that runs beneath a waterfall wall between 48th Street and 49th Street.
9. Sidewalk Subway Map
[via todaysthedayi.com]
Situated on the Greene Street you will find an 87-foot patch of pavement with a map of the subway carved into the ground. This piece titled, “Subway Map Floating on a NYC Sidewalk”, was created by Belgian artist Francoise Schein, and is composed of concrete rod along with LED lights for each subway stop. Now you never have to get lost in Soho again.
10. Tunnels beneath Columbia University
[via outsideonline.com]
Concealed beneath Columbia University you will find a series of creepy tunnels and empty room that connect the entire campus. These longstanding tunnels were actually used during the days when the university was a former mental asylum.
11. The Elevated Acre
[via swankproductions.com]
Resting between two skyscrapers in the Financial District you will find a grassy, one-acre space hovering above the streets below. Located on Water Street, this small park is features remarkable views of the Brooklyn Bridge and Hudson River as well as a 50-foot light sculpture.
12. Maiden Lane Sidewalk Clock
[via Mashable, Tyler Tronson]
If you happen to be strolling the streets of downtown Manhattan, make your way over to Maiden Lane and Broadway. Here, you will find a bronze clock embedded in the sidewalk that has been ticking away for over a century and New Yorkers unseeingly pass over it. Designed by jeweler William Barthman in 1896, the clock was originally intended to draw customers into his jewelry store on Maiden Lane.
13. Hidden Waterfall at Green Acre Park
[via buisnessinsider.com]
While it may be hard to believe, there is actually a 25-foot secret waterfall that rests among the skyscrapers in the middle of Manhattan.Escape the crazy city scene by stopping by this small park on 51st Street, and snagging a seat along the waterfall in this serene outdoor space.
14. Tiny Street Doors
[via Mashable, Tyler Tronson]
If you stop and look down while waiting to cross the street you may have noticed that tiny door alongside the bases of lampposts are popping up across the city. While they may look the entrances to the homes of NYC rats, these cute doors are actually a crowd sourced art installation created by fans of the renowned performance artist, Cynthia von Buhler. Each door contains a tiny QR code located in the peephole, that when scanned brings you to Buhler’s Speakeasy Dollhouse project.
15. Statue of Lenin atop Red Square
[via dailyphotostream]
Atop a brick building titled “Red Square” on Houston Street you will find an 18-foot statue of Lenin by created by Yuri Gerasimov in Moscow. The building honors the Soviet Union after its fall in 1989 and the statue is purposely positioned to point towards Wall Street, the epicenter of capitalism.
16. Secret Subway Exit
[via ny.curbed.com]
Although nothing seems particularly suspicious about this seemingly ordinary brownstone in Brooklyn, this Joralemon Street home actually has a secret identity. In fact, it is not a house at all. Behind the blacked out windows and brick face lies an MTA subway ventilator, as well as an emergency exit and a secret passage way to the 4 and 5 trains.
17. Secret Garden at St. Luke in the fields
[via gothamist.com]
Concealed behind the large brick wall and black iron gate you will find a gorgeous garden escape in the middle of the West Village. Filled with a variety of beautiful flowers, butterflies and birds this small sanctuary serves as the perfect place to get away from the bustling street of the city.
18. Atlantic Avenue Subway Tunnel
[via jamesmaherphotography.com]
Concealed beneath the streets of Brooklyn Heights lies the Atlantic Avenue Subway Tunnel. As the oldest standing subway tunnel in the world, this passageway was built in 1844 and was eventually deserted before it was rediscovered in 1980. While the tunnel is no longer used, tours of this underground relic are periodically offered to the public.
