If you'll be staying at a large hotel, consider calling the concierge for advance help with the reservations you require. Visit the section of Fifth Avenue known as Museum Mile. This group of cultural institutions between 82nd and 104th streets consists of El Museo del Barrio , the Museum of the City of New York , the International Center of Photography , the Jewish Museum , the Cooper-Hewitt Museum , the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum , the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the National Academy of Design. To the south, the Frick Collection has outstanding exhibitions of decorative arts, European paintings, and antiques in a mansion setting, and the Whitney Museum of American Art houses one of the foremost collections of 20th-century American art. Those interested in the most contemporary work frequent the city's hundreds of galleries.
Battery Park provides a view of the water and a reminder that Manhattan is an island.
The city also has several lovely botanical gardens, aquariums, and zoos, mostly in the outer boroughs . The Bronx Zoo is spectacular. Finally, make your way to picturesque Fort Tryon Park on the northern end of of the island. There you can enjoy a spectacular view of the beautiful Hudson River, and tour the Cloisters , a branch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. For day trips from Manhattan, you could visit Long Island, with its lovely beaches, wineries, and fabulous estates.