New York City is full of secrets. Of course.
Some so elusive, though, that they manage to sit right under our noses without detection. From abandoned train tracks to hidden rooftop gardens, here are 10 of the best-kept secrets “the concrete jungle” has to offer.
1. The City Hall subway stop
Stay on the 6 train after the last stop and you may catch a glimpse of the City Hall subway station. Although it’s closed to the public today, guided tours are occasionally offered for those who are interested in its history.
2. 77 Water St. rooftop
A hidden runway and old World War I fighter plane can be found perched on the rooftop of this high-rise building in the Financial District.
3. Staten Island Boat Graveyard
Located in the Arthur Kill in Rossville, on the north shore of Staten Island, lies a marine scrapyard full of decaying ships and wrecked boats.
4. Forest Hills Gardens
Founded in 1909, Forest HIlls Garden was the first planned garden community in the United States, featuring private streets, which you can walk through.
5. Rockefeller Center secret gardens
Although they are now closed to the public, five rooftop gardens can be spotted on different buildings throughout the Rockefeller Center complex.
6. The Whispering Gallery
Grand Central Terminal’s whispering gallery can be found in front of the Oyster Bar. Whisper into any of the four arches underneath the domed ceiling, and someone standing at a diagonal arch can clearly hear what you’ve said. Grand Central Terminal, 89 East 42nd St.
7. Secret rooms in the Brooklyn Bridge
Below the main entrance of the Manhattan side of the Brooklyn Bridge is a Cold War bomb shelter hidden inside a stone arch. When the secret vault was discovered by bridge inspectors in 2006, it was filled with survival supplies to be used in the event of a nuclear attack.
8. Smallpox Hospital on Roosevelt Island
Although North Brother Island is now an uninhabited bird sanctuary, it was once a hospital for patients with smallpox and other diseases.
9. Sidewalk Subway Map
Belgian artist, Françoise Schein, is the mastermind behind the stainless steel subway map at 110 Green St. It measures 90-by-12.
10. Statue of Lenin on Red Square
On the roof of the “Red Square” building, on the north side of Houston Street, lies a 18-foot bronze statue of Vladimir Lenin. Artist Yuri Gerasimov was commissioned to build it by the Soviet Union, but due to the Union’s collapse, it was never unveiled.
