NYC packs in the outdoors.
Watch the world’s most attended annual sporting event through September 9 at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens. The year’s final Grand Slam tennis event, the US Open teems with action and drama—on and off the court—as world-class athletes and riveting storylines unfold on the game’s biggest stage. Sneak a peek at some of the world’s best players at practice courts by the West Gate.
Instant romance is yours in Central Park’s Amble through the Ramble Tour, a nostalgic carriage ride through wooded pathways, streams and arches amid the autumn splendor of Central Park. Depart from Belvedere Castle, mid-Park at 79th Street, September 12. Nearby, the famous Friedsam Memorial Carousel twirls young lovers through October. If this much romance doesn’t do the trick, nothing will.
Governors Island offers scenic strolls, picnicking, biking and fishing in the heart of New York Harbor, just a free ferry ride from the Battery Maritime Building. Bring your own bike or rent one and bike Governors Island on miles of car-free paths through September 30.
Weekends in September, the Governor's Island 4 Heads Art Fair presents the works of over 100 hand-picked international artists.
More than a million souls from every corner of the globe will flock to the streets of Little Italy, September 13-23, for the 86th Annual Feast of San Gennaro, a kaleidoscope of processions and parades, music and food saluting the Patron Saint of Naples, capped by the iconic procession of the Statue of San Gennaro through the streets of Little Italy.
In the heart of Manhattan, the National September 11 Memorial’s twin reflecting pools, in the footprints of the Twin Towers, feature the largest manmade waterfalls in North America. A place of peace and reflection designed by Michael Arad and Peter Walker, this greenspace offers both respite and reminder.
Nobody does Halloween like The Village. This year’s Village Halloween Parade theme is Tick! Tock! as 2012 ticks away the final year of the Mayan Calendar and, some say, the final year, period. It gets underway at 7pm on Halloween day at Sixth Ave between Spring and Broome Streets with countless puppets, bands, dancers and characters. As always, those in costume are welcome to join the parade.
One of the world's great races, the New York City Marathon returns on November 4. More than 100,000 world-class athletes and first timers will run elbow to elbow through city streets past two million cheering fans, competing for fame and prize money before a TV audience of 300 million. Who will cross the Central Park finish line first? If you just want a taste, the Dash to the Finish Line 5K is open to all, taking runners through the streets of Manhattan and across the marathon finish line—without running 26.2 miles.
There’s wildlife, and then there’s the Bronx Zoo. Open every day, it reminds you just how many species share the planet. Home to 5,000 animals and 600 species, it continues to fascinate guests throughout its 265 lush acres, the largest urban wildlife preserve in the United States. From Congo Gorilla Forest to the Bug Carousel, you’ll leave delighted.
For more information, visit New York City region.