# Offbeat places to visit in NYC? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 22, 2012, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/offbeat-places-to-visit-in-nyc/610337 "2012-01-22T22:41:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2012, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/offbeat-places-to-visit-in-nyc/610337/1 "2012-01-22T22:41:29Z")
Taking a trip to visit NYC. I was wondering about some offbeat places to visit, mostly involving either art, music or history. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2012, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/offbeat-places-to-visit-in-nyc/610337/2 "2012-01-22T23:46:57Z")
Just a few quick suggestions. Am I hitting the mark? Tenement Museum > **[Home](https://www.tenement.org/)** > > The Tenement Museum focuses on America's urban immigrant history. The Tenement Museum provides walking tours and is a popular attraction in the Lower East Side NYC. vs. Merchant’s House > **[Home - Merchant's House Museum](https://merchantshouse.org/)** > > Proposed Development Next Door OUR VERY SURVIVAL IS AT RISK! Learn more & Donate here.   . Ranked in the top 3% of all attractions worldwide! . NY Landmarks Conservancy’s I HEART NY Landmarks Contest 2022 WINNER! “FAVORITE LANDMARK” Lefferts Homestead [http://www.historichousetrust.org/item.php?i\_id=19](http://www.historichousetrust.org/item.php?i_id=19) Transit Museum [http://mta.info/mta/museum/index.html#general](http://mta.info/mta/museum/index.html#general) Panorama of the City of New York [http://www.queensmuseum.org/exhibitions/visitpanorama](http://www.queensmuseum.org/exhibitions/visitpanorama) ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Downtown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Mr\_Downtown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Downtown)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2012, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/offbeat-places-to-visit-in-nyc/610337/3 "2012-01-22T23:50:59Z")
Tenement Museum, Skyscraper Museum, Transit Museum, Schomburg Center, Cooper-Hewitt Design Collection, The Cloisters. Musical performances at NYU, Julliard, Town Hall, or Lincoln Center. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2012, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/offbeat-places-to-visit-in-nyc/610337/4 "2012-01-22T23:58:26Z")
those are all good ideas, they fit what I am looking for. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2012, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/offbeat-places-to-visit-in-nyc/610337/5 "2012-01-22T23:59:46Z")
Cathedral of St. John the Divine. One of the largest – perhaps THE largest – cathedral in the world, they’ve been building it for over 100 years and it isn’t done yet. They have occasional musical performances, some follow services but not all: [http://www.stjohndivine.org/Choral.html](http://www.stjohndivine.org/Choral.html) [http://www.stjohndivine.org/St.James.html](http://www.stjohndivine.org/St.James.html) [http://www.stjohndivine.org/ItsSunday.html](http://www.stjohndivine.org/ItsSunday.html) and offer guided tours: [http://www.stjohndivine.org/pe\_forthcoming.html](http://www.stjohndivine.org/pe_forthcoming.html) ---
**Author:** ![Southern\_Yankee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/southern_yankee/32/2800_2.png) [@Southern\_Yankee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Southern_Yankee)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2012, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/offbeat-places-to-visit-in-nyc/610337/6 "2012-01-23T00:23:44Z")
If you find yourself in the East Village, pop in to [Obscura](http://www.obscuraantiques.com/). A very odd antiques store (there’s a reality TV show about them, although I’m not sure it’s still in production.) ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2012, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/offbeat-places-to-visit-in-nyc/610337/7 "2012-01-23T00:28:21Z")
I highly recommend the [New Museum](http://www.newmuseum.org/) if you like contemporary art. I also enjoyed the tour of the Gold vault at the Fed - requires advanced reservations. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2012, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/offbeat-places-to-visit-in-nyc/610337/8 "2012-01-23T01:19:42Z")
> [@Hello\_Again](#): > > Cathedral of St. John the Divine. > > One of the largest – perhaps THE largest – cathedral in the world, they’ve been building it for over 100 years and it isn’t done yet. They have occasional musical performances, some follow services but not all: > [http://www.stjohndivine.org/Choral.html](http://www.stjohndivine.org/Choral.html) > [http://www.stjohndivine.org/St.James.html](http://www.stjohndivine.org/St.James.html) > [http://www.stjohndivine.org/ItsSunday.html](http://www.stjohndivine.org/ItsSunday.html) > > and offer guided tours: > [http://www.stjohndivine.org/pe\_forthcoming.html](http://www.stjohndivine.org/pe_forthcoming.html) Call and ask about a vertical tour. It’s exactly what it sounds like–they walk you through each ‘floor’. Circular stairs in the walls, balconies and buttresses, all seething with art. Eventually you get to the top and pop out near the ceiling. Of a cathedral. A _giant_ cathedral. It is heavenly. While you’re there head across the street to Columbia U. and see what’s on display in their rare books library. Some amazing things there. Sometimes a bit esoteric and scholarly, but often literary.