Unique Places in New York City

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One of the many charming aspects of Gereen-wood cemetery in Brooklyn is the sheer diversity of New York's famous sons and daughters that it now serves as last resting place for.

A very helpful map of the cemetery which illustrates the graves of a couple of dozen of Green-wood's most famous inmates is issued free of charge by the charming and exceedingly helpful sceurity guard at the main entrance. I unfortunately only had limited time available, so decided to focus on the two names that I instantly recognised: Leonard Bernstein and Louis Comfort Tiffany.

Leonard Bernstein is always a man that I've held in great esteem: along with George Gershwin, they seem to me to be the quintessential American composers who brought a whole new dimension to 20th century music. I adore musicals and his masterful reworking of the Romeo and Juliet story into a New York context to create 'West Side Story' is by far my favourite musical.

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This lovely view of Manhattan is taken from an uncommon vantage point: the highest spot in Brooklyn, which happens to be in gorgeous Green-wood Cemetery.

This spot is marked by a monument to the Battle of Brooklyn, and is only a few tens of metres from where the composer Leonard Bernstein is buried.

If those three unique marketing points aren't enough to persuade the more intrepid traveller to visit this 'off the beaten track' gem, then I declare defeat!

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Riding the Staten Island ferry is one of my absolute favourite things to do in New York - and in a city that can be painful on the pocket, it has the added benefit of being absolutely free!

Staten Island is one of the five boroughs of New York City, and the ferry provides the quickest and most convenient way of travelling between Staten and Manhattan islands. It carries a whopping 20 million passengers a year (the vast majority of whom are commuters), and anyone who has ever seen the quintessential 80s movie "Working Girl" will recall big-haired Melanie Griffith and Joan Cusack using it to travel to and from work in various states of elation and despondency.

The ferry operates a 24 hour service, with departures once every half hour in the evenings and as frequently as every 15 minutes in peak period (see the website below for detailed schedules). The 5 mile trip between St George on Staten Island and the Whitehall Street terminus in lower Manhattan takes 25 minutes and offers fantastic views of Manhattan, Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty en route.

If you're hard up and/or only have a short time to spend in New York, taking the Staten Island ferry is an excellent alternative to taking one of the relatively expensive boat trips out to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. Just bear in mind that it doesn't stop at either of these sites, and that the ferries are designed for mass commuter transportation (rather than relaxed cruising), and you'll have a ball.

And for my fellow 80s children, I defy you not to hum, "Let the River Run" under your breath as you go!

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The gorgeous Green-wood Cemetery in Brooklyn was one of the highlights of my most recent visit to New York: and the last place that I expected to happen across a noisy nest of illegal aliens.

The 'aliens' in question are a nesting colony of monk (also known as Quaker) parakeets - a species of attractive small green parrot that originates from subtropical regions of South America. The story goes that they are the descendent of parakeets that escaped from a crate which broke open at JFK airport in the 1960s, although it's not clear whether this founded in truth or just a charming urban legend. Regardless of how they originally got here, they have found Green-wood very much to their liking, and have established a large, messy nest of twigs in the upper levels of the Gothic gatehouse at the main entrance.

Their riotous squawking is difficult to ignore as you walk through the entrance, but the authorities have not removed the nest. Why? Quite simply because it was previously colonised by pigeons, whose droppings were apparently damaging the sandstone. Due to the mysteries of the monk parakeet gut - a subject on which I will readily declare complete ignorance - their droppings do not appear have the same effect on the building stone, and so the management has decided to live with the lesser of two evils.

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I'm a suggestible soul who's more than averagely susceptible to the sinister, and I find the juxtaposition of the spooky with aspects of childhood to be particularly unnerving. Even fairly benign circus clowns make my hackles rise, and hence the leering face of the Joker-like character that is the logo of the Coney Island funfair made me feel distinctly uneasy.

The funfair at Coney Island on an overcast weekday afternoon in early October has a decided spooky air to it: all but deserted at that time of year, and with the background clatter of the old wooden rollercoaster, you have the distinct sense of having wandered unwittingly onto the set of a Scooby Doo movie. It's seemingly only a matter of time before you hear a yell of, "Yikes!" and get knocked sideways by Daphne, Velma and Fred with a monster in hot pursuit ... who will of course be duly unmasked to reveal his true identity (as he mutters bitterly, "I'd have gotten away with it if it hadn't been for you meddling kids ...").

And of course, there's no doubt that Scooby and Shaggy would have won the 4th July hot dog eating competition at Nathan's hands down!

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Not far from the Staten Island Ferry is the ferry to Governors Island. This island was a military base founded in 1796, finally turned over to the City of New York and the National Park Service in 1996. The island's claim to fame nowadays: it is the closest land to the Statue of Liberty. You can get excellent views of the statue from the west side of the island. You can also explore the architecture of the old military base (the more modern buildings are slowly being demolished), as well as Fort Jay, the original works built to defend New York Harbor.

The Governors Island Ferry is free, as is entry to the island. Check the website for details on opening times, ferry schedules, and planned events.

A southern beach in Brooklin, where you can visit the aquarium but this is not what impressed me the most. There is a vintage feeling on the place and a pier full of people fishing on a beautiful sunset. It worth a half day tour.

Manhattan's other island, easy to get there and you can also get there by cable lift, gas is much to see and do there, the suggestion from me, not many people know about the procedures island in the middle of New York, check out more at procedures link:

http://www.rioc.com/