The blog
The Hidden Hour blog
Guides, tips and plans for making the most of New York.
A Christmas lights walk through Midtown, in the order we would do it
One evening, a handful of blocks and almost every holiday scene New York is known for. Here is the route.
Read the post
The New York experiences worth planning a day around
Not just events. These are the things that make New York feel like New York, many of them free or close to it.
Read the post
Michelin-star dining in New York, from the big splurge to the Bib Gourmand
New York has some of the most celebrated tables in the country. Here is how to approach them, at every budget.
Read the postThe Staten Island Ferry: New York's best free boat ride
Skyline, harbor and a close look at the Statue of Liberty, for no money at all. Here is how to do it well.
Read the post
New York pizza: the classics, the slices and a few hidden gems
From a folded corner slice to pies people wait in line for, here is a short guide to eating pizza in this city.
Read the post
Where to eat a real New York bagel
A good bagel is chewy, a little crisp and never an afterthought. These are the places people argue about.
Read the postSpeakeasy bars in New York: what they are and where to find them
Hidden doors, phone booths and a password or two. Here is the story behind New York's secret bars and a few that are still worth the hunt.
Read the postThe best gelato in New York, from Little Italy to the Bronx
Creamy, dense and served in small, pretty scoops. These are the shops that get it right.
Read the post
Hikes near New York you can reach without a car
From a forest inside Manhattan to the cliffs of the Hudson Highlands, here are good places to get on a trail.
Read the post
The $24 Manhattan story everyone knows, and what really happened
Everyone has heard that Manhattan was bought for $24 of beads. The truth is stranger, and a lot more interesting.
Read the postThe 1811 plan that gave Manhattan its grid, and the streets that refused to obey
A committee of three drew a map for a city that barely existed yet. Two centuries later, we still live inside it.
Read the post
The Dutch city hiding under Wall Street
Before the banks, there was a wall. Lower Manhattan still carries the fingerprints of New Amsterdam.
Read the post
The Brooklyn Bridge, 21 elephants and the panic that nearly ended its opening
When the world's longest suspension bridge opened, people were not sure it would stay up. So the circus came to prove it.
Read the post
Hidden in plain sight: the ghost station, the whispering arches and other secrets you walk past
New York's best secrets are not hidden at all. They are in places millions of people pass every day.
Read the post
The lost ponds and buried streams under your feet
Manhattan was once full of water. Much of it is still there, just underground.
Read the post
15 New York facts that sound made up but are not
Fun, surprising and true. Save a few for the next time someone says they know everything about the city.
Read the post