Courtesy of www.nycgovparks.org/parks/marinepark

A haven for everyone from artists to businessmen, New York City, with its countless of towering skyscrapers and frenetic streets, exudes a vibe all its own. Yet behind its obvious façade, dotted with landmarks such as the Empire State Building and Wall Street, an entirely different metropolis conceals itself. So grab that map and prepare to tread into the wilderness that lies beyond the gates of Manhattan. It won’t be long before you will start asking yourself if you are still in the same city you had set out from.

The Bronx is probably best known for its zoo (and for ‘Jenny from the block’, of course). Yet as you step into the heart of this borough, you will be met with plenty of uncanny sites for this part of the city, most notably the waterfalls and rivers. For example, the large River Park Waterfall, which flows into the Bronx River in the Bronx Park, can be seen from East 180th Street and Boston Street and is just a short walk from the Bronx Zoo. If you wish to relax along the water’s edge while catching a glimpse of the Palisades in New Jersey, then the Hudson River is a great spot for you. Aside from the inspiring natural sites, one can wander the streets and get lost in the beauty of the many suburban-like homes that border this borough.

Queens is known for its residential areas and the immense variety of people which inhabit it. However, what is unknown to many (residents and tourists alike) is the outdoor graffiti collage known as 5 Pointz which is located in Long Island City. The cost of visiting this extraordinary display of open-air artwork, created by both amateur and professional graffiti artists, is entirely free and is open all year round. The artwork covers an entire warehouse and spans a whole street block.

Explorers use the Staten Island Ferry to catch a glimpse of the Statue of Liberty, yet Staten Island is the least visited and explored borough of NYC. What is left unknown to many is the former existence of an old girls’ orphanage, St. Elizabeth’s Building, which was built in 1888 on a portion of Mount Loretto, and which was burnt to the ground in 2000 by 2 arsonists. Visitors to Staten Island can visit the site of the former orphanage grounds that are part of this not-for-profit Mission which helps children and youths in need. The borough also holds extraordinary rock sculptures that stretch for about a half a mile on a sandy beach in Mount Loretto’s State Nature Preserve. The rock formations that line the shoreline were created by an employee of the Staten Island Zoo, Douglas Schwartz, who used his creations to express spirituality combined with the science of zoology.

Brooklyn once held the New York’s first municipal airport, Floyd Bennett Field, which was built in the late 1920s to help ease air traffic into Newark Airport. Although Floyd Bennett Field has now been turned into something of a museum where historic aircrafts are being restored, there are still planes which take off at least once a week as part of the NYPD air squad’s training. Further down from the airport there are several natural areas which may be visited and admired, such as portions of the Marine Park,which holds creeks and old mills that once were alive with the touch of older generations.