Have your plans to travel to New York this spring been canceled? We feel your pain. Being in quarantine and homebound is no reason to miss out on the Big Apple. Technology allows us to see places we can’t physically visit. From online art exhibits to virtual helicopter tours, here’s how you can explore New York from your couch!
Use Google Street View to tour the High Line
Google Street View is a great resource to “walk” along the streets of any city. We love that it has a full tour of New York’s beloved High Line. While some of the photographs may not be recent, you can still get a glimpse of the flora, artwork and spectacular urban landscapes surrounding this park.
Check out Virtual Art Exhibits
Museum buffs need not to worry about missing out on their art tours. The Met has online collections of its three museums, Fifth Avenue, The Cloisters and The Breuer. If you’re after modern art, check out MoMA's vast online archive of past exhibits dating back to 1929! Would you prefer to see New York’s street art? No problem! Google Arts & Culture and the Street Museum of Art have put together a collection of New York City’s best street murals and graffiti.
Play Online Science Games
Keep the kids entertained by taking them on a virtual tour of The American Museum of Natural History, also via Google Arts & Culture. Additionally, the museum’s website has hours of interactive content, appropriate for all ages. Choose from fun quizzes using Kahoot, interactive apps, and videos answering popular space and dinosaur questions. For adults, there are tons of articles, online collections and science discussion forums.
Take a Virtual Tour of New York’s Top Sights
You Visit is a superb platform that offers high-quality virtual tours of cities and main attractions. Their New York section starts with a helicopter tour of New York harbor, complete with a 360-degree view. The featured sights include Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, Grand Central Terminal, the Empire State Building, Times Square and Top of the Rock at Rockefeller Center. Some attractions come with a virtual tour guide who shares fun facts. Bonus: You can click on the virtual reality option if you have a headset!
While we see the COVID-19 crisis out, why not start thinking about summer travel? Read The Manhattan Club blog for ideas of what to do in New York this summer.
