The five-borough bucket list

Print it, screenshot it, cross them off. Roughly cheapest and easiest first.

Free or nearly free

1. Ride the Staten Island Ferry at sunset.
2. Whisper into the corner of the Grand Central Whispering Gallery.
3. Walk the Brooklyn Bridge from the Brooklyn side.
4. Ride the Roosevelt Island Tram for a subway swipe.
5. Sail a model boat at Conservatory Water in Central Park.
6. Run laps around the Unisphere in Queens.
7. Swim at Orchard Beach in the Bronx.
8. See the Panorama of the City of New York at the Queens Museum.
9. Climb through vintage subway cars at the New York Transit Museum.
10. Do a full summer day at Pier 6, Brooklyn Bridge Park.

Worth paying for

11. Bronx Zoo on a pay-what-you-wish Wednesday.
12. American Museum of Natural History — dinosaurs first, always.
13. Coney Island — Luna Park kiddie rides plus Nathan's.
14. Jane's Carousel in DUMBO.
15. Staten Island Children's Museum at Snug Harbor.
16. New York Hall of Science plus the outdoor Science Playground.
17. Intrepid flight deck on a clear day.
18. New York Botanical Garden Holiday Train Show.
19. Sloomoo Institute on a sensory-friendly hour.
20. Rockaway Beach by ferry, ice cream on the boardwalk.

Seasonal and once-a-year

21. Cherry blossoms at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.
22. Queens County Farm corn maze in October.
23. Ice skating at Bryant Park in December.
24. The Macy's Thanksgiving Day balloon inflation the night before.
25. A summer Naumburg Bandshell concert on a blanket in Central Park.

Know before you go

• Kids under 44 inches ride the subway free with a paying adult.
• Save this list offline — half of these are in spotty-signal parks.
• Check hours the morning of: NYC attractions change seasonal schedules constantly.