After Dark
Manhattan ↔ Brooklyn
Brooklyn Bridge promenade
The raised wooden promenade runs above the traffic lanes between City Hall and DUMBO. Completed in 1883 to John A. Roebling’s design, it was the longest suspension bridge in the world when it opened, and its stone towers and cables are lit at night.
Walk it from Brooklyn toward Manhattan after dark and the Financial District skyline fills the arch of the towers. NYC DOT counts about 29,000 pedestrians and 5,500 cyclists a day, so evenings are calmer than afternoons; the bike path is separate, keep to the walkway.
Looking at: Lower Manhattan, the East River bridges. Best: Blue hour into full dark, walking toward Manhattan.
Subway: High St (A, C) on the Brooklyn side; Brooklyn Bridge–City Hall (4, 5, 6) on the Manhattan side.
DUMBO & Brooklyn Heights waterfront
Brooklyn Bridge Park
A string of piers and lawns along the Brooklyn waterfront, looking straight across the East River at Lower Manhattan. The park is open every day from 6 a.m. to 1 a.m. and entry is free, which makes it one of the few big waterfront parks you can stay in well after dark.
Pier 1 has the classic head-on view of the Financial District; the stretch by Main Street and Washington Street sits between the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges, both lit at night.
Looking at: Lower Manhattan, Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges. Best: Sunset over the Statue of Liberty side, then the skyline at blue hour.
Subway: High St (A, C), York St (F), Clark St (2, 3).
Brooklyn Heights
Brooklyn Heights Promenade
A third of a mile of benches cantilevered over the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, with brownstone back gardens on one side and the whole of Lower Manhattan on the other. It is higher than the waterfront park below, so the view takes in the harbor and the Statue of Liberty as well as the towers.
It is a quiet residential street at night: keep voices down.
Looking at: Lower Manhattan, New York Harbor. Best: Blue hour, when the towers light up against a still-blue sky.
Subway: Clark St (2, 3), Court St (R), Borough Hall (2, 3, 4, 5).
Long Island City, Queens
Gantry Plaza State Park
Restored railroad gantries on the Queens waterfront, with Midtown laid out directly opposite. The state park is open daily from dawn to dusk, so this is a sunset and blue-hour spot rather than a late-night one: the sun goes down behind Midtown and the towers light up as the sky darkens.
When the park closes, the neighborhood’s bars and restaurants are a few blocks inland; see the Long Island City guide.
Looking at: Midtown Manhattan across the East River. Best: Sunset to civil dusk (check tonight’s times).
Subway: Vernon Blvd–Jackson Av (7), Court Sq (E, G, M, 7).
Whitehall Terminal ↔ St. George
Staten Island Ferry
The best free view in the city, and it never closes. The ferry runs around the clock, every day, and costs nothing; the crossing takes about 25 minutes. Overnight the official timetable has a boat every 30 minutes from each terminal.
Stand on the outside deck on the right going to Staten Island for the Statue of Liberty, and stay aboard for the return or wait for the next boat back from St. George for the Lower Manhattan skyline growing ahead of you.
Looking at: Statue of Liberty, Lower Manhattan, the harbor. Best: Any time after dark; the 30-minute overnight boats are uncrowded.
Subway: South Ferry (1), Whitehall St (R, W), Bowling Green (4, 5).
NYC DOT: Staten Island Ferry schedule · Official timetable (PDF)
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East 59th Street ↔ Roosevelt Island
Roosevelt Island Tramway
An aerial cable car that has carried commuters over the East River since 1976, running beside the Queensboro Bridge. At night the cabin rises over First and Second Avenues with the lit bridge on one side and the Midtown towers on the other.
Check the operator’s page for current hours and fares before going late.
Looking at: East River, Queensboro Bridge, Midtown East. Best: Evening, both ways.
Subway: Lexington Av/59 St (N, R, W, 4, 5, 6) in Manhattan; Roosevelt Island (F).
Meatpacking District to Hudson Yards
The High Line
A park on a disused elevated freight railway, running north from Gansevoort Street through Chelsea to Hudson Yards. After sunset the planting is lit low and the street grid glows below you; at 10th Avenue and 17th Street there is a sunken seating area that looks straight up the avenue.
The High Line closes at 10 p.m. from April through November and at 8 p.m. from December through March, so in winter this is an early-evening walk.
Looking at: Chelsea streets, the Hudson, Hudson Yards. Best: Sunset over the Hudson, then the walk north.
Subway: 14 St (A, C, E) and 8 Av (L) near the south end; 34 St–Hudson Yards (7) at the north end.
Broadway & Seventh Avenue, 42nd–47th Streets
Times Square
The bow-tie of Broadway and Seventh Avenue is pedestrian plaza for several blocks, and the screens and signs stay lit through the night. The steps at the north end (Duffy Square) give the classic look down the length of the square.
Late at night, after the theater crowds leave, it is calmer and easier to see. Costumed characters and ticket sellers work the plazas: you don’t have to pay anyone for a photo, and you can say no.
Looking at: The screens themselves. Best: Around midnight, after the shows let out.
Subway: Times Sq–42 St (N, Q, R, W, S, 1, 2, 3, 7) and 42 St–Port Authority (A, C, E).