New York City has a wild side and it has nothing to do with its honking yellow taxis, towering skyscrapers and celebrity-studded nightclub crowds.
It's about soaring bald eagles, quiet tidal salt marshes and sweet berry brambles thriving along Jamaica Bay, the only wildlife refuge in the U.S. National Park System, to Manhattan, where Central Park is a favorite birding spot, with more than 200 feathered species.
Reuters correspondents with local knowledge help you explore New York City's wild side.
FRIDAY 6 p.m. - Check into your hotel and head for 10th Avenue at 30th Street to the High Line, a mile-long (1.6 km) park along what was once abandoned elevated train tracks on Manhattan's West Side. Leave street noise 30 feet (10 meters) below as you walk past wildflowers such as shooting stars, purple prairie clover and rattlesnake master on paths meticulously landscaped to appear untended. Head south, with the Hudson River on your right. 7 p.m. - When you reach a gathering of outdoor food vendors on the High Line at 15th Street, settle in at Terroir at the Porch, order a cocktail and watch the sun slide down beyond the river. The seasonal bar offers artisanal wines, craft beers and even root beer, all from New York State.