A free ride on the Staten Island Ferry takes you across New York Harbor with views of the Statue of Liberty and the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge.

One of the easiest ways to admire the New York City skyline, Statue of Liberty, and many of the famous bridges is to take a leisurely boat cruise around Manhattan. You'll definitely see the work of civil engineers all around, unlike what Henry Hudson saw when he sailed around New York Harbor and discovered Manhattan Island in 1609. To see many of the sights from land, you can also take a hop-on, hop-off double-decker bus tour around Manhattan.

The Met Section's Guide to Civil Engineering Projects In and around New York City is a handy pocket-size guide that you can carry around with you on your visit and get an overview of the facts and learn about the civil engineering behind many of the city's popular tourist attractions.

Local Civil Engineering Projects

• Bear Mountain Bridge - Walk across this bridge and you'll get to see great views of the Hudson River Valley and surrounding mountains. For a bird's eye view of the bridge, you can drive or hike up to the Perkins Memorial Tower in Bear Mountain State Park. There's also hiking trails leading up to Anthony's Nose on the east side of the Hudson River.
• Brooklyn Bridge - Taking a stroll across one of the most famous bridges in the world is a popular activity for visitors and New Yorkers alike. The walk across the bridge isn't very far—only about one mile in distance—and there are benches along the way in case you want to sit down and take a rest. The sidewalk conveniently begins in Manhattan at City Hall Park right outside the Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall subway station on the 4/5/6 lines. Be sure to stop at Empire-Fulton Ferry State Park on the Brooklyn side to see the famous panorama of the bridge with Lower Manhattan in the background. This park connects with the Brooklyn Bridge Park, which will eventually run from the Manhattan Bridge to Atlantic Avenue. There are also good views of the Brooklyn Bridge on the Manhattan side of the river from the South Street Seaport area and the East River Esplanade.

Walking across the Brooklyn Bridge is a popular activity for both tourists and New Yorkers.

• Central Park - Did you know that nearly five million cubic yards of rock, stone, and topsoil were moved to create the 843 acres of man-made landscape between 1857 and 1871? If you enter the park through the Engineers' Gate at East 90th Street, honoring a very important occupation in the city's history, you'll see the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir, formerly used to receive water from the Croton Aqueduct. The Bow Bridge across the Lake is the second-oldest cast-iron bridge in the United States.
• Empire State Building - Take the elevator to the top for a spectacular 360-degree view of New York City and the surrounding region. On a clear day, you can see places up to 80 miles away! The observatories on the 86th and 102nd floors are open every day of the year until 2 am. The famous skyscraper has appeared in dozens of movies, including the 1933 classic film King Kong. If you're staying in town for a few days, check out the tower lights at night, which frequently change colors for different events throughout the year.
• George Washington Bridge - The sidewalk on the world's busiest bridge offers views of the Hudson River and Palisades it's about a 1 ¼-mile long walk across. You can also visit the famous Little Red Lighthouse below the bridge, which can be reached from the staircase and path near West 181st Street and Riverside Drive or from the south through Fort Washington Park. Palisades Interstate Park in New Jersey also has views of the bridge and hiking trails.
• Grand Central Terminal - This train station opened in 1913 during the golden age of railroad travel. Walk through Grand Central Terminal's spacious main concourse and look up at the ceiling mural of the stars. Go there during the morning or evening rush hour and you'll be amazed to watch thousands of commuters traveling to and from New York City's northern suburbs. The 1,047-foot high Chrysler Building is located right across the street on Lexington Avenue.
• Manhattan Bridge - There are great unobstructed views of the Brooklyn Bridge and Lower Manhattan from the south sidewalk of this bridge, although it can be a bit noisy when subway trains pass by. The walk across the bridge is approximately 1 ¼ miles long. You can also ride across the Manhattan Bridge on the B/D/N/Q trains or see it while exploring DUMBO (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass). On the Manhattan side, the sidewalk begins at the southeast corner of Canal Street and the Bowery, right next to Chinatown.
• New York City Subway System - This is the world's most extensive rapid transit system so there are plenty of different trains to ride on throughout Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx. One idea is to follow the route of the original 1904 subway line in Manhattan, which goes by the Brooklyn Bridge, Grand Central Terminal, Times Square, and Columbus Circle. Another idea for the summer months is to take a ride out to Coney Island where the kids can ride the Cyclone roller coaster and eat at the original Nathan's hot dog stand. A single fare of $2.25 allows you to travel anywhere in the entire system, which includes 656 miles of revenue track and 468 stations. Printed subway maps are available for free at stations. Kids less than 44 inches tall can ride the subway for free and unlimited ride passes can be purchased for a 1-day, 7-day, 14-day, or 30-day period.
• Old Croton Aqueduct - It's still possible to follow the route of the original aqueduct that provided New York City's drinking water. The route of the aqueduct in Westchester has been preserved into the Old Croton Aqueduct State Historic Park. The 26.2-mile trail begins at Croton Gorge Park in Cortlandt, which provides impressive views of the New Croton Dam and its spillway (a man-made waterfall that is almost 300 feet high), and continues to the Bronx border. You can also explore the route of the aqueduct in the Bronx and Manhattan along parts of the Old Croton Aqueduct Trail. Visit Highbridge Park in Manhattan to see the oldest bridge in New York City still standing, which once carried the water in the Croton Aqueduct across the Harlem River.

The Roosevelt Island Tram runs alongside the Queensboro Bridge.

• Queensboro Bridge - A sidewalk runs along the north side of the Queensboro (59th Street) Bridge, but for a bird's eye view of this cantilever bridge ride on the Roosevelt Island Tramway! The aerial tramway opened in 1976 as a temporary form of transportation to the island but became so popular it became a permanent fixture, even after the Roosevelt Island subway station opened in 1989. The tram stops at the intersection of Second Avenue and East 60th Street in Manhattan.
• Robert F. Kennedy Bridge - Head to Astoria Park on a hot summer day to take a dip in the City's largest pool and you'll be treated to great views of the suspension bridge across the East River. Both the pool and bridge opened in 1936 and were planned by Robert Moses. You can also see the colossal steel arch of the Hell Gate Bridge from Astoria Park. The entire Robert F. Kennedy Bridge complex, which also consists of bridges to Manhattan and the Bronx is elevated above Randall's Island Park and Wards Island Park.
• Rockefeller Center - Most tourists come here to see NBC's studios, Radio City Music Hall, the ice skating rink, and the Christmas tree but from top to bottom, Rockefeller Center is one of the most impressive building complexes in Manhattan. The "Top of the Rock" observation deck on the 70th floor of the GE Building opened in 2005 and has a 360-degree view of Midtown and Central Park. Below ground is New York's largest "underground city" with pedestrian concourses, shops, restaurants, and subway stations.
• Statue of Liberty - Visit Liberty Island to look at the national monument up close or see it from a free ride across New York Harbor on the Staten Island Ferry. Visitors with special reservations can climb up all 354 steps to the crown, which reopened to the public on July 4, 2009. Ferries to the Statue of Liberty are available from Battery Park in Manhattan and Liberty State Park in New Jersey. The Staten Island Ferry departs from the Whitehall Ferry Terminal, right next to Battery Park.
• Verrazano-Narrows Bridge- Although you can't walk across this bridge it's so big that it's just as impressive to view from a distance. The 4,260-foot long center span of the suspension bridge was the longest in the world from 1964 until 1981. The two towers are nearly 700 feet high, about as tall as the Met Life Tower next to Madison Square Park, and can be seen from many parts of the city! Up close, you can see the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge from Fort Wadsworth in Gateway National Recreational Area on the Staten Island side or Shore Road Park on the Brooklyn side.
• Williamsburg Bridge - There's plenty of views of this bridge from the waterfront esplanade in East River Park. You can walk across this bridge or ride across it on the J/Z trains. In Manhattan, the pedestrian walkway begins in the middle of Delancey Street near the intersection of Clinton Street. The 1,600-foot long suspension span was the longest in the world from 1903 until 1924.
• World Trade Center site - Here you can get a unique view of the "bathtub" foundation constructed using slurry walls that keeps out the water from the Hudson River as well as the ongoing construction of the World Trade Center, including the Freedom Tower.

Engineering, Science, and Technology Museums

• Cradle of Aviation Museum - Located at the former Mitchel Air Force Base, this Garden City museum is near Roosevelt Field, the starting point of Charles Lindbergh's historic transatlantic flight from New York to Paris. Over 60 different aircraft are housed in the museum along with an unused Grumman Lunar Module that was scheduled to be used for the Apollo 18 mission to the moon in 1972.
• Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum - Housed in a former aircraft carrier docked at a Manhattan pier, this unique museum contains over 25 different aircraft including the Concorde. The museum reopened in November 2008 following a two-year refurbishment project.
• Liberty Science Center - This is an interactive science museum and learning center located just across the Hudson River in Jersey City, New Jersey. It includes the world's largest IMAX Dome theater.

Kids really like riding on the subway. You can also take them to visit the New York Transit Museum in Brooklyn to learn how the subway was constructed and go inside lots of vintage subway cars.

• Long Island Science Center - This museum on the East End of Long Island provides hands-on exhibits and activities centered around math, science, and technology.
• New York Hall of Science - This is New York City's only hands-on science and technology center and has more than 400 different exhibits. The museum is located in Flushing Meadow Corona Park, a short walk from the Unisphere, a 12-story high globe, and the Queens Museum of Art, which contains a 9,335-square foot architectural model of New York City
• New York Transit Museum - Located in Brooklyn Heights, this museum is a popular attraction for kids. You can go inside lots of vintage subway cars that are kept on the tracks in this former subway station. The museum also has a satellite annex in Grand Central Terminal.
• Railroad Museum of Long Island - This museum has locations in Riverhead and Greenport and contains historic rolling stock and artifacts from the LIRR.
• The Science Barge - This is a sustainable urban farm docked in the Hudson River at Yonkers powered by solar, wind, and biofuels, and irrigated by rainwater and purified river water.
• Science Museum of Long Island - Located in Plandome in Nassau County, this museum helps children discover fun things about science through hands-on activities.
• Skyscraper Museum - You can find out everything you want to know about skyscrapers at this museum near Battery Park in Lower Manhattan.