Quietest Places in NYC
Quietest Places in NYC
My favorite spots for silence in the city
Over the course of 7 years living in New York, I’ve gathered quite the list of quiet places. The city has always overwhelmed me and I’ve found pockets of peace within the chaos. I curated my 55 favorite places for my fellow silence seekers.
To make this list more practical, I’ve turned it into a Google map for my paid subscribers! I’ve also started a crowdsourced list of Quietest Places in the World if you want to add your own favorite spot. You can view both at the bottom.
Visual Index:
Libraries + Bookstores
Amster Yard Secret Garden - There’s a hidden garden behind the Instituto Cervantes Spanish library. This is truly a well-kept secret I accidentally stumbled upon. (Midtown East)
Albertine - A French bookstore with stunning constellation mural on the ceiling. (Upper East Side)
Rose Room in NYPL- This iconic room is gorgeous. It feels like you are in a Harry Potter library but in the middle of Manhattan. (Bryant Park)
Photo by Getty images L'Alliance New York French Library - You technically need to be a member to visit this library but you can ask for a tour and spend a few hours. It’s filled with French books and very underutilized/quiet. (Lenox Hill)
Right: Photo by me Community Bookstore- I wandered into the backyard of Community Bookstore and found a water feature, lots of ivy, and tables to read. Great way to support your local book store! (Park Slope)
Photo by me! Center for Fiction - This bookstore has members-only, tech-free reading room and outdoor terrace. (Fort Greene)
Brooklyn Public Library - The space I’m writing this in. The Arts & Literature room on the second floor is a designated quiet room. Plus it’s filled with my favorite types of books. (Prospect Heights)
Jefferson Market Library - Originally a courthouse long ago, this beloved Victorian-Gothic style library is an architectural beauty complete with spiral staircase and stained glass. (West Village)
Parks
Greenacre Park - This tiny park has a waterfall so loud it blocks out any other street noise. It’s magical. I used to live in this neighborhood and it was my quiet place. (Midtown East)
6BC Community Garden- I lived across from this 10 years ago and it’s only got better with age. It has a little tree house perfect for reading a book and is overflowing with plants. (Alphabet City)
Luminescence - A hidden little section of Hunter’s Point with an art instillation by Nobuho Nagasawa. It has seven cast concrete domes representing the phases of the moon. (Long Island City)
Wave Hill- 28-acres with wooded paths and gorgeous Hudson River views. There’s a small art gallery, pond, and greenhouses. (Bronx)
Roosevelt Island- It’s not super quiet when it is peak cherry blossom season like this photo, but the rest of the year it is pretty empty. There are gorgeous views of the city and the Four Freedoms Park at the bottom is stunning. (Roosevelt Island)
Governor’s Island Hammock Grove- Hop on a ferry over to Governor’s island for a fun day trip. There are beautiful views of the city and even a hammock grove. (Governor’s Island)
Paley Park- Another pocket park in Manhattan with a waterfall. (Midtown)
Sutton Park- The only stretch of park along the east side that’s totally protected from FDR highway so it’s shockingly quiet with beautiful views of Queens. (Midtown East)
Inwood Hill Park- Amazing views of the Hudson river. Great hiking and biking trails. (Washington Heights)
Elizabeth Street Garden- One of my personal favorites seemingly won’t be here for much longer. This little oasis filled with statues salvaged from the Gilded Age is sadly being demolished to put up affordable housing in September 2024. Visit while you can! (Soho)
photo by Neighborhood Spot Conservatory Garden- A “formal” garden in the north part of Central Park. There are many raves about this little section of the massive park.
Tudor City Greens- A calm, tiny green space with 42nd street on one side and the east river on the other. (Midtown East)
Gantry State Park- 12-acre waterfront park in Queens with stunning views of Manhattan. Lots of chairs to lounge in. (Long Island City)
North Woods- 1-mile loop around a pond in a particularly wooded part of Central Park complete with a waterfall. (Upper East/Upper West Side)
Greenpoint Landing Esplanade- This little grassy patch at the tip of Greenpoint is nice to stroll along the water. (Greenpoint)
Elevated acre- 1-acre meadow above the Financial District. (Financial District)
Septuagesimo Uno Park- One of the smallest parks in the city tucked between 2 brownstones. (Upper West Side)
Prospect Park - When you wander into the depths of this park it gets beautifully quiet. The area near the Boathouse by the pond is particularly serene. (Crown Heights)
Brooklyn Botanic Gardens - Same warning of Cherry Blossom season, it gets v crowded during peak times but the rest of the year it’s lovely. (Crown Heights)
Pebble Beach- A little riverside beach along Brooklyn Bridge Park with panoramic views of the city. (Dumbo)
Pier 57 Rooftop- The largest outdoor public rooftop park in the city. It’s 2-acres with great views. (Chelsea)
Cemeteries
Greenwood Cemetery- I love cemeteries, they are a guaranteed quiet place for reflection. The Greenwood Cemetery truly takes the cake. It’s outrageously beautiful and its tagline is “the cemetery for the living.” There is a huge park and stunning views of the city. The sunset is particularly magical.
Maike Schulz New York Marble Cemetery- Not to be confused with the New York City Marble Cemetery nearby, it’s “A Little Garden in the Big City.” (East Village)
Buildings
St Patrick’s Cathedral - A stunning gothic cathedral with beautiful architecture and stained glass. (Midtown)
Ford Foundation Building- I stumbled into this building one day and found a shockingly pleasant surprise. There’s so much greenery in the lobby of this building it feels like you are in a greenhouse. It also has an art gallery on the second floor. (Midtown East)
Museums
Rubin Museum- Meditate at the Tibetan prayer room on the second floor! (Chelsea)
Noguchi Museum- This has been on my to-go list for years. It’s a Japanese museum in Queens and sounds so peaceful. (Long Island City)
The Met - The quietest galleries tend to be Asian art and contemporary art. (Upper East Side)
MoMA - They have quiet mornings on the first Wednesday of every month from 7-9:30am. (Midtown)
Queens Museum- My favorite exhibit is the miniature NYC. (Flushing)
Photo: Scott Rudd The C.V. Starr Bonsai Museum - Within the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens, there is a world-class bonsai collection. (Crown Heights)
Earth Room- Photos can’t possibly capture the energy of this space. It’s an apartment filled 140 tons of dirt. (Soho)
Mela Dream House- I don’t fully understand what this place is, but apparently people like to meditate here? There are constantly fluctuating sound waves accompanied by neon pink reflections of light. (Tribeca)
Met Cloisters West Terrace - this branch of the Met that’s dedicated to Medieval art has a secluded section that’s a bit calmer with a beautiful view of the Hudson.(Washington Heights)
Poet’s House- a dreamy library devoted to poetry with a quiet Reading Room. (Tribeca)
Photo by Cameron Blaylock
Bars + Coffee Shops
Park Slope Desk- A silent coworking space. A great read, work, write space with little phone booths if you need to take a call. (Park Slope)
Cafe Regular- Local coffee shop with lots of charm and feels like you’re in a French cafe. I accidentally took a meeting here and was definitely the only person talking. (Park Slope)
Burp Castle- This ridiculously named bar has bartenders who “hush” you if you speak above a whisper, just like you’re middle schoolers in a library talking too loud. Bonus: it has beautiful murals of drunken monks. (East Village)
photo by Christian Rodriguez
Chai Spot- Tea house with the coziest, colorful lounge vibes. (LES)
Events + Activities
Reading Rhythms- A reading party, not a book club. My friends started this lovely gathering and where you read for 30 minute intervals and discuss your books with new friends.
Free Quiet Reading - Free weekly reading events in libraries, parks, and cafes.
Float Tank - I mean how much more quiet can it get than a sensory deprivation pod. Ex: Infinity Float
Bathhouses- I love a good bathhouse. Each has it’s own vibe but I like the QC Spa on Governor’s Island because it has an outdoor pool and indoor quiet spaces.
Meditation
Thich Nhat Hanh Sangha- I love going to Thich Nhat Hanh Sangha’s. The one I go to is in Park Slope but they’re all around the city.
Three Jewels - Meditation and yoga classes + a small cafe in front. (East Village)
Insight Meditation Center - Tons of meditation classes. (Nomad)
Gaia Nomaya- Meditation/yoga community with a salt cave for sound baths and a cute cafe in front. (Crown Heights)
Note: All photos are from the organizations’ website unless specifically credited by a photographer.
When making this list, I prioritized green spaces in the city. Urban green spaces are critical for climate resiliency. They cool the city by reducing the urban heat island effect, improve air quality, and help with stormwater management. Quieter spaces also reduce sound pollution, support healthy ecosystems, and make it easier for animals to communicate, promoting greater biodiversity.
So here’s to making more quiet places in the city. They truly are a win-win-win!
If you’d like to get access to the Google Map, you can upgrade and become of my patrons of the climate arts below! If you want to contribute your own favorite place anywhere around the world, you can submit it here. You can view the crowdsourced list here to filter by city and location.
If you stumbled upon this just because you like quiet spaces and we haven’t met yet-hi, I’m Nicole! I make watercolor art about climate change solutions and love painting about clean energy, nature, and food. You can take a look at some of my work here!
I’m thinking about planning a Quiet Time event or Quiet Crawl, you can follow me for updates:
