100 Best Things to Do in NYC for locals and tourists

What is it? "The Polonsky Exhibition of New York Public Library’s Treasures" spans 4,000 years of history and includes a wide range of history-making pieces, including the only surviving letter from Christoper Columbus announcing his “discovery” of the Americas to King Ferdinand’s court and the first Gutenberg Bible brought over to the Americas.

Why go? It's free and fascinating.

Don't miss: Thomas Jefferson’s handwritten copy of the Declaration of Independence; stuffed animals that belonged to the real-life Christopher Robin and inspired the Winnie-the-Pooh stories; Virginia Woolf’s walking stick; the set model for the Off-Broadway production of In The Heights and more.