United States · North America

Discover New York City with Rafeek

New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States.

Seeing New York City without the story is only half the trip

The problem

Group tours run on someone else's clock, printed signs say too little, and searching for context on your phone pulls you out of the moment. Most travellers leave New York City with photos but no sense of what they actually saw.

How Rafeek fixes it

Rafeek is a personal audio guide in your pocket. Press play at each landmark in New York City, listen at your own pace, and keep your eyes on the place instead of a screen. Guides work offline, so no roaming or signal worries.

What you'll discover in New York City

46 landmarks with their own audio guide — tap any one to read what you'll hear.

American Museum of Natural History

Located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, this is one of the largest natural history museums in the world. The museum complex comprises 26 interconnected buildings housing 45 permanent exhibition halls, in addition to a planetarium and a library.

Apollo Theater

A legendary music hall in the Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan. It is a noted venue for African-American performers and played a major role in the emergence of jazz, swing, R&B, gospel, blues, and soul.

Broadway Theatre District

The theatrical performances in the 41 professional theaters with 500 or more seats located in the Theater District and Lincoln Center along Broadway in Midtown Manhattan. It represents the highest level of commercial theatre in the English-speaking world.

Bronx Zoo

Located within Bronx Park in the Bronx, this is one of the largest zoos in the United States by area. It is world-renowned for its large and diverse animal collection and its award-winning exhibitions.

Brooklyn Bridge

A hybrid cable-stayed/suspension bridge in New York City, spanning the East River between Manhattan and Brooklyn. Opened in 1883, it was the first steel-wire suspension bridge constructed and is a National Historic Landmark.

Brooklyn Museum

An art museum located in the Brooklyn borough of New York City, it is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the country. Its collection includes a wide range of art from ancient Egyptian masterpieces to contemporary art.

Cathedral of Saint John the Divine

The cathedral of the Episcopal Diocese of New York, located in the Morningside Heights neighborhood of Manhattan. It is one of the largest cathedrals in the world, known for its impressive Gothic and Romanesque architecture and ongoing construction.

Central Park

An urban park in Manhattan, it is the most visited urban park in the United States and a popular landmark for tourists. The park features numerous attractions, including lakes, walking tracks, ice-skating rinks, the Central Park Zoo, and the Strawberry Fields memorial.

Chelsea Market

An enclosed food hall, shopping mall, office building, and television production facility in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan. It is a bustling marketplace with a wide variety of eateries and shops, housed in the former Nabisco factory complex.

Chrysler Building

An Art Deco-style skyscraper located on the East Side of Midtown Manhattan. At 1,046 feet, it was the world's tallest building for 11 months before it was surpassed by the Empire State Building in 1931, and is renowned for its terraced crown and gargoyles.

Coney Island

A residential and entertainment neighborhood in the southwestern part of Brooklyn. It is famous for its beach, boardwalk, and amusement parks, including Luna Park and its iconic Cyclone roller coaster.

Edge Observation Deck

Located at 30 Hudson Yards, Edge is the highest outdoor sky deck in the Western Hemisphere. It features a thrilling glass floor, angled glass walls, and offers unparalleled 360-degree views of the city.

Ellis Island

Located in New York Harbor, Ellis Island was the busiest immigrant inspection station in the United States from 1892 to 1954. Today, it is part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument and houses the National Museum of Immigration.

Empire State Building

A 102-story Art Deco skyscraper in Midtown Manhattan, the Empire State Building is an American cultural icon. Its observation decks on the 86th and 102nd floors offer some of the most spectacular 360-degree views of New York City.

Federal Hall National Memorial

Located on Wall Street, this historic building stands on the site where George Washington took the oath of office as the first President of the United States. The current structure, a fine example of Greek Revival architecture, serves as a museum and memorial to the beginnings of the U.S. government.

Fifth Avenue

A major thoroughfare in the borough of Manhattan, it is considered one of the most expensive and elegant streets in the world. It is known for its luxury boutiques, department stores, and museums.

Flatiron Building

A triangular 22-story, steel-framed landmarked building located at 175 Fifth Avenue in the Flatiron District of Manhattan. Upon its completion in 1902, it was one of the tallest buildings in the city and a quintessential symbol of New York.

Governors Island

A 172-acre island in New York Harbor, located south of Manhattan. Formerly a military base, it is now a popular seasonal destination with parks, recreational activities, and arts and cultural events, offering breathtaking views of the skyline.

Grand Central Terminal

A commuter rail terminal located at 42nd Street and Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan. It is a world-famous landmark known for its grand Beaux-Arts design, including the vast Main Concourse with its celestial ceiling.

Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum

An American military and maritime history museum with a collection of museum ships in New York City. It is located at Pier 86 at 46th Street, on the West Side of Manhattan, and showcases the aircraft carrier USS Intrepid, the space shuttle Enterprise, and various aircraft.

Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts

A 16.3-acre complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood of Manhattan. It is home to numerous internationally renowned performing arts organizations, including the Metropolitan Opera, the New York Philharmonic, and the New York City Ballet.

Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)

An art museum in Midtown Manhattan that has been singularly important in developing and collecting modernist art. It is often identified as one of the largest and most influential museums of modern art in the world.

National September 11 Memorial & Museum

This memorial and museum in Lower Manhattan commemorates the September 11, 2001 attacks, which killed 2,977 people, and the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. The memorial features two enormous reflecting pools set in the footprints of the original Twin Towers.

New York Botanical Garden

A 250-acre site located in the Bronx, this botanical garden is a National Historic Landmark. It features over one million living plants in extensive collections, a landmark conservatory, and a 50-acre tract of old-growth forest.

New York Public Library

The Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, the flagship of the New York Public Library system, is a historic landmark in Midtown Manhattan. It is renowned for its magnificent Beaux-Arts architecture and its vast research collections, guarded by the iconic lion statues, Patience and Fortitude.

One World Observatory

Located at the top of One World Trade Center, the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere, this observatory offers panoramic views of New York City. The experience includes a thrilling elevator ride that shows the transformation of the city's skyline over centuries.

Prospect Park

A 585-acre urban park in Brooklyn, designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux after they completed Central Park. The park features a large meadow, a lake, the Prospect Park Zoo, and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.

Radio City Music Hall

An entertainment venue located at Rockefeller Center, nicknamed the 'Showplace of the Nation'. It is home to the precision dance company the Rockettes and has hosted numerous concerts, stage shows, and televised events.

Rockefeller Center

A large complex of 19 commercial buildings covering 22 acres between 48th and 51st Streets in Midtown Manhattan. It is famous for its annual Christmas tree lighting, the Top of the Rock observation deck, and Radio City Music Hall.

Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum

An art museum located on the Upper East Side, it is the permanent home of a continuously expanding collection of Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, early Modern, and contemporary art. The building, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, is a landmark work of 20th-century architecture.

South Street Seaport

A historic area in Lower Manhattan, featuring some of the oldest architecture in the downtown area. The Seaport includes renovated 19th-century commercial buildings, a maritime museum, and a collection of historic sailing ships.

St. Patrick's Cathedral

A decorated Neo-Gothic-style Roman Catholic cathedral church in Midtown Manhattan. It is a prominent landmark of New York City, known for its stunning architecture, massive bronze doors, and beautiful stained-glass windows.

Staten Island Ferry

A free passenger ferry service that runs between the boroughs of Manhattan and Staten Island. The 25-minute trip provides spectacular views of the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, and the Lower Manhattan skyline.

Statue of Liberty National Monument

A colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, the Statue of Liberty was a gift from the people of France to the United States. It is a universal symbol of freedom and democracy, and was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984.

Summit One Vanderbilt

An immersive observatory experience located adjacent to Grand Central Terminal. It combines panoramic city views with multi-sensory art installations, including mirrored rooms and transparent glass sky boxes that jut out from the building.

Tenement Museum

Located on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, this museum preserves and interprets the history of immigration through the personal experiences of the generations of newcomers who settled in and built lives in the neighborhood. Visitors can tour restored apartments in two historic tenement buildings.

The Cloisters

A museum in Fort Tryon Park in Upper Manhattan specializing in European medieval art and architecture, with a focus on the Romanesque and Gothic periods. A branch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, it incorporates elements from medieval cloisters and other architectural sites.

The Frick Collection

An art museum located in the Henry Clay Frick House on the Upper East Side. It houses the collection of industrialist Henry Clay Frick, featuring masterpieces of Western European art from the 14th to the early 20th century.

The High Line

A 1.45-mile-long elevated linear park, greenway and rail trail created on a former New York Central Railroad spur on the west side of Manhattan. The park is a unique public space where visitors can experience nature, art, and design.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Often referred to as The Met, it is the largest art museum in the Americas and one of the most visited art museums in the world. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments.

Times Square

A major commercial intersection, tourist destination, and entertainment center in Midtown Manhattan, often referred to as 'The Crossroads of the World'. It is famous for its bright billboards, digital advertisements, Broadway theaters, and the annual New Year's Eve ball drop.

Trinity Church

A historic, active parish church in the Episcopal Diocese of New York, located in Lower Manhattan at the intersection of Wall Street and Broadway. The current building, consecrated in 1846, is a classic example of Gothic Revival architecture and is a National Historic Landmark.

Wall Street

An eight-block-long street in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan, Wall Street is the historical heart of the financial industry. Key landmarks include the New York Stock Exchange and the Charging Bull statue.

Washington Square Park

A 9.75-acre public park in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Lower Manhattan. It is a famous landmark known for the Washington Arch, a large fountain, and its role as a hub for cultural activity and protests.

Whitney Museum of American Art

Often referred to as the Whitney, this museum in the Meatpacking District focuses on 20th- and 21st-century American art. Its collection showcases a wide range of works, and the building itself offers stunning views of the city and the Hudson River.

Yankee Stadium

Located in the Bronx, this is the home ballpark for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball. It is a popular destination for sports fans, offering stadium tours and a museum dedicated to the team's history.

How Rafeek works in New York City

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About New York City

New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States. It is located at the southern tip of New York State on New York Harbor, one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs—Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island—each being coextensive with its respective county. It is the geographical and demographic center of both the Northeast megalopolis and the New York metropolitan area, the largest metropolitan area in the United States by both population and urban area.