Alone day 1, day of Zen

Moses Mountain

“I love being alone,” wrote naturalist Henry David Thoreau. “I never found the companion that was so companionable as solitude.” And it’s true—there’s nothing like getting away from everyone to help you clear the mental cobwebs or ponder life’s big mysteries. But while the author of Walden had to schlep out to the wilderness to get some me time, you can find places to be completely alone right here in the five boroughs.

Governors Island
Optimal time: Saturday 11am

When asked to make over this former Coast Guard base, top design teams incorporated everything from a hotel and conference center to geothermic Jacuzzis in their fanciful proposals. You’ll forgive us if we hope none get the thumbs-up. Accessible only by ferry or water taxi, this oasis practically mandates peaceful contemplation, as your only distractions are disused barracks, shuttered clapboard houses and an overgrown golf course—it’s beautiful in a rustic way. There are free concerts on Saturdays during the summer, but those seeking a quiet respite can simply wander off to an uninhabited corner and hunker down with a good read or picnic lunch. Be sure to bring your own food, though—there’s more dining options on Survivor than on this isolated isle. Slip 7 at South St (govisland.com). Travel: 1 to South Ferry, then take Governors Island ferry from Battery Maritime Building, Slip 7. Open to the public on Saturday and Sunday only. Ferries to the island run hourly 10am–3pm, ferries back to Manhattan run every half hour 10:30am–5pm.

Lotus Garden
Optimal time: Sunday 1pm

Hidden atop a parking garage on the Upper West Side, this meandering green space—the fruits of neighborhood activists’ labors in the early 1980s—is bursting with rosebushes, a hearty peach tree, two koi ponds and ample space for solitary reflection. Rules prohibiting radios, pets, parties and even sunbathing keep things quiet, says garden president Ken Karpel, who comes to read and occasionally meditate. (His tiny Buddha statue peeks out from the tall grass in the rear.) Key rentals, granting full-time access for two years, are available for $20—a small price to pay for admittance into Manhattan’s own Garden of Eden. W 97th St between Broadway and West End Ave (thelotusgarden.org). Open to the public Sun 1–4pm, April–November.

American Museum of Natural History
Optimal time: Sunday 10am

Last year’s Night at the Museum made this institution of learning look like a wacky brew of monkey spanking and Owen Wilson gags, but if you come on a Sunday morning at 10am, right when the museum opens, you’ll find you pretty much have the run of the place. It’s the perfect time to check out hot-ticket exhibitions like “Mythic Creatures,” contemplate man’s place in the universe at the Rose Center for Earth and Space or just scope out the permanent collection without having to elbow past hordes of schoolchildren. Of course, being face-to-face with a 50-foot Barosaurus may make you wish there were some other folks around. Central Park West at 79st St (212-769-5100, amnh.org)

Minetta Street
Optimal time: Tuesday 3pm

Rumor has it that at the height of the civil-rights era, the police would drag rabble-rousers from Washington Square to this winding side street rather than arrest them in full glare of angry onlookers. Today, you’re more likely to encounter a squirrel than a hippie—or anyone else, for that matter—as a distinct lack of businesses limits street and sidewalk traffic. Just don’t squander your alone time wondering about the picturesque lane’s hairpin turn. It follows the natural curve of Minetta Creek, which once ran alongside it. Between Bleecker St and Minetta Ln

General Theological Seminary
Optimal time: Wednesday 4pm

You don’t have to worship a higher power to enter “the Close,” this 180-year-old religious academy’s tranquil garden courtyard. Simply drop your ID at the front desk, step through the gate and peruse the well-manicured campus for a nice Adirondack chair to settle into. You’ll have plenty of privacy among the weeping willows—although the seminary takes up an entire city block, its interior is completely concealed from the street. (Even some neighbors don’t know it exists.) If the spirit moves you, visit the Chapel of the Good Shepherd, a grand Gothic sanctuary with dark wood interior and stunning stained-glass windows. 175 Ninth Ave between 20th and 21st Sts (212-243-5150, gts.edu). Courtyard open Mon–Sat 9am–5pm.

La Casa Day Spa
Optimal time: Thursday 6pm

An hour in this Gramercy spa’s private, womblike flotation room and you’ll forget there’s anyone else on the planet, let alone in the city. As you drift weightlessly in water that’s been heated to skin temperature and saturated with 800 pounds of Epsom salts, the outside world slips away, enabling you to achieve a Zen-like harmony with the universe. “The feeling of calm is profound—you’re feeding blood directly to the brain,” says owner Jane Goldberg. “In terms of feeling rejuvenated, it’s the equivalent of five hours of sleep.” 41 E 20th St between Broadway and Park Avenue South (212-673-2272, lacasaspa.com). Flotation by appointment only. $80 for one hour.

Moses Mountain
Optimal time: Anytime

Climbing this 240-foot peak won’t just take you far from the madding crowd, it’ll afford you stunning views of the Greenbelt, Todt Hill (the highest natural elevation in the city) and the New York Harbor. Don’t go thanking Mother Earth for the panoramic vista, though. The mountain was built from debris left over from the Staten Island Expressway, a pet project of master builder Robert Moses. East of Rockland Ave and Manor Rd, Staten Island (718-667-2165, sigreenbelt.org). Travel: Take the Greenbelt’s yellow trail; see website for details.

Inwood Hill Park
Optimal times: Saturday 8am, Tuesday 11:30am

Centuries ago, Native Americans used the caves in this densely wooded 196-acre refuge for shelter, but you’d be hard-pressed to find many human inhabitants now. Home to abundant wildflowers, a burgeoning bald eagle population, and the last remaining salt marsh and natural forest in Manhattan, the secluded preserve looks much the same as it did before Europeans crowded the island.Enter at the intersection of Seaman Ave and Isham St (212-304-2365, nycgovparks.org).

Pier 44 Waterfront Garden
Optimal time: Friday 6pm

With chain-link fences and cracked pavement, this four-year-old garden near Red Hook’s Waterfront Museum is still a work-in-progress—go before it’s finished and overrun. Other charms include lush hibiscus, a fresh harbor breeze and one of the best views of the Statue of Liberty on dry land. The huddled masses look so cute from so far away. Conover St at Pier 44, near the exit of the Fairway parking lot, Red Hook, Brooklyn (718-624-0160). Open daily dawn–dusk.