Take five…from the concrete jungle in one of these urban sanctuaries.

The High Line

1 The elevated park: The High LineThe most exciting new feature of Manhattan’s cityscape has to be the landscaped strip atop a disused freight-train track on the far West Side. The first section, from Gansevoort to 20th Street, includes a “sundeck”—with a water feature you can dip your toes in and lounge chairs that slide back and forth on the old rails—and a cool installation by Brooklyn artist Spencer Finch in a partially enclosed loading dock in Chelsea Market. The second section, which extends to 30th Street, opens next year. Washington St at Gansevoort St to Tenth Ave at 20th St (thehighline.org). Subway: A, C, E to 14th St; L to Eighth Ave.

2 The island escape: Governors IslandA seven-minute ride on a free ferry takes you to this seasonal island sanctuary, open Friday to Sunday through October 11 this year. Thanks to its strategic position in the middle of New York Harbor, Governors Island was a military outpost and off-limits to the public for 200 years. The verdant, 172-acre isle still retains a significant chunk of its military-era architecture, including 18th-century Fort Jay. As well as providing a peaceful setting for cycling (bring a bike on the ferry, or rent from Bike and Roll once there), the island hosts art events (see website for schedule). It’s also the site of the latest Water Taxi Beach (the other two are in South Street Seaport and Long Island City)—a giant sandy patch facing lower Manhattan, offering burgers and volleyball by day, live music and DJs at night. 212-440-2202, govisland.com. Travel: R, W to Whitehall St; 1 to South Ferry; 4, 5 to Bowling Green; then take ferry from Battery Maritime Building at Slip No. 7.

3 The arty oasis: Madison Square ParkA highly desirable address when it opened in 1847, by the 1990s Madison Square had become a decaying no-go zone given over to drug dealers and the homeless, but got a much-needed makeover in 2001. Now a verdant oasis, it hosts a series of summer concerts, literary readings and Mad Sq Art, a year-round “gallery without walls,” featuring installations from big-name artists. From September 17 through December 31, look out for Mel Kendrick’s abstract sculptures. 23rd to 26th St between Fifth and Madison Aves (madisonsquarepark.org). Subway: N, R, W, 6 to 23rd St.

4 The garden of rest: Green-Wood Cemetary
A century ago, this site vied with Niagara Falls as New York State’s greatest tourist attraction. Filled with Victorian mausoleums, cherubs and gargoyles, Green-Wood is the resting place of some half-million New Yorkers, among them Jean-Michel Basquiat, Leonard Bernstein and Mae West. Fifth Ave at 25th St, Sunset Park, Brooklyn (718-768-7300, green-wood.com). Subway: M, R to 25th St.

5 The near-wilderness: New York Botanical Garden
The serene 250 acres of the New York Botanical Garden comprise 50 gardens and plant collections and the last 50 acres of a forest that originally covered all of New York City. The fall brings vivid foliage in the oak and maple groves, and in spring the gardens are frothy with pastel blossoms. Admission to the grounds is free on Wednesdays and 10am–noon on Saturdays. Entry to exhibits costs extra. Bronx River Pkwy at Fordham Rd, Bronx (718-817-8700, nybg.org). Travel: B, D to Bedford Park Blvd, then take the Bx26 bus to NYBG entrance; or Metro-North (Harlem Line local) from Grand Central Terminal to Botanical Garden. $6, $3 students (grounds only).