Secret places in Manhattan

Sometimes amongst all the mundane cement of Manhattan, one will eventually stumble upon a green scene--a kind of "secret garden" space. It's moments like these that keep me so drawn to this city. If you walk all over New York and barely use transport (like myself), you will stumble upon the craziest and most beautiful architecture + places. Sometimes, it requires walking under yellow tape and opening doors you probably shouldn't, but in doing so, you will be privy to the most amazing interior scenes. I have found that NYC is simply a facade of old tenements, scaffolding and metal doors. But much like Europe and Latin America, the city secretly hides some really unique interior courtyards as well as creative little gardens. For the 2 last photos above, I had to peer through a crack in a gate to see these modern/rugged courtyards. The afternoon light made it extremely magical. I love how the iron fire escapes + old red brick of the tenements frame the jungle of green vines beyond.