Things to do in New York City
-
A
Financier Patisserie
There are now three Patisserie outposts in Lower Manhattan (the second is in the World Financial Center and the third is at 35 Cedar St) because nobody can get enough of the flaky, buttery croissants, almond, apricot and pear tarts, aromatic coffee, homemade soups, creamy quiches and fresh salads on the regular menu. Dig in.
reviewed
-
B
Loeb Boathouse
Perched on the northeastern tip of the Central Park Lake, the Loeb Boathouse, with its views of the Midtown skyline in the distance, provides one of New York’s most idyllic spots for a meal. That said, what you’re paying for is the setting. While the food is generally good (the crab cakes are the standout), we've often found the service to be indifferent.
If you want to experience the location without having to lay out the bucks, a better bet is to hit the adjacent Bar & Grill, which offers a limited bar menu (plates $16), where you can still get crabcakes and excellent views.
reviewed
-
C
New York Stock Exchange
Home to the world’s best-known stock exchange (the NYSE), Wall Street is an iconic symbol of US capitalism. About one billion shares, valued at around $73 billion, change hands daily behind the portentous Romanesque facade, a sight no longer accessible to the public due to security concerns. Feel free to gawk outside the building, protected by barricades and the hawk-eyed NYPD (New York Police Department). The online shop has souvenirs like a hooded NYSE sweatshirt, as if you’d actually been inside.
Frantic buying and selling by those familiar red-faced traders screaming ‘Sell! Sell!’ goes on at the New York Mercantile Exchange, near Vesey St. This exchange deals…
reviewed
-
D
Max Brenner
Sweet-toothed Aussie Max Brenner has brought his chocolate empire to Union Sq, and his wildly popular cafe-cum-chocolate-bar, looking from the outside like a gingerbread house, is all the rage. Besides the sweets he’s got a full menu (great breakfast) and also does low-cal variations mixed by hand on the spot. Divine!
reviewed
-
E
Eldridge Street Synagogue
This landmarked house of worship, built in 1887, was once the center of Jewish life, before falling into squalor in the 1920s. Left to rot, it's only recently been reclaimed, and now shines with original splendor. Its onsite museum gives tours every half hour ($10; 10am to 5pm), with the last one departing at 4pm.
reviewed
-
F
West 4th Street Basketball Courts
Also known as ‘the Cage,’ this small basketball court that stands enclosed within chain-link fencing is home to some of the best streetball in the country. Though it’s more touristy than its counterpart, Rucker Park in Harlem, that’s also part of its charm, as the games held here in the center of the Village draw massive, excitable crowds, who often stand 10-deep to hoot and holler for the skilled, competitive guys who play here. Prime time is summer, when the W 4th St Summer Pro-Classic League, with daily high-energy games, hits the scene. While the height of this court’s popularity was back in 2001 – the year Nike capitalized on the raw energy of the place by shooting a…
reviewed
-
G
Little Giant
Fresh ingredients from organic farmers in upstate New York pepper Little Giant's revolving menu, which can carry dishes like chicken-liver mousse, maple-roasted brussel sprouts, sticky toffee pudding and a 'swine of the week' dish featuring pork. The 80-bottle wine list proudly offers only local vintners.
reviewed
-
H
Marie’s Crisis
Aging Broadway queens, wide-eyed out-of-town gay boys, giggly tourist girls and various other fans of musical theater assemble around the piano here and take turns belting out campy numbers, often joined by the entire crowd. It’s old-school fun, no matter how jaded you were when you went in.
reviewed
-
I
Alias
The sole survivor of a trio of restaurants that opened up when Clinton St was considered culinary Siberia, Alias continues to deliver delicious, fresh food, heavy on seasonal ingredients with dishes like Wild Alaskan black cod, maple syrup drenched pears with ricotta and tomato braised brisket.
reviewed
-
J
Spitzer's Corner
The corner location of this recent Lower East Side addition offers an open-air gastropub experience with a concise menu designed by a Michelin-starred chef, and more than 40 different beers on tap. Large communal tables and a lengthy counter facing the street encourage socializing.
reviewed
Advertisement
-
K
Shake Shack
Part of chef Danny Meyer's gourmet burger chainlet, Shake Shack whips up hyper-fresh burgers, crinkle-cut fries and a rotating line-up of frozen custards. Veg-heads can dip into the crisp Portobello burger. Lines are long, but worth it.
reviewed
-
Roadtrip America Eastbound
22 days (San Francisco)
by Intrepid
Traverse the States from San Francisco to New York City, Discover some of America's best national parks, Drive through Death Valley, Roll dice in Las Vegas, Be…Not LP reviewed
from USD$3,180 -
L
Angelika Film Center
Angelika specializes in foreign and independent films and has some quirky charms (the rumble of the subway, long lines and occasionally bad sound). But its roomy cafe is a great place to meet and the beauty of its Stanford White–designed, Beaux Arts building is undeniable.
reviewed
-
M
Neue Galerie
This restored Carrère and Hastings mansion from 1914 is a resplendent showcase for German and Austrian art, featuring works by Paul Klee, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and Egon Schiele. In pride of place on the 2nd floor is Gustav Klimt’s golden 1907 portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer – which was acquired for the museum by cosmetics magnate Ronald Lauder for a whopping $135 million.
This is a small but beautiful place with winding staircases and wrought-iron banisters. It also boasts the lovely, street-level eatery, Café Sabarsky. Avoid weekends if you don’t want to deal with gallery-clogging crowds.
reviewed
-
N
Guggenheim Museum
A sculpture in its own right, architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s building almost overshadows the collection of 20th century art it houses. Completed in 1959, the inverted ziggurat structure was derided by some critics, but it was hailed by others who welcomed it as a beloved architectural icon. Since it first opened, this unusual structure has appeared on countless postcards, TV programs and films. The Guggenheim came out of the collection of Solomon R Guggenheim, a New York mining magnate who began acquiring abstract art in his 60s at the behest of his art adviser, an eccentric German baroness named Hilla Rebay. The museum’s holdings include works by Kandinsky, Picasso and…
reviewed
-
O
Pacha
A relative newcomer that’s hyped for big-name visiting DJs, Pacha is definitely a massive and spectacular place: 30,000 sq ft and four levels of glowing, sleek spaces and cozy seating nooks that rise up to surround the main dance-floor atrium.
reviewed
-
P
Steve’s Key Lime Pies
Steve’s key-lime pies are a Red Hook institution, set up in the back of an old waterfront warehouse. If the weather is hot, opt for the frozen, chocolate-dipped key-lime pie on a stick; an 8in pie (made to feed four people) is $15.
reviewed
-
Q
Museum of the City of New York
Situated in a colonial Georgian-style mansion, this local museum focuses solely on New York City’s past, present and future. You’ll find internet-based historical resources, lots of vintage photographs and a scale model of New Amsterdam shortly after the Dutch arrival. The 2nd-floor gallery includes entire rooms from demolished homes of New York grandees.
One of the museum’s star attractions is the 12-room mansion dollhouse fabricated by Carrie Stettheimer over 25 years at the turn of the 20th century – replete with tiny art works (including miniatures of pieces by Marcel Duchamp and Gaston Lachaise).
reviewed
-
R
Astoria Pool
This Works Progress Administration Olympic-size outdoor pool, built in 1936, is an art-deco wonder with views of Manhattan and the Triborough Bridges. It's also the city's biggest. Crowds break 1000 on shiny summer days.
reviewed
-
S
Last Exit
Sometimes the laid-back bartenders put on a pub quiz; other times a DJ shows up to spin. Most of the time it's locals unwinding over beers, happy to talk to strangers and let the night slip away.
reviewed
Advertisement
-
T
Wollman Skating Rink
Larger than the Rockefeller Center skating rink, and allowing all-day skating, this rink is at the southeastern edge of Central Park and offers nice views. It’s open mid-October through April. Cash only.
reviewed
-
U
Joe the Art of Coffee
Superb coffee is served at this always-bustling joint sitting squarely on bucolic Waverly Place in the heart of the Village. Some say this is the best cup of joe in town; others just come to sip their latte while doodling on their iPad in quaint surrounds
reviewed
-
New York City Slavery and Underground Railroad Tour
2 hours 30 minutes (Departs New York City, New York)
by Viator
Take a walking tour of New York City and see the historic sites that tell the story of slavery and the Underground Railroad. Travel back in time to the 17th…Not LP reviewed
from USD$35.00 -
V
Bloomingdale Soho
A little more avant-garde than the 'real' Bloomies uptown, this Soho offshoot skews to the young, covering everything from beachwear to club duds.
reviewed
-
W
Apple Store Midtown
reviewed