Things to do in NYC
Basic Information and Getting Around
New York City is organized into five βboroughsβ: Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, Bronx, and Staten Island.
The former four boroughs are quite well-connected by a 24/7 system of affordable subways, trains, and buses; Staten Island is accessible via ferry. Additionally, NYC is thoroughly walkable and bikeable.
I recommend using the CityMapper app to get around; it has never failed me or given me inaccurate information about transit delays and service changes. Google Maps and Apple Maps work pretty well, but will occasionally lead you astray.
You can also hail a yellow taxi or request a rideshare like Uber or Lyft, but this is often slower than the public transit.
New York gets an unfair reputation for crime. These reports are almost always overexaggerated. NYC is very safe. That being said, in recent years there has been an uptick of random attacks, especially on subways and targeting women and minorities. Also, there is a particular kind of NY craziness that we experience on a daily basis; you simply put your head down and keep walking; 99.99% of the time it is harmless. Observing typical urban safety practices, you will be fine.
Restaurants
Attractions & Sightseeing
| Name | Location | Visited |
|---|---|---|
| Ellis Island | Harbor | π |
| Statue of Liberty | Harbor | π |
| Coney Island | Coney Island | β |
| New York Botanical Garden | Bronx | π |
| Brooklyn Botanic Garden | Prospect Park | π |
| Bronx Zoo | Bronx | π |
| Stonewall | Greenwich Village | π |
| Brooklyn Bridge | Brooklyn Heights | β |
| Brooklyn Heights Promenade | Brooklyn Heights | β |
| Times Square | Midtown | β |
| Union Square | Union Square | β |
| Brighton Beach | Coney Island | β |
| Columbia University | Morningside Heights | β |
Museums
| Name | Location | Description | Price | Visited |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) | Midtown | Public museum of modern and contemporary art | $30 adult, $17 student, free for NYC college students (go with a Columbia or NYU student to get in for free!); free first Friday nights for NYC residents | β |
| Metropolitan Museum of Art (Met) | UES | Largest art museum in the western hemisphere | Pay what you wish for NY residents & NY students | β |
| American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) | UWS | What it sounds like | $28 adults, $22 students, free for NY residents and students | β |
| Whitney Museum of American Art | Meatpacking District | Private museum of modern and contemporary American art | $30 adults, $24 students; free Friday nights and second Sundays; first floor gallery always free and open to the public | β |
| Guggenheim Museum | UES | Private museum of modern, contemporary, and Impressionist art in a building designed by Frank Lloyd Wright | $30 adults, $19 students; pay what you wish Mondays and Saturdays 4-5:30pm (min $1) | π |
| Museum of the Moving Image (MoMI) | Astoria | Cinema and museum of history and technology of film and television | $20 adult, $12 student, $5 if bought with ticket to film screening; free Thursday afternoons | β |
| Met Cloisters | Washington Heights | Medieval art set in an authentic monastery | $30 adults, $17 students; free for NY residents and students | β |
| Queens Museum | Flushing Meadows Corona Park | Thereβs a scale model of NYC | Pay what you wish | π |
| Brooklyn Museum | Prospect Heights | Like the Met but not as big | General admission is pay what you wish | π |
| Tenement Museum | LES | Tour of a preserved tenement apartment and neighborhood and a look into New Yorkβs Jewish history | $30 | β |
Iβm sure there are a lot of ways to get in free to a lot of these that say they are $30 upfront. In my experience, they hide the easy ways to get in free because they want that information to only be accessible to New York residents who are βin the know.β The best example of this is the Brooklyn Museum: it lists the prices of general admission and then in the fine print clarifies that they are βsuggested contributionsβ and it is actually pay-what-you-wish. As a New York resident, you should take advantage of this. If youβre a tourist, pay up.
Parks
| Name | Visited |
|---|---|
| Flushing Meadows Corona Park | β |
| Prospect Park | β |
| Central Park | β |
| Greenwood Cemetery | β |
| Riverside Park | β |
| Van Cortlandt Park | π |
| Washington Square Park | β |
Markets, Festivals, Parades & Street Fairs
| Name | Location | Occurrence | Visited |
|---|---|---|---|
| Queenβs Night Market | Flushing Meadows Corona Park | Saturdays spring and summer | β |
| Smorgasburg | WTC, Williamsburg, Prospect Park, | Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays spring and summer | β |
| Halloween Parade | Greenwich Village | Halloween | β |
| Grand Army Plaza Greenmarket | Grand Army Plaza | Saturdays | β |
Theater
| Name | Location | Visited |
|---|---|---|
| Broadway | Manhattan (various) | β |
| Shakespeare in the Park | Central Park | β |
| Moliere in the Park | Prospect Park | β |
| Brooklyn Comedy Collective | Williamsburg | π |
Cinema
| Name | Location |
|---|---|
| Nitehawk | Prospect Park and Williamsburg |
| Metrograph | LES |
| IFC Center | Greenwich Village |
| Angelika | East Village |
| MoMI | Astoria |
No need for a visited column here. You know Iβve been to all of them!
Bookstores
| Name | Location | Visited |
|---|---|---|
| The Strand | East Village | π |
| Book Culture | Morningside Heights | β |
| Unoppressive Non-Imperialist Bargain Books | Greenwich Village | π |
Jazz Clubs
| Name | Location | Visited |
|---|---|---|
| Smalls | West Village | β |
| Mezzrow | West Village | β |
| Cellar Dog | West Village | β |
Libraries
| Name | Location | Visited |
|---|---|---|
| Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) | Grand Army Plaza/various | β |
| New York Public Library (NYPL) | Bryant Park (Midtown)/various | π |
Newsletters
Follow these newsletters/websites to find more things to do on a weekly basis.
- Skint - this one is the most comprehensive and high-quality, imo
- Nonsense - weirder stuff
- DoNYC - nightlife, shows, etc.
- Secret NYC - everything
- Atlas Obscura - quaint things