We miss the buzz in New York, but the good news is New York is slowly beginning to open up again.
We’ve rounded up some top suggestions on how best to spend your free time in the city. From indoor to outdoor activities, here’s our roundup of the best things to do in NYC right now.
Go skating at The Bank of America Winter Village, Bryant Park
Enjoy New York City’s only free admission ice skating rink. (Though if you need to rent skates that will cost you $21 upwards). Plotted in Midtown, and open through 28 March 2021, online booking is required for all skaters. After an hour on the ice, enjoy some rink-side eats at the Lodge Deck – who’s for some flamed toffee marshmallows?
Enjoy Bombay’s best in the Big Apple at GupShup NY
GupShup, meaning “chitchat” or “hanging out”, captures all the energy and spirit of Bombay and presents it proudly in the Big Apple. Inspired by old Bombay, Chef Gurpreet Singh melds traditional Indian flavours and ingredients with contemporary techniques and modern tastes. Sample the best of the city’s Indian dining scene at home or on-site for outdoor dining.
Catch a movie at Syndicated Brooklyn
The good people at Syndicated Brooklyn have converted the Thames Street side of their building into a Sidewalk Cinema. No tickets are required, with seating on a first-come, first-served basis at the tables they’ve set up along their outdoor dining area. As tables tend to fill up about an hour before showtime, we advise heading out early and getting in that first order of pulled pork sliders (and a round of earl grey Negronis) ahead of the crowds.
Watch Pretend It's A City on Netflix
If you have already seen Pretend It’s A City, it’s time to go on a tour of NYC with true-blue New Yorker Fran Lebowitz. Known for her straight talking, writer and humourist Lebowitz’s latest docuseries, directed by Martin Scorsese, is riddled with her signature no-nonsense observations about the city she calls home. Like a furiously funny guidebook to New York (for New Yorkers) Pretend It’s A City dissects subjects ranging from tourists, to money and the arts.
Take a trip to Pier 17
In the mood for a wintry Upstate getaway but want to stay close to home? Pier 17’s The Greens is recreating those snowy, cosy vibes right in the city. Open until 10PM daily, head Downtown to enjoy your favourite winter dishes and seasonal cocktails in your own dining cabin (complete with virtual fireplace and an air purifier). This rooftop dining scene is amongst the best (and most innovative) in the city.
Help support Broadway theatres
With Broadways stages currently dark, Broadway’s Best Shows is presenting Spotlight on Plays, a starry series of livestream readings of Broadway’s best plays to benefit The Actors Fund. Tickets start at $5, with a Spring 2021 season including Angry, Raucous and Shamelessly Gorgeous by Pearl Cleage, Watch on the Rhine by Lillian Hellman, and The Baltimore Waltz by Paula Vogel among others.
Head to Richmond Town, Staten Island
A remarkable living-history village, and museum complex (with structures dating back to the 1660s) Richmond Town is a 15-minute drive from all bridges and a 30-45 minute ride from the Staten Island ferry – an ideal day trip for Manhattanites, Brooklynites et al. Located in the heart of Staten Island, historic Richmond Town covers 100 acres of breath-taking parkland; make the most of your trip by booking a guided tour. You’ll learn more about the diverse people that built Staten Island, visit with skilled artisans as they practice their trade, and tour the restored interiors of period homes.
Photo by Colton Duke on Unsplash
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