What to do in NYC This Summer
(Relatively) Non-touristy things you must do while you’re here
Disclaimer: I’m not an expert on NYC, I haven’t even been living here long enough to consider myself a New Yorker. However, I spend a lot of time researching on what to do in the city and I write down the suggestions people have given me. The result is a meticulously curated list, separated by neighborhood and borough. It’s definitely not all inclusive - each neighborhood has a lot more to offer than what is listed here and I did not even begin to cover 90% of the neighborhoods in NYC (just some of my favorite ones). Food and drinks are not included - that would make this list ridiculously long so I will save that for another blog! I also left out Staten Island - I’m sorry. So whether you’re just visiting or you live here and haven’t gotten to fully explore this magnificent city yet - I hope this list finds you well. Enjoy!
MANHATTAN:
SoHo: where you can leave your apartment feeling cute and then you’ll see a supermodel model walk by
Shopping! It’s a whole vibe in here - everything from Balenciaga to Forever 21, SoHo has it all
Some fun stores in this neighborhood include Apple, Amazon 4-Star, NikeLab, Concepts, Artists & Fleas, The General by Vans and so many more. It’s wildly busy on the weekends, so I’d suggest saving this for the weekdays if possible
Just walking around this neighborhood is fun - you’ll get some cool outfit inspiration, do some people watching and maybe even see some celebrities
Catch a show at Sounds of Brazil - this stage has seen anyone from Drake to Justin Timberlake
Take a yoga class at the retail store Alo Yoga SoHo, your first class is free!
NoHo: mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the most trendy and chic of them all?
Go find the Bowery Mural at 76 E Houston St
Blue Man Group at the Astor Place Theater (I said this was a relatively non touristy list)
Joe’s Pub - live music and performances with dinner and drinks, we’re talking broadway-level good performances
Kith store - streetwear company with all the latest trends
Bonus: also try Kith Treats. It’s a corner of the Kith store with ice cream/cereal combos made up by rappers, artists and basketball players like Lebron James and Action Bronson
TriBeCa: think boutique fitness studios, instagrammable cafes and coffee shops without free wifi because nothing here is free
AIRE Ancient Baths - massages and thermal baths in a Roman bath-like setting because the Romans had everything figured out
Tribeca Film Festival in April. People travel from around the country to attend this festival and there are always some big-name celebrities
Tribeca ClayWorks - adult pottery classes! Put those years of clays you took in high school to good use
Try a free week at CorePower Yoga Tribeca! I’m a bit biased because it’s the yoga studio I call home but I personally think it’s one of the best yoga yoga studios in the city
Get sweaty and flow in a dark, candle-lit room to some hip hop at Y7 Yoga Studio
Listen to some jazz at Django in the Roxy Hotel
Financial District: men in suits getting drunk after work
IKEA ferry on Pier 11 - free if you buy something from IKEA
911 Memorial Museum - a must do and definitely not something I would consider a “tourist attraction.” Everyone needs to see this. The museum is a beautifully presented memorial to those who lost their lives on 9/11. Not only is it educational, but it gives you insight on the tragedy as a whole, the people who were affected by it and the significance of it in our lives today
Ground Zero Memorial - free to the public. By far one of the best free things you can do in the city. But please be respectful, thousands of people lost their lives at this exact spot - it’s not a place for smiling selfies
Go find the Fearless Girl statue in front of the New York Stock Exchange! She was moved to this location from the Charging Bull in December of 2018 to draw attention to the power of women in leadership! A feminist ICON
While you’re at it, go see her former home in front of the Charging Bull statue on Wall Street. He symbolizes financial prosperity and the strength and unpredictability of the stock exchange. Rumor has it that he will eventually be moved in front of the Stock Exchange as well. Apparently you can rub his balls for good luck. This will be crowded with tourists on the weekends so beware
The Oculus - great shopping and a hub for transportation, also it’s architecturally beautiful
Smorgasburg - foodie paradise, takes place here on Fridays from 11am-7pm with 20+ vendors from all over the city
Check out Battery Park! You can see the beautiful Statue of Liberty from afar and there are always cool events going on
Chelsea: artsy and stylish - but like, way more artsy and stylish than you
Chelsea Market - I LOVE the Chelsea Market, watch for the pop up sample sales! Also do not go on Saturday unless you love being suffocated by tourists. To reiterate, I said this list was relatively non-touristy. Some things in the city are really just worth it
The High Line is a beautiful park built on an old freight rail above the city. Again, do not go on Saturday
Chelsea Art Galleries - open to public Thursdays, word on the street is there is free wine. Head to the art district between West 19th-28th St and 10th-11th Avenues
Sunset Salsa has free salsa lessons every Tuesday over the summer at Chelsea Piers
Sunset Sail aboard Schooner Adirondack from Pier 26
The Beach Pool at the Dream Hotel - this is extra af but you’ll feel boujee for the day
Frying Pan is a docked boat on Pier 66, very popular for dinner or drinks!
The Rubin - Art of Himalayan Regions Museum
Lower East Side: where you go to get hammered and eat dollar pizza at 4 am
Poco - themed trivia Tuesdays at 8 pm. Find the themes and make a reservation here
Meow Parlor - Cat Cafe
They also do Yoga & Kitties and Drag Bingo!
Hester Street Fair - Saturdays from 11am - 6pm, a mix of food and flea!
Katz’s Delicatessens - I know I said I wasn’t going to add food or drinks but this Jewish deli is an experience in itself. Not to mention it’s featured on countless foodie pages and TV shows
East Village: where you’re most likely to see a skateboarder
Try a wine tasting and pairing class - there are a bunch of options on coursehorse
Turntable Lab, a “DJ shop” and record store
McSorley’s Old Ale House - once again, a must-do experience! This is NYC’s oldest continually operated saloon!
West Village: yes, this is the neighborhood T-Swift sings about
Drag Queen Bingo with Linda in the West Village
Royce’ Chocolate Shop on Bleeker Street
Piano bars! Try Marie’s Crisis
Take a helicopter tour over NYC! FlyNYON’s office is right on Bleeker street and they are always running promos!
I promised I wasn’t recommending food in this article - but Joe’s Pizza has had an insane amount of celebrities visit, just go check out all the photos on the wall! And you might as well try a slice while you’re there, it’s so good and so cheap. Even the line during peak hours is worth it!
Get brunch (a NYC staple) or a nice glass of wine
Dance it out at 305 Fitness, a cardio party with a live DJ, light show and lots of positive vibes!
Greenwich Village: where you can go to laugh your ass off, listen to Jazz and see NYU students in their natural habitat
Comedy Cellar show - some of their events are filmed and put on Comedy Central, which might explain why it’s so well known. If you don’t make a reservation ahead of time, you probably won’t get in. Fear not, if you wander the surrounding area, you’ll be invited into plenty of other amazing comedy shows (they’re usually cheaper too)
Washington Square Outdoor Art Exhibit
2019 Spring Show: Memorial Day Weekend May 25, 26, 27 and June 1 and 2
2019 Fall Show: Labor Day Weekend Aug. 31, Sept. 1, 2, and Sept. 7 and 8
Washington Square Park - you’ll find sunbathers, lunch goers, NYU students studying and the occasional person holding up a sign for free hugs
See a movie at Film Forum - a nonprofit theater for independent films
Walk the very loved MacDougal Street - you’ll find sidewalk cafes and cute shops
Hudson River Park (Tribeca to Clinton): who needs a backyard when you have Hudson River Park?
Pier 40 in Greenwich Village - here you’ll find a dog park, boat excursions, kayaking and a trapeze school on the roof!
Pier 25 in Tribeca is a popular riverfront pier with miniature golf, seasonal food options and sand volleyball
Chelsea Piers - so fun if you love sports or the outdoors! Here you’ll find soccer fields, basketball courts, rock climbing, yoga studios and much more
Hudson River Park is a great place for biking in NYC if you don’t want to get hit by a car - they have “roads” specifically for bikers!
Midtown: it’s huge. It smells. It has tourists running ramped all over but there is just so much to do it’s hard to avoid sometimes
Central Park - you know you have to do it, here are some options to make it unique
The Metropolitan Museum of Art - if you live in NYC and have a public library card you can get in for a donation of any amount. But this is a great thing to do even if you’re just visiting the city
See a show on Broadway!
Try to snag a $10 Carnegie Hall last-minute ticket - even for sold out shows! Rush tickets are offered on a first come, first served basis, and are available for purchase on the day of the concert in person at the box office. The box office is open Monday-Saturday from 11 am to 6 pm and Sunday from 12 pm to 6 pm
Drunken Shakespeare show - one actor gets hammered, the others try to keep the Shakespeare play on track - oh and you in the audience get drunk too. How fun is that?
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon - free tickets on Ibota but you need to request them at least a month ahead of time
Late Night with Seth Meyers - free tickets on Ibota
Saturday Night Live! - if you are willing to wait outside all night to get a chance to see it, it is well worth it! I did it on my first visit to NYC in 2016 and it was unforgettable. You just show up on the street the night before the showing, sleep there overnight and they distribute standby tickets at 7 am on the morning of the taping at the NBC studios on the 48th street side of the Rockefeller. Easy, right?
MoMa - the Museum of Modern Art. If you live in NY and plan in advance, you can use your public library card to reserve free tickets via the Culture Pass - and you can use this pass to see a ton of other fun things around the city so it’s really a must-do
Go to a concert or a watch the Knicks play at Madison Square Garden
BROOKLYN:
Brooklyn Heights: one word - boujee
Brooklyn Bridge Park - always has something going on!
The most beautiful view of the Manhattan skyline - just walk the boardwalk
Have a picnic on one of the Piers (my personal favorite is Pier 3)
Prospect Heights: yet another place in NYC where you go to feel artsy
Brooklyn Botanic Gardens in April to see the blooming cherry blossoms (P.S. the Botanic Gardens are another thing on the Culture Pass that you can get free tickets for)
The Orchid Show at NY Botanical garden (March-April)
Prospect Park - huge park with volleyball, basketball, weeknight yoga, etc
Dreamland Roller Rink at Prospect Park
DUMBO: if anything, do it for the Instagram
Brooklyn Bridge - starts in Tribeca, ends in DUMBO. Fun to bike or walk across (again, Saturdays are filled with tourists)
Brooklyn Flea - Saturdays are actually in Williamsburg, but Sundays are in DUMBO
Greenpoint: where the young people hang out in Brooklyn when not in Williamsburg
Brooklyn Brewery tour
Brooklyn Bazaar is a weekend night flea-market with live music, games and food
Arguably some of the best Polish food in NYC
Williamsburg: THE place to be in Brooklyn, don’t ask questions
Smorgasburg - an outdoor foodie market on Saturdays in the East River State Park from 11 am-6 pm
Nitehawk Cinema - where you can eat dinner, drink and watch the latest movies
House of Yes - live performance venue with acrobatics and DJs - this is technically East Williamsburg, don’t hate me
Check out the vintage and thrift stores - the embodiment of Brooklyn
Brooklyn Bowl - may or may not have made bowling cool again
Williamsburg is full of music venues including Baby’s All Right, Knitting Factory and the Music Hall of Williamsburg to name a few
Coney Island: I feel like the fact that a hotdog-eating contest is one of the biggest events here says a lot about it
Walk the boardwalk, hit the beach, eat a Nathan’s hotdog
Luna Park is the amusement park on the boardwalk, make sure you ride the Cyclone!
QUEENS:
Flushing: if anything, come for the FOOD
New York Mets game at Citi Field
Eat e v e r y t h i n g - this borough is known for it’s variety of food from around the world
I’ve been told the Chinatown in Flushing is especially amazing, some say it’s even better than the one in Manhattan
See if you can get cheap tickets to the US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in late summer
Astoria: it’s all Greek to me
Welling Court Mural Project - street art, insta worthy
Shopping - Astoria features many unique stores and boutiques
Greek food - it’s supposed to be some of NYC’s best!
Long Island City: they do ART
Do your own brewery crawl - there are seven breweries within a 3 mile radius in this neighborhood. Here is a great guide I found
Gantry Plaza State Park has some beautiful skyline views of Manhattan
Just walk the streets, you’ll find a ton of amazing murals
Rockaway Beach: some say it’s NYC’s best beach town
Rii’s Park Beach Bazaar - live music, food, volleyball from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day
Rockaway Beach and Boardwalk - you can even surf here!
The Bronx:
Random neighborhoods throughout the Bronx:
EAT ALL THE FOOD (especially the authentic Italian food)
Kayak the Bronx River
Orchard Beach in Pelham Bay Park
Pelham Bay Park - largest park in NYC
City Island - Cape Code-esque city with fresh seafood!
So obviously there is so much more to do in each borough and neighborhood of NYC, I have not even put a dent in it. This is just a good place to start! Each neighborhood has it’s own rich history, culture, amazing food spots and fun to be had! I could live here for the rest of my life and still not even see a quarter of all there is to see and do in NYC.