The 31 best things to do in New York City
One of the mysterious things about New York City is that the closer you look – even at something as minor as a street corner – the more you see. And the longer you look, the more quickly it changes before your eyes. People can live here for 100 years and never run out of places to go or people to meet; deciding what to do first in New York is daunting, which is why we're narrowing your options. Whether you're a local itching to get out of your neighbourhood or an out-of-towner who doesn't know The Met from the Mets, these new and classic activities will dazzle you. From wandering Central Park to slurping soup dumplings in Chinatown, these are a few of our very favourite things to do in New York City, from Midtown to Brooklyn.
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Central Park
To get that Nora Ephron New York experience, you have no choice but to take a stroll through Central Park while in the city. As you step off the crowded sidewalks of 59th Street into a mass of green, you’ll hardly realise what lies before you: 693 acres of man-made gardens, meadows, forests, and hillsides. If you ambled down every one of Central Park’s pathways, you would walk 58 miles. Along the way, you pass sculptures, bridges, and arches, plus 21 playgrounds, a winter ice-skating rink, and even a zoo. But you’d hardly notice the four major crosstown thoroughfares, which cleverly disappear into foliage-covered tunnels. Map your park route to stop at classic Central Park landmarks, like the Bethesda Fountain, Bow Bridge, Belvedere Castle, and the Strawberry Fields John Lennon Memorial.
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Chinatown
Chinatown is one of those neighbourhoods that makes lower Manhattan vibrant and unforgettable. After surfacing from the steps of the Canal Street subway station onto the sidewalk, meandering past thick crowds, neon light shops, and vendors peddling fake designer bags, you’ll find yourself in the narrow streets of Chinatown, where there are bright heaps of produce, succulent ducks hanging in windows, and restaurants old and new. Touching Tribeca, SoHo, Little Italy, and the Lower East Side, Chinatown has a rich history and began being populated by Chinese immigrants as early as the 1850s. You can visit in whichever way makes sense for you. Whether you spend an hour devouring a box of roast pork or duck from street-style Wah Fung No. 1 before you have to proceed elsewhere, or you spend half a day shopping for produce, dining out, and paying a visit to the Museum of Chinese in America, everyone will gain something from a visit to Chinatown.
Courtesy The WhitneyWhitney Museum of American Art
The Whitney got a major upgrade when it relocated from the Upper East Side to its vastly expanded Meatpacking headquarters in 2015. It houses 50,000 square feet of indoor galleries with works by Jean Michel Basquiat, Richard Avedon, and Alexander Calder, four outdoor exhibition spaces and terraces, and a ground-floor restaurant and top-floor bar, both by Danny Meyer, one of the town’s best-known restaurateurs. The floors are connected by two artist-designed elevators (albeit slow-moving, crowded ones). If mobility isn’t an issue, take the stairs instead, which offer uninterrupted views of the Hudson River. The upper floors and sculpture terraces are also connected by a series of exterior staircases, with great views of the downtown skyline, and a rare opportunity to experience art en plein aire.
Dan Gold/UnsplashYankee Stadium
A spring or summer day spent cheering at a NYC ballpark is a classic activity for a reason. Located in the Bronx, Yankee Stadium is the home field of New York’s 27-time World Champions. It’s a half-hour subway ride from Penn Station and approximately a 20-minute subway ride from Grand Central Terminal, making it easily accessible from Manhattan. It replaced the 1923 original in 2009 and cost $1.5 billion to build, making it one of the world’s most expensive stadiums. It seats 50,287 fans. New York Yankees games, obviously, are the main event here, but you can also attend concerts, college football, and soccer matches.
The Morgan Library & Museum
The Morgan is like a multi-hyphenate millennial – only instead of actress/model/influencer/whatever, it’s museum/library/landmark/historic site/music venue. Inside the multimillionaire’s personal library, expanded into a must-see museum and cultural space, you'll find rare artefacts, paintings, and books, some dating back to 4000 BC, that are worth more than your house. In particular, the museum is home to one of 23 copies of the original Declaration of Independence; Mozart's handwritten score of the Haffner Symphony; the collected works of African American poet Phillis Wheatley; the only extant manuscript of Milton's Paradise Lost; and Charles Dickens’s manuscript of A Christmas Carol. Swoon.
Philip Scalia / Alamy Stock PhotoThe Cathedral of St. John the Divine
The Cathedral of St. John the Divine on 112th and Amsterdam in Upper Manhattan’s Morningside Heights is the largest cathedral in the world and the sixth-largest church by area. Hundreds of thousands of visitors walk through these doors annually for a reason. The cathedral itself – and its remarkable Gothic architecture, story-telling stained glass windows, and 17th-century tapestries – is already worth visiting. But there is artwork that is especially meaningful to New York City here as well, including Keith Haring's white gold and bronze altarpiece and a 9/11 memorial sculpture by Meredith Bergmann, which holds debris of the towers in it. The cathedral holds daily and Sunday worship services, which welcome all. There is no charge to pray, meditate, or contemplate in the cathedral. Visitors who show up for sightseeing purposes can enter for $5 admission. Special tours are offered depending on the day of the week.
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Courtesy SUMMIT One VanderbiltSummit One Vanderbilt
There’s no shortage of jaw-dropping views found throughout the city, but the team behind Summit One Vanderbilt has assembled a bunch of big names to bring together a full experience where you could easily spend a few hours. It starts with the elevator, a light- and sound-filled ride that whooshes visitors up to the 91st floor. There, you’re greeted by a massive, mirrored room that looks out over New York City. Additionally, there are rotating art installations from Kenzo Digital, as well as two special features: Levitation, a glass skybox that lets you feel as if you’re floating one thousand feet above Madison Avenue; and Ascent, a separate glass elevator that brings you up even higher to gaze over downtown Manhattan. Inside, a Snøhetta-designed Nordic-inspired space serves food and drinks from Danny Meyer’s Union Square Events, including pastrami-stuffed pretzels and ricotta toast; there’s also a wrap-around outdoor terrace that feels like the city's most exciting rooftop bar.
Pablo EnriquezMoMA PS1
The sister institution to MoMA is no ordinary art museum. Located in a striking Renaissance Revival former public school building in Long Island City, Queens, MoMA PS1’s setting is just as interesting as its collection. All manner of cutting-edge contemporary art is shown here, with a collection of over 200,000 pieces, from the likes of James Turrell and Ai Weiwei. The people-watching can be just as good as the art, as creative types from around the city come here to find inspiration.
Photo by Don RiddleBemelmans Bar
At Bemelmans, Ludwig Bemelman's illustrations – you might remember them from the Madeline books – adorn the walls. In one panel, a bunny smokes a cigar in Central Park; in another, a man hands a boy a clutch of balloons. This is a bar where gawking is permissible. The cocktails here very much depend on who’s making them: an Old Fashioned might be a bit watery, a whiskey sour too tart. But often, a dirty gin Martini is just perfectly executed. Everything is expensive – it’s clear why you’re here – so take the edge off that sensation by digging into the free, hearty snacks that float your way.
GettyBroadway
For locals and first-time visitors alike, seeing a Broadway show is a special experience and one that is exclusive to New York City. Times Square is ordinarily a drag, but when you’re moseying into Midtown Manhattan for a show, the bright billboards and lights don’t flash in your face – they dazzle in your eyes. A Broadway show's costumes, sets, songs, and stories are the stuff of dreams. And after going dark during the pandemic, Broadway is back. Exalt in the return of live performances with acclaimed shows like Six and Hadestown.
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New York Botanical Garden
The New York Botanical Garden has carefully manicured flower gardens, lush fields, winding hikes, and impeccable greenhouses. There are spaces that feel deeply intimate as if you're truly separated from the world, and there are vast expanses where it's hard to believe you're still in the Bronx. In winter, the greenhouses host an annual train show recreating all of New York City in miniature; the warmer months bring every floral delight imaginable, from cherry trees to peonies. Plan to spend at least half a day here and pack a picnic.
GettyBrooklyn Heights Promenade
It’s one thing to be in the midst of Manhattan, on the ground; it’s quite another to look upon it from across the river. In Brooklyn Heights, a couple of subway stops away from lower Manhattan, the city’s image looms large before you. Arguably the best view of the skyline in the city, the Brooklyn Heights promenade hovers above the Brooklyn-Queen Expressway. Underlying the peaceful, tree-lined walkway, traffic rumbles below. The promenade stretches from Remsen Street at the south end to Middagh Street at the north. Around the corner, pedestrians can discretely cross a basketball court to access a suspended footbridge that zigzags down to the piers of Brooklyn Bridge Park. While in the picturesque neighbourhood, make stops at the New York Transit Museum, the Sardinian Trattoria River Deli, and the old-time dive bar Montero.
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Grand Central Terminal
Grand Central Terminal is more than just one of the busiest train stations in the world – it's a window into old New York and into a time when train travel was the ultimate luxury for the wealthy and a necessity for the working man. If you aren't commuting in or out of the city, avoid coming during rush hour, and take your time admiring the landmark architecture and checking out the top-notch dining and shopping.
Jin Lee9/11 Memorial and Museum
Every American should visit the 9/11 Memorial and Museum at least once. As you enter the museum, you descend from the street to bedrock level – the foundation of the former Twin Towers – and are placed in a meditative mindset, forced to recall where you were on that fateful day. The museum itself is a masterful balance: It's grand in scale, contemplative in its construction, and personal in its execution. It pays homage to the enormity of the loss, both physical and spiritual.
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Brooklyn Bridge
When the Brooklyn Bridge was constructed in 1883 – extending 1,595 feet across the East River, connecting lower Manhattan to Brooklyn Heights – it was the longest suspension bridge in the world. Now, it’s a historic staple of the New York City skyline, transporting commuter car traffic underneath and touristic foot traffic above. Standing before arches and rectangles with city skyscrapers rising in the distance, will at once inspire a sense of grandiosity and slightness.
The Cloisters
Located on four acres in northern Manhattan's Fort Tryon Park, the Met Cloisters is a branch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and is America’s only museum dedicated exclusively to the art and architecture of the Middle Ages. The building overlooks the Hudson River and actually incorporates five medieval-inspired cloisters into a modern museum structure, creating a historic, contextualised backdrop in which to view the art.
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Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)
Located in Midtown Manhattan, the MoMA is larger than it appears as you approach it from the street below. One of the world’s most influential museums – displaying the works of important artists like Van Gogh, Monet, Picasso, Matisse, Rothko, Frida Kahlo, Salvador Dali, and Diane Arbus – it has 630,000 square feet of space and attracts more than a million visitors a year. While making a beeline for the fifth-floor Collection Galleries to take in The Starry Night and Monet’s Water Lilies is understandable, don’t miss the exhibitions, which tell new stories and can only be experienced in a limited time frame. Allocate time to spend pouring over the remarkable books and objects in the famous gift shop, too – an NYC must-visit in its own right.
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Apollo Theatre
Countless careers have been made, and stars have passed through this world-famous, legendary Apollo Theatre in Harlem – Duke Ellington, Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Ella Fitzgerald, Diana Ross, Lauryn Hill, and D’Angelo to name a few. The venue – which began as a white-only burlesque destination until 1934, when under new ownership, it began welcoming and became central to the Black community – has been active for 88 years, with swing, blues, jazz, R&B, and comedy acts taking the stage. Today, visitors can attend events like Amateur Night at the Apollo, one of the city’s most long-standing, fame-making live shows. Capacity is 1,500, with three levels of seating, and contrary to the way it appears on 'Showtime at the Apollo,' is intimate without much legroom.
Getty ImagesProspect Park
Prospect Park is in many ways the Central Park of Brooklyn; in fact, it was designed shortly after by the same team of architects, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, and has many of the same features: sprawling meadows, walking trails, and picturesque bodies of water. In feeling, though, it’s more rambling and less manicured than its touristed Manhattan counterpart. Prospect Park Woodlands is Brooklyn’s last remaining forest, with 250 acres of trees, turtles, chipmunks, 200 species of birds, and other fauna and flora. There's also basketball and tennis courts, a carousel, playgrounds, a zoo, and a 5.4-kilometre loop for runners and bikers (they’re fast – watch out!). While there, make a trip to the adjacent Brooklyn Botanic Garden, particularly lovely during cherry blossom season.
Peter Horree / Alamy Stock PhotoBedford Avenue, Williamsburg
Sip iced coffee in McCarren Park, catch an indie show at Baby's All Right, and walk two blocks over to some of the city's most-coveted Italian food at Lilia (with a month-in-advance res, of course.) This is the busiest thoroughfare in hip Williamsburg: Bedford Avenue – and the L train that feeds it – might as well be North Brooklyn’s own personal people-watching catwalk. Pedestrians with voluminous pants, dogs with miniature rain boots, and high-speed scooters will swish past you. As you make your way south from the subway station, likely en route from the East Village, you’ll pass local businesses that characterise the area, like Catbird (ethereal, vintage-inspired jewellery), Spoonbill & Sugartown Books (poetry, special design and cookbooks, cards), and Awoke Vintage (best-known for their genuine denim often from the ‘90s.)
Dover Street Market New York
Dover Street is more than just a luxury department store; it’s a fashion-meets-art exhibition space. Featured designers configure their own display areas, allowing the shopper to interact with the clothes in a holistic manner that takes you inside the designer’s world – as opposed to just picking through dresses hanging on a metal rack. Also, don’t miss the ground-floor café, Rose Bakery.
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Coney Island
Coney Island has a reputation as a circus-worthy tourist trap, which is exactly what it is. But you may be surprised by the old-timey charms of this beachfront American town. You’ll definitely be impressed by the food and drinks – Totonno's Pizza, Gargiulo's and Coney Island Brewery in particular. Locals and tourists hang out on the beach, eat ice cream cones on the promenade, and stand in line for the famed Cyclone roller coaster. The beach and boardwalk, along with spots like Nathan’s, are open year-round. The amusement park itself is seasonal. Events like the annual Mermaid Parade (crowded as they may be) are worth watching for the audacity and theatrics you can’t find anywhere else in the world but Coney Island.
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Washington Square Park
If people-watching is your sport, Washington Square Park is your place. Entertainment is a given in this intimate, not-quite 10-acre space, filled with career chess players, musicians, performers, students, sunbathers, strollers, and general throngs of Greenwich Villagers, desperate for a bit of fresh air. Take your time as you go through: Pause beneath Washington Arch, honouring our country’s first president (for whom the Park is named), and observe the laurel wreaths and intricate motifs that extend from the base to the keystones, atop which twin eagles perch like constant watchmen. Washington Square Park is the beating heart of this vibrant New York neighbourhood.
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The Metropolitan Museum of Art
For nearly a century and a half, the Met has remained the cultural epicentre of New York City, thanks to forward-thinking exhibits and an extensive permanent collection. With its Gothic-Revival-style building, iconic tiered steps, and Central Park location, the building is a sight to be seen. But step inside its Great Hall – as a ceaseless parade of museumgoers moves to and fro – and you’ll feel the overwhelming sense of possibility and discovery that lies beyond. If you've got limited time or compatriots with limited attention spans, start with the Temple of Dendur, a 2,000-year-old soaring Egyptian temple (the only complete one in the Western Hemisphere).
Nagamitsu EndoBlue Note Jazz Club
Blue Note has been one of the best jazz clubs in New York, and the world, since the 1980s. It offers music every night at 8pm and 10.30pm, and on Friday and Saturday nights, it has a late-night series at 12.30am, which showcases emerging talent. If you're looking to get a taste of jazz in NYC, you can do no better. Over the years, legendary musicians including Sarah Vaughan, Dizzy Gillespie, and Ray Charles have performed on the Blue Note Stage, as well as contemporary jazz acts such as Wynton Marsalis, Keith Jarrett, and Chris Botti. Tables are intimate, close-set, and all-ages (with the bar being 21-plus).
Courtesy GrowNYC/Union Square GreenmarketUnion Square Greenmarket
Union Square is a place of the people, not unlike the agoras of ancient Athens – and no offering of Union Square showcases this quality quite like the bustling Greenmarket. From upstate New York, the Berkshires, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, vendors sell artisan bread, honey, fresh-cut flowers, heritage meats, pastries, seasonal fruits and vegetables both common and uncommon, and much more. Don't miss the free events, like book signings and more: Cooking demos take place at the Market Information tent daily, beer and spirits pop-ups show seasonally, and the education station offers tours and tastings.
Ian Dagnall / Alamy Stock PhotoRockefeller Centre
Rockefeller Centre sits in the heart of midtown Manhattan, both in terms of its physical location and its prominent place in the city's folklore and culture. Whether you want to check out a performance on the plaza outside The Today Show, visit the Christmas tree, or practice your best moves on the ice skating rink, you're in for an iconic, family-friendly experience. If you buy a ticket to Top of the Rock, you'll enjoy spectacular views of the city below. No matter where you are, you're bound to be constantly pointing and shouting, “hey, look at that!”
Cecile Marion / Alamy Stock PhotoComedy Cellar
None of the promoters on MacDougal Street shouting “stand-up comedy tonight!” are trying to get you into the Comedy Cellar, where the show is already sold out. Blockbuster stars like Jerry Seinfeld and Eddie Murphy made their names at the Cellar; if you're lucky, one may show up the night you're there. Seating is intimate and close together, and there is a two-item minimum on food or drinks. It's 21-plus and be prepared to surrender your phone at the door, too. There's no bad seat in the house but sit in the front at your own risk of getting (playfully) heckled by the host or a comic.
AMNHD/FinninAmerican Museum of Natural History
Truly one of the world's great natural history museums, the American Museum of Natural History spans four city blocks just across from Central Park. All aspects of the natural world are represented here, from a vast collection of taxidermy mammals, to depictions of the life of Native American tribes, to an entire hall dedicated to marine life – including a life-size model of a blue whale. The crown jewel is the dinosaur floor, with an imposing Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton that dominates the room. The newest attraction comes in the form of the long-awaited Richard Gilder Centre for Science, Education, and Innovation, which opened in May of 2023 and, among many other things, boasts a comprehensive insectarium and vivarium. Breathtaking architecture from New York-based Jeanne Gang doesn't hurt, either.
Len Holsborg / Alamy Stock PhotoThe Strand Bookstore
With its towering stacks, filled with more than 2.5 million titles, this 94-year-old bookstore is less neighbourhood haunt and more globally recognised institution. You could call the Strand's employees tour guides, considering their deft ability to find the exact title you're looking for and recommend a book you may not have otherwise plucked from the shelves. The store will make you question why you don’t read more, and chances are you won’t leave empty-handed.
Julie Larsen MaherBronx Zoo
With more than 700 different animal species spread across 265 acres of parkland thoughtfully designed to mimic natural habitats, the Bronx Zoo is a great place to escape from Manhattan for the day, especially if you're travelling with kids. Don't miss the giraffe building, the Congo gorilla forest, the house of reptiles, the flamingos in the sea bird aviary, and the sea lions, who always make for an exciting show. If you're looking for a quiet and meditative way to spend a few hours, skip it. But if you want to blow the minds of a bunch of kids, you can do no better.