26 great local things to do

Olly Olly Market is the new food hall and marketplace in the heart of Chelsea! Located on the ground floor of the landmark Starrett-Lehigh building, the market serves as a community gathering place and professional cultural hub spanning 17,000 square feet. Local and internationally recognized chefs are serving up globally-inspired dishes, from Mexican street food classics to fast-casual Italian rotisserie, surrounded by artistic installations.

There is also a 5,000 square foot exhibition space, which is currently featuring the Jean-Michel Basquiat: King Pleasure exhibit. With all of these offerings under one roof, Olly Olly Market is sure to become your crew's new favorite hangout spot in the city.

Head to St. Mark’s Comedy Club for a diverse calendar of comedy programming! Located in the heart of NYC on St. Mark’s in the East Village, the venue offers shows in English, Spanish, Mandarin, Urdu and more. The space serves as the only Latin-owned and vegan comedy club in NYC. From the Black Women in Comedy festival to the Very Big Very Asian Comedy Festival, you’re sure to enjoy a bevy of laughs, drinks and snacks in this speakeasy-style space.

Here at Time Out, we love a name that throws you off. Whatever you think Swingers is gonna be, we promise you that’s not it. This Swingers club is of the crazy golf kind. (Get it?). If you’re no more enlightened, crazy golf is a British term for mini-golf with a little more edge—think wild routes, obstacles, windmills and more. Swingers opened its first club in London, and is now a hit in D.C. 

Their new NYC lcation, Swingers NoMad, is located beneath the Virgin Hotel at 29th Street and Broadway. But it’s not just the golf that will make you say ‘Oh yeah!’—the venue is serving up authentic cocktails, premium spirits, beers and wine, as well as a whole array of street food. Choose from Sauce Pizzeria, serving up classic New York thin crust pies from vodka and pepperoni, Tacos Fonda’s punchy Mexican, and Emmy Squared Burger which is a concept by Emmy Squared Pizza that is exclusive to Swingers. There’s even Mah Ze Dahr bakery to get your cookies and ice cream fix after. Oh, and there’s a DJ. 

Either show up and see where the night takes you, or choose from one of Swingers’ four crazy golf packages, from the humble two-person golf-and-drinks for $53pp to the premium for $112, including golf, drinks, food, dessert, your own table and your own tee off time. General admission is $22pp for nine rounds, or $26pp during peak times. 

Murray’s Cheese has been New York City’s most famed and beloved, vast and varied dairy purveyor since it first opened in Greenwich Village decades ago. Today, it has additional locations in and outside of Manhattan, as well as availability via large retailers throughout the United States. 

Here at home, you can still consult Murray’s top cheesemongers at its charming Bleecker Street shop, Grand Central outpost and Long Island City locale for samples, including proprietary cave-aged varieties prepared right here in town. They’ll also help you match your picks to charcuterie, jams, spreads and crackers for a veritable feast you can source all in one spot.  

You can even learn a bit of the trade at Murray’s downtown flagship via burrata and mozzarella-making classes, or lessons on wine and cheese pairings. The classic address also hosts a mac and cheese pop-up, replete with that titular item, sandwich melts and cheese flights, among other menu items.

If you’re looking for an unforgettable way to unlock a whole new level of leadership, The Squadron is just the place for you and your team. This cutting edge center for excellence is turning management training into an activity that everyone will enjoy by putting you directly into the cockpit for a simulated F-35 flight. Through various levels of training and interactive experiences you’ll leave with a newfound sense of personal excellence that will elevate your daily interactions in and out of the office. Find more information on how to book your first flight today on The Squadron’s website or read this article on Time Out.

A hub for writers, scholars, students, teachers and readers of biography, the Leon Levy Center for Biography at CUNY’s Graduate Center builds connections between independent and university-affiliated biographers across disciplines. 

With a variety of events and public programs available for book lovers to explore, the Leon Levy Center for Biography cultivates discussions about the art and craft of biography historically and in our time.

Through innovative programs and classes, guests are invited to explore the diversity that is Jewish culture and tradition. Find live music, book recommendations, political conversations and theater all under one roof at the Streicker Cultural Center. Find a full calendar of events on its website and follow along on Instagram for the latest updates!

Collina Italiana serves as the leading Italian language and cultural center on the Upper East Side. Both adults and kids can learn Italian in a friendly, welcoming atmosphere.

You’ll get a well-rounded schooling in the language, including pronunciation, reading, writing and speaking. Conversation classes and speaking practice are available too. A little nervous about jumping into a new language? Grab an espresso or prosecco during class and you’ll feel right at home.

Kids’ classes include arts & crafts, singing, dancing, games and more tools to help them learn the language (weekend workshops, school holiday camps and summer camps are available too).

Dive deeper into the culture with courses covering Italian art, literature, music and… mmm… cuisine. Wine tastings, book clubs and lectures are available too. Prepare for your next trip to Italy or just feel like you’re there for a while — browse Colina Italiana’s full calendar of events and sign up for classes on their website below.

This 90-minute crash course in acting gets everyone on stage in an Off-Broadway theater and each guest gets to become a star for the night. Expert instructors will pair students off with partners and hand over the pages of a scene from an iconic NYC sitcom or movie, offering tips along the way to help performers conquer stage fright and discover their inner actor with a little help from liquid courage. 

Act & Sip is perfect for a solo adventure, date night, bachelorette or birthday party or even just a fun night with friends. Try something new and get out of your comfort zone! Meet new people and try something new and out of your comfort zone all while discovering the inner actor within you! No previous acting experience required, guests must be over 21 to attend. 

This art workshop/studio offers “art that rocks the soul,” and certainly provides a wide variety of avenues for both adults and kids to test that proposition. Want to learn how to paint a portrait of your beloved pet? There’s a class for that. Create a masterpiece from a selfie? Ditto. There are also courses in creating abstract art with poured paint, painting wood signs as mementos and sipping wine while working at the easel. Kids can be signed up for after school sessions or painting parties. The Paint Place is also available for corporates events, including mural team building.

So much more than an incredible photo-op, The Escape Game is a live 60-minute immersive adventure. Choose the theme of your experience, be it a 1950s prison or an art heist, then follow clues and solve puzzles against the clock. You can play as a family, group of friends, couple, or just a keen riddle-solver. 

The games are designed in-house from scratch by dedicated artists, prop experts, and engineers, with storylines that never turn out quite as you'd expect—so prepare for a few curveballs. Epic for all who want to play, The Escape Game is accessible to all ages and expert levels, so head over and see if you've got what it takes to finish your mission in time.

P&T Knitwear is the only free podcast studio in NYC and also serves as an independent bookstore, event space and cafe. The name comes from the Lower East Side knitwear shop opened by the owner's grandfather back in 1952 on Orchard Street and embodies the community-oriented space that now carries the namesake. Stop in to pick up signed books from local authors, drink a coffee in amble stadium-style seating or visit for one of their events that take place nearly every weeknight.

Between 1876 and 1924, millions of Italians immigrated to America. Among them was a man called Antonio Veniero, who settled in New York City and opened his own cafe in 1894. It's here that he sold candy, espresso, and biscotti – all homemade, naturally.

Over the years, the Veniero family has placed greater focus on cakes and expanded the premises, but the Veniero's traditional essence remains. Yes, you can still grab a great cup of Joe and freshly baked biscotti here. But you really should allow yourself to be lured in by gorgeous cakes, cannoli, and deliciously creamy deep-dish cheesecake behind the counter.

Then pull up a chair at one of the charming wooden tables and savor your purchase while marveling at the Neapolitan glass ceiling and Italian renaissance art decorating the walls. And if it's so good that you simply cannot wait to return, you can order Veniero’s online with nationwide shipping. Who says you can't have a cannoli kit to yourself?

On Location Tours makes the dream of "set-jetting" a reality with their unique tours of popular NYC filming locations. Each of their guides are local actors and actresses who provide behind-the-scenes insider information and trivia about the different locations featured on the tour. Explore iconic sites like the apartment building from Friends, Carrie Bradshaw's apartment stoop from Sex and the City, the Met Steps from Gossip Girl and more! The tours are about two and a half hours long and available seven days a week. Find all the information you need to book at their website.

While Temple Emanu-El is best known as a synagogue, it's also a destination for variety of socially engaging events open to all. The progressive, multicultural and multigenerational Jewish community space offers classes for new parents (and grandparents), enrichment programs for babies and toddlers, social events for young professionals. Keep an eye on its social calendar for upcoming concerts, book readings, films, art and more.