Fun ways to stay cool during NYC’s heat wave this week

Escape the stifling heat and do as a vampire might do—head underground to one of NYC’s coolest subterranean bars. Though some share a crossover speakeasy-style appeal, these bars are all literally underground, safely ensconced in basements where you can eschew the SPF and avoid the harsh light of day outside. As cool as they are chill, these are the best basement bars to beat the heat in NYC. 

If you're looking for an elevated pool experience, hanging poolside with a cocktail in hand is the answer. Several of New York’s finest hotels offer day passes for their rooftop pools, most of which include chaises and cabanas for lounging in addition to a full-service bar.

Take this toasty time to hang out in some of NYC’s best movie theaters. Maybe this is the perfect time to go to one you’ve never been in! From a bougie dine-in theater to an old-school classic, here’s our list of favorite theaters where you can soak up some AC in the summer heat.

It helps to have the sea breeze for sure, but there’s nothing like feeling the wind in your hair aboard one of the thrill rides in Coney Island, including on the Cyclone, the Thunderbolt, and the new Leti’s Treasure—a log flume ride that will operate with 12 flume boats and lifts riders up to 40 feet in the air before plunging down.

In the resonant words of A$AP Rocky, "The nails, the kilts, the pretty-boy swag, the pearls—I think it's just being comfortable. I just express myself with fashion, and what's fly is fly." What's fly is "Ice Cold: An Exhibition of Hip-Hop Jewelry" at the American Museum of Natural History, a new show that features dozens of incredible necklaces, rings, watches, chains, and more worn by some of the biggest names in music.

A few highlights include T-Pain's Big Ass Chain necklace, Ghostface Killah's eagle arm band, Nicki Minaj's Barbie pendant, Beyoncé's nail rings, Cardi B's nipple covers, and Slick Rick's crown. While the pieces are a sight to behold up-close, the exhibit carries a much deeper meaning, especially as New York City wraps up its 50 years of hip-hop celebrations.

Nothing beats a cold beer on a hot day. This summer, there's a fun new-ish spot to grab a cold one.

Popular Lower Manhattan brewery Torch & Crown has broght beloved brews to Union Square this summer with a pop-up in the historic Union Square Pavilion with a variety of hand-crafted drafts. In this open-air, dog-friendly space, you can order a beer while people-watching in the shade.

When it's this hot out, forget the outdoor sports. Instead, play some games indoors at at this new board game cafe near Union Square.

Filled with 500 games, Hex & Co.'s latest location is now open just south of Union Square at 801 Broadway (Broadway and East 11th in Greenwich Village) and ready for gamers of all fandoms. 

This is the third location for Hex & Co., joining fellow board game cafes in the Upper West Side and Upper East Side. It also joins sister stores The Uncommons in Greenwich Village and The Brooklyn Strategist in Carroll Gardens.

Our area’s finest water-top spots are an easy, breezy way to bottle a few drops of the yachting lifestyle without the high price and pesky barnacles that stow away on an actual watercraft. Mostly only open seasonally, they’re peak spring and summer destinations with the warm weather menus to match, all with a side of the sea. 

Be transported when you step inside The Woo Woo, which aims to evoke the 1980s and Times Square in those same, pre-Disney days with sex shops and speakeasies. These themes are executed with a combination of graffiti that reasonably approximates the style of the time, vintage nude mags and video tapes, rouge neon, throwback punk show posters and the whole password thing. 

If there's anywhere in New York that knows how to deli, it's Russ & Daughters. And if there's anywhere in New York that knows ice cream, it's Morgenstern’s Finest. So fittingly, the two local icons have come together to do what both do best to create the most New York sweet treat in recent memory. 

All summer, Russ & Daughters and Morgenstern’s are collaborating on a collection of NYC delicatessen-inspired ice creams, based on some of the classic Jewish comfort foods that you’d find down at the century-old Lower East Side appetizing shop: you know, stuff like bagels and halva and babka (chocolate always!).

Every Tuesday, this dreamy affair gives you an astronautworthy view of the stars from the high-powered telescopes of the Amateur Astronomers Association. And here we all thought we couldn't gaze at constellations in New York City! Stargazing at the High Line runs from sunset to 30 minutes before the park closes each Tuesday.

Just in case you're worried you'll have no idea what you are looking at, the AAA leads the star-spotting expeditions, pointing out celestial bodies above the park. Follow the High Line’s Twitter feed (@highlinenyc) for updates in the event of inclement weather.

Ice cream is at the center of this 20,000-square-foot museum that'll make the cold treat even more fun (who knew it'd even be possible?). Across 13 multi-sensory installations, visitors to the museum will be able to interact with fun elements like a three-story indoor slide and the all-pink Celestial Subway.

Even better: The sweet treats along the way. Yes, we're talking about unlimited ice cream throughout the museum. For adults, check out some fun themed cocktails as well.

Descend into a "crazy mini-golf course" and entertainment complex straight from London with three nine-hole golf courses across 23,000 square feet under 20-foot-high ceilings.

"Crazy golf" is a British spin on mini-golf, but it's for a 21-and-over audience since craft cocktails are served by caddies on the course. At Swingers NoMad, expect six cocktail bars with signature classic cocktails from London and D.C., as well as 12 cocktails created specifically for NYC, private rooms you can rent, an opulent clubhouse and several gourmet street food vendors.

Spend a few hours indoors belting your heart out at Ms. Kim's, a K-town karaoke lounge from Korean beauty entrepreneur Anna Kim that combines sophisticated style with sing-alongs. Ms. Kim's offers both communal space and soundproof private karaoke rooms, so guests can customize their experience as it suits their needs.

In the main lounge and bar, mixologist-approved cocktails take the place of the ubiquitous karaoke bar beer pitcher. Ingredients in the signature drinks, which start at $16, include butterfly pea flower, herbal infused syrups and top shelf spirits. Fine wine is sold by the glass or bottle, and beer is available on tap or by the bottle. For soju, the 46-proof Hwayo - 23° is available by the 375 mL bottle. 

When it's this hot out, you've got to plan your fun for after sunset—and Rooftop Cinema Club delivers.

Take your movie-going experience to the next level this summer at Rooftop Cinema Club. The experience offers a chance to watch a movie on a Midtown rooftop with vegan popcorn, classic theater candy, and craft cocktails.

This season's rooftop movie schedule includes classics like When Harry Met Sally, Dirty Dancing, Grease, Mean Girls, Clueless, and so much more. Get tickets here.

Ever wanted to touch one of the dresses at the Met? Or how about smell it? At last, now's your chance. 

The museum's new exhibit, "Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion," takes a multi-sensory approach allowing visitors to smell, touch, and hear the clothing, not just look at it. With more than 200 garments from the 1600s to today, the exhibition is the largest and most ambitious in the Costume Institute's history in terms of range and scope.

The show's on view all summer and you can stay cool in the a/c while checking it out.

The beloved Century 21 store is back in Lower Manhattan with cool temperatures and hot clothes. 

With 100,000 square feet spread across four floors, this discount retailer at 22 Cortland Street is a shopper's paradise. The newly reopened flagship sits in the exact same location as its predecessor, right across from the World Trade Center.

Starting from the basement level, you’ll find shoes, luggage and kids’ clothing. On the main level, there’s a wide array of handbags (including YSL and Louis Vuitton), sunglasses (including Raybans), fragrances and belts. Keep climbing the escalator and you’ll get to the women’s floor on two, then the men’s floor on three. 

Art nerds can’t wait until the Whitney Biennial, which happens every two years. It’s always a gigantic showcase of some of the coolest, newest, and most provocative art at a big New York City museum. It’s the Whitney Museum of American Art’s landmark exhibition series and the longest-running survey of American Art, on view through August 11.

This year, the Biennial is themed “Even Better Than The Real Thing” and features the work of 71 artists and collectives. It does a lot in this iteration. The survey examines rapidly advancing technologies and machine learning tools; the body and subjectivity as it pertains to queer identity, body sovereignty, motherhood, the aging body, and the trans body; material agency and the use of unstable media; and lots more.

Overarching is the focus on “the real,” an extremely present topic these days with the onslaught of incorrect ChatGPT answers, horrifying deep fakes and art made by AI. 

We love ice cream in all its forms—and all year round. Though we’ll happily partake any time, ice cream is a true joy in the summertime. New York City has an abundance of options for when you can’t catch the Mister Softee truck. These are our favorite classic, offbeat, unique and traditional ice cream offerings to help you cool down this season.

It might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think about summer in the city, but when you need to beat the heat, why not give free kayaking in NYC a try? We’ve got plenty of water, from the Hudson River to the East River.

There are many organizations around the city that aim to reconnect urbanites to nature and the aquatic ecosystems that surround us. Groups of boaters and paddling enthusiasts lead small groups around New York’s waterways, offering a cool, relaxing and educational adventure. Best of all? It’s free!

As the Revolutionary War came to a close, British Loyalists and soldiers evacuated the colonies in droves. But the evacuation was more complicated for Black Loyalists, some of whom joined the British cause in response to offers of freedom. 

In 1783, the new government formed a special committee to review the eligibility of some Black Loyalists to evacuate with the British Army, and that committee met at Fraunces Tavern in Lower Manhattan. A new permanent exhibit at the Fraunces Tavern Museum explores this important moment in history. 

It's all indoors, so you can stay out of the heat and grab lunch in the tavern afterwards.

Now you can actually look forward to going to JFK International Aiport because of this gorgeous, completely renovated TWA Terminal, which serves as a hotel, food-and-drink and convention destination. The interior of Eero Saarinen’s landmark 1962 building exudes 1960s chic with 512 guest rooms that offer views of JFK’s runways, a Jean-Georges Vongerichten restaurant, a rooftop pool and an observation deck. 

New Jersey’s Atlantic City now has a special distinction—it is home to the world’s largest indoor beachfront waterpark.

Visitors to the casino haven can head to Showboat—a family-friendly resort with the largest arcade in the world, go-kart racing, minigolf, roller skating and more—to the new ISLAND Waterpark.

At 120,000 square feet, ISLAND Waterpark holds more than 317,000 gallons of water that cascades down 11 curvy slides (the Electric Eel, Sonic Serpent and Barracuda Blaster), three “Tidal Racers” and five waterslides suitable for younger visitors at Slide Island.

If you’re going to be stuck inside, it might as well be somewhere that’s quirky, entertaining or transformative. NYC has a fair share of themed restaurants that fill that niche, such as a grandma’s house-themed diner, a roller skating-themed bar and a cat-themed cafe. We have a list so you can pick your next adventure.

If you want to feel like you’re in a tropical paradise, head to Jamaica—the one in Queens, that is. Yacht Rock Charters is offering rides on their schooner, a sailing vessel that looks like it was plucked straight out of a history documentary, as well as their Tiki Boat called the RockTiki.

According to captain Jarad Astin, RockTiki is NYC’s first-ever tiki boat. As temperatures warm up, it's ready to take you on one of the most unique experiences you can have in NYC.

RockTiki and the schooner sail out of Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, which is a much chiller experience than what you might find sailing along the city’s river or beaches. Jamaica Bay offers plenty of opportunities to see wildlife, and it’s an important stop on the migration path for many birds along the Eastern seaboard. If you get lucky, you’ll be able to see osprey, white ibis, peregrine falcons, and more.