A dancer does a leap inside an art museum.
Photograph: Natasha Moustache, Courtesy of The Whitney
Photograph: Natasha Moustache, Courtesy of The Whitney

The best things to do in NYC this week

The best things to do in NYC this week include The Brooklyn Museum's birthday, We Belong Here music festival, the Edges of Ailey exhibit, a manga meetup, and a Game of Thrones Auction.

Rossilynne Skena Culgan
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If you’re looking for the best things to do in NYC this week, or even for today, there are tons of fun options, including The Brooklyn Museum's birthday, We Belong Here music festival, the Edges of Ailey exhibit, a manga meetup, a Game of Thrones Auction and awesome free events in NYC! For more ideas, scroll down to see this week's best things to do in NYC.

RECOMMENDED: Full list of the best things to do in New York

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Time Out Market New York

We’ve packed all our favorite restaurants under one roof at the Time Out Market New York. The DUMBO location in Empire Stores has fried chicken from Jacob’s Pickles, pizza from Fornino, inventive ice cream flavors from Sugar Hill Creamery and more amazing eateriesall cherry-picked by us. Chow down over two floors with views of the East River, Brooklyn Bridge and Manhattan skyline.

Best things to do in NYC this week

  • Things to do
  • Events & Festivals

Anime lovers residing in New York, rejoice! This fall, Kodansha, one of Japan's largest publishers of manga, will debut a special immersive pop-up experience dedicated to all things anime at 45 Grand Street near West Broadway in Lower Manhattan.

Kodansha House: Where Manga Meets will officially open on October 4 and welcome guests on Wednesdays to Sundays between noon and 9pm through the end of October.

There will be lots to do at the pop-up, with activities and programming spanning in form and topic.

  • Art
  • Art

The Brooklyn Museum is gearing up to celebrate its 200th anniversary, and it’ll come in hot with a year-long lineup of special events, exhibits and programming starting in October. 

The celebrations will kick off on Friday, October 4, with an exhibition highlighting the contributions of Brooklyn artists throughout the years and on Saturday, October 5, it’s hosting a special edition of First Saturdays, their popular monthly event series. The kickoff celebrations will also include special performances and local vendors. 

The 200th anniversary celebration will come with more changes and renovations to the museum, including an expansion of the first-floor gift shop. Check out the museum’s website for more information and updates on programming.

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  • Music
  • Music

Headliners Fisher, Kaskade and Monolink are coming to NYC this fall for We Belong Here, a brand new music festival at Central Park's historic Wollman Rink. The festival is happening Friday, October 4 until Sunday, October 6, and it's definitely one that was worthy of the hype.

Even though we're all excited about Kaskade, don't sleep on the other headliners: Monolink is a Berlin-based DJ whose melodic techno and captivating live performances have earned him a cult following with underground music enthusiasts. Fisher, the Australian house DJ, has an upbeat sound characterized by powerful bass lines and vocal samples that have earned him multiple Grammy nominations.  

You can register your email and get first access to festival tickets here

  • Things to do
  • Festivals

Oktoberfestthe annual autumnal celebration anchored in Munich, Germany, with satellite festivities all over the globe—is now underway. Lucky for you, New York City hosts some of the best boozy, musical sausage fests in the world.

This year’s events include weeks-long waterside parties, brewery bashes and even lobster-fueled feasts—all with plenty of German (and local!) beer to start your fall eating and drinking plans out right. Here's where to keep the party going all season long.

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  • Dance
  • Burlesque

In the 22nd edition of Thirsty Girl Productions' world-renowned festival, burlesque artists from around the world pull out the stops (and tassels) to showcase the finest the art form has to offer on four successive nights. 

More than 100 eye-popping performances from international leading burlesque and variety entertainers fill the stages at four nightclubs. The festival typically brings together over 2,500 enthusiastic audience members for live music, DJs, circus performers, and, of course, burlesque and boylesque. Plus, expect a shopping boutique with custom corsets, pasties, hair ornaments, vintage dresses, lingerie, couture gloves and more.

The festival kicks off on Thursday, October 3 with The Teaser Party at 3 Dollar Bill. Then there's The Premiere Party at Brooklyn Bowl on October 4 at Brooklyn Bowl, followed by The Saturday Spectacular at Sony Hall on October 5. The fest wraps up with The Golden Pastie Awards at Le Poisson Rouge on October 6.

Visit the festival website for a full list of performers. 

  • Art

Edges of Ailey is the first large-scale museum exhibition to reflect on the life, work and legacy of the visionary artist Alvin AileyAiley founded his eponymous dance company in 1958, creating a platform for modern dance through his innovative repertoire and the unflinching support of other dancers and choreographers. His creative pursuits even extended far beyond dance.

"I wanted to paint. I made watercolors. I wanted to sculpt. I wrote poetry. I wanted to write the great American novel," he said.  

This multimedia cross-disciplinary exhibition—presented in the museum’s 18,000+ square-foot fifth-floor galleries—brings together painting, sculpture, photography, drawings, print, and video made before, during, and after the artist's lifetime (1931-1989). It crystallizes his incredible influence on the contemporary art world and establishes him as one of the great polymaths and earliest, most celebrated multi-hyphenates of the 20th century. 

The exhibition's artworks are assembled thematically around the most persistent ideas in Alvin's choreography—namely, a Southern imaginary spanning the American South, Brazil, the Caribbean and West Africa; Black spirituality from candomblé and vodou to the Black Baptist and Pentecostal traditions; the conditions that instigated the experience of Black migration to the Western and Northern United States; the necessity for and resilience of an intersectional Black liberation; the prominence of Black women in Ailey’s life and work; the remarkable breadth, innovation and experimentation of Black music and the myriad forms of Blackness in dance. Seen together for the first time, the exhibition portrays artworks and ideas that have been an enduring inspiration for Black artists for nearly two centuries. 

See it from September 25, 2024-February 9, 2025 at The Whitney.

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  • Things to do
  • Weird & Wonderful

Each year, the Amazing Maize Maze's shape changes, and this year, it's designed like a butterfly. The species starts their life cycle on the farm's milkweed plants before they migrate nearly 3,000 miles to Mexico every year. The maze is not only a fun family activity this year, but also an homage to a threatened species that we should all protect.

You can visit the Amazing Maize Maze at the Queens County Farm Museum every Friday through Sunday until October 26. Tickets are $14 for adults and $10 for children ages 4-11. Entry is free for children under 3 years old. Online tickets are required before you visit and you can get them through their website

  • Art

Just Do It. Er, Just Frame It. That's the motto of this exhibition at Poster House, a museum in Chelsea that's dedicated to posters. 

"Just Frame It: How Nike Turned Sports Stars into Superheroes" explores how one company paved the way for modern sports advertising. During the 20th century, it became a rite of passage for a professional athlete to cement their icon status by having their persona memorialized on a Nike poster. Today, in an age where athletes’ images are much more accessible and "just like us," these 60 posters may seem quaint—but they’re also larger-than-life and undeniably entertaining, just like the stars they depict.

Photographers featured in the exhibit include Chuck Kuhn, Bob Peterson, Gary Nolton, Ancil Nance, John Terence Turner, Chuck Rodgers, Harry De Zitter, Bill Sumners, Jean Moss, Pete Stone, Richard Noble, Cliff Watts, and Peggy Sirota. See it from September 26, 2024-February 23, 2025.

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  • Things to do
  • City Life

Get a chance to feel like you're inside the mind of the one and only Tim Burton. The New York Botanical Garden is hosting the worldwide debut of a new light trail entirely inspired by the 1993 classic Disney film Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas.

The trail is comprised of over 8,300 square feet of light installations with interactive video projections, intelligent LED lighting and 3D printed sculptures of the film's iconic characters. 

The outdoor adventure runs through November 30; get tickets here

  • Art

It's a different world for politicans trying to make a name for themselves nowadays. TikToks, Instagram posts and televised debates are the method du jour. But back in the 1800s, books made Abraham Lincoln.

He became a lawyer through self-disciplined study, won the White House through the concurrent rise of American popular publishing, and remains one of the most written about figures over the 160 years since his death. "Abraham Lincoln: His Life in Print" uses original printings of books and ephemera to create a sweeping, conceptual portrait of the man.

The exhibition features important editions of Lincoln’s greatest accomplishments, including the Emancipation Proclamation, the Gettysburg Address, the Cooper Union Speech, his debates with Stephen A. Douglass, and many others. More than 150 objects describe the life of Lincoln as he was born in the American West, captivated by literature, shaped by the portentous 1850s, tested by the American Civil War, responsible for the end of slavery, and murdered and mourned at the age of 56.

See it Grolier Club September 25-December 28; it's free and open to the public.

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  • Things to do

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Latin Grammys, the Paley Center has unveiled a free exhibit in heart of Manhattan that commemorates the best moments of the iconic awards ceremony throughout the years. Get a chance to gawk at some of the most memorable outfits from the Latin Grammys, marvel at some of the most iconic musical instruments used at the award show—yes, including Shakira's pink jewel-encrusted Fender guitar and harmonica—and bask in Latin Grammy trophies from years past.

For Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs until October 13, the Paley Center will also host screenings of moments when Hispanic actors and musicians ruled pop culture, including a 1999 Celia Cruz concert, a 2010 Dora the Explorer episode, and a screening of the beloved Chico and the Man. For tickets and full programming, visit the Paley Center's website

  • Art

On view at the International Center of Photography (ICP) this fall through January 6, 2025, We Are Here: Scenes from the Streets will spotlight contemporary street photography from over 30 international iconic street photographers, including Devin Allen, Shoichi Aoki, Farnaz Damnabi, Debrani Das, Romuald Hazoumè, Youcef Krache, Josué Rivas, Randa Shaath, Jamel Shabazz, Trevor Stuurman, Alexey Titarenko, and Nontsikelelo Veleko. The exhibit is an in-depth exploration of contemporary life in diverse public and community spaces, with some photos dating back to the 1970s.

“We Are Here invites viewers to confront the richness and complexities of our modern, multifaceted life, emphasizing our shared humanity beyond geographic and cultural divides,” said curator Isolde Brielmaier. “Today’s world moves fleetingly, but these images prove that though circumstances might change, humanity is not going anywhere; the stories of our lives will remain.”

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  • Things to do
  • City Life

When Robert A. Caro's The Power Broker was first published 50 years ago, the book's release was met with great anticipation. Excerpts in The New Yorker gained lots of attention—including from the biography's subject, NYC government official Robert Moses, who described the deeply researched book as "venomous." Even so, it was impossible to predict whether a 700,000-word biography would resonate with readers. 

The book quickly earned acclaim, winning the Pulitzer Prize and finding a home on bookshelves across America, especially among New Yorkers. Now, five decades later, the monumental work still resonates for its look at NYC’s past and the lessons it holds for our future. The book and its tenacious author are the subject of a new exhibit at New-York Historical Society Museum & Library titled “Robert Caro’s The Power Broker at 50." See it at the Upper West Side museum through February 2, 2025. 

  • Things to do
  • City Life

This is a rare opportunity: Game of Thrones fans are invited to look through over 2,000 costumes, props and set decorations from the show now on display at Heritage Auctions at 445 Park Avenue by 57th Street.

“Game of Thrones: The Auction,” which is open now through October 4, showcases props and costumes for nearly every character and episode of the series, basically offering an object-fueled timeline of the iconic HBO show.

On October 10, the lot will be up for auction. That’s right: a lucky buyer will get to own Jon Snow’s Valyrian steel sword, Jaime Lannister’s golden hand or even the melted Iron Throne.

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  • Things to do
  • Events & Festivals

After the sun goes down, the Bronx Zoo will light up this fall with more than 5,000 animal-themed jack-o’-lanterns in incredible displays. Officially called Pumpkin Nights, this festivity is back for its second year after a popular debut in 2023. 

Expect to see intricately carved jack-o'-lanterns set up in different animal ecosystem scenes, such as the Amazon rainforest, Himalayas, Congo, bioluminescent deep-sea, an African Savanna waterhole and many more. Pumpkin Nights will be held on select dates through October 27 with tickets on sale here

This year's festivities include an expanded and enhanced jack-o'-lantern trail that stretches for half a mile. As you walk through the experience, you'll be met with atmospheric sounds, music, costumed characters, fog, bubbles and colored lights. Last year's carved creations included a furry bear, a wrinkly elephant and a dramatically decorated leopard.

  • Things to do
  • Events & Festivals

What does Jimmy Fallon dream about? Coming up with bits for The Tonight Show? Rocking out with his band, The Roots? Or perhaps something more sinister? 

At this new Halloween experience called Jimmy Fallon's Tonightmares, you can peek inside the mind of the renowned host. This haunted maze experience at Rockefeller Center is open now with 10 chilling rooms, each featuring one of Jimmy Fallon’s spine-tingling nightmares. Tickets are on sale now for about $37/person.

The maze features a cornfield with killer scarecrows, an abandoned subway with not-so-human-like creatures, and even a performance from a zombie boy band, making for a truly thrilling evening. Those brave enough to enter can expect an immersive experience with terrifying sets, practical effects and scares behind every corner.

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  • Things to do
  • Literary events
  • Williamsburg

Need some writing inspo? Gather with fellow writers for this unique writing prompt series that takes place every Tuesday in the back of Pete’s Candy Store.

The event kicks off with a guest lecturer who reads a piece of literature meant to inspire and serve as a springboard for writers. Everyone has 30-45 minutes to write and can share what they come up with if they want to. 

The free event meets at 5pm every Tuesday.

  • Art
  • Art

You might want to reroute to Penn Station for the next few weeks to gaze at the new large scale sculptures by artists Chitra Ganesh and Eirini Linardaki. Ganesh's new work was commissioned by Amtrak and it is called Regeneration.

It features natural elements created in a graphic style that evokes comic books. The plants depicted have deep spiritual significance: the Welwitschia, for example, represents resilience in some southern African cultures. The sculpture also features some plants that you might find in New York City, like dandelions and irises. 

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  • Eating

You may just miss Hell’s Kitchen’s latest lounge. Tucked away off 52nd Street and 8th Avenue, you’ll find a red light and a blue door marked with red graffiti of a martini and a piano. Once the light flicks on, duck inside to find the city’s latest piano bar and supper club. Follow the red light to So & So’s Piano Bar. A part of the Romer Hell’s Kitchen hotel, the piano bar and supper club is an ideal escape for locals and theater industry vets alike. Illuminated by stunning marquee lights, the stage will host up-and-coming local acts alongside Broadway legends, and has already been graced by Darren Criss and Noah Cyrus.

  • Things to do
  • Events & Festivals

Carving a jack-o'-lantern may be a time-honored American tradition for many, but nobody—and we mean nobody—does pumpkin carving quite like Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze. Every fall, pumpkins aplenty decorate two locations of this festive, family-friendly attraction. This year promises thousands of intricately carved jack-o'-lanterns in mesmerizing displays, plus dazzling new experiences in honor of the event’s founding 20 years ago. It’s worth traveling outside NYC for.

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  • Things to do
  • Events & Festivals

Fancy gowns and celebrity outfits are no strangers to museum collections. But the everyday clothing found in closets across America typically gets overlooked by fashion exhibits.

A new show coming to the New-York Historical Society, titled "Real Clothes, Real Lives: 200 Years of What Women Wore,” changes that. The newly announced exhibit will feature everyday women’s clothing from the past two centuries, including a well-worn Depression-era house dress, a college girl’s psychedelic micro mini, and an Abercrombie & Fitch wool suit bought off-the-rack in NYC in 1917 that was remade into a Relief uniform worn behind enemy lines in France. See the exhibition from September 27, 2024, to June 22, 2025.

  • Things to do
  • DUMBO

Start your weekend off right at Time Out Market New York’s stunning rooftop! Friday Night Vibes gets the party going on the fifth floor at 7pm with tunes from DJ Stretch (on the first and third Friday of every month) and DJ Price Is Right (on the second and fourth Friday).

Dance the night away with specialty cocktails from the Market’s awesome bar and grab bites from one of two dozen kitchens including, Jacob’s Pickles, Bark Barbecue and Wayla. Enjoy it all to the incredible views of the East River, the NYC skyline and the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges. 

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  • Things to do
  • City Life

The Only Murders in the Building Escape Game, created by Hulu and The Escape Game, is now open in NYC.

The escape room will be inspired by season four of the comedy series. Just like the comedic crew trying to solve mysteries on the screen, escape room participants will try to solve a mystery as well. Prepare for hidden bookcase doorways, secret passageways and immersive elements that reflect key aspects of the show’s characters and storylines.

During this hour-long experience, you’ll need to use problem-solving skills to uncover the latest secrets of the Arconia’s residents. Expect to interact with familiar props and discover Easter eggs from the show.

  • Shopping
  • Shopping & Style

When Barneys closed back in 2020, the fashion world at large mourned the big loss, so we expect everyone to rejoice at the fact that the popular department store is making a very NYC-like comeback, debuting a five-week-only pop-up in Soho now through early October.

The activation, which honors the start of New York Fashion Week and pays homage to the store's original downtown location (it eventually moved to Madison Avenue by 61st Street on the Upper East), will run through October 11 at 14 Prince Street by Elizabeth Street.

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  • Things to do
  • City Life

One hundred life-size elephants have appeared in the Meatpacking District through October 2024 as part of “The Great Migration,” a global fundraising effort to uplift Indigenous voices and motivate the human race to share space with their animal neighbors. 

Each elephant is created by The Coexistence Collective, a group of 200 indigenous artists from the Bettakurumba, Paniya, Kattunayakan and Soliga communities of India’s Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, Tamil Nadu. Over the past five years, the collective has made sure each elephant is perfectly detailed to give life to each animal sculpture, drawing from both their own experience and generational knowledge of nature and wildlife. 

  • Things to do

Explore the extraordinary life of Lord Byronthe famous scribe known for his lengthy narratives Don Juan and Childe Harold's Pilgrimage—at this new exhibition at the New York Public Library’s Stephen A. Schwarzman Building.

Running through January 12, the collection of personal letters, literary manuscripts, illustrated biographies, paintings, prints, and even wine bills traces Byron’s movements, from his youth in Aberdeen, to his sudden fame after the publication of Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage, to his death in Greece at the age of 36. 

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  • Things to do
  • Events & Festivals

Recording the Ride: The Rise of Street-Style Skate Videos“ will honor DIY filmmaking with videos, vintage skate decks and other objects related to the formative years of the skate video in the 1980s and 1990s.

See it in Astoria through January 26, 2025. The videos circulated among skaters and in skate shops serving as both inspiration and instruction. They became a form of proto social media that knitted the community together. Skating and skating videos became linked as complementary forms or artistic expression.

  • Drinking

Any New Yorker who has melted their brain by watching daylong marathons of The Real Housewives, Below Deck and Vanderpump Rules (guilty!) has been waiting for this day: New York is finally getting a Bravo-inspired bar. 

Now through Sunday, October 6 at Selene (11 Hanover Square), you can sip on a Mazel Mule, a Physically Shaking Margarita or a Pumptini—that Vanderpump classic—while you recreate memorable Bravo moments in photo opps, show off your Bravo knowledge in trivia games and peruse a historical archive of real-deal Bravo artifacts.

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  • Museums

The legendary Shirley Chisholm is deservedly getting a major museum presentation courtesy of the Museum of the City of New York and the Shirley Chisholm Project at Brooklyn College. Running through July 20, 2025, Changing the Face of Democracy: Shirley Chisholm at 100 will delve into the life and legacy of the native New Yorker and barrier-breaking politician, who was the first Black woman elected to Congress and the first woman to run for president on a major party ticket.

Marking the centennial of the late Chisholm’s birth, her first major exhibition will take over the museum's second-floor North Gallery and tell the multi-dimensional story of the American icon in three sections—Brooklyn Life, Political Career, and Legacy—using historical artifacts, photographs, archival footage, and art pieces.

  • Theater & Performance

You might not know who Cellino and Barnes are, but you can definitely recite their law firm's phone number by heart. 

Ross Cellino Jr. and Steve Barnes founded their personal injury law firm in Buffalo, New York back in 1998. The pair quickly rose to prominence after their distinctive jingle—"Cellino and Barnes, injury attorneys, call 1-800-888-8888"—basically turned them into Internet celebrities.

That history, including what led to the dissolution of the company, is the subject of the Off Broadway dark comedy Cellino V. Barnes, running at Asylum NYC (123 East 24th Street by Lexington Avenue) through October 13. Tickets for Cellino V. Barnes are available here

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  • Art
  • Art

A grove of citrus trees growing in Manhattan’s Meatpacking District would be unusual enough. But a grove of live citrus trees growing inside a Meatpacking District museum is even more surprising.  

Astonishingly, 18 citrus trees are now in bloom inside the Whitney Museum of American Art, and you can walk through the grove on the museum’s eighth floor through January 1, 2025. The exhibition, “Survival Piece #5: Portable Orchard,” was conceived in 1972 by Helen Mayer Harrison and Newton Harrison. This groundbreaking eco-art project is on view at a museum for the first time since its debut more than 50 years ago.

Over the course of the exhibition, the living sculptures will change and grow harvestable fruit that will be used in public programs.

Smorgasburg, the food bazaar spectacular, is back for 2024 with dozens of great local vendors across four locations.

In fact, with more than 70 vendors, it's the largest Smorgasburg lineup since 2018! Vendors this year will serve up fragrant Ethiopian stews, Hawaii-style street comforts, explosive pani puri, potato puff poutine, and lots more.

Smorgasburg WTC runs on Fridays; Williamsburg is on Saturdays; and Prospect Park is on Sundays. Each location is open from 11am-6pm and operates weekly through October. 

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  • Art
  • Art

Ocean noise, chemical pollution, climate change and sea level rise are words that often appear in the news. But these important concepts can be hard to make sense of—or to understand at all.

That's where artist Jenny Kendler comes in. Her new exhibit, Other of Pearl, confronts these pressing environmental issues in ways that feel more accessible with stirring whale songs, incredible pearl sculptures, a crystalline whale eye cast with human tears, and more. You can see these powerful works for free on Wednesdays-Sundays from 10am-5pm now through October on Governors Island. 

Seven intimate, delicate works are displayed in the cavernous, subterranean magazine of historic Fort Jay, a star-shaped fortification built on Governors Island between 1775 and 1776. 

  • Shopping
  • Sample sales

It's finally sweater weather—and there are no better places to go shopping than the best sample sales in NYC, where you can snag quality pieces for a fraction of their original prices.

Buy trendy shoes, top-notch clothes and beautiful furniture at a deep discount at the best sample sales in NYC this week.

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  • Art
  • Art

Basically a massive maze made of ropes, this new exhibit allows attendees to jump inside, climb, relax and even get lost in the whole webbed arrangement that’s comprised of 80,000 feet of handwoven rope, which is part of a 400-square-foot interactive artwork created by Treenet Collective, a net expert company. 

Find "The INTERnet" at INTER_, the interactive art center at 415 Broadway by Canal Street in Soho.

The installation, which accommodates 15 people at once, boasts a variety of different weaving styles, each one creating a "setting" for folks to dive into, including the "quantum leap," where guests can play in mid-air, and the "social network," a more serene space that will feel like you are floating above everyone else.

  • Things to do
  • Events & Festivals

Sometimes you’ll feel very tall, sometimes very small, and sometimes in awe of it all at this new New York Botanical Garden exhibit that celebrates the magic of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. With a variety of botanical and artistic exhibitions throughout the Bronx garden’s 250 acres, “Wonderland: Curious Nature” encourages visitors to get “curiouser and curiouser” around every turn. 

See a massive white (well, actually green) rabbit made entirely of plants; explore an enchanting English garden with delightfully weird flora; climb through a rabbit hole; hang out in a house made of mycelium bricks; and much more at this sprawling exhibition. Wonderland: Curious Nature runs through October 27, 2024, and will evolve with each season.

Though it's now more than 150 years since the first publication of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, the delightful story with its heroic protagonist feels just as fresh as ever—especially at New York Botanical Garden with its enchanting scientific and artistic twist on the story. 

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  • Art
  • Art

If you know anything about hip-hop, then you understand that it’s not just a genre of music—it’s an entire lifestyle, complete with its own lexicon, fashion and accessories. 

The American Museum of Natural History is going to pay homage to some of the most iconic custom-made jewelry in hip-hop history with its exhibit “Ice Cold,” which is now open in celebration of the genre’s 50th anniversary. 

The exhibition will showcase jewelry from the 1980s until today and will include Slick Rick’s gem-encrusted crown, the Notorious B.I.G.’s gold ‘Jesus piece’, Nicki Minaj’s sparkling ‘Barbie’ pendant, and pieces from Erykah Badu, A$AP Rocky, Joey Bada$$, A$AP Ferg, and Tyler, the Creator, among many other legendary pieces of bling.

  • Art
  • Art

Following a slew of pop-ups and stand-alone exhibits, elusive England-based street artist Banksy is getting the New York City museum treatment: The Banksy Museum is now open at 277 Canal Street by Broadway.

The space will display over 160 works by the artist—from his instantly recognizable street art to studio pieces, videos and animated visuals—making this "the largest display of Banksy work ever seen in a single setting."

Tickets for the museum, which will be open daily from 10am to 8pm, are available right here.

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  • Movies
  • Movies

Take your movie-going experience to the next level 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. Also expect special programming for Star Wars day, AAPI Heritage Month, Black Music Month, and Pride Month. Plus, it’s adding a Saturday Cereal Club and Mimosas & Muffins Sundays. Get tickets here.

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  • Sports and fitness
  • Sports & Fitness

Turns out, pickleball was not just a passing fad.

Doubling down on the popularity of the sport, Central Park is gearing up for the return of the 14-court pickleball installation via CityPickle that took over Wollman Rink last year. The experience offers players of all skill levels the chance to reserve courts or partake in open play sessions between 8am and 9pm daily.

  • Art

Are you a preservationist nerd? (Guilty!) Then head to the Museum of the City of New York’s new exhibition, which offers a behind-the-scenes look at the conservation of one of the museum’s prized possessions: Samuel Bell Waugh’s monumental, 170-year-old painting, The Bay and Harbor of New York.

The exhibition explores the piece’s significance as one of the earliest depictions of immigration to the United States and welcomes the public to witness the preservation firsthand, gaining insight into the care and techniques needed to safeguard such a historical artifact. Conservator Gary McGowan will be on site, actively working on the painting in the gallery on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, and visitors themselves will get the chance to interact with a variety of hands-on activities. It's on view through October 13.

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  • Musicals
  • Midtown WestOpen run

After premiering at the Public Theatre in 2022, Suffs now marches to Broadway with its intrepid director, Leigh Silverman, still leading the way, and most of its principal cast intact. These performers’ individual charisma helps deepen our understanding of the tensions that threaten their characters’ political partnership.

Suffs is a full-throated musical call to action, and its message is neither subtle nor ambivalent: It wants to light a fire under you. But this unapologetic love letter to those who risked life and limb to get women a seat at the table is also heart-tugging, vibrant and charming. The combination is hard to resist. As our theater critic says, "It’s got my vote."

See it at the Music Box Theatre.

  • Comedy

If you're an up-and-coming comedian and want to try your luck, the comedy lottery hosted by Demetrius Fields and Austin Locke might just give you the platform you need—with a potentially big money prize attached. Every Monday at Flop House Comedy Club, hopeful comedians donate $1 to enter a lucky draw. Fifteen names are drawn and the comedian voted the best receives all the signup money plus half of ticket sales, which once added up to a whopping $238. 

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  • Art
  • Art

For more than a century, the Statue of Liberty has offered inspiration as a beacon of freedom, equality, and democracy. And for just as long, she has also served as an inspiration for tattoo artists. 

A new exhibit at City Reliquary, a jewel box of a museum in Brooklyn's Williamsburg neighborhood, features vintage Statue of Liberty tattoos. As the first show devoted to Lady Liberty ink, it also traces tattooing history in NYC since the 1800s. "Liberty the Tattooed Lady: The Great Bartholdi Statue as Depicted in Tattooing" is now open through January 12, 2025.

The exhibition spotlights antique flash, vintage photographs, drawings, and other ephemera that show how Lady Liberty has been a popular subject in tattooing for as long as she’s stood in New York Harbor. You'll even get to see vintage tattoo art that's never been on display before.

  • Art
  • Art

The Rubin Museum, that legendary building in Chelsea that has housed the largest collection of Himalayan art in the world for two decades, is permanently closing its physical space later this year. As sad as this is for New York’s culture scene, New Yorkers at least get to enjoy the museum until October, and you should definitely plan to make the most of it until then. 

The museum’s last exhibit, “Reimagine: Himalayan Art Now, will be an appropriate, forward-looking nod to 32 contemporary artists from the Himalayas and the Asian diaspora whose work will be shown in dialogue with objects from the museum’s existing collection.

The exhibit is open through the museum's physical closing on October 6. Expect to see 32 new commissions and work across mediums, including painting, sculpture, sound, video, performance and more.

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  • Nightlife
  • Nightlife

If you’re on Foodie-Tok, chances are that you’ve come across a video of The Lavaux, a romantic Swiss restaurant and wine bar in the West Village that has some of the best Swiss cheese offerings in the city. But recently, it’s gone viral on TikTok for its “Secret Message Party,” where they encourage strangers to send each other anonymous notes on Tuesday nights.

The note-passing party is the baby of general manager Christian Stemmer, who got the idea two years ago while traveling through his native Switzerland and ate at a restaurant where people were sending notes to other tables. He decided that something like that would probably do very well in New York, where most of us are starved for deeper human connection. “New Yorkers are all about new experiences,” Stemmer tells Time Out

  • Things to do

Every Monday at 7:30pm in the Parkside Lounge on East Houston Street, the NYC Talent Show highlights unconventional talent from the worlds of comedy, music, dance, spoken word, and more. Audience members are also welcome to show their talent if they choose to participate, creating an environment that feels truly dynamic and collaborative. Tickets are $45 with a 60% off early bird discount if you buy prior to midnight the Friday before the event with the promo code PHILOPYGUS.

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  • Things to do

At Sip & Stitch, create your very own custom handbag with the guidance of purse pro Anthony Luciano. As a longtime handbag artisan and a fashion expert, Luciano will share tips and tricks for making a handbag that's perfect for your personal style. 

The lively workshops are held in Luciano’s Garment District studio, which is packed with vintage ephemera, beautiful decor, and plenty of purses to spark your inspiration. The class begins with a chance to pick a leather color and texture of your choosing—just nothing boring, as Luciano admonishes. Once that’s sorted, he’ll guide you through each step of the process, from cutting to gluing to making final touches. While the workshop is called Sip & Stitch, there’s technically no “stitching” involved, so don’t be intimidated. Even if you’re not a crafty person, Luciano and his team will make sure you leave with a handbag you’re proud to carry. 

Several workshops fall under the Sip & Stitch umbrella, from a classic handbag to a unisex option. Prices range from $175 to $275, with adult beverages and snacks provided at the higher price point. The team plays pop and disco tunes in the background, making a fun and fashionable night for all.

  • Musicals
  • Midtown WestOpen run

Nicholas Sparks's bestselling 1996 novel, which inspired a popular 2004 movie, is now also the source of an original musical by indie singer-songwriter Ingrid Michaelson and playwright Bekah Brunstetter. The show charts a romance that begins in the 1940s, and the central is played—in different chapters of their story—by Maryann Plunkett, Dorian Harewood, Joy Woods, Ryan Vasquez, Jordan Tyson and John Cardoza; the supporting cast includes Andréa Burns.

The production, directed by Michael Greif and Schele Williams, arrives on Broadway after a well-received 2022 run at Chicago Shakespeare Theater.

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  • Art
  • Art

Mercer Labs, Museum of Art and Technology, a new immersive museum is now open. It's the brainchild of Roy Nachum, the artist behind Rihanna’s famous 2016 “Anti” album cover, and his business partner Michael Cayre, a real estate developer. 

The 36,000-square-foot space is located at 21 Dey Street, inside the bank building that used to be part of the now-nextdoor Century 21. It's filled with room after room of immersive fun.

The first of 15 experiences, for example, will take you through a giant room equipped with 26-foot-high projectors that blast a series of images all around that will have you feel like you've just taken a swim inside the sorts of motifs that Nachum explores throughout his work. You will quite literally land inside his art pieces.

In another room, which is being branded as one of only three 4D sound studios in the world, guests are asked to wear a blindfold and lay on the floor to properly enjoy the sounds blasting out of the 36 speakers that are embedded under the elevated floor.

  • Comedy

If you're looking for some good laughs in Bushwick while sticking to a budget, then your best bet is to head to Starr Bar's free stand up comedy shows every Wednesday at 10pm. Hosts James Donlon, Aditya Mayya, and Paddy DeFino will showcase new sets of comedians every week with no cover charge, drink minimum or ticket fee. 

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  • Circuses & magic
  • Midtown EastOpen run

There's a reason Chamber Magic has remained a staple in NYC's magic scene for more than two decades: It dazzles, show after show, with tricks that'll still leave you awestruck days later. 

The charming Steve Cohen, billed as the Millionaires’ Magician, conjures high-class parlor magic in the marble-columned Madison Room at the swank Lotte New York Palace. Dress to be impressed (cocktail attire is required); tickets start at $125, with an option to pay more for meet-and-greet time and extra tricks with Cohen after the show. If you've come to see a classic-style magic act, you get what you pay for.

Sporting a tuxedo and bright rust hair, the magician delivers routines that he has buffed to a patent-leather gleam: In addition to his signature act—"Think-a-Drink," involving a kettle that pours liquids by request—highlights include a lulu of levitation trick and a card-trick finale that leaves you feeling like, well, a million bucks.

  • Comedy

Support up-and-coming sketch comedians as they perform a medley of new sketches at this show at The PIT. The show's called "BoogieManja: A Sketch Comedy Collective" and it promises an hour of sketch comedy that changes every show. 

BoogieManja performs on most Wednesdays. Performers include Nothing Bagel, Both Hands, The Right Stuff, Attainable Crush, EZ Pass, and Cliff Hanger.

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  • Art
  • Public art

A pastel-hued floral mural with a feminist message is the newest addition to the High Line. Titled “Thank You Darling,” this mural by Dutch artist Lily van der Stokker celebrates the playful, feminine realm often overlooked or derided in our culture. 

"Van der Stokker’s work, which she has referred to as 'feminist conceptual pop art,' is undeniably joyful and positive. However, it often simultaneously speaks to weighty themes—aging, health, and, more generally, the lived experience of being a woman within patriarchal structures," a press release from High Line Art explains.

Her installation for the High Line continues this practice for a wide public audience, offering a sweet expression of gratitude to the millions of passersby and inhabitants of nearby buildings. Find the words THANK YOU DARLiNG (with that capitalization) on the side of a building adjacent to the High Line at 22nd Street.

With the word "darling" styled in bright yellow bubble letters, the mural seems to reach out to personally thank every single person who sees it. Check it out through November 2024.

  • Comedy

Head to a beloved West Village music shop for a banging musical comedy blowout every Friday night. This variety show mixes music, comedy, and characters with appearances by Stephen Sihelnik (NY Comedy Festival), Natan Badalov (Adult Swim), Alexander Payne (Netflix), and surprise guests.

Fun fact: The event's set in New York's oldest continually-run music and record store, Music Inn World Instruments. It's been in operation since 1958 and has been heavily featured in the first two seasons of "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel."

Show up early, save a seat and BYOB: You're in for a party.

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  • Things to do
  • Events & Festivals

Beneath the cobblestone streets of the Seaport, secrets hid underground for decades—until now, that is. A new walking tour led by the South Street Seaport Museum unearths the neighborhood's freaky and fascinating facts.

The museum's "Sinister Secrets of the Seaport" whisks visitors back in time for a 90-minute walking tour full of true crime tales about theft, organized crime, murder and even pirates. Tours are available for $30-$40/adult. Whether you're a true crime buff or you're just always in the Halloween spirit, these tours make for a memorable afternoon in a historic neighborhood. 

The tour takes on the scandalous, dubious and sinister tales lurking throughout this historic district. While many stories come from the area's crime heyday in the 1800s, some stories stretch back to the 1790s and others up to the 1990s. It's grim subject matter, of course, but it's delivered in a lighthearted way. You'll never see the Seaport in the same way again.

  • Art
  • Art

Beautiful, buoyant, beguiling bubbles are back at the New York Hall of Science (NYSCI) in Queens. The beloved bubbles exhibit, which has been closed for five years, will return bigger, better and bubblier than ever.

The Big Bubble Experiment encourages kids of all ages to experiment and discover through the joy of playing with bubbles. That includes blowing, stretching, popping and looking closely to see what happens at each move. 

The exhibit features 10 stations, each one with different tools and methods for exploring bubble solution.

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  • Things to do
  • City Life

Majestic, incredible elephants are getting the spotlight in a new exhibit at The American Museum of Natural History. "The Secret World of Elephants" showcases both modern and ancient elephants, offering visitors a chance to see a full-scale model of a woolly mammoth, learn about what elephants eat, touch an elephant's tooth, listen to elephant calls and more.

The exhibition is now open in the museum’s LeFrak Family Gallery. An additional ticket is required to visit the exhibit; museum members can visit for free.

  • Art
  • Art

Eighty years ago, as World War II raged on, Danish citizens worked together to ferry 7,000 Jewish people to safety, keeping them out of concentration camps. 

Now, New York City’s Museum of Jewish Heritage - A Living Memorial to the Holocaust is commemorating that anniversary, known as one of the most effective examples of mass resistance in modern history. "Courage to Act: Rescue in Denmark," the museum’s first exhibition developed for elementary-age students, is now open.

The exhibit focuses on themes of separation, bravery and resilience to help children ages 9+ reflect on the dangers of prejudice and on their own potential for courageous collective action. 

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  • Things to do
  • Weird & Wonderful

In New York City, it can be hard to find an apartment with a nice bathtub you'd actually want to soak in. Heck, it can be hard to find an apartment where the shower isn't in a closet in the living room (ahem, this $1.25 million StreetEasy listing).

But now cosmetics company LUSH is solving that very New York problem with a new book-a-bath service just launched this week. In addition to indulgent baths, LUSH Spa Lexington also offers massage treatments and facials, creating a calming oasis near hectic midtown. Find the newly opened spa on the Upper East Side at Lexington Avenue and East 61st Street.

Given the fact that LUSH invented the bath bomb, they’re pros when it comes to bathing. For the book-a-bath experience, head through the store and climb the stairs to the spa. Inside a petite pink-and-white bathroom, a clawfoot tub beckons. Before your bath, a staff member will prepare the water with a Snow Fairy bath bomb, which creates glittery pastel pink water. Plus, they’ll offer a fresh face mask tailored for your skin, a curated playlist and a cup of vegan hot chocolate. 

  • Comedy

Running every Monday since 2014—which might make it the longest-running bar show in Brooklyn, but don’t quote them (except we just did)—Lobby Comedy brings together a curated and very funny lineup of international and national touring comedians as well as up-and-coming local acts.

Co-hosted by real-life BFFs and stand-up comics Matt Pavich and Dan Davies, the weekly series is currently held at Williamsburg’s Freehold bar. Grab a booth or a cozy armchair, enjoy the espresso martini that comes with every $10 ticket (and considering that espresso martinis alone are well worth more than $10, consider it a very good deal!) and sit back for 90 minutes of fresh comedy.

"All you have to do is show-up and laugh your *** off," organizers promise. 

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  • Things to do
  • City Life

America’s first Black popular music icon is getting his due with a massive new center that houses a 60,000-piece collection and a venue for live music, lectures and screenings.

NYC’s Louis Armstrong House Museum has now opened its new facility, the Louis Armstrong Center—and it’s a big deal!

The space acts as a permanent home for the 60,000-piece Louis Armstrong Archive (the world’s largest for a jazz musician containing photos, recordings, manuscripts, letters & mementos) and a 75-seat venue for performances, lectures, films, and educational experiences, according to a release.

The Center and the historic house are now open to the public Thursdays through Saturdays. Tickets can be purchased at louisarmstronghouse.org. Tours have limited capacity, so book in advance.

  • Art
  • Art

On a typical visit to the Museum of Modern Art, crowds surround the most precious paintings, and it can be tough to squeeze your way in for a photo, let alone to admire the artwork’s brushstrokes. But now, thanks to these new exclusive tours by GetYourGuide, you can get in before the museum opens for a guided tour of amazing artwork. 

The new MoMA Before Hours Tour with Art Expert is now available. Tickets are on sale here for $99/person. Few New York City experiences compare to the absolute thrill of gazing at famed works of art uninterrupted for as long as you like.  

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  • Things to do
  • Weird & Wonderful

Many museums start with some kind of orientation, like a map or remarks from a docent. But not The House of Cannabis (a.k.a. THC NYC), the new weed museum now open in Soho. Instead, this museum starts, quite fittingly, with a trippy “Disorientation Room.”

While the museum boasts plenty of mind-bending multi-sensory bells and whistles, it also showcases art, highlights science and confronts the social justice issues baked into cannabis prosecution. The museum, the first of its kind at this scale, packs every inch of its four-story, 25,000-square-foot space at 427 Broadway with fascinating facts and delightful immersive experiences fit to entertain both tokers and non-smokers alike. Tickets ($45/adult) are on sale now.

  • Things to do
  • Events & Festivals

Find your latest read at The Free Black Women’s Library, a new free library in Brooklyn's Bed-Stuy neighborhood, which also serves as a social art project, a reading room, a co-working space and a community gathering center. The library "celebrates the brilliance, diversity and imagination of Black women and Black non-binary authors." All 5,000 books in the library's collection are written by Black women and non-binary authors.

Here's how it works: Anybody can visit the space to read, work or hang out. If you want to take a book home, simply bring a book written by a Black woman or Black non-binary author, and you can trade. Whether you decide to bring the book back after you're done reading or keep it for your collection is up to you.

The library is currently open four days per week (Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday) at 226 Marcus Garvey Boulevard. In addition to offering a space to read or work, the library has also hosts a book club, art shows and workshops on topics like writing, drawing, poetry, painting and sewing. All are welcome. 

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  • Things to do

The name really says it all: Make bonsai in a bar! These teeny tiny trees are the definition of "happy little trees." 

The pros from Bonsai Bar will teach you the fundamental skills and techniques behind the art of bonsai while you sip your drink and have some fun with your friends. The teachers will also help you as you pot, prune and design your very own bonsai tree. 

Bonsai Bar events pop up all over the city at locations like Brooklyn Brewery, the Bronx Brewery and SingleCut Beersmiths Queens Taproom.

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  • Art
  • Art

The New York Public Library dug through its expansive and centuries-spanning archive to stage an impressive free exhibition filled with cultural artifacts. "The Polonsky Exhibition of New York Public Library’s Treasures" spans 4,000 years of history and includes a wide range of history-making pieces, including the only surviving letter from Christoper Columbus announcing his “discovery” of the Americas to King Ferdinand’s court and the first Gutenberg Bible brought over to the Americas.

New treasures were just added to the exhibit this fall, including a signed, first edition copy of "Passing" by Nella Larsen, a selection of manuscript pages from "The Waste Land" by T.S. Eliot, and a miniature early 19th-century Qur’an, produced in Turkey.

  • Things to do
  • City Life

Swingers NoMad, a "crazy mini-golf course" and entertainment complex straight from London, offers 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. Take your pick from six cocktail bars with signature classic cocktails, as well as 12 cocktails created specifically for Swingers NoMad. Plus, you can rent private rooms, check out an opulent clubhouse and enjoy four gourmet street food vendors—Sauce Pizzeria, Miznon, Fonda and Mah Ze Dahr Bakery.

For the holiday season, Swingers is offering a fun twist on the festivities: Spin a Naughty-or-Nice Prize Wheel to decide whether you're ordering the "Naughty" Sex on the Green shot or the "Nice" Festive Dessert. In addition to the game, there's also seasonal decor and even more holiday drinks.

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71. Ambush Comedy

Join Josh Johnson (Comedy Central's The Daily Show), Lucas Connolly (Comedy Central), and Brittany Cardwell (Drule, New York Comedy Fest) for stacked lineups of top comics from NYC and beyond every Wednesday at 7:30pm. 

Plus you can enjoy free beer from 7:30 to 8pm and there's a pizza raffle if you RSVP. What's not to love? Show up to Two Boots Williamsburg for the show.

  • Eating

Artshack Cafe offers everything on its menu on ceramic pieces made in-house. What’s more, according to an official statement by the cafe, patrons are asked to “help reduce waste by bringing their own cups.” Looking for a coffee to-go? Expect it served in a ceramic to-go cup. The cafe is part of Artshack Brooklyn, a community-based ceramics studio that offers both free and subsidized programming for adults and children alike. In addition to not using single-use products, standout features of the Bed-Stuy cafe at 1129 Bedford Avenue by Monroe Street include an anti-racism library and a number of chairs shaped like bunnies that will make anyone’s selected orders from chef Silvia Barban’s menu taste that much better.

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73. Subterranean Date Night at The Django

Descend into The Django (l2 6th Avenue, The Roxy Hotel, Cellar Level) and you’ll feel like you’ve entered another world. The subterranean jazz club, with its vaulted ceilings and exposed brick walls, was modeled after the boîtes of Paris. The venue consists of two cocktail bars, an open dining space, and a stage for live performances with a state-of-the-art sound system. The Django offers a full dinner menu and handcrafted cocktails, all partnered with a brilliant entertainment lineup. Check out the schedule here.

  • Things to do
  • City Life

Superstorm Sandy devastated New York City, destroying homes and businesses, but it also flooded the New York Aquarium so badly that parts of it have been closed to the public for the past decade. Now, after completely rebuilding these galleries with help from FEMA, New York State and New York City, NY Aquarium is open in full—you can see all of it—"Spineless," the PlayQuarium, "Ocean Wonders: Sharks!" Glover’s Reef, the Conservation Hall, the Sea Cliffs, the Aquatheater, the Seaside Café and more.

 

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  • Sex and dating
  • Sex & Dating

The Metropolitan Museum of Art's "Date Nights" give visitors an opportunity to become acquainted with artwork with informal drop-in gallery chats, listen in on gorgeous live music and sip on yummy cocktails.

"Date Nights" are held every Friday and Saturday night in the American Wing Café from 5pm to 9pm. Make it a night out with The Met's buy-one-get-one drink special and snack on light bites in the American Wing Café. More details can be found at metmuseum.org/datenight

There's literally no excuse not to go—the date nights come with museum admission, which is always pay-what-you-wish for New York State residents and NY, NJ, and CT students with valid ID. And this time, advance tickets are not required. 

  • Things to do
  • City Life

The luxurious Italian wellness spa QC NY has opened to the public, bringing the elegance and rejuvenation of a European spa to Governors Island, but with New York City flavor. It's immediately clear when you enter the spa that it was made to feel like home. From its cozy reception area decorated with custom-made furniture from Italy to its welcoming relaxation spaces with plush leather chairs and massive pillows you can sprawl out on, it feels like you're staying at a retreat with New York Harbor views. Since it's on the edge of the island, a short walk from Soissons Landing, looking out the windows offers gorgeous blue water views and glimpses of the city skyline. Because of its layout, the spa feels secluded from the rest of the island. Click through to read more about the new spa.

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  • Things to do
  • City Life

A new audio tour by the Brooklyn Public Library seeks to explore the lives of the characters and authors that call the borough home in fiction and in real life. From Patti Smith to Biggie Smalls, Howard Zinn to Tanwi Nandini Islam, the guide covers a total of 16 writers over eight miles of Brooklyn. You can also expect to stop at important public libraries the likes of Washington Irving and Clinton Hill, which, according to an official press release, "played an important role in the lives of the featured author[s]." Expect the entire tour, which can virtually start off from anywhere in Brooklyn, to take at least two hours to complete, depending on how many stops you wish to make along the way.

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