The best things to do in NYC this week

Make the yuletide bright at the final iteration of Sleep No More's cast cabaret, the McKittrick Follies, at the atmospheric Manderley Bar of the soon-to-be-shuttered McKittrick Hotel. Kit Flowers—the alter ego of erstwhile Sleep No More cast member Ginger Kearns—hosts an evening of music, games and Christmas surprises. Festive attire is encoutraged for this December 17 show.

Don’t let the freelance, remote or WFH lifestyle give you a blue Christmas—everyone is invited to this annual holiday bash on December 18. (Yes, even those with office jobs are welcome to party!) Sing your heart out to live-band karaoke without fear of your boss judging you. Grind up on a sexy stranger while the DJ spins holiday songs without ever worrying about running into them in the elevator days later.

There will also be a holiday photo booth so you can have evidence of why you ended up on Kris Kringle’s naughty list, as well as sweet local prizes, drink specials and an airing of your grievances against all bosses past and present. It's almost enough to make not having benefits worthwhile!

Visit the Schomburg Shop Holiday Market at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture during the holiday season for its expanded market which will have artwork, clothing, jewelry, stationery, and more for all ages from small businesses owned by people of color and local Harlemites. It runs November 8 and 9 and Dec 20 and 21 from 11am to 5:30pm.

As the world commemorates the centennial of James Baldwin's birth, Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) presents Turkey Saved My Life - Baldwin in Istanbul, 1961–1971, a landmark exhibition featuring rare photographs of the iconic writer by Turkish photographer Sedat Pakay.

Running between December 12, 2024 and February 28, 2025 in the Grand Lobby of the Central Library, this exhibition offers an unprecedented glimpse into Baldwin’s transformative years in Istanbul from 1961 to 1971, when the author-activist moved to Istanbul seeking refuge from the entrenched racism and homophobia he experienced in America. The exhibition will be accompanied by public programs, including panel discussions, film screenings, and readings that further explore Baldwin’s unique connection to Turkey.

When it first started in 2018, Raw Like Sushi was a way for sushi chef/DJ Fresh Rollman to combine his passion for music with his culinary expertise. These biweekly events have combined sushi with slinking grooves across New York. You can attend one at Manhattan’s Studio 151 on Monday nights or each Thursday at The Last Call in Williamsburg.

If you’re not into sushi, this might not be the night for you, but the Williamsburg bar also offers chili cheese fries and chicken wings on sushi and vinyl nights. Plus, on a lucky night, you might run into legends like Anderson .Paak or Statik Selektah. Between the variety of options to nosh on and beats booming throughout the night, you can’t miss Raw Like Sushi. 

Framed perfectly inside the park's famous arch, Washington Square Park's beautiful tree is a sight to behold. You can see the beautifully lit 45-foot tree throughout the holiday season, lit from 4pm-1am daily.

Also mark your calendar for Christmas Eve caroling on Friday, December 24 at 5pm. 

Queens Botanical Garden has a beautiful light show you’ll want to see this year called “Lektrik.” With over 1 million LED lights, this illuminated trail imitates a lush garden with giant lanterns—including 40 stunning lamp scenes crafted by 150 artisans using 120 tons of steel and 150,000 feet of silk—and brings it to life with acrobatic performers, stone-carving, an artisan market and ambient music.

Three words: Latke Block Party. Has a sweeter phrase been said? 

Come and get all the latkes and all the fixings at the Latke Block Party on Tuesday, December 17. The third annual party starts R&D Foods. Get the evening started over latkes, warm broth, hot cider and mulled wine. When the chill gets to be too much, stroll on over to Gertrude’s for Jell-O shots and latkes with roe. End the night with a little dessert action from both venues, namely Gertrude’s signature B&W layer cake and R&D’s jelly donut. Children’s tickets are available for purchase (age 3 -11). Children under three are free.

The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree (NYC’s pride and joy) is a beaming and brilliant symbol of the holiday season. Tourists and native New Yorkers alike sure do love this towering tree.

The tree will be lit daily from 5am to midnight. On Christmas Eve, the tree is lit for 24 hours and on New Year’s Eve it is lit from 5am to 9pm. The tree goes dark for the season in mid-January.

More than 50,000 multi-colored LED lights wrap around the branches. It’s topped with a three-dimensional Swarovski star that weighs 900 pounds and sparkles in 3 million crystals.

Wine lovers rejoice! A new pop-up from zodiac sign-themed brand Sun Moon Rising celebrates each star sign with monthly birthday parties.

This month, the Sagittarius Soiree takes over Apartment 5 in the Lower East Side on Wednesday, December 18. Designed in order to “honor the bold, free-spirited energy of the Sagittarius,” according to a press release, the soiree promises interactive experiences throughout the venue, themed cocktails, wine flights, and surprising small bites. When arriving at the bar, attendees will receive a boarding pass to “celebrate the wanderlust every Sagittarius embodies.” Even if you’re a Taurus or a Virgo, you’ll still find plenty to love here.

Festooned with more than 1,000 meticulously hand-folded paper ornaments, this year’s 13-foot-tall tree at the American Museum of Natural History is inspired by the theme "Jumping for Joy“ in honor of our 2024 Leap Year. The tree features specially crafted origami creations inspired by the museum’s hopping, pouncing, and leaping creatures. Some of the pieces decorating the greenery include rabbits, kangaroos, grasshoppers, frogs, squirrels, and cicadas, along with those depicting iconic museum exhibits like the Blue Whale and Tyrannosaurus rex.

In the 1950 film masterpiece Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood glamour is a dead-end street. Stalled there with no one coming to find her—except perhaps to use her car—is Norma Desmond: a former silent-screen goddess who is now all but forgotten. Secluded and deluded, she haunts her own house and plots her grand return to the pictures; blinded by the spotlight in her mind, she is unaware that what she imagines to be a hungry audience out there in the dark is really just the dark.

And Scene is a half-scripted comedy show where actors and improvisers are paired up to perform scenes together. The actors can only say the words as they come in the script, and the improvisers don't know what play they're in, making for a truly chaotic and hilarious evening.

See the show on Monday, December 16 at Caveat. This month's performers include: Emily Meade (The Penguin, Boardwalk Empire), Kelen Coleman (The Office), Connor Ratliff (Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), Alan Aisenberg (Orange is the New Black), Haviland Morris (16 Candles), Alex Dickson (Last Week Tonight), Brian Morabito (Honest Ads), Gio Naarendorp (Life Sucks), Jenny St. Angelo (Home For Christmas), and Shane Nielsen (American Daddy). Mick Szal (Joker) will serve as host.

Back in 1987, an art amusement park—featuring works from Keith Haring, Salvador Dalí, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and more—delighted visitors in Germany. There were plans for a world tour, but it never happened, and the art was abandoned. Until now, that is.

Now, you can walk through Luna Luna: Forgotten Fantasy, a wonderland featuring a Basquiat Ferris wheel, a Haring carousel, a Lichtenstein labyrinth, puppets and other immersive experiences in this limited-time installation at The Shed. Luna Luna is, hands down, the coolest art exhibition to open in New York City this year, and it's on view through January 5, 2025 with tickets starting at $44/person.

How do artists interpret AI? A new exhbit at the International Center of Photography (ICP) digs into that complex question. 

The Alternative Images of AI exhibition sees artists Farah Al Qasimi, Charlie Engman and Max Pinckers present new work imagining the near-future impacts of the world-changing technology known as AI, or artificial intelligence. Commissioned by Google and photographed in Abu Dhabi, Belgium, and Ghana, each artist uses different visual vocabularies to describe what AI means to them, how it makes people feel, and the ways society might expect to experience it within the next decade.

See it from December 12 to January 6.

New York’s stalwart old-school entertainer and Somebody Somewhere star Murray “Mr. Showbiz” Hill brings his rollicking year-end celebration—always one of the highlights of the season—back to Joe's Pub with burlesque titillation, musical mayhem and comedic mirth. Hill knows many talented people, so expect some very special guests. 

Shows run between December 12-20.

If these 4:30pm sunsets in NYC are getting you down, this new immersive experience at Genesis House might be just the antidote. Called STARSCAPE, this light installation explores the beauty of darkness and the wonders of the cosmos.  

The walk-through exhibit was designed by Ethan Tobman, who is known for his visual storytelling as creative director of The Eras Tour. But unlike Taylor Swift's concerts, this experience is completely free to see with no tickets required. Tobman drew inspiration from Dongji, the Korean Winter Solstice, to craft an awe-inspiring journey through the longest night of the year.

STARSCAPE is now open to the public through January 12. No reservations are needed; just show up. Public operating hours are Tuesday–Sunday, 11am–7pm. Find it at 40A 10th Ave. in the Meatpacking District.

Get ready for the sounds of Coltrane to create your December soundtrack yet again: the annual year-ending festival celebrating the music of legendary saxophonist, bandleader and composer John Coltrane returns to Smoke Jazz Club on the Upper West Side.

The series will kick off on Wednesday, December 11 with a trio led by Coltrane's acclaimed son, saxophonist Ravi Coltrane, alongside pianist Gadi Lehavi and drummer Elé Salif Howell. The jazzy fun will continue with Eric Scott Reed Quintet featuring beloved trumpeter Nicholas Payton & tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander. On Christmas, Louis Hayes will sit in with Vincent Herring Quartet, while an all-star band including vocalist Jazzmeia Horn, saxophonist Vincent Herring, pianist Cyrus Chestnut, bassist Yasushi Nakamura and drummer Johnathan Blake will help ring in the new year on the 31st. The event continues into the new year, find more information and dates at SMOKEjazz.com.

Throughout the past few years, the ongoing effects of climate change have meant that we're getting less and less snow during the holidays, but that's not enough to stop Edge, one of the most iconic observatories in the city, from creating a holiday snow fantasy themselves.

That's right—every weekday from December 2 till the 20 (11am-3pm), Edge will transform the New York City skyline into an immersive snow globe with wide powdery stuff falling onto the outdoor sky deck against one of the most impressive views of Manhattan. On Sundays, visitors will even be able to pose with installations of real snow and snowmen on the observation deck.

All activities, including Snowscape, are included in the price of admission to Edge's observation deck. 

The Art Students League’s beloved annual art sale is back, running through Sunday, December 22 at the Phyllis Harriman Mason Gallery. Free and open to the public, the exhibition-slash-sale featured a whopping 350 original works, including paintings, prints and sculptures, with prices ranging from $50 to $1,5000.

All purchases directly support emerging artists and help the League continue to offer affordable yet high-quality arts education and instruction—as if that’s not enough, the sale gives you the opportunity to pick up one-of-a-kind holiday gifts for all of the art lovers in your life.

Coney Island isn't just a summertime destination anymore. Luna Park's Frost Fest is home to a 35-foot tree sure to get you into the holiday spirit, plus photo opps with Santa and a holiday market.

New in 2024 is the Candy Cane Chute rapid slide that you are sure to want to ride down endlessly. Don't forget that the iconic Coney Island Cyclone will also be open during select days this season, so make sure to save some time to experience the thrilling ride as well.

Frost Fest is taking over Coney Island through January 1, 2025 on select weekdays and holidays, plus Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Read more about the offerings right here.

Sail into the holiday spirit aboard Circle Line’s Holiday Harbor Lights Cruise, running through January 5. Decked out with twinkling holiday lights, green garland, Christmas trees and other jolly decor, the festive—and heated!—boats will tour you around the Hudson River. Take in the stunning New York skyline as an informative guide shares fun facts about the city’s most iconic landmarks. 

This year's cruise is complete with a “Create-Your-Own-Santa Hat” station to get all passengers in the holiday mood. A menu of seasonal cocktails inspired by the Christmas Spectacular Starring the Radio City Rockettes are available, with highlights like the Salted Caramel Rockette-tini or the Rum Punch Kick Line. Don't forget to leave a gift inside the Toys for Tots donation box for families who may not be able to afford gifts during Christmas.

The cruise departs each day at 7pm and you can buy tickets here starting at $45.

Caustic wit, witchy charisma and fearless queer wisdom have made Justin Vivian Bond one of New York’s essential performers. Now the alt-cabaret star, trans icon and newly laureled McArthur "Genius" Grantee returns to Joe’s Pub with a solstice show to melt the hearts of snowflakes everywhere.

Shows run between December 12-22.

Your ears are not deceiving you: That is indeed the voice of Liza Minnelli, the patron saint of pizzazz, narrating the pop art–inspired opening of the bubbly, bedazzled Drag: The Musical. After all, the showbiz icon is one of the producers, so what better way to kick off this sequin-studded song-and-dance story? Drag, which arrives at Off Broadway’s New World Stages with a studio album and a Los Angeles run under its garter belt, is exactly what you’d expect: high heels, big hair, sassy one-liners and enough RuPaul’s Drag Race contestants to fill their own season.  

NYC is packed with holiday markets every fall with holiday spirit and unique gifts. While fancy Christmas window displays may entice you, NYC's holiday markets offer a chance to shop local. With everything from clothing to holiday ornaments to artwork, there's something for everybody on your holiday shopping list.

Shopping for the perfect gift doesn't have to be stressful; make it fun at these holiday markets.

This year, new holiday markets are debuting in Herald Square.

The queen of Christmas herself, Mariah Carey, is the focus of a seasonal pop-up bar on the fourth floor of Virgin Hotels at 1227 Broadway near 30th Street through December 29.

It's dubbed Mariah Carey Black Irish Holiday Bar, a call-out to the artist's Irish cream liqueur brand. Inside the winter wonderland, guests will be able to snap photos alongside a custom "All I Want for Christmas Is You" neon sign (it's the iconic song's 30th anniversary!), sit on a festive wreath to actually recreate Carey's Christmas album, look through a lyric wall, interact with a Black Irish Christmas tree and even write a letter to Carey herself.

You can snag tickets to the 90-minute experience right here. Each pass includes a welcome signature Black Irish cocktail!

Perhaps one of the most conveniently located holiday markets is the Grand Central Holiday Fair. Running now through December 24, Vanderbilt Hall, the destination will highlight the work of 36 local food and craft vendors and small businesses known for their quality craftsmanship and products made within the state of New York or the U.S.

Goods will range from home décor and jewelry to abstract art and perfumes. “Whether shoppers are looking for a thoughtful hostess present, a sentimental piece of jewelry for a cherished friend, or a cozy sweater for a loved one, this year’s fair promises an amazing selection of gifts, many of which cannot be found at other holiday markets across the city,” GCT officials said.

This year, Uncommon Goods have a pop-up at the market on the bridge adjacent to the Main Concourse with a hand-picked selection of imaginative gifts for kids, handmade jewelry and ornaments, small batch syrups and confections, and creatively designed finds for grillmasters, sports fans, book lovers and more.

There will also be Grand Central Terminal-branded gifts, from Yeti tumblers and Baggu totes to charming souvenirs such as jigsaw puzzles, luggage tags, and playing cards inside The Grand Gift Shop within the Holiday Fair.

The Holiday Fair will operate seven days a week from 10am to 7pm Monday-Saturday; and 11am to 6pm on Sundays. The space will be closed for Thanksgiving.

For more information regarding specific vendors and hours, click here.

Talk about shining bright! Two million twinkling white lights will adorn Hudson Yards for the shopping center’s fifth annual holiday display. This year's seasonal illumination includes 115 miles of string lights, 725 evergreen trees dressed to create a gleaming forest, 16-foot tall illuminated hot air balloon decorations and a massive 32-foot hot air balloon centerpiece suspended in The Great Room of The Shops & Restaurants. 

In addition to the awe-inspiring light display, there are plenty of free photo opportunities, chances to visit Santa and stores to shop for everyone on your list.

The Paley Center for Media's annual seasonal spectacular is back for another holiday season: PaleyLand will run through Sunday, January 5 at the midtown-based museum with jolly joy for revelers young and old.

Along with free hot cocoa and holiday treats, attendees can enjoy five floors of merriment, including photo opportunities with Santa; screenings of  holiday-themed episodes and specials of hit Disney Jr. and Disney Channel series; meet-and-greets with classic holiday characters like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Hermey the Elf; and the chance to explore the magical holiday train, the Paley Express. It's all included with general admission.

The weather outside is, indeed, getting frightful, so this holiday season, cozy up to the "Island of Warmth" activation at Manhattan West. Along with an electrifying urban bonfire, there will be music and dance performances (from Harlem Lite Feet with Chrybaby Cozie, the Maimouna Keita School of Dance, and Music from the Sole), memorable holiday photo opportunities, and a show-stopping winter lights display that is sure to mesmerize the whole family.

Enjoy complimentary hot chocolate by Daily Provisions on December 4, caroling around the campfire on December 11 and a Hanukkah celebration featuring the Brooklyn Klezmer Trio Plus on December 18. 

This holiday season, escape to an island paradise without ever leaving Manhattan. Celebrate the first-ever Holiday Under the Palms at Brookfield Place. Running through the end of the year, the brand-new concept will transport visitors to a warm, tropical oasis in the heart of frigid New York, thanks to the recent arrival of 16 new palm trees to BFPL’s iconic Winter Garden.

Among the "sunny" lineup of free events and family-friendly programming are waterfront ice skating, selfies with Santa, a tropical holiday cocktail crawl, festive giveaways and live performances of that Christmas classic, The Nutcracker, by the New York Theatre Ballet.  

Take a break from Christmas shopping and check out the state-of-the-art holiday light display at The Shops at Columbus Circle. This year, the seasonal spectacle has been pumped up with 300,000 shimmering lights, 44 new LED stars, and over 3,000 feet of sparkling garland illuminating the entire complex. 

You’ll be so moved, you won’t even care that you maxed out your MasterCard getting Aunt Judy that back massager she’s been wanting. Along with daily light and music shows (which run every half hour from 5pm to 11pm), the Shops will also host festive activities and events throughout the season, including free live Broadway performances and children’s programming, a gingerbread village and more. 

Get a new perspective at American Dream at the Paradox Experience, where you explore a collection of family-friendly exhibits where “nothing seems logical, yet all is utterly real,” including an Infinity Well, where you’ll “fly through an abyss.” The Paradox Sofa will have you questioning reality and the Paradox Tunnel will make it hard to walk a straight line. According to Fever, each exhibit inspires and challenges with ultimate creativity. Plus, it makes for trippy IG photos!

The tingly experience of ASMR—also known as Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response—typically stems from auditory cues. But the team behind ARTECHOUSE in Chelsea reimaginged that auditory language into a vibrant visual experience infused with holiday magic for their latest immersive experience. 

Called Tingle Bells: An ASMR-Inspired Holiday Special, this new exhibition merges holiday nostalgia with cutting-edge technology. Think gift wraps unraveling into hundreds of small boxes that transform into Tetris pieces. Or a conveyer belt of Rubik's cube-like baked goods in mouthwatering pink and blue hues. It's all projected onto the massive walls of a former boiler room-turned-gallery next to Chelsea Market. 

Tingle Bells offers a chance to unplug while still engaging with digital media—and that feels very 2024. Find ARTECHOUSE at 439 W 15th St. inside the historic boiler room at Chelsea Market; tickets start at $23.

When you think of Franz Kafka, there are a few words that likely come to mind: Lonely, tortured, isolated. But this depiction doesn’t actually tell the full story of Kafka, a new exhibit at The Morgan Library & Museum argues. Yes, the Czech writer known for his surrealist literary masterpieces like The Metamorphosis, did have a difficult life before dying at the age of 40 from tuberculosis.

But he was also known to be funny, a brilliant love letter writer, a good friend, and even a playful spirit. In fact, many of the solo photos we see of Kafka were really photos with other people who have been cut out of the scene over the years, Sal Robinson, curator at The Morgan explained during a tour of the new exhibit. The show, simply titled "Franz Kafka," is now on view through April 13, 2025.

The winter festivity is now open! The Bank of America Winter Village at Bryant Park is back in NYC with exciting holiday shops, food and activities until March 2, 2025

Its 17,000-square-foot ice-skating rink that’s free to use (if you bring your own skates) is always the highlight, but its Winter Village in all its holiday spirit is a close second. This year, over 170 new and returning kiosks will be there for you to peruse through—all at one of the best NYC parks.

Sure, the holidays are something to be enjoyed, but sometimes, they're something to be endured. Running until December 28, The Second City New York will present their new Mainstage comedy show, "Wreck the Halls: The Second City New York’s Guide to Surviving the Holidays."

Packed with original sketches, improv and variety delights, the spirited show will gift plenty of laughs as it roasts all of the things we love to loathe about the "festive" season, from the dreaded family obligations to the boring office parties to the ad nauseum Mariah Carey songs. 

A new exhibit at the New-York Historical Society showcases the ways the role of our furry friends has changed since the 1700s, becoming ingrained in the city’s evolution from the wilderness to an urban environment. 

The exhibit, titled “Pets and the City,” gathers together countless works of art, documents and memorabilia in order to paint a complete picture of New York’s animal history through the years. Brought together by Roberta J.M. Olson, the museum’s curator of drawings emerita, this show brings you to early portraits of our favorite pets and their owners and images that capture the expanding definition of household animals and pop culture’s fascination with our four-legged friends. 

Dance yourself clean (or dirty) night after night with LCD Soundsystem's fall residency through December. The rock band will play its biggest hits on stage at the Knockdown Center in Queens.

Grab tickets here.

An exhibit that tells the story of Paris' Notre-Dame cathedral has landed in New York. History fanatics and art buffs can make their way to Morningside Heights' massive Cathedral of St. John the Divine to experience this multimedia event. 

As a part of the church's art collection this winter, "Notre-Dame de Paris: The Augmented Exhibition" promises an interactive tour of crucial moments in the cathedral’s 850-year history, from its inception in 1163 to the current process of restoration after the 2019 fire. 

Admission to the exhibit costs $25 for adults, $22 for seniors, and $10 for children, with hours every day from 10am to 5pm.

If Netflix’s Squid Game was one of your favorite shows and you’re looking forward to the new season premiere this December, you’ll want to try your hand at some of the challeneges at Squid Game: The Experience here in NYC.

Set within Manhattan Mall (100 West 33rd Street by Sixth Avenue), you get into teams of up to 24 people each to complete challenges across 60 minutes, including those that appeared on the TV show (yes, you’ll get to try your hand at the iconic Red Light Green Light) plus a number of brand-new ones built specifically for the experience. Once done playing, you can enjoy a night market offering a variety of Korean and international sweet and savory foods, plus drinks.

Explore the legacy of Belle da Costa Greene (1879–1950). The Morgan’s first director, she is one of the most prominent librarians in American history. American financier J. Pierpont Morgan hired her as his personal librarian in 1905. After Morgan’s death in 1913, Greene continued as the librarian of his son and heir, J. P. Morgan Jr., who transformed his father’s library into the public institution we know today.

A new exhibition about her, "Belle da Costa Greene: A Librarian's Legacy" runs through May 4, 2025 at The Morgan. 

The world's most famous ice rink, The Rink at Rockefeller Center, is back for the season. The iconic Manhattan ice rink, a fixture in countless movies and TV shows, is celebrating 88 years in New York City this fall and winter. 

Tickets to the rink start at $21 per person and go up to $114 per person, depending on the date, time and skater's age. Skate rentals are not included and cost about $12. 

Cole Escola’s Oh, Mary! is not just funny: It is dizzyingly, breathtakingly funny, the kind of funny that ambushes your body into uncontained laughter. Stage comedies have become an endangered species in recent decades, and when they do pop up they tend to be the kind of funny that evokes smirks, chuckles or wry smiles of recognition. Not so here: I can’t remember the last time I saw a play that made me laugh, helplessly and loudly, as much as Oh, Mary! did—and my reaction was shared by the rest of the audience, which burst into applause at the end of every scene. Fasten your seatbelts: This 80-minute show is a fast and wild joy ride. In this hilariously anachronistic historical burlesque, Escola plays—who else?—Mary Todd Lincoln, in the weeks leading up to her husband’s assassination. Boozy, vicious and miserable, the unstable and outrageously contrary Mary is oblivious to the Civil War and hell-bent on achieving stardom as—what else?—a cabaret singer.

On October 27, 1904, New Yorkers dressed in their finest clothing and hosted dinner parties to celebrate the big news of the year. After four years of messy, sometimes controversial construction, a subway had opened in New York City. Officials didn't know if people would show up for its debut, but more than 100,000 people descended beneath the ground that evening to traverse the system's 9 miles and 28 stations. The next day, a Sunday, more than 1 million people showed up on the subway's first full open day. 

It may not seem like a big deal to us now, but the subway was revolutionary—and it still is. A fascinating new exhibit at the New York Transit Museum in Brooklyn digs into the history and the future of our underground rail system. Titled "The Subway Is...," the exhibition brings together artifacts, photos, multimedia installations, old advertisements, train models and more to tell the story of our city's subway system. 

New Yorkers itching to see the Sistine Chapel's ceiling painted by Michelangelo usually have to embark on an eight-and-a-half hour flight to Rome before finding their way to the Vatican City.

But now, this special slice of history has landed in Brooklyn in an immersive exhibit. Michalangelo's Sistine Chapel: The Exhibition has touched down in Industry City through January 5, 2025, after stints in London, Shanghai, Toronto, Chicago, Vienna and other cities around the world. 

The exhibition features 34 of the famous frescoes reproduced in precise detail with bold color and enhanced details to give visitors a fuller experience than they would get if they visited the Vatican, where the artwork towers a staggering 66 feet above the main floor and where details can get lost if you don't have hawk-like vision. Tickets range from $22 to $26.

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. 

The exhibition first opened last year, and officials are now moving it to a larger permanent gallery within the museum. The new space will offer a chance to include recent new discoveries of significant information concerning the identities of individuals participating in the Birch Trials and their inclusion in the Book of Negroes.

The clothes we put on our bodies every day don't just keep us warm or covered or in fashion. They also say something. Clothing conveys meaning—sometimes in direct ways like "I'm mourning" and sometimes in indirect ways like "screw the status quo." 

A new exhibit titled "Real Clothes, Real Lives: 200 Years of What Women Wore" at the New-York Historical Society digs into how clothing has played a crucial role in the lives of everyday women. The exhibit, on view through June 22, 2025, explores how women have influenced, adapted and defied societal expectations through clothing. See a wide array of women's clothing, from a Depression-era house dress to a psychedelic micro mini to an Abercrombie & Fitch wool suit from in 1917. Unlike most other women's fashion exhibitions, there's not a ball gown in sight, and that's exactly what makes this show so special. 

Edges of Ailey is the first large-scale museum exhibition to reflect on the life, work and legacy of the visionary artist Alvin Ailey. Ailey 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.

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. 

See it through February 9, 2025 at The Whitney.

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.

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.

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

Heading to Madison Square Garden to watch the Knicks play is an iconic night out in NYC. The basketball team made the playoffs recently in the 2020-21 season led by forward Julius Randle and RJ Barrett. 

Catch them at MSG now!

Pop on over to American Dream in East Rutherford, New Jersey for an immersive experience dedicated to bubbles. This surreal and colorful world promises to delight all ages with themed rooms, fantastic landscapes, and VR tech. 

Bubble Planet promises to challenge imagination, amaze with the magic of science, and unleash the inner child in all. Expect to see oversized bubbles, balloons, and more in this sensory playground.

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.”

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. 

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.

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. 

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.

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. 

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.

Explore the extraordinary life of Lord Byron—the 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. 

“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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

This museum serves as a love letter to the enigmatic street artist known only as Banksy. The Lower Manhattan venue features the largest collection of Banksy’s life-sized murals and artwork in the world. 

After passing through an industrial door, you'll see a city of walls a.k.a. Banksy's ideal canvas. By its nature, street art is impermanent, but this museum offers a long-term space for the ephemeral. Many of the re-creations at the museum no longer exist on the street. Expect to see more than 160 works on display in this celebration of the artist.

Just a programming note: The production at the museum is unauthorized and unaffiliated with the artist.

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.

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. 

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. 

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. 

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. 

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.

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.  

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.

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. 

New York City is full of free outdoor art that you don't even have to go to a museum to see. Sculptures, murals and photographs can be found in its parks, sidewalks and on its buildings! 

An outdoor artwalk makes for a perfect fall activity, and there's no shortage of art to check out right now. Best of all, it costs you nothing to pay a visit.

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.

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.

Puppet master Jonathan Rockefeller's kaleidoscopic adaptation of Eric Carle’s classic children’s stories is a pure, kid-pleasing joy. The ravenous larva doesn’t appear until the final quarter, but there are plenty of colorful puppets, dancing and music to entrance youngsters until then. Along with the main story, the show dramatizes three of these seven other Carle books: 10 Little Rubber Ducks, The Very Lonely Firefly, The Very Busy Spider, Mister Seahorse, The Artist Who Painted a Blue Horse, Dream Snow and Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See. (A different combination of stories is performed at each show.)

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The weather outside might be freezing, but the best things to do in winter in NYC will keep you cheery.

Want to know what’s happening in New York today, this weekend or in the coming months? Use our NYC events calendar for 2024 as your guide to find the best things to do around town.