The best place to find your inner Zen boasts relaxed, peaceful grounds. Claim a spot near the serene Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden, surrounded by Japanese myrtle and cypress trees, and bliss out. Read more.
Come here for 718 Sessions, the best party to dance your heart out to. The vibe (and crowd) harks back to the scene-starting, dance-all-night ’70s club Paradise Garage. Read more.
This elegant Greenpoint gem is the best store for upgrading your wardrobe on the cheap. We love the unique outerwear, but the shop’s best offerings are ladylike dresses. Read more.
The best spot to discover the next band of the moment has an amazing track record for booking hyped indie-rock acts and the DIY decor gives every show the air of a stumbled-upon loft party. Read more.
The best place to remember why you love Manhattan takes you above the city while keeping you rooted in urban life. Walk through a field of wildflowers as cabs zoom along the street beneath you. Read more.
Arrive early at this best bar for birthdays to claim to prime barside real estate, and order a round of original cocktails mixed by rascally, white-jacketed gents. Read more.
The best place to gawk at priceless art has a collection that is seemingly endless, spanning creepy Egyptian tombs to the shimmering Impressionist paintings to an unparalleled costume collection. Read more.
Come here for the naughtiest burlesque show in NYC, !BadAss! Burlesque. The performances at this bimonthly revue aren’t the playful, teasing kind; they’re perverse and raunchy. Read more.
Come to this seductively lit haunt for the House of Scorpio’s Lip Service the best party to kiss a stranger. It’s a naughty and nice make-out mixer. Read more.
The best concert auditorium in NYC hosts the world’s greatest orchestras, instrumentalists and singers. Lately, prominent world-music acts and even rock bands have been added to the mix. Read more.
This East Village dive is the best place to hang out with cute gay boys. Damian Cote’s long-running Buddies party every Tuesday is reliably packed with adorable East Village and Brooklyn boys. Read more.
The best place to forget that you’re in NYC is crammed with gardens, forests and other quiet nooks that are perfect for chilling out. No visit here is complete without a stop by the Cloisters. Read more.
The best informal classroom offers cheap and cool sessions taught by a team of enthusiasts in various fields, including teachers, chefs, makeup artists and graphic designers. Read more.
The best touristy venue, this 80-year-old landmark is simply stunning. Check out the Art Deco flourishes in the lobby, restored to its original gilded splendor in 2009. Read more.
The best view of NYC offers a stunning panorama. From the midpoint of the massive suspension bridge, there are spectacular sight lines of Brooklyn Heights, Dumbo and lower Manhattan. Read more.
NYC’s best collective backyard boasts prime people-watching spots such as the Long Meadow and Nethermead The woodland expanse of the Ravine is a towering forest within bustling Brooklyn. Read more.
The best New York-focused museum is housed in a decommissioned subway station. Make sure to see the excellent collection of vintage subway cars. Read more.
The best birthday restaurant offers a homey French feast, centered on a shareable dish like roasted chicken, for groups of 8 to 12 on the long “kitchen table” in the back. Read more.
The best dive bar in NYC is filled with regulars making efficient use of the low prices. The owners have banished TVs to promote friendly banter and there’s always the jukebox to keep you company. Read more.
The best museum to spend the day in boasts unparalleled holdings in 20th- and 21st-century art, the Sette MoMA restaurant, a plush movie theater and the MoMA Design Store. Read more.
The best place to see museum-quality gallery shows has perfected this high-end form. Shows such as “Picasso and Marie-Thérèse: L’Amour Fou” prove you don’t have to be MoMA to stage a blockbuster. Read more.
The best place to see museum-quality gallery shows has perfected this high-end form. Shows such as “Picasso and Marie-Thérèse: L’Amour Fou” prove you don’t have to be MoMA to stage a blockbuster. Read more.
The best Off-Broadway theater has produced such hits as Bruce Norris’s Pulitzer Prize–winning satire Clybourne Park. $25 rush tickets for under-30s are available an hour before each performance. Read more.
This adored staple of Off Broadway also produces Under the Radar, the best Off-Off Broadway festival. Jump on tickets to see the daring international program of experimental theater. Read more.
The best store to blow your paycheck in stocks covetable finds from around the world—both luxury threads and more affordable goods like indie mags, CDs and hip accessories. Read more.
The best store to blow your paycheck in stocks covetable finds from around the world—both luxury threads and more affordable goods like indie mags, CDs and hip accessories. Read more.
The best spa for pampering on the fly has aestheticians ready to primp and polish at a moment’s notice. Plus, buy three best-selling products to get a complimentary makeup application. Read more.
At the best music store for vinyl fiends, you’ll find garage rock, electronic, jazz, folk and world (to name but a few genres) and releases by local bands and labels. Plus, free in-store performances! Read more.
The best theater to see a movie that will change your life hosts new art-house titles (at its Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center), rep series and beaucoup festival offerings. Read more.
The best theater to catch your favorite old movie has exquisite repertory and revival programming such as pre-Code oldies, ’70s NYC crime thrillers and French classics —plus gourmet snacks! Read more.
UCBT is the best place to laugh at funny people before they end up on TV. Nearly every sitcom on NBC’s Thursday-night lineup features performers who honed their craft at the Chelsea venue. Read more.
The best small venue for checking out headlining comics has seen Dave Chappelle, Susie Essman, Tracy Morgan and others grace its stage. Read more.
The best place to hang out with cute lesbians is this aptly named, cozy bar. There’s no attitude here, just lots of paper lanterns and holiday decorations. Strike up a conversation at the jukebox. Read more.
The best literary hot spot boasts a warm atmosphere, well-curated selection and convivial café. It also has the city’s first Espresso Book Machine, which prints a growing number of texts on demand. Read more.
Catch the Happy Ending Series here, it’s the best reading series with a twist. Big names are required to take a risk onstage: Jesse Ball once taught the crowd how to steal a book from B&N. Read more.
The best place to remember why you love Brooklyn examines the borough’s historical, cultural and gastronomic legacies through its permanent collection, rotating exhibitions and events. Read more.
Come here for Gameshow Speakeasy, the best game night in NYC, featuring wisecracking panelists from NYC’s nightlife circuit and a famous mystery guest. Read more.
Together with the 92nd Street Y, this is the best place in NYC to see a not-boring lecture. Events here are typically quirkier and cheaper then uptown and often include a beer. Read more.
Together with 92YTribeca, this is the best place in NYC to see a not-boring lecture. The 137-year-old organization hosts literary conversations, current events discussions and evenings of sing-alongs. Read more.
This beloved dive is the best bar to sing your heart out in a group. Every night, a pianist mines the Great American Songbook well into the wee hours for Broadway babies from all over the city. Read more.
This West Village institution is the best bar to sing solo in front of strangers. Just scrawl your name and request on a napkin and leave it atop the baby grand for the live pianist. Read more.
The best year-round market brings together 150 local vendors carrying all manner of vintage, handmade and antique wares. The Flea will move to its winter location on November 26.
The best year-round market brings together 150 local vendors carrying all manner of vintage, handmade and antique wares. The Flea will move to its winter location on November 26. Read more.
The best year-round market brings together 150 local vendors carrying all manner of vintage, handmade and antique wares. The Flea moves here on November 26. Read more.
The best year-round market brings together 150 local vendors carrying all manner of vintage, handmade and antique wares. The Flea moves here on November 26. Read more.
The best hotel for a staycation has perfected the urban-resort concept. The tri-level pleasure complex boasts a pool with an open view of the Empire State Building, five bars and the Exhale spa. Read more.
The best place to remember why you love Queens contains the Mets stadium, the New York Hall of Science, the home of the US Open, the iconic Unisphere. and the Queens Museum of Art. Read more.
The best place to remember why you love the Bronx places equal weight on forms such as graffiti art and folk-art as well as more conceptual art. Don’t miss the lively First Friday parties. Read more.
The best place to remember why you love Staten Island is turning 60 years of garbage into usable parkland. Get a look at the site during a two-hour bus excursion led by the NYC Parks Dept. Read more.
The best spot to discover your new favorite hobby gives you an up-close view of its artisans-in-residence during its daily open studio. Interactive workshops offer hands-on training from the experts. Read more.
The best waterfront in NYC offers a unique view of the lower Manhattan skyline, aquatic features, such as a salt marsh filled with native cordgrass, and Jane’s Carousel, a restored ride from 1922. Read more.
The best skating rink in NYC features the largest skating surface of any midtown rink and an awe-inspiring view of the city’s skyscrapers peeking over the surrounding trees. Read more.
