New York City—the city that never sleeps. During the nation-wide lockdowns in 2020, even NYC had to go on pause. Even though the tourism and attractions of today haven’t completely stabilized since 2020, there are still a variety of experiences and attractions that might catch your eye for this upcoming year!
197 E 3rd St, New York, NY 10009
The first place to visit on our list today is the Book Club Bar, located in the East Village. It’s an independent bookstore that also serves local beers and coffees, as well as wine. From its cozy living-room decor to the variety of baked goods and snacks on the menu, this is a great place to relax with a good book and a great bite!
230 Vesey St, New York, NY 10281
Located in Battery Park City, Brookfield Place is the site of a range of foods, shops, events, and attractions to enjoy. Aside from their many high fashion design stores, they have a Drybar (which specializes in blowouts), a Cos Bar (a beauty retailer store), and a Clean Market—where you can purchase nutritious foods and health-conscious products. They also have several different food and restaurant options, ranging from Sprinkles bakery to Dos Toros Taqueria! Some of their other attractions include an ice skating rink, programs with the Institute of Culinary Education, live music and dancing performances, and art exhibitions!
200 Eastern Pkwy, Brooklyn, NY 11238
What originally began as an institute and library in 1822, the Brooklyn Museum is one of the oldest and largest museums in the United States. It’s had a long history of renovations, yet it’s always served to be the cultural, recreational, and educational district in Brooklyn. Today, their exhibitions include “A Woman’s Afterlife: Gender Transformation in Ancient Egypt”, “Climate in Crisis: Environmental Change in the Indigenous Americas”, and many more.
30 Hudson Yards, New York, NY 10001
The highest sky deck in the Western Hemisphere, the Edge, allows you to look through 100 stories of glass floors or look at the view outside through the uniquely-angled glass walls—offering a rare 360-degree perspective of New York City that you can’t get anywhere else. Peak—a restaurant, bar, and event space—sits on the 101st floor of the building, offering a beautiful view to accompany special dinners and gatherings. Surrounding the Edge, Hudson Yards offers a large variety of foods, drinks, and events.
24 W 25th St Floor 8, New York, NY 10010
Even during these dangerous times of the pandemic, Escape the Room NYC offers a safe, precautious, and fun way to spend your free time with friends and loved ones. Every game is a private experience, and rooms are thoroughly disinfected directly after. Team members stay socially distanced from guests, offer masks, gloves, and hand sanitizer to guests, as well as receive continuous wellness checks, ensuring maximum safety for all people who decide to come. The experience consists of an hour-long game where groups must escape their room using puzzles and mysteries provided for you to solve. The rooms come in a variety of themes, from South Park’s “Cartman’s Escape Room” to a victorian-styled mystery, “The Home”.
6. High Line
Meatpacking District; New York, NY 10011
Although now attracting an estimated eight million tourists every year, the High Line was originally built to be an elevated rail line. Today, it’s a public park stretching 1.45 miles long. It features over 500 types of plants and trees— a beautiful sight as you choose to simply walk through the park, engage in the community programs and engagement, or even view performances and artwork showings (which are free and made available to everyone)!
558 Broadway, New York, NY 10012
The Museum of Ice Cream, located in SoHo, provides creative and imaginative exhibits promoting fun human interactions. They currently have 13 exhibits (which change seasonally), including “Rainbow Tunnel”—a representation of NY’s history of gay pride, the “Sprinkle Pool”, and the “Oh Yeah Room”—which features a mid-air suspended dessert feast. They even offer “Sundae School”, which are ice cream-making workshops, and “Sips and Scoops”, which are workshops that teach you how to pair the perfect alcohol with your favorite ice cream! Most importantly, they provide a creative selection of cocktails, mocktails, milkshakes, and ice creams!
8. NAKED Nolita
224 Mulberry St, New York, NY 10012
Naked Nolita, also known as Naked Retail, is a unique store with rotating brands offered—primarily brands that are exclusive to the internet. Beautifully designed, Naked even provides an amazing site for your next photo shoot. Made to be an interactive space with specially selected brands, values of form and function serve as the foundation of Naked. People claim Naked is redefining “conscious consumption”, especially through their redesigned, safe shopping environment amidst Covid. A few exclusive brands include Supergoop!, wholier, and Laundry Day (as well as many others)!
2900 Southern Blvd, The Bronx, NY 10458
Established in 1891 and now serving as a National Historic Landmark site, the New York Botanical Garden is especially noted for the beauty of its gardens, landscapes, collections, and educational programs. It takes up 250 acres—being the most spacious garden in any city within the United States. Located in the Bronx, the NYBG has always aimed at researching the science of plants in order to preserve them. Their award-winning “Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden”, one of the world’s most sustainable rose gardens, along with their victorian-themed glasshouse, and 50 specialty gardens attract over one million visitors annually. They even provide extensive knowledge to visitors through their private events and workshops.
10. Olfactory NYC
281 Mott St, New York, NY 10012
Interested in custom fragrances? Olfactory NYC is definitely the place for you! Using high-quality natural and sustainable ingredients (often found in luxury fragrance brands)—but at more than half the price of those brands—they offer a wide variety of products, and even the opportunity to curate your own scent. To make your own perfume, you must choose a base scent (from one of their pre-made perfumes), an accord (a combination of scents like Indian jasmine and cedarwood, and geranium and hydrangea), as well as the color of the liquid! They offer unique scent combinations, from cedarwood and incense, to coffee, mocha, and cream. They even provide private events to large groups who want to share their first experience at Olfactory, as well as virtual Zoom events right now! Aside from their fragrances, their products include hand and body washes, lotions, and scented candles.
11. Sip & Play
471 5th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11215
If you’re looking for a cafe offering indoor (and outdoor) dining with a little fun to it, consider checking out Sip & Play—Park Slope’s first board game cafe with a library of over 200 games! Aside from the classic games like Monopoly and Battleship, their library contains many lesser-known games that are just as fun! At the price of just 7-10$ for three hours of playing time (depending on the day), they also offer a variety of foods and drinks. There’s a wide selection of boba drinks, coffees, beers from local breweries, sandwiches, and hot bites like mozzarella sticks. They’re open from 10am-10pm every day except Tuesdays!
12. The Greens; Rooftop at Pier 17
89 South St, New York, NY 10038
The ultimate socially distanced dining experience in NYC, The Greens—provides private rooftop cabins to groups from two to ten people! The cabins include a heated floor plan, contactless food purchasing, air purifiers, winter decorations, virtual fireplace, and amazing views of the city. Their menu offers a wide variety of delicacies, ranging from truffle grilled cheese to pasta and lobster!
58 Warren St, New York, NY 10007
Again, calling all book-lovers! The Mysterious Bookshop is a bookstore in the city specialized in mystery fiction, including but not limited to detective, crime, thriller, and espionage stories. With a 4.7-star rating, this bookshop even includes rares and collectables. Due to Covid, they’re offering curbside and in-store pickup, but the store is all open for shopping Mondays to Saturdays, from 11am-7pm. If you aren’t comfortable going in person, they offer shipping worldwide, and as of right now, they’re conducting special events with featured authors via Zoom!