Things to do in Manhattan

  • The Lost Boys - frontrunner for this year’s Tony for Best New Musical, based on the 80s vampire movie.

    Maybe Happy Ending - 2025 Tony winner for Best New Musical, a heartwarming original musical with the vibes of a Pixar movie.

    The Outsiders- 2024 winner for Best New Musical, a new musical based on the 80s coming of age movie.

    Ragtime - critically acclaimed revival with incredible vocals, at the iconic Lincoln Center.

    Hadestown- 2019 winner for Best New Musical, based on the Greek myth Orpheus & Eurydice.

    & Juliet- a crowd-pleasing musical featuring the music of Max Martin, prolific songwriter behind the Backstreet Boys, N’Sync, Celine Dion, Katy Perry, Britney Spears, Ariana Grande.

    Harry Potter & the Cursed Child - a play set 20 years after the original book series with dazzling magic spectacle.

    Stranger Things: The First Shadow- a play set 30 years before the tv series with stunning visual and practical effects.

    Oh, Mary! - a bizarre one-of-a-kind new comedy that asks the question, “What if Lincoln’s assassination was a good thing for Mary Todd?” Currently starring the incomparable Maya Rudolph.

    Ticket Discount Methods:

    TKTS Booth (Times Square & Lincoln Center): Offers 20-50% off day-of performances.

    Digital Lotteries: Apps/websites like Lucky Seat, Broadway Direct, and TodayTix offer $10-$45 tickets.

    Rush Tickets: Go to the theater box office at 10 a.m. (12 p.m. Sundays) for same-day tickets, usually $30-$45. Every show has a different rush policy.

    TodayTix App: Good for pre-booked discounts and digital rush.

  • Midtown (5th Ave, 42nd to 60th Streets)
    Big, shiny, and expensive. Flagships, designer stores, and the full tourist spectacle. Stop by Rockefeller Center and see Radio City and St. Patrick’s Cathedral while you’re there.

    SoHo (Broadway, Houston to Canal + side streets)
    Same big brands, but way cooler setting. The side streets are where it gets good—smaller boutiques, better finds, fewer crowds.

    Into thrifting?
    Will’s already done the work for you—use his curated map and go treasure hunting.

  • New York has over 150 museums, from the major institutions like the Met and MOMA to more niche offerings like the American Folk Art Museum and the Museum of the Moving Image. Here are some of our favorites:

    American Museum of Natural History – Think dinosaurs, space, gems, and everything in between.

    Guggenheim Museum – View art in a piece of art. The Frank Lloyd Wright-designed building alone is worth seeing.

    Lower East Side Tenement Museum – Small but eye-opening museum housed in two historical tenement buildings, showcasing the immigrant experience.

    Museum of Modern Art – A modern art powerhouse. Heavy hitters abound here with work from Van Gogh, Matisse, Picasso, Pollock, Rothko, and more.

    Metropolitan Museum of Art – Massive and iconic with millions of objects in its collection, you will not finish it in one day.

    New Museum – Downtown contemporary art museum, currently housing an exhibit about what it means to be human amidst sweeping technological changes.

    Whitney Museum of American Art – Modern and contemporary American art with great views of downtown, midtown, and a connection to the High Line.

  • Central Park

    Manhattan’s 843-acre backyard and the most visited park in the USA. Get lost on purpose. Run it at sunrise, sprawl out in Sheep Meadow, then wander your way to Bethesda Fountain, Belvedere Castle, and Strawberry Fields.


  • See the city the way it’s meant to be seen—way up high! Do a classic like the Empire State Building or Top of the Rock, or go full glass-and-adrenaline at Edge, SUMMIT One Vanderbilt, or One World Observatory.

  • An old elevated train track turned into one of the best walks in the city. The High Line runs along 10th Ave from 14th to 34th Streets. Stroll, people-watch, repeat.


  • Chaotic in the best way. Go hungry, wander aimlessly, and absolutely book dim sum at Golden Unicorn.


  • Go for the 9/11 Memorial—quiet, powerful, and especially beautiful at night. Then head up to One World Observatory (buy tickets ahead), and if you have time, the 9/11 Museum is well worth it to remember and reflect.

  • New York’s best kept (and free!) secret. Runs every ~20 minutes. A quick ride across the harbor with unbeatable views of the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, and the Lower Manhattan skyline. Zero excuses not to do this ride.

  • It’s loud, crowded, and completely over the top. You should still see it at least once. Walk through Broadway from 42nd to 50th Streets and take in the lights and chaos.


Things to do in Brooklyn

  • Get ready for all the photo ops as you walk across one of the world’s most famous spans. See views of Manhattan, Brooklyn, the East River, and stop by Brooklyn Bridge Park for a drink or a snack on the waterfront.

  • Cobblestone streets, converted warehouses, and that very Instagram-famous Manhattan Bridge shot. Wander, get a coffee, pretend you live here.

  • Quick walk, huge payoff. One of the best views of Lower Manhattan in the city without the crowds. Great for a slow morning or post-dinner stroll.

  • A hidden gem inside an actual decommissioned subway station. Old trains, vintage ads, weirdly fascinating even if you think it won’t be.

  • Brooklyn’s answer to Central Park, but chiller. Great for a run, a picnic, or pretending you’re a local for a few hours. You can even stop by the Prospect Park Zoo!


  • Big, beautiful, and way less overwhelming than the Met. You can actually see the whole thing in one visit. They also have pay as you want admissions, so it won’t break the bank. See work by Edward Hopper, Mark Rothko, and Judy Chicago’s famous The Dinner Party.


  • Stroll through 50+ acres of plants, trees and conservatories in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, close to Prospect Park and the Brooklyn Museum. 

  • Brooklyn’s best open air food hall with locations on the Williamsburg waterfront (with Manhattan views!) on Saturdays and in Prospect Park on Sundays. Taste your way through every local bite imaginable at Smorgasburg.