Since I’m in holiday mode and you probably are too, I figured I’d give you some ideas on where to send your out of town guests this year. Or just go yourself. It’s not mandatory to take a tourist.
* Not necessarily in order of preference.
1. The Met: My favorite museum in the world. Probably because I worked there for 3 years. They’re open on Mondays for holidays including New Year’s Eve. On Friday and Saturday evenings they are open until 9pm and have cocktails and music in the Great Hall. The Met has “suggested” admission. Not that you shouldn’t support the arts, but if you’re broke, you can pay a penny and get in. Cost covers same day admission to The Cloisters, which I highly recommend seeing also.
2. MOMA: Hey, the Guggenheim and Whitney are great, but if you only have time for one modern art museum, MOMA offers the full experience. Of course, it depends on the exhibit, so forget I said that. Free on Friday evenings. Regular admission also covers PS 1 in LIC. By the way, SALE at the MOMA Store!
3. Tenement Museum: Whenever we have out of town guests we take them here and never get tired of it! It’s a must for any native or tourist. Check out the Immigrant Heritage Trail walking tours.
4. Ellis Island: Not only do I like to see how Grandma and Grandpa lived when they settled in the Lower East Side, I want to see how they got here. If you’re not expecting this to be interesting, you’re wrong. Can’t make it to Ellis Island or Statue of Liberty? Take a ride on the Staten Island Ferry. Yeah, you’ll freeze this time of year, but suck it up.
5. Transit Museum: Ugh, I’m so old that I remember using the vintage tokens and subway cars on display at the museum. But it’s fun stuff…for both kids and adults. The main museum is in downtown Brooklyn and there’s a small annex/store at Grand Central.
6. Coney Island: Winter is BY FAR the best time to go to Coney Island. Do yourself a favor and take the train to Stillwell this New Year’s Day. Go watch the Polar Bears and Ice Bears jump in the water. Take a change of clothes, because you never know, you may get inspired to jump in with them!
7. Chinatown Dim Sum: The link is to a bunch of listings, but my favorite is Vegetarian Dim Sum House on Pell. If you’re a vegetarian, you MUST try this place. If you’re not, come see why we don’t need to eat your stinkin’ meat!
8. Noguchi: I’ve only been a couple of times, but the Noguchi Museum in Long Island City is such a pleasant, peaceful experience. Good to get away from the Manhattan rat race for the day.
9. Off or Off Off Broadway: Skip the unoriginal $100 musical and go see some real theater. Lots of talent out there off the beaten path.
10. Brooklyn Museum: You didn’t think I’d forget my own boro’s museum, did ya? The Brooklyn Museum is awesome! A much more manageable scale than The Met, which would take a week if you wanted to see the whole thing. Be sure to check out the Target First Saturdays (including January 5th) when museum admission is free from 5-11pm and there are cocktails and free performances.
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Swimming with the Polar Bears is on my list of things to do before I die.
I have never been to the Cloisters and desperately want to go. Everytime we go to Costco I beg the Fiance to go to the Noguchi but it never works out (odd since he’s a massive museum fan who goes to museums at least once a week). In Chinatown…I love Golden Unicorn on West Broadway, that’s my fav Dim Sum.
Ice skating @ Rockefeller Center. Touristy, but something we all should do at least once.