There’s a certain speed that comes with living in a place like New York City. The pace, the crowds, the noise, the never-ending stream of events, invitations, and openings — they make the days blur by before you have to stop and remind yourself that you’re living in a place you once only dreamed about. That you’re the main character in your own story. That it’s up to you to make sure it’s one worth reading.
And New York City offers no shortage of activities to make you feel like the star of the early 2000s romcoms you might’ve grown up watching. It’s a place that builds character, yes, but it’s also a place that strips you down and forces you to choose exactly who you want to be. Because in a place with so much to do and see, how you choose to spend your time shapes who you are and what you prioritize. The city leans heavily into the “choose your own adventure” mentality and rewards you, if you let it.
As much as I love exploring popular parts of the city or experiencing the rush of securing a hard-to-get reservation, there’s something so special about doing the slower, more intentional activities that celebrate the wealth of culture, knowledge, variety, and life that provide the steady heartbeat New York City survives and thrives on.
Whether you live in New York City or are planning your next visit, here are six uniquely New York experiences to add to your list — no lines or impossible reservations required.
The New York City Center is a beautiful theater and cultural hub that sees less of the tourist crowd of most Broadway productions and brings in local lovers of the arts. It’s home to the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, the Fall for Dance Festival, and various other productions that celebrate the arts.
The Encores! program in particular is a fantastic way to see revivals of past musicals with original orchestrations — an amazing cultural experience possible only in a place like New York. I highly recommend checking out their program and getting tickets to shows that haven’t been revived in decades (and might not be for a while!).
One of my best friends who is heavily involved in the New York dance scene introduced me to New York City Center’s Fall for Dance Festival, a two-week international dance program with every seat in the house at $30 (you read that right!). As their website says, “This beloved New York City tradition offers you a taste of different dance styles and artists with three unique performances each night, from tap dance to tango and everything in between.”
If you’re in the mood for a uniquely New York performance experience, skip Broadway and come here instead.
Started by NYC-based husband-wife duo, Ty and Felecia Freely, Lectures on Tap is an amazing way to attend thought-provoking lectures by renowned professors and experts at various bars around New York.
The topics are super interesting and niche, tickets affordable, and vibes are casual and cool, approachable but still made for the intellectually curious. No matter what you’re interested in, they’ll probably have a lecture that seems curated just for you.
A sampling of topics from their July lineup:
“The Art of the New York City Subway System”
“Feminist Philosophies of The Handmaid’s Tale”
“Galactic Hues: How Galaxies Get Their Colors & Shapes”
“The Impossible Job: Management in the Modern Workplace”
“A History of Pilates: Prison, Freedom, Control”
“Your Brain on Brands: Why We’re All Suckers for Logos”
Yup, they’re actually that damn cool.
If you miss learning but don’t miss papers or assignments, this is a great event series that gives you access to some of the smartest minds in the city while exploring cool bars across New York. These can sell out quickly, so get on their email list and snag a seat when they go live.
Exploring Central Park is a uniquely New York experience in itself. The park offers activities and adventures in every season: the 8pm summer picnics in Sheep’s Meadow, the leaf-peeping on a glorious 50 degree autumn morning, the sledding after a fresh snowfall in the winter, the appreciation for what feels like a pastel painted landscape in the spring.
One of my absolute favorite activities to do in the park, though, is reading the bench dedications, some of which are poetry in themselves. I’m convinced that when you’re forced to fit a 50-word sentiment onto a bench dedication, it’s clearer, more direct, and just better. I love getting a glimpse into the little stories these benches tell about people from the past I’ve never met yet shared a seat with.
If this sounds like fun to you (or maybe I just have a weird idea of fun), this Instagram account also gathers and posts Central Park’s bench dedications. Some of them are really beautiful and touching.
Here’s one of my favorite dedications from my favorite bench in the park. I hope Henry and Christina still have each other <3
Last fall, I wanted to do a cozy activity in celebration of my love for all things books, so I planned a bookstore crawl that spanned the length of almost the whole city and made for a wholesome adventure through the streets of Manhattan. Whether you’re a book lover or not, the New York City bookstore scene offers a wonderful opportunity to explore different neighborhoods, lose track of time skimming book spines, and appreciate the places that keep reading alive during a time where attention is our scarcest commodity.
Whether you want to channel your inner Rory Gilmore, embrace your Kathleen Kelly era, or just plan a fun activity for the sake of something to do, I encourage you to do a New York City bookstore crawl — like a bar crawl, but for the nerds! Here’s the guide I put together:
The New York City dance community is a different breed. These people dance hours a day, work multiple side jobs, often teach dance classes, AND find time to audition for shows, tours, and companies. They have my utmost respect as athletes, dreamers, and doers.
If you want a fun, uniquely New York experience (or just to be quickly humbled) take a dance class alongside some of the best in the business. The instructors often have impressive resumes (as do some of the participants), it’s cool to see where rehearsals happen and ideas come to life, and it’s fun to move your body in a new way. Plus if you take a class in Midtown you can say you danced on Broadway - ha!
Here are a couple studios with classes for all experience levels:
*A warning that even beginner classes in New York have real dance professionals taking classes for practice so don’t go in expecting a room full of newbies like I did for my first Heels class ever :)
A day at The Met is a wonderful uniquely New York activity. But there’s just something specifically New York coded about strolling through the galleries on a Friday night with nowhere else to be.
Perfect for a solo date, a real date, or a friend date, the experience is somehow better in the evening, because the crowd self-selects — and it’s usually a good one. In a city where you can be anywhere else on a Friday night, you chose to be here. (RIP the Met Rooftop which is closed for renovations for the next few years but very much enhanced the magic of the experience </3.)
Whether you’re bench hopping around Central Park, crawling through the city’s many bookstores, or enjoying dance from around the world, these uniquely New York City activities give you an experience away from the trends and hard-to-get reservations and help you appreciate the quieter, culturally rich things the city has to offer. If you have anything to add, let me know!
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