Because of COVID-19, it already seems like winter in NYC will be filled with lots of changes. From dining rules to schools, stuff is opening, then closing, and then opening up again-and it can feel hard to keep up with all of the latest news and regulations. But don’t let that stop you from making plans! All you need is a mask, some hand sanitizer, and a list of the actually cool things to do in the city this season.
This winter, you can support Broadway through its shutdown by streaming live plays on your laptop, watch the New York Botanical Garden get lit up by thousands of glowing lights, or even learn to surf in the off-season on one of the city’s best beaches. We’ve rounded up the best ways to explore the city this winter (with face coverings and remaining socially distant, of course!) so you can get inspired to leave your apartment before the spring thaw.
Through January 9 The Bronx The New York Botanical Garden’s GLOW event transforms the garden into a colorful wonderland with thousands of lights. The Enid A. Haupt Conservatory and Reflecting Pool act as the centerpieces, while the surrounding space is filled with music, pop-up dance performances, and live ice sculpting. The outdoor space provides plenty of room to spread out, but tickets must be purchased in advance to allow for social distancing. Cost: Adult tickets are $30
Winter-long Rockaway Beach Locals Surf School offers surfing lessons all year long so you can learn to surf without the crowds (wouldn’t you rather fall off your board without everybody watching?). While the water’s pretty freaking cold in the winter, a wetsuit will keep you nice and warm-and so will the knowledge that you’ll be hanging ten come summertime. While we might spend a lot of this winter stuck inside, a day spent out on the freezing water is the perfect shock to your system that’s unrelated to the pandemic. Cost: Lessons start at $90
Through December 31 Virtual Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre is taking its beloved winter season online, bringing workshops, conversations with dancers and artists, and performances right into your home. Catch the world premieres of A Jam Session for Troubling Times, set to the music of Charlie “Bird” Parker; and Testament, with an original score by composer Damien Sneed. You can also celebrate the 60th anniversary of Ailey’s Revelations, a ballet set to African American spirituals and performed around the world. Cost: Free
Through March 2021 Pier 17 In the mood for a wintry upstate getaway? Pier 17’s The Greens is recreating those snowy, cozy vibes right here in NYC. Reserve a cabin (with a virtual fireplace and an air purifier), order a round of seasonal cocktails designed by award-winning cocktail bar Dante, and drink to not having to drive four hours in the snow to get away from it all. Psst: Scoring a cabin might seem hard, but new reservation slots are released every Monday morning at 10am for the following week, so set your alarm! Cost: Cocktails start at $18
Winter-long Virtual While the lights are still off on Broadway, Spotlight On Plays is streaming live performances for you to enjoy without having to put pants on. The full season has yet to be announced, but in the meantime you can catch Robert O’Hara’s Barbecue on December 10, and more plays by women and people of color will be featured in the coming months. Tickets are donation based, with the proceeds benefiting The Actors Fund to help Broadway through the COVID crisis. Cost: Tickets start at $5
Winter-long Multiple Locations At ice skating rinks around the city-including Bank of America Winter Village at Bryant Park, IC Ice Rink in Industry City, and Vale Rink at The William Vale (which is made with Glice, not ice)-work up a sweat and then warm up with a cocktail. In Bryant Park’s cozy igloos, you can sip on mulled wine or buckets of beers; at IC Ice Rink, you can explore the food and drink of Industry City; and at Vale Rink, you can get toasty in their heated enclosure. Cost: Varies
Through March DUMBO Light Year, a winter-long installation happening on the first Thursday of each month, will project gigantic 65′ by 40′ films from video artists around the world onto the Manhattan Bridge. The projections are 30 minutes long and can be viewed from the Pearl Street Triangle after dusk, so bring a date and bundle up for a chilly night time excursion, or steam it here. Cost: Free
Through Summer 2021 Brooklyn Museum John Edmonds, the inaugural recipient of the UOVO Prize for emerging Brooklyn artists, has his first solo show of photography and video at Brooklyn Museum this winter. With work that centers the queer Black experience, the exhibition explores Edmonds’ dialogue with the Museum’s Arts of Africa collection as well as portraits of his friends from NYC. The Museum’s permanent exhibition of Judy Chicago’s iconic feminist work The Dinner Party is well worth a visit, too. Cost: Adult tickets are $16
February 11 – February 26 Chinatown While many of the city’s Lunar New Year traditions have been put on pause this winter, you can still honor the Year of the Ox in NYC. Pick a restaurant and head to Chinatown (we’ve made it easy by rounding up some of our faves!) for a celebratory meal. Chinatown’s restaurants were some of the first to be hit during the pandemic-even before closures affected the rest of the city-and you can help save the historic neighborhood by eating, drinking, and toasting to the new year. Cost: Varies
Winter-long, Weekends only Staten Island Historic Richmond Town, a historic village with structures dating back to the 1660s covering over 100 acres of Staten Island, is hosting limited capacity guided tours through the winter. A guide will walk you through a tour of some of the houses and structures, taking you back in time through more than three centuries of Staten Island history. At the very least, a glimpse into how New Yorkers lived in 1720 might make 2020 seem a little better. Cost: $50 for 1-6 people
Citywide While the city’s parks can be uncomfortably packed, simply head to the road less travelled during off hours (in the middle of the weekday? early in the morning?) for a socially-distant hike. With plenty of green space in every borough, our lesser-known parks have miles and miles of hiking trails for a safe taste of the great outdoors. Pick a path in your local park, wear a mask, and get some fresh air in your lungs and some winter sunshine. Cost: Free
Winter-long Citywide While indoor dining’s future is iffy, outdoor dining seems to be here to stay. Find a patio, a sidewalk, a rooftop, or a backyard, and order up a meal-and a cocktail-that you didn’t have to make yourself. With the city’s Open Streets program, restaurants have taken over real estate that used to belong to car traffic. Just wear your mask when you’re not eating or drinking, okay? Cost: Varies
Winter-long Virtual Some of the greatest minds behind NYC’s off-Broadway scene have brought their programming online. The Public Theater streams archived shows on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays; La MaMa is hosting online happenings and artist talks; and the Theater for the New City has created an online reading series. The city’s stages might be dark for a while, but you can help keep them alive by streaming, donating what you can, and enjoying the performances from home. Cost: Varies
Winter-long Citywide Never managed to score a table at Lucali? Now’s your chance to eat some of the city’s best pies without worrying if you’ll get marinara on your “going out” clothes. Order Beyoncé’s favorite pizza for takeout from Lucali, get a couple slices of The Mootz from Paulie Gee’s Slice Shop, score a classic Sicilian square pie from L&B Spumoni Gardens, or go for a new classic from Roberta’s or Emily. Order them one at a time, or — for the ultimate pizza showdown — get ‘em all at once for an at-home taste test. Cost: Varies
Winter-long Multiple locations Remind yourself of the best the city has to offer with a whirlwind tour of takeout bagels. Eat your weight in lox, schmear, and poppy seeds with takeout or delivery from Tompkins Square Bagels, Russ & Daughters, and/or Black Seed Bagels. If you decide to eat ‘em all in one day, just drink a lot of water, OK? Otherwise you’ll end up as salted as that gravlax you pounded. Cost: Varies
Winter-long Bushwick Known for its freaky parties, wild costumes, and metric tons of glitter, House of Yes has moved their signature getdowns online for the time being. Attend a digital dance party, learn how to shake it at a digital “twerkshop,” or tip on Venmo during an online drag show-all you need to do to recreate the HOY experience IRL is to slap on a neon wig, wear your tightest clothes, and leave your inhibitions at your own front door. Cost: Free to attend virtual events
Winter-long City Hall/Brooklyn Bridge Park While this tourist destination is usually crowded, these strange times have made it strangely empty. Grab a sandwich from Bread & Spread at your starting point in DUMBO, then reward yourself with a cocktail from Hole in the Wall on the other end before turning back around. Make sure to bring a camera to capture the skyline and the once-in-a-lifetime view of the quiet bridge. Cost: Free to cross; food and drink prices vary
Spend an afternoon gallery hopping
Winter-long Chelsea The city’s galleries are open for gawking, where you can make a reservation to ooh and aah over art at places like Lehmann Maupin, David Zwirner, and Metro Pictures. Although the pandemic has led some galleries to close their doors permanently-Gavin Brown’s enterprise will be sorely missed-this is still a city of art and artists, and the pandemic is sure to inspire more great work to come. Cost: Free
Keep the river on your right… or left
Winter-long Brooklyn Bridge Park/Brooklyn Heights Promenade, Hudson River Greenway Take a socially distant walk or bike ride for a sunny morning or afternoon spent outdoors. Bring your phone for a couple of sweet ‘grams along either the Hudson and East Rivers from Manhattan and Brooklyn, respectively. Both have dedicated cycling and walking paths so you can be safe from cars and other bike riders and pedestrians (just wear a mask and social distance, please!). Cost: FreeSign up here for our daily NYC email and be the first to get all the food/drink/fun New York has to offer.
As spring makes its way through New York City, not only do we get to enjoy beautiful weather, stunning cherry blossoms, and cool activities priced at $Free.99, but it’s also the perfect time for some limited-edition desserts.
With Easter fast approaching, bakeries are filling their shops with tons of chocolate eggs, carrot cake-flavoured everything and all types of flavours that offer both nostalgia and innovation within the city’s dessert landscape. After you’ve picked up a cake from the city’s best new bakeries, from Easter Bunny Churros to Carrot Cake Macarons, here are 8 Easter desserts to try in NYC right now.
Throughout April Various locations
There’s great news for devotees of Magnolia Bakery’s Classic Banana Pudding: For Easter, the spot is mixing up the iconic dessert’s vanilla pudding with some carrot cake. The Carrot Cake Pudding is filled with freshly grated carrots, coconuts, pineapples, raisins, and walnuts. And if both bananas and carrots aren’t your thing, they’ll be offering their Classic Vanilla Cupcakes in pastel colours with a Cadbury chocolate egg hidden inside.
Through Easter Sunday NoHo and Seaport
Known for their celebrity face and meme-worthy decorated cookies, fans of Funny Face Bakery know that a new fun design is always just around the corner. For Easter, they’ve created the adorable Hoppy Easter decorated cookie that resembles a classic box of marshmallow Peeps. Along with that, they also have the return of their fan-favourite Caramel Pretzel Chip cookie flavour, plus a set of three mini-decorated cookies perfect for gifting.
Friday, April 7 through Easter Sunday West Village
With the ever-changing flavours at The Doughnut Project, it’s super easy to miss out on trying out a new debut. But this Easter weekend, there will be two new flavours available. One is of course, a carrot cake doughnut topped with a cream cheese glaze, and the other is known as the Doughnut Nest-a French cruller “nest” with a cream-filled doughnut hole “egg” in the centre.
Photo by Cole Saladino, courtesy of The Fragile Flour
Photo by Cole Saladino, courtesy of The Fragile Flour
Wednesday, April 5 through Easter Sunday East Village
For stellar vegan desserts this holiday, head to The Fragile Flour, a plant-based bakery and dessert wine bar. They’re known for going all out for each holiday with a variety of new pastry options that you can pair perfectly with a glass of wine. This Easter, they’ll have a whole dessert menu that’s both delicious and gorgeous for posting on IG. The menu includes Stuffed Carrot Cake Cookies, a Lemon Cake (whole or by the slice), some festive cupcakes, and specialty macarons.
Through mid April Midtown
For a luxurious take on Easter chocolates, browse the selections available at Kreuther Handcrafted Chocolate. You can even pick the Easter Signature Chef’s Selection for a special box curated by award-winning chefs. For something other than chocolate, choose between the Carrot Cake Macarons or the cake flavored Easter Marshmallow Trio, both of which are almost too cute to eat.
Throughout April Nolita
This churro-centric spot is putting the cutest Easter spin on their crispy cinnamon churros by twisting them up into bunnies and bunny ears. At Churreria, choose from a Bunny Churro Lollipop topped with your choice of chocolate or dulce de leche and sprinkles, or the bunny ear churros in the Ube and Matcha ice cream sundae or the Ube Milkshake, both of which are made with ice cream from il laboratorio del gelato.
Throughout April NoHo
You’ve surely seen this croissant tons of times while scrolling through IG or TikTok, whether it’s the Pain au Chocolat one or the latest of the month. Known as Suprêmes, these filled croissants went viral and continue to live up to the hype each time a new flavour comes out. April’s flavour-sour cherry amaretto with a Luxardo custard and toasted almonds. While you’ll have to be super early and wait in line during one of their three drops of the day to get a taste, we promise you it’ll be worth it.
Seasonal Various locations
We all know the iconic cookies from Levain-they’re gigantic, perfectly crispy and chewy, and well worth the long lines. For spring, the shop is launching a new flavour: Caramel Coconut Chocolate Chip. Filled with gooey caramel chips, fresh shredded coconut, and melty dark chocolate, it’s one you’ve got to try while it’s still around. To further celebrate the new season, all of Levain’s storefronts will be decked out in spring floral displays, serving as the perfect backdrop for pictures.
Alaina Cintron is an Editorial Assistant at Thrillist. Her work can also be found in Westchester Magazine, Girls’ Life, and Spoon University. When she’s not at her desk typing away, you can find her exploring a local coffee shop or baking a new recipe.
