Things to do / Travel Guide
Popular New York City Specific Attractions
Two attractions that are absolute musts for any visit to New York City are going up to the top of the Empire State Building and paying respects to the Statue of Liberty. Both edifices continue to represent New York City, the state of New York, and the entire United States in their own ways, as they have for decades.
Nightlife in New York City
The most happening time in terms of New York City (NYC) nightlife is on weekends, but even on weeknights, crowds pack in when a hot band is playing or when a popular comedian grabs hold of a mike. The nightlife scene is largely Downtown, with the jazz joints of the West Village, the intimate dives in the East Village, and the small and trendy clubs of the Meatpacking District. Most of the fun can be had above 14th Street.
As almost every style of music and nightlife is represented in Manhattan, it can be fun to randomly pick out a bar or a club and see what the scene is like there. Since the hotspots change often, it is best to refer to one of the local entertainment magazines to see “what's in” at the moment. These days, aficionados of a good time are more loyal to floating parties, DJs, and bands, than to any specific address.
The Theater Scene in New York City
New York City's theater scene is hailed as the best in the world, outstripping even London in the quality of its shows and the eclectic variety of alternatives.
Broadway features 37 major stages showcasing world-famous long-running shows and other extravagant productions. First-time visitors should also make efforts to see the smaller scale ventures, the Off-Broadway and Off-Off-Broadway establishments scattered across other parts of the city. These terms differentiate the establishments to which they refer from Broadway in terms of theater size, pay scales, and location. The Off-Broadway shows are also vivacious and daring, while the Off-Off-Broadway shows are generally more avant-garde and experimental.
Most Broadway theaters are located around Times Square, actually clustering in the side-streets that intersect Broadway. Broadway shows tend to keep pretty regular schedules with eight performances a week: evening shows Tuesday-Saturday as well as matinees on Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday. Off-Broadway and Off-Off-Broadway productions don't have such rigidly-scheduled performances, but the curtain almost always goes up on time, meaning that if you arrive late, you should expect to wait until after the first act to take your seat.
Performing Arts in New York City
Some of the world's most hallowed performing arts complexes are found in Manhattan. Lincoln Center is the world's largest cultural complex, hosting approximately 400 events every year. Carnegie Hall is considered the greatest performance space in the world, and it is visually and acoustically brilliant, and Radio City Music Hall at Rockefeller Center is the world's largest indoor theater. Furthermore, the world-famous Metropolitan Opera is based at the Metropolitan Opera House (the Met), the New York City Ballet at the New York State Theater, and the New York Philharmonic at Avery Fisher Hall. For the “culture vulture,” these venues are the sticks by which “must-see” and “must-experience” performances are measured. The world's largest, greatest in the world - typical of New York City!
TV Tapings in New York City
How fun would it be to travel to the Big Apple and be seen by all your friends and family back home on television?! The very trick to procuring a ticket for a TV taping in New York City is to be from out of town, as visitors have a much better chance than New Yorkers of scoring seats. Request show tickets as early as possible (even six months in advance isn't too early); the more popular the show, the earlier you should seek out tickets. Age requirements vary according to show, so it pays to find out before you apply. In most cases you'll be asked to send a postcard with your specific request. But don't wait with baited breath for a response, as show tickets often arrive just a week or two before the TV tape date. The best thing about TV tapings is that they're always free to attend!
If you haven't managed to get tickets and you're already in NYC, you can still wait in line on the day of the show hoping to get one the limited number of standby tickets. Be sure to get there early.
If all goes well and you get to attend a taping, remember to bring a sweater, even in summer, as the studios can get cold. Also, an ID, as proof of age, may be required for some shows.
Entertainment Locales in Manhattan and New York City
Arts-Entertainment
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