Help me plan a weekend in NYC?

February 7, 2012 4:37 PM

We have one weekend in New York, help us make it count!

So a friend and I decided that for spring break, rather than spend a week blacked out in Cancun, we'd spend some time in New York City. We've both been before many times (though not recently) and done all the Statue/EmpireState/OtherTouristyThings. What are some fun, but not cliched restaurants, activities, and other things to do in the city? We'll be there from the afternoon of March 2nd to the morning of the 5th.

ABOUT US: We're two male 21-year-old students from Miami, FL studying in Gainesville, FL (So metropolitan upbringing, small hippie college town school life). We're interested in all sorts of things (with the exception of anything sports related), but there are a few general things we want to do.
-Broadway Show: What are some good ones other than Book of Mormon and How to Succeed in Business (which now stars a Jonas brother)
-Museums: We're gonna hit MOMA and the Museum of natural history, so what are some can't miss exhibits?
-Gay Bar: We both like guys, but we have have different tastes in men, so what's a non-touristy bar/club where we can dance, drink, and meet lots of different types of guys and have a good time?

posted by nickhb to travel & transportation around New York, NY (12 answers total)

Go to Russ and Daughters for a bagel & lox and walk around the LES a bit.
Timeout NY has some nice walks up on their website, I would pick one or two and do them. I particularly like Waiting for Brunch, LES which is a nice short walk.
posted by lyra4 at 4:56 PM on February 7, 2012

Screw Broadway. Check out the theatre listings in Time Out New York and go see something that's actually interesting.

I'm partial to the Brooklyn Museum, the New Museum, and P.S. 1. MoMA admission will get you into P.S. 1, as well.
posted by Sara C. at 5:31 PM on February 7, 2012 [1 favorite]

Combine your love of musical theater and your gayness.
posted by prefpara at 5:39 PM on February 7, 2012

Schedule your MoMA trip for Friday, since it is free that night (though it can be a bit crowded).
posted by This_Will_Be_Good at 5:59 PM on February 7, 2012 [1 favorite]

While I wouldn't be quite so....vehement as Sara C., I agree that checking out the off-Broadway theater may also yield good results for you. And the city's absolute most comprehensive theater report is the web site http://www.nytheatre.com (disclaimer: I write for them now and then, but that's not why I'm recommending it). They endeavor to review literally EVERYTHING.

Marie's Crisis may be worth a visit; we even once had a New York meetup here, where I think we somehow got Jonmc to sing along to a few lines of "The Internet Is For Porn."
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 7:16 PM on February 7, 2012

-Broadway Show: What are some good ones other than Book of Mormon and How to Succeed in Business (which now stars a Jonas brother)

I assume you want to see Book of Mormon but have seen just how far in advance it is sold out (September 26th)?

Some suggestions slightly (maybe) off the beaten path:
War Horse at Lincoln Center
Sleep No More at the McKittrick Hotel - no regular tickets left for your dates but Premium Access is available if you email
Traces
Fuerza Bruta
Accomplice

Strange places and oddities in NYC.

A self-guided Lower East Side Noshing tour.

Similarly:
West Village
East Village - East 7th Street: in addition to Porchetta, Luke's Lobster, Butter Lane, Caracas Arepas Bar, you might also get a kick out of the Big Gay Ice Cream Shop (I love the American Globs, Salty Pimp is good, too, and the staff are all sweethearts)
Flushing
The ultimate Queens night-time walking tour

My favorite eats & drinks in NYC that you probably won't find anywhere else, or, at least not all in the same town.

Also, go to Booker & Dax.
posted by kathryn at 7:33 PM on February 7, 2012 [2 favorites]

Marie's Crisis may be worth a visit

For camp value, sure. You can get that at that terrible bar on Lincoln Road when you go back home. Heh. But not for hot guy value.

Hot guys-your-age-ish bars:

The Cock (a little too dark for me honestly but then I'm not 21)

Eastern Bloc

Nowhere

And in Williamsburg, which is sorta equivalent to the Wynwood of New York:

Metropolitan

Sugarland

And whatever's hot in Hell's Kitchen (which is the New York-Miami comparison equivalent of Brickell, sorta) right now, I have no clue.

If you love, love, love food, then great and fun restaurants include Roman's in Fort Greene, Frankie's in Carroll Gardens and... hmm. OH, Roberta's, in Bushwick.

If you love art, skip the museums, and go to the Chelsea galleries. It's a little confusing your first time, but they're all basically between 17th and 26th Streets, between 10th and 11th avenues. Just weave block to block. (22nd, 24th, 25th and 26th are all wall-to-wall art that you'll never see again, because it's either getting burned or going in a rich person's house.)

More questions? Email or Memail me!
posted by RJ Reynolds at 8:32 PM on February 7, 2012 [2 favorites]

I love to go to Chinatown for some dumplings- Joe's Shanghai for sit-down service (soup dumplings, yay!), or Vanessa's Dumplings for counter service.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 6:12 AM on February 8, 2012

YOU HAVE to get to "Sleep No More." My partner and I visited the city in October and I can't get it out of my head. It's Macbeth as performance art (with a splash of Hitchcock) where you wander around a multi-story hotel set as incredibly lithe actors/dancers perform around you. The hotel is on W 23rd. Really stunning. "Book of Mormon" was hysterical, but tickets would be hundreds and hundreds of dollars at this point and it will surely be running for years. "Anything Goes" was a lot of sweet, old fashioned fun--highly recommended. "War Horse" was amazing too--check out Lincoln Center's LincTix for *really cheap* access to their programming. You should think about visiting the Tenement Museum on the lower east side. That was really fascinating. It's a tenement that was restored to its period condition and the tour guide (guided tours only) told the story of the folks who lived in the building and the history of the building.
posted by jroybal at 7:54 AM on February 8, 2012 [1 favorite]

I should add that you guys should also look into the Met's Cloisters since you're thinking of the Met; this is the Met's branch on medieval Europe. We've not been there yet but that's on our list for next time. I forgot to mention that the Roundabout Theatre Company also has a program for students (HipTix) for discounted tickets (same idea as LincTix). They're the non-profit behind "Anything Goes." They also offer discounted tickets to their other programming as well.
posted by jroybal at 8:01 AM on February 8, 2012 [1 favorite]

And now for links:

- LincTix for Lincoln Center (and Lincoln Center is really pretty, especially in the evening)
- HipTix for Roundabout Theatre Company
- Tenement Museum
- The Cloisters
posted by jroybal at 8:05 AM on February 8, 2012

Awesome Guys! Keep 'em coming!
posted by nickhb at 8:41 AM on February 8, 2012