NYC membership, subscription, season tickets, or experience gift
November 29, 2022 9:29 PM Subscribe
For Christmas, I’d like to give my fiancé an experiential gift in or near NYC - maybe a cultural membership, season tickets, or an unforgettable date activity. What’s the best bang for your buck NYC experiential gift in 2022?
We love attending cultural events - concerts, theater, performance, art, etc. Maybe a museum membership? Which membership offers the most in terms of in-person events? Recommendations for season tickets at off Broadway theaters? We like an occasional staycation, so could even be a unique or exciting overnight stay somewhere? We also both like local baseball & basketball (Mets & Nets respectively.)
He’s a cyclist, very physically active, loves punk music and left politics. He’s not really into cooking but loves good food. Not much of a “maker” type, so I don’t think a pottery class or whatever would be a good fit. Not interested in film.
I’d love any suggestions for memberships, subscriptions, or season tickets we can enjoy through the year, or really unique or special one-time experiences.
Yes I know about Sleep No More, thanks!
We love attending cultural events - concerts, theater, performance, art, etc. Maybe a museum membership? Which membership offers the most in terms of in-person events? Recommendations for season tickets at off Broadway theaters? We like an occasional staycation, so could even be a unique or exciting overnight stay somewhere? We also both like local baseball & basketball (Mets & Nets respectively.)
He’s a cyclist, very physically active, loves punk music and left politics. He’s not really into cooking but loves good food. Not much of a “maker” type, so I don’t think a pottery class or whatever would be a good fit. Not interested in film.
I’d love any suggestions for memberships, subscriptions, or season tickets we can enjoy through the year, or really unique or special one-time experiences.
Yes I know about Sleep No More, thanks!
It really depends on his fitness and experience level, but the 5 Boro may not be his thing. It’s more for beginners and people who don’t mind stopping frequently or going at a slow pace because of the amount of traffic in front of them. There are many many day trips (Fork to Fondo et al) near the city that can give you amazing roads and well provisioned stops.
posted by computech_apolloniajames at 7:40 AM on November 30, 2022
posted by computech_apolloniajames at 7:40 AM on November 30, 2022
Green-Wood cemetery membership. Admission is free for everyone, but membership (especially at a higher level) gives tickets to tours and discounts to their excellent events.
posted by cushie at 8:05 AM on November 30, 2022
posted by cushie at 8:05 AM on November 30, 2022
Some fun experiential outings and memberships:
1. The Museum of Ice Cream - so much ice cream and so much color!
2. Color Factory - Loved the arty activities
3. Biking to Piermont from NYC - Check out the Ride with GPS map. It is in the shape of a heart! You would bike across the George Washington Bridge and have lunch in Piermont which is a super cute town.
4. Museum of Math - Great to visit and membership might be worthwhile if your partner loves quirky numbers and math things. They have great events both online and in-person which I think makes up the cost of membership. I also love their math puzzles in the Enigma Cafe.
5. Staten Island Ferryhawks (local baseball team at the SI ferry). Their stadium is right next to the Staten Island Ferry. In good weather, it's perfect to take the ferry out to the ball games. I'm not sure when their tickets are on sale but they just had a Black Friday special so hoping those tickets will be out soon.
6. NYC Transit Museum - Their membership might be of interest.
7. American Museum of Natural History - I believe they are opening up a new wing next year so this might be the right time to join. Crowded during the weekends of course but their online programming is great and it would be a chance to get ahead of the crowds for member only times in their new wing.
8. Historic Richmondtown - If he is a history buff, he might enjoy Historic Richmondtown. They have a bunch of Christmas events with candlelit tours at night and they used to have Christmas colonial dinners but not sure what is on top now. They also have an apprenticeship program in the summer for various occupations like blacksmithing and open hearth cooking, etc.
posted by ichimunki at 8:13 AM on November 30, 2022 [1 favorite]
1. The Museum of Ice Cream - so much ice cream and so much color!
2. Color Factory - Loved the arty activities
3. Biking to Piermont from NYC - Check out the Ride with GPS map. It is in the shape of a heart! You would bike across the George Washington Bridge and have lunch in Piermont which is a super cute town.
4. Museum of Math - Great to visit and membership might be worthwhile if your partner loves quirky numbers and math things. They have great events both online and in-person which I think makes up the cost of membership. I also love their math puzzles in the Enigma Cafe.
5. Staten Island Ferryhawks (local baseball team at the SI ferry). Their stadium is right next to the Staten Island Ferry. In good weather, it's perfect to take the ferry out to the ball games. I'm not sure when their tickets are on sale but they just had a Black Friday special so hoping those tickets will be out soon.
6. NYC Transit Museum - Their membership might be of interest.
7. American Museum of Natural History - I believe they are opening up a new wing next year so this might be the right time to join. Crowded during the weekends of course but their online programming is great and it would be a chance to get ahead of the crowds for member only times in their new wing.
8. Historic Richmondtown - If he is a history buff, he might enjoy Historic Richmondtown. They have a bunch of Christmas events with candlelit tours at night and they used to have Christmas colonial dinners but not sure what is on top now. They also have an apprenticeship program in the summer for various occupations like blacksmithing and open hearth cooking, etc.
posted by ichimunki at 8:13 AM on November 30, 2022 [1 favorite]
NYC Transit Museum
A benefit of membership here is that it gives you eligibility to buy one of the very limited supply of tickets to see the abandoned City Hall Station, which by all reports is quite cool if you care about transit at all. But you have to be quick to snap them up when they come available twice a year.
posted by praemunire at 8:51 AM on November 30, 2022 [3 favorites]
A benefit of membership here is that it gives you eligibility to buy one of the very limited supply of tickets to see the abandoned City Hall Station, which by all reports is quite cool if you care about transit at all. But you have to be quick to snap them up when they come available twice a year.
posted by praemunire at 8:51 AM on November 30, 2022 [3 favorites]
Brooklyn Botanical Garden is nice because it is good to visit at different times of year because…plants. Also, if you ever buy plants, I think you get a discount as a member. I lived near there, so it was great for me. I assume other botanical gardens would also be equally good for multiple visits throughout the year. BAM might also be a good membership. They have different levels and a pretty diverse range of performances, plus the cinema.
posted by snofoam at 8:54 AM on November 30, 2022
posted by snofoam at 8:54 AM on November 30, 2022
- New York Botanical Garden (in the Bronx - go for nice pizza on Arthur Ave) - lots of events including seasonal special exhibitions such as the holiday train/light and orchid shows, shop discounts
- Glamping / dining on Governors Island?
- Museum sleepover not just for children (American Museum of Natural History used to have one for "grown-ups" but canceled until further notice - mailing list for updates; Intrepid has Operation Slumber which may have individual not group option; consider New Jersey sites)?
- Mohonk Preserve bike trip - can just have brunch at Mohonk Mountain House and poke through the hotel during the day if prefer to stay somewhere else depending on budget in New Paltz (reachable from the city without car via train/bus)?
- Empire State Trail bike trip?
- Overnight stay at 24-hour Korean spa? A lot of the facilities in the area shortened their hours / increased rates, though
- Check out the benefits for having an IDNYC card for free/discounted memberships and ideas, including Metropolitan Museum of Art and MoMA - these do change from year to year
posted by eyeball at 12:53 PM on November 30, 2022 [1 favorite]
Signature Theater has been my favorite off-Brodway theater for awhile.
posted by Mavri at 2:06 PM on November 30, 2022
posted by Mavri at 2:06 PM on November 30, 2022
We also both like local baseball & basketball (Mets & Nets respectively.)
Polite jeers to ichimunki for mentioning the Ferryhawks (which were formerly known as the Staten Island Yankees) and not mentioning the Brooklyn Cyclones, which is a single-A farm team for the Amazin's.
Their stadium, which is frankly a bit nicer than their record deserves, is located in Coney Island at the terminus of several subway lines that are easily accessible from Manhattan.
posted by The Pluto Gangsta at 8:06 AM on December 1, 2022
Polite jeers to ichimunki for mentioning the Ferryhawks (which were formerly known as the Staten Island Yankees) and not mentioning the Brooklyn Cyclones, which is a single-A farm team for the Amazin's.
Their stadium, which is frankly a bit nicer than their record deserves, is located in Coney Island at the terminus of several subway lines that are easily accessible from Manhattan.
posted by The Pluto Gangsta at 8:06 AM on December 1, 2022
The Cyclones' stadium is also at the end of the country's first bike path, Ocean Parkway (1894), but a cyclist Mets fan probably knows already.
Love the question and hope folks keep answering. My own answer: canoeing in the Gowanus with the Dredgers.
posted by mahorn at 10:21 AM on December 3, 2022
Love the question and hope folks keep answering. My own answer: canoeing in the Gowanus with the Dredgers.
posted by mahorn at 10:21 AM on December 3, 2022
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posted by LizardBreath at 5:45 AM on November 30, 2022 [1 favorite]