New places to explore, events to attend, and restaurants to enjoy

I wrote a stuff-I-love-to-do-in-NYC blog post a few years ago, with my list of things that aren't necessarily on every tourist's list. (You can see it here.) But since I wrote that back in 2015, I thought I'd post an updated list with some cool stuff I've discovered since then.

Chihuly at the New York Botanical Garden
Our good friend, Larry, introduced me to Dale Chihuly's gorgeous blown glass back in 2001. The Chicago Botanic Garden was filled with art that looked like it was naturally growing from the gardens or hanging from the trees. I fell in love instantly. Since then, I've seen his work installed at the St. Louis Botanical Garden, and Ed and I saw a show in Montreal a few years back. In April, his latest show opened here in NYC. I'll be going back in June with Ed, his sister, and her daughter, for the Chihuly at Night show, but here are a few images of what you'll see if you head to the Bronx between now and October.

Detail of the piece above it

Visit Governor's Island 
This had been on my radar for awhile. I finally made it out there last fall, just before it closed for the season. There was a private event that evening, so all of the vendors were closed, but the beer garden would be a great place to sit in the sun on a summer afternoon. It's a fun place to explore as well, with old buildings, giant slides, art installations, hammocks, and amazing views of the city. And the ferry is only $2 round trip.

Atlas Obscura
This isn't an NYC-specific thing, but I think it's very cool. The founders are collecting truly odd and unusual places all over the globe and posting them online. (The Bone Church, rope bridges, Galileo's finger bone...) I decided to see how many of them I could find in New York one afternoon and ended up walking over 10 miles. It was a fun scavenger hunt though some of the places/things had already disappeared. (You can keep track of which ones you've visited on their website.) One of my favorites was the Hess Triangle. The city used eminent domain to take possession of Hess's property, then later realized they'd missed a spot. So they went back to Hess and asked for it.  He refused, and installed this mosaic onto his small remaining piece of Greenwich Village property.

Check out Archtober!
Each October, the AIA invites members of the public to take behind-the-scenes tours of a building a day. The choices are varied, and all five boroughs are represented. I managed to get a ticket to tour the new Zaha Hadid condo that's going up in my neighborhood. After a visit to the leasing office for a promotional film and a look at the model, the site foreman took us up to one of the apartments. (Hard hats, protective glasses, and vests required!) Tickets are only $10, so if you find yourself in NYC in October, check out your options.

Architectural model of the building

The hooks that hold the swooping curves in place

View of Hudson Yards from the terrace

Open House New York weekend
This is one of my favorite events in the city. Also held each October, generally on or around Columbus Day weekend, OHNY gets the public free access to over 250 sites across the five boroughs. (This year's dates are October 14-15.) All you have to do is stand in line. You can also buy a passport which jumps you right to the front of every line. Or volunteer! If you work one shift, you, too, can jump to the front of the line. They also offer programming throughout the year, some just for volunteers, some open to the public, with discounted tickets for members. (They're a non-profit, so consider joining!)

I've toured the Bronx (Edgar Allen Poe's house, Gould Hall and the Great Americans Hall of Fame at BCC, Lehman College), Brooklyn (the Brooklyn Navy Yard), and Manhattan (City Hall, the Surrogate's Court, the cupola of the Manhattan Municipal Building, Mmuseumm...) It's a great way to see parts of the city that generally remain hidden.

The Music Building at Lehman College

EA Poe's Cottage

A mosaic on the ceiling of the Surrogate's Courthouse

Yours truly in the cupola of the Manhattan Municipal Building (US Courthouse in the background)

The dome of City Hall

Mmuseum

Explore Subway Art 
My friend, Julie Richey, is a mosaicist. She came to town this spring for a visit, and we did a little exploring. It was a rotten day, weather-wise, so it was a perfect day to go in search of mosaics in the NYC subways. I knew there was lots of art below-ground, but I had no idea how much of it was mosaics. And we didn't even make a dent in the list. But here are some from the new 2nd Avenue Subway:

Chuck Close from a distance and up close (ha ha)

Another Chuck Close

 Vik Muniz

Jean Shin

We found a lot of them in the 42nd Street ACE/123/7 station as well.

If you want to spend some time in a huge, inexpensive underground art gallery, download the MTA app. It'll show you what's around you and exactly where to find it.


Food and Drink
Speaking of art, there's a cool new installation/restaurant here in Chelsea. Hauser Wirth Gallery on 22nd Street has recreated Roth Bar by Dieter and Bjorn Roth. The menu changes weekly, and they'll be adding beer and wine soon (if they haven't already). They close at 6pm, so plan to eat lunch or have a happy hour drink on your way to someplace else.

One of our new favorites is Cafe Riazor, a little tapas place that's been around since the 1970s. The tapas are incredible. This isn't a great photo, but it's better than nothing. 😊

Fine and Rare is a new place in midtown. When my friend, Janine, and I stumbled in this spring, they still didn't have a working kitchen and we were two of about six people in the place. But they did have good raw food, and the music was unbelievable.  (You can check out Yaala Ballin on YouTube if you don't trust my musical taste.) I can't wait to go back.

Rooftop Reds is a small vineyard right here in NYC. This lovely little spot with tasty wines and amazing views is a bit of a trek, as it's located on a roof in the Brooklyn Navy Yard, but well worth it on a warm summer night.

Rolf's is the worst-kept secret in NYC. Every fall, they decorate the restaurant for Christmas ($60,000 worth of decorations, mind you), and the decorations stay up until some time in May. It has to be seen to be believed. I hear the eggnog is amazing, not that I drink that stuff. But it's definitely worth checking out if you find yourself in the Flatiron/Gramercy area. Around Christmastime, it's a mob scene, so go early or you'll have to stand in line to get in.

Dinner and a Movie
If you're at a loss for something different to do on a Sunday night, check out the Film Club at the Crosby Street Hotel. My friend, Jessie, and I saw Miss Stevens in the screening room. It was followed by a Q&A with Timothée Chalamet, a member of the cast. The ticket is a two-fer--Your ticket includes a visit to The Crosby Bar - a 3-course meal and the movie for $55 or a cocktail, bar plate, and the movie for $35.

If that's not enough for you, here are my free-in-NYC-in-the-summer and the stuff-to-do-on-the-water posts, which have links to cool stuff you can do when the weather is nice.