There’s a good reason to be happy! The Covid-19 travel ban has been formally lifted, allowing passengers from 33 countries, including the United Kingdom, China, South Africa, and countries in the Schengen Area, to enter the United States (most of Europe).
Despite the hardships the city has through, it has come out the other side with a plethora of new cultural offerings. New York City is ready to welcome you back after nearly two years, offering a plethora of exciting activities, from world-class art displays, to world-class theater performances, and more.
Five must-see activities in New York City for tourists and visitors looking for something less obvious but yet worthy of attention during fall and winter have been compiled by our team.
1. Check out SUMMIT One Vanderbilt for some fresh air
Attractions, Sightseeing
Midtown East
SUMMIT One Vanderbilt, a 1,401-foot-tall skyscraper’s (inside) observation deck, is the place to go if you want a breathtaking perspective of New York City. It stands directly west of Grand Central Terminal as the city’s fourth-tallest skyscraper, following One World Trade Center, Central Park Tower, and 111 West 57th Street.
One thousand feet above Manhattan, visitors ride an elevator to 91st floor of the Rockefeller Center. The “Air” infinity room by Kenzo Digital replicates the sky and cityscapes endlessly, giving the impression that you’re strolling across space itself. Visitors are introduced to “Levitation,” a series of translucent glass sky-boxes that protrude from the skyscraper at 1,063 feet above Madison Avenue, as they rise to the third level of this experience.
A thin layer of glass separates you from the street below. Guests can also take the 1,210-foot “Ascent” glass elevator, one of two on the building’s exterior (and 120 feet off the observation deck, which is taller than Edge at Hudson Yards). On this trip, our knees buckled, so beware!
Summit One Vanderbilt also has Summit, Danny Meyer’s Union Square Events’ all-day après-style cafe and bar with an outdoor terrace bar, and an art gallery with an installation named “Clouds” by Japanese artist and icon Yayoi Kusama.
Contact Info :
Address: 45 E 42nd St, New York, NY 10017
E-mail: hello@summitov.com
Website: summitov.com
2. Be Inspired by Drift : Fragile Future
Art
Midtown West
This thought-provoking immersive art show will linger. See “Fragile Future” by Amsterdam-based DRIFT at Hudson Yards’ new performance and art space The Shed.
The shimmering lights of “Coded Coincidence” follow the flight pattern of elm seeds each spring, “Ego,” a large block made of hair-thin illuminated threads suspended and morphs in mid-air, and “Drifters,” which uses projected films to represent a portal to another world with a group of concrete blocks that float through environments in NYC.
Every day, the Shed’s galleries are altered by multi-sensory displays that stimulate connectivity to nature.
Presented by The Shed and Superblue, DRIFT’s “Fragile Future” invites viewers to explore the universal desire for origin, destination, and connection, as well as the power in surrendering control when accepting change.
In the final installation, “Drifters,” a collection of concrete blocks drift across lush wilderness and apocalyptic urban surroundings in search of their origin and destination. The Shed’s four-story-high, 17,000-square-foot McCourt space will become a surreal immersive performance on select nights.
Contact Info :
Address: 545 West 30th Street, Between 10th and 11th Avenues
Phone : (646) 455-3494
E-mail: info@theshed.org
Website: theshed.org
3. Christian Dior : Designer of Dreams
Museums, Fashion and costume
Brooklyn, NYC
A high-fashion exhibit featuring Dior by the House of Dior is on display at the Brooklyn Museum this year, competing with the Costume Institute at The Met.
“From “The Story of Silk (1934)” to the ground-breaking “Of Men Only (1976)” to the most recent “Pierre Cardin: Future Fashion (2019)” and now “Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams,” the Brooklyn Museum has a long history of honoring key contributions to the history of fashion design. In each case, fashion’s ability to impact and change the visual culture at large is demonstrated “a senior curator of fashion and material culture at the Brooklyn Museum, Matthew Yokobosky, says
This year’s Brooklyn Museum high fashion exhibit highlighting Dior is worth the trip to Brooklyn. It is co-curated by Dior researcher Florence Müller, Avenir Foundation Curator of Textile Art and Fashion at the Denver Art Museum.
The multi-gallery display features artwork from the Brooklyn Museum’s holdings, including flowers, nature, classical and modern art. Objects on show include 200 haute couture clothes, pictures, archival movies, sketches, vintage perfume elements, and accessories.
Contact Info :
Address: 200 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, New York 11238-6052
Phone : +1 718-638-5000
E-mail: information@brooklynmuseum.org
Website: www.brooklynmuseum.org
4. Get amazed at Speakeasy Magick
Theater, Circuses & magic, Chelsea
New York, NY
Sideshow master Todd Robbins (Play Dead) combines technical know-how with humor, historical understanding, and good ol’ fashioned theatrics. Magicians including Alex Boyce, Jason Suran, Mark Calabrese and Matthew Holtzclaw perform close-up magic in an intimate setting at McKittrick’s Club Car in New York City where he hosts his magic soirees.
Short acts on a makeshift stage interrupt the evening. When I went, Matthew Holtzclaw started things off with a cigarette and a drink, and Alex Boyce created doves out of thin air. But it’s the close-up magic that has you in awe.
The graceful, Singapore-born Prakash and the intimidatingly tattooed Mark Calabrese—a razor-sharp card sharp—both find innovative ways to include cell phones into their acts. The presentation is arranged so that if one of the performers falls short of the mark, it doesn’t matter. Soon enough, another magician will appear with new wonders.
Contact Info :
Address: 530 West 27th Street, New York, NY 10001
Phone: (212) 904-1880
E-mail: info@sleepnomorenyc.com
Website: mckittrickhotel.com
5. Get tickets to Hadestown
Theater, Musicals
Midtown West
HADESTOWN takes you on a hell-raising voyage to the underworld and back, weaving together two myths: that of young dreamers Orpheus and Eurydice, and that of King Hades and his wife Persephone. With Mitchell’s seductive melodies and Chavkin’s poetic imagination, they set up a battle between industry and nature, doubt and faith, and fear and love. HADESTOWN is a melancholy and hopeful theatrical performance by a talented cast of actors, dancers, and singers.
Hadestown, the musical by Anas Mitchell, is the place to go. On the surface, it appears like the story of Orpheus and Eurydice, from ancient Greece, is being retold in this contemporary setting. However, the freshness of Mitchell’s score and the wonderfully dynamic staging by Rachel Chavkin breathe new life into this tired plot. — Adam Feldman, theater critic and writer.
Contact Info :
Address: 219 W 48th St (Between Broadway and 8th Ave), New York 10036
Phone : 866-302-0995, 800-745-3000
Website : www.hadestown.com
You can read also: 50 Cool & Fun Nighttime Things in New York City