It’s cold out in New York City now, and we’re guessing the temperature won’t be rising here anytime soon.
Still, we don’t want you to spend all the winter months inside, eating pizza from Seamless and watching Netflix on your couch.
You still live in the best city in the world after all, no matter how cold it gets in that city.
There are still a multitude of amazing things to do, even if they aren’t outside. There are movie theaters with cold alcohol and hot food. There are film festivals, food festivals, and eating festivals.
NYC’s also got a surplus of theater, indoor bowling, ice skating, and concerts. So before you ever say the winter in NYC is boring, think twice, because it’s far, far from boring. The only time you’d ever say the winter in NYC is boring would be on opposite day.
Wondering what activities you can do inside this winter in NYC? How convenient! We’ve prepared a list right here for you. Read on to find out what’s on it.
1. Chelsea Piers
class_rate Wearing: Alternative Apparel tank (@alternativeapparel); Whital + Shon reversible shorts Studio: Chelsea Piers Gymnastics (@cpsportscenter) Class: Beginner Gymnastics Teacher: Jason and Jonah Good for: New tumblers / intermediate tumblers looking to brush up, new skills, fun Bad for: Boring people, people with wrist injuries Intensity: 🏋🏋🏋 : I've already written about Chelsea Piers Gymnastics on @classpass before but I can't seem to stay away. Wednesday afternoons have the Beginner level class although it still says Beg/Int on the signup, so this is a great class to come to if you're new or if you're looking to brush up on fundamentals. The Gymnastics room at Chelsea Piers is huge, and on Wednesdays instead of cross tumbling, they bring out all sorts of fun mats and springs to play on, and you can even bounce around on the tumble track. Jason and Jonah are lots of fun. They bring a fun, vibrant energy to the class and are super supportive and fun while being good on form and safety. If you've never been before, start with this class! Questions? Feel free to ask. If you like this studio, you may also like: New York Pole Dancing - Beginner Climb and Spin (@nypoledancing); STREB @ SLAM - Flying Trapeze (@strebslam); Aerial Arts NYC - Silks or Static trapeze (@aerialartsnyc) #fitness #classpass #chelseapiers #gymnastics #gymnast #dance #acrobat #handstand #fun #skills #newskills #whittallandshon #alternativeapparel #instagay #stretch #invert #inversion #mediumintensity
Do you like golfing more than you like breathing? If that’s your situation, Chelsea Piers is perfect for you. They’ve got 52 outdoor hitting stalls in their driving range, all of which are heated and weather protected.
So you get to feel like you’re outside without really suffering the weather’s wrath. Score.
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If you’re not a golf enthusiast, stay tuned. We’re betting Chelsea Piers has an activity for you yet.
They’ve got rock climbing, one of the largest rock gyms in the city, in fact, with more than 11,000-square feet of sculpted-three dimensional imprint climbing surfaces. They also have ice skating and bowling.
Needless to say, there are exciting things happening at Chelsea Piers. If you find yourself staring at the walls of your apartment, wondering how to spend your winter day, we think you just found your answer.
2. See a movie
paulmichell Gotta love a movie theatre that serves booze. #latergram #brooklyn #nitehawkcinema #mistressamerica
No, we don’t mean watch a movie on your couch or on your bed. As you may have expected from a city of NYC’s stature, we have some of the best movie theaters around.
For instance, if you haven’t checked out Nitehawk Cinema in Brooklyn, you should. They show artsy, indie flicks, as well as mainstream movies. Probably the best part about the whole deal, though, is that the serve alcohol and food. While you watch your movie.
Yeah, we know. Nitehawk Cinema’s fully stocked bar, hanger steaks, tater tots, short rib empanadas, and flatbread are just about as cool as movie theater could get.
In other news, the East Village’s AMC Village 7 has been fully renovated, and has reopened with flair. It now has huge, plush red armchairs that make you feel like you’ve got an astronomically sized movie screen in your living room.
These same renovations also happened last year at AMC Loews 84th Street on the Upper West Side.
We also love the midnight screenings at Landmark Sunshine Cinema in the East Village. They host movie nights with every type of film, from old school classics to cult films.
Like we said, there’s a lot going on at NYC’s movie theaters this winter. There’s no reason to restrict yourself to watching movies in your apartment.
3. Film festivals
geophysique3 #tribecacinemas #philipkdickfilmfestival #downtown #producersclub #scifi #sciencefiction #philipkdick #totalrecall #bladerunner ##tribecafilmfestival #supernatural #superunknown #valis #ньюйорк #производства #панк #Манхэттен #москва #Митрополит #фильм #фильтры #фонари #Бруклин #nightmarecode #desaffection #21days
If you want to take your movie watching to the next level this winter, we’ve got some great news for you: you’re definitely in the right city to do it.
From the New York Jewish Film Festival, to the Philip K. Dick Science Festival, all the way to the Film Comment Selects and the New York Wild Film Festival, it’s almost easier to tell you when there aren’t film festivals happening in NYC this winter than when there are.
The New York Jewish Film Festival will be held from January 13th to January 26th, and will showcase the Jewish Experience at Lincoln Center.
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The Philip K. Dick Science Fiction Film Festival will feature films about, as you may have guessed, science fiction. There will be dozens of them, and they will show from January 14th to January 17th at Village East Cinema.
The Bronx International Film Festival will be from January 22nd to January 31st, the New York Wild Film Festival will be from January 28th to January 31st, and at least 20 rare and underrated films will air at Film Comments Selects from February 17th to February 24th.
So, attending at least one film festival this winter in NYC is basically required.
4. See a play
everydayinferno #tbt to Something Wicked. Our show in last year's @frigidnewyork #tbt also to selling the most tickets in Frigid history. #HeartofOak opens tomorrow for this year's show in the #BestFrigidEver. Want to make sure you don't miss it? Buy ahead: http://www.horsetrade.info/event/040e5b1830fe534c8a04e92e1df5fdd3/Heart-of-Oak #FRIGID2015 #FrigidNewYork #TheKraine #ladypirates #somethingwicked #simplythebest
Yes, NYC is the cultural capital of the world. Yes, that means we have some of the most insane theater productions in the country, probably the world.
No, these are not restricted to Broadway, but we will say that Broadway is amazing.
If you’re going to buy a ticket to a Broadway play this season, we suggest you do it during Broadway Week. It’s happening from January 19th to February 5th, and during that time Broadway tickets are on sale at the price of two-for-one.
With this deal, you don’t just get to guiltlessly see one amazing play; you get to see two. Still, as we said, Broadway is far from the only theater option in the city this season.
Frigid New York is a theater festival which will stage 30 affordable shows at two East Village theaters from February 15th to March 6th - they’re bound to be artistically experimentative and entertaining.
Of course, NYC’s got hilarious, immersive plays like The Imbible, Sex Tips for Straight Women from A Gay Man, and Drunk Shakespeare.
You’re totally missing out if you don’t see a play in NYC this winter, that’s all we’re saying.
,5. Winter Jazzfest
kuumbwajazz Wrapped up this #APAPNYC/#winterjazzfest run with the @montereyjazzfestival on Tour at the @bluenotenyc last night. Terrence Blanchard, Ravi Coltrane and Gerald Clayton Trio...amazing band!
Attention jazz aficionados: this festival is for you. It includes more than 100 jazz groups, who will be wowing all in attendance with their insane talent at 11 venues from January 13th to January 17th.
Performers include The Ex, Bill Laswell & Colin Stetson, and Happy Apple. There are also several signature events, like the Winter Jazzfest Marathon which will feature performances at five stages at the New School and six stages South of Washington Square Park.
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The festival will begin with a kick-off concert on Wednesday, January 13th and will close on Sunday, January 17th with a John Coltrane project by San Francisco Bay Area saxophone quartet Rova.
Check out the schedule here, and then think long and hard about whether you could possibly do without this in your life.
6. Comedy shows
chahleyhorse Sunday vibes spoken by my true love ☕️🍩 #sunday#thecomedycellar#thecomedystore#nyc#la#louisck#comedy#standup#glutton#louie#joke#funny#lol#treatyoself#privatemoments
In winter, people tend to fall prey to something called the winter blues. What’s the best way to combat such blues?
In our very humble opinions, we believe laughing is the best way to keep yourself buoyed against seasonal depression. How can you be sad that it’s dark and cold outside when you’re too busy being delighted at the scene happening onstage?
Luckily, we live in a city with a vibrant comedy scene. There are so many options for you to check out comedy shows in this city and absolutely laugh your faces off.
Some of the most famous are improv shows at UCB, both at their East Village and Chelsea locations. There are also standup acts every night at Comic Strip Live, the EastVille Comedy Club, the Comedy Cellar, and Carolines on Broadway.
We’re also huge fans of the free shows that go down every Sunday night at the Knitting Factory at 9 p.m. They’ve been known to host surprise visits from stars like Chris Rock, Sarah Silverman, Louis CK, and Aziz Ansari.
7. Food and drink festivals
schechter_world #NYCWinterWineFestival over 200+ wines from around the world featured. #AIWF #americanInstituteofwineandfood
If you can’t be sad that it’s cold out while you’re laughing, you really can’t be sad that it’s cold out while you’re eating delicious food and drinking delicious drinks.
We’re pretty sure that’s actual science. We’re kidding. It’s not actual science. Still, it’s real, and still, you should check out the food and drink festivals we’re about to mention.
The New Orleans Mardi Gras Crawfish Boil will go down from January 22nd to February 9th at The Hall in Brooklyn, and will feature many nights of jamming to a brass band and munching on a crawfish meal.
If you’re from New Orleans and you need a taste of home, this is where you need to get your eating and drinking on.
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Now, let’s move on to all you wine and beer obsessives.
If you think wine drunk is the best drunk, then you need to get tickets to the NYC Winter Wine Festival on February 6th. Tickets will get you access to more than 250 wines, hors d’oeuvres, and live jazz.
If beer is more your thing, then you should be at the International Great Beer Expo at Meadowlands Exposition Center in Secaucus, NJ.
We’re thinking it’ll be worth the trip out of the city. It’ll involve unlimited access to 150 beers from 80 brewers. Plus, it’s nice to get out of the city every once in awhile, isn’t it? Especially when you’re getting out to get way buzzed on a lot of amazing beer.Check out 8 Ways to Have a Kickass Time This Weekend in NYC.
[Feature Image Courtesy Instagram]