Far and wide throughout the city, people will pour from their apartments, row homes and Brooklyn townhouses to make purchases on the day commonly known as "Black Friday."
They'll revel in the sales, sing carols for the deals, and spend, spend, spend.
The doors to Macy's will forever rotate, Target will be packed to the brim, and Old Navy, which is pretty much winning black Friday by opening its doors at 4 p.m. on Thursday with a flat off 50% sale on everything in the store, will be a dangerous place to go.
Basically, we don't want anything to do with it.
Remember how there are 8.3 million people who live in this city? Well, we can only guess how many of those millions will shove their way into department stores, pile in lines behind cash registers, and fight for the last half-off flat screen TV in Best Buy.
What we're saying is, we want to stay as far away from the madness as possible. Read on to find out what to do in New York City on Friday if you have off from work and you absolutely do not want to shop.
1. City of Dreams Tour (Astor Place)
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Want to get a feel for the essence of the East Village, Bowery, Little Italy, and then toss back some brews at McSorley's?
On this three-hour tour you'll have the chance to drink at the oldest bar in NYC (yes, it is McSorley's).
You'll also visit an authentic Jewish bakery to munch on a pastry, and you'll visit a 90-year old family-run Italian specialty store to munch on mozzarella and prosciutto samples. Both of these delicacies are included in the price of the tour.
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You'll also learn about the history of NYC, and how it was reshaped through each wave of immigrants. You'll learn about the city's historical figures: from Peter Stuyvesant to Jimi Hendrix. Plus, you'll get to visit the dazzling street art in NoLita as well as its shops and restaurants.
Sound like a good way to spend your black Friday? Excellent. Book your tour here.
2. Ice skate
Is there a better way to celebrate the official coming of the holiday season than by ice skating? Yeah, we didn't think so.
So where should you do all this ice skating? You could always check out all of these ice rinks for the lowdown on the situation.
The Rink at Rockefeller Center is a pretty great idea, because you could also make gaping at the radiant Rockefeller Christmas Tree a part of your day. Bryant Park's rink is always a good idea, too, because of that whole free admission thing.
There's also the rink at Chelsea Piers, the Wollman Rink in Central Park, the Abe Star Rink in Brooklyn, and the rink at the LeFrak Center in Prospect Park.
So grab your pals, grab some hot apple cider, and lace up your skates.
3. The Imbible: Christmas Carol Cocktails (300 West 43rd Street)
The Imbible is the best kind of theatre; the kind that both entertains and educates. It's one of the most buzzed about musicals to date, and it's a tantalizing mix of science and storytelling.
Plus, you'll get drunk. The price of your ticket includes three holiday cocktails, and you'll watch as they're mixed.
The premise of the show is all about Scrooge, that guy who hates Christmas and needs to be reminded how to love it in the time-old tale A Christmas Carol.
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Except, in this version of A Christmas Carol, the three Christmas spirits teach Scrooge how to make cocktails rather than immersing him in old memories.
Sounds like a blast, doesn't it? It does to us, too, and it sounds way better than shopping. Grab your tickets here.
,4. See a comedy show
haleysloanharcks 🍤We did the standup thing at #gothamcomedyclub and it was super fun ! Thanks for coming amigos !!!🍤
We're in the cultural capital of the world! So we've got to embrace that, don't we? What's the point of paying all our inflated rents to live here if we don't laugh about it every once in a while?
UCB's Chelsea location will have three shows for Friday: Jaleel White's Birthday Party, Thanksgiving Hangover, and 3-on-3 Improv Tournament. They all sound pretty excellent, and you can check them out here.
The East Ville Comedy Club will have an open mic night on Friday at 6 p.m., and then shows by James Mattern, Janeane Garofalo, Gary Vider and more at 7 p.m., 9 p.m. and 11 p.m.
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The Gotham Comedy Club will put on shows by Roy Wood Jr. at 8:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m., to which you can buy tickets here.
We're just saying, laughing at a comedy show is a better Black Friday activity than draining your bank account, don't you think?
5. The Nutcracker (20 Lincoln Center Plaza)
seaside_newtownoldways Thanks to everyone who came out to last night's performance of #TheNutcracker featuring Ballet Pensacola and our local dancers! It was a beautiful evening for this holiday tradition in #SeasideFL! (Photo by STM Photography) #PlaySeasideFL #BalletPensacola
Black Friday isn't just a day of shopping! It's also the official start of the holiday season, so you should definitely treat yourself to George Balanchine's original rendition of The Nutcracker.
It'll feature Tschaikovsky's iconic music, mischievous mice, toy soldiers who've come to live, and a blizzard of ballerinas who will bring the crowd to the Land of Sweets.
This is the version of the play that originated the American tradition, so if you ask us, it's definitely the one you should see this holiday season.
Get comfy in your seats, get some hot chocolate to sip on, and prepare to be completely blown away by this enchanting performance. The show opens on Friday, so we figured it was a pretty great day to check it out.
Plus, you can get seats for as little was $40. You'd pay more than that shopping on Black Friday wouldn't you? Get your tickets here.
6. Christmas Tree and Neapolitan Baroque Créche (1000 5th Avenue)
The Metropolitan Museum of Art has a yearly holiday tradition and we figured it'd be a really great kick off to your season. Isn't that super sweet of us?
The Met will present its Christmas tree from November 24th through January 6th. The brightly lit, twenty-foot spruce is hung with some really stunning ornaments; like 18th century Neapolitan angels and an insanely intricate Nativity scene at its base.
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The daily lighting ceremony also features Christmas music, five gracefully suspended angels, and a really pleasant atmosphere of holiday cheer.
Get advance tickets here to avoid waiting in line.
7. Crunch Gym Open House (various locations)
crunchgym Ride in style with our brand-new Schwinn Carbon Blue bikes at #CrunchGym 83rd St. that give you a faster, smoother ride! With Carbon Drive belts, these bikes make you feel like you’re out on the road burning rubber. Find a class & reserve your bike at Crunch.com. #RideWithoutLimits
You ate too much at Thanksgiving. It's okay. There's no real shame in it. You're already padding the fat so you don't freeze to death this winter. That's perfectly logical. But you can deal with that Turkey-bloat right away, for free.
There's no better time to break a sweat than at Crunch Gym on Black Friday. Oh, and it won't cost you a thing on Friday.
Yes, Crunch Gyms around the country are opening their doors to both members and non-members so you can go ahead and deal with the seven pumpkin pies you ate the very next day.
Nothing's worse than Black Friday crowds gawking at storefronts, so don't even bother with 'em. Muscle your way around them and check out one of the open houses. Work out with your Friendsgiving guests, your annoying family, or even check out one of their signature closes alone, on the house!
Check out Here's How to Bypass the Middleman This Holiday Season.
[Feature Image Courtesy New York Daily News]