Christmas Day in New York City; for some, it's filled with Yuletide, caroling, slurping eggnog and eating ham and turkey.
For others? Well, of course there are plenty of people in NYC who don't celebrate Christmas. We don't call it the most diverse city in the country because we like the way it sounds.
There are plenty of New Yorkers who subscribe to Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and Judaism, plenty who practice other religions still, and plenty who subscribe to no religion at all.
Plenty of these New Yorkers will still have Friday, December 25th off from work. Maybe these New Yorkers want to get out and about. Maybe they want to hit the town.
Luckily, not all NYC institutions will close their doors on Christmas Day. Some places are open for your thrill and enjoyment. Read on to find out what they are.
1. Eat Chinese food
roguepanda23 Earlier this afternoon, big dinner in 4-5 hours everyone ordered something, it was a family style restaurant..... mistakes were made lol #joesshanghai #nyc #chinatown #foodporn #feast #goodeats
Eating Chinese food on Christmas is essentially a requirement for everyone who doesn't celebrate Christmas.
We're pretty sure it's written into law: Those who don't celebrate Christmas must luxuriate in the deliciousness of dim sum and soup dumplings on December 25th.
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We're kidding. It's not in the law, but it is a really good, delicious idea.
There are plenty of delicious spots to grab Chinese food on Christmas day scattered throughout the city. If you're going to hit the real OG, authentic places, places like Joe's Shanghai and Xi'an Famous Foods, be prepared for a mob.
Try and get out around 11 or 11:30 a.m. to beat the lunchtime crowd, or 4 p.m. or so to beat the dinnertime crowd.
2. Go to the movies
Another main tenant of Judaism is seeing movies in movie theaters on Christmas day. We're kidding again. Obviously no tenant Judaism or Islam, or Diwali, or any other religion that doesn't celebrate Christmas is derived from Christmas.
Again, though, it's a totally stellar idea.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens opens on Friday, December 18th. If you're not planning on heading to the movie theater dressed as Luke Skywalker on midnight, you might as well wait a week and see it on Christmas.
Tina Fey and Amy Poehler's much anticipated Sisters also opens on Friday the 18th. Plus, you've obviously got to see the groundbreaking The Danish Girl and The Hunger Games: Part Three. Both of these are already in theaters.
Plus Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper, and Robert De Niro star in Joy, which opens on Christmas day. Mark Wahlberg and Will Ferrell star in Daddy's Home, which also opens on Christmas day.
3. Skate at Chelsea Piers
hillalumni 2nd Annual Hockey Extravaganza starts with HHA alumni game vs Canterbury. Hill up 2-1! #HillHockey #ChelseaPiersNYC #GoHill
Yes, ladies, gentlemen, and those who don't subscribe to the gender binary: Chelsea Piers is open for skating on Christmas Day.
So why not get out of the house or apartment this Christmas in a fun, thrilling, way?
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On Christmas Day, Chelsea Piers offers general skating from 1:30 p.m. to 5:20 p.m., which offers you a pretty good window to get your skate on. Maybe you'll flop and fall, or maybe you'll twirl around the ice with ease, but whatever goes down, you'll have a blast.
It costs $10 to skate and $5 to rent skates, which is entirely relaxed as far as skating prices go. You'll leave feeling alive, exhilarated, and hopefully not too bruised.
4. Go to the zoo
mamaeemny Teve gente que se divertiu MUITO no Zoo do Central park. Apesar de super pequeno (morro de dó dos bichinhos), ele amou! Principalmente a fazendinha. Deu comida para bode e ovelhinha! #mamaeemny #newyork #dicasdeny #centralpark #centralparkzoo
Animals are chill, right?
The Bronx Zoo is closed on Christmas Day, but the Prospect Park, Queens, and Central Park Zoos are all open for business.
The Prospect Park Zoo opens at 10 a.m. on December 25th, with Sea Lion Training Sessions at 11:30 a.m., 2 p.m., and 4 p.m. The Prospect Park Zoo will close at 4:30 p.m.
The Central Park Zoo holds the same hours, and has Sea Lion Feeding at 11:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m., and 3:30 p.m., with Penguin Feeding at 2:30 p.m.
The Queens Zoo also offers Sea Lion Feeding; theirs are at 11:15 a.m., 2 p.m., and 4 p.m.
The New York Aquarium, located on Coney Island, will also be open on Christmas Day.
,5. See a comedy show
gy312 I'll be telling a few jokes tonight at #ComicStripLive. If you're free, pop out. Show starts at 6:30pm.
Why, if you aren't celebrating Christmas, wouldn't you want to spend the entire day laughing?
Comic Strip Live, the famed comedy club on the Upper East Side, the club that's hosted the likes of Chris Rock, Dave Chappelle, Jerry Seinfeld, Eddie Murphy and Adam Sandler.
That comedy club is offering two Christmas Day shows. They'll have performances at 8 p.m. and 10:30 p.m., and if you go to them, you're bound to laugh your face off.
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Performing at both of these shows will be comedians Mike Britt, Vladimir Caamano, Leonard Ouzts, JJ Rameriez, and Ruperto Vanderpool.
If you're picking up what we're putting down, and you want to be at either one of those those, get your tickets here.
6. Take a yoga class
yogatothepeople "Sometimes the repetition seems designed to act like the recitation of a mantra, putting the hearer in the right frame of mind for understanding to arise" Roebuck's Upanishads ❣ Thank you for sharing your practice with us, Brooklyn ❣ #thispowerisforeveryone #allbodiesrise
We've said it before; we love Yoga to the People? Why? Because it's donation based yoga, and because they encourage you to feel sensations rather than judge them, and to do yoga even if you have this misplaced preconceived notion that you're "not good at yoga."
At Yoga to the People, being "good at yoga," means something totally different than you might think. It means being true to yourself and your poses.
Why is this relevant? Well, Yoga to the People is offering a few classes on Christmas Day. They've got classes at 12 p.m. and 5 p.m. on Christmas at their Saint Mark's Place, and 27th Street locations.
They've also got classes at 10 a.m. and 12 p.m. at their 38th Street location, 12 p.m. on the Upper West Side, and 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. at their Brooklyn location.
Of all the things you could spend your Christmas Day out and about and doing, this has got to be the most productive and empowering.
7. Visit a museum
museumateldridgestreet Eldridge Street at nighttime is a beautiful site as captured in this photo by @buffaloroaming at our most recent After Hours. We love how the photo captured the magical feeling of the building in the evening, and shows the many special architectural features of the Eldridge Street Synagogue, including the crystal "ladies' chandelier" at top. Join us for our next After Hours tour, with a Chanukah party, on Wednesday, December 9, and co-sponsored with @untappedcities . Thank you @buffaloroaming for sharing this great image! #museumateldridgestreet #chandelier #architecture #synagogue #afterhours
Most NYC museums shut their doors tightly on Christmas Day.
Some museums, though? Well, some museums don't. These museums include the Museum at Eldridge Street, which is even going so far as to offer a Klez for Kids Concert, the Jewish Museum, which will offer powerful film screenings all day, from 11:15 a.m. through 5:30 p.m.
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MoMath, the city's mathematical museum, is also open on December 25th. If you're way into math, or if you're friends with someone who is, Christmas may be a good day to scope it out.
Finally, the 9/11 Memorial Museum will also be open on December 25th, if you were looking for an opportunity to visit, remember, and pay homage to the nearly 3,000 lives that were tragically lost on September 11th, 2001.
Check Out I'm Jewish, But I Still Love Christmastime in NYC. Here's Why...
[Feature Image Courtesy Grand American Adventures]