It's cold and miserable in New York City, but that doesn't mean you can't have a blast. The key: staying inside.
The other key: lots of great food and alcohol. This weekend is Restaurant Week in NYC, so you can indulge in decadent three-course meals for $25 for lunch and $38 for dinner.
If the idea of staying inside all weekend sounds terrible to you, then you can hit the slopes on a day trip to Hunter Mountain on Sunday, or hit Central Park's Winter Jam on Saturday.
At Winter Jam there will be sledding, eating, and lots of fresh, blown-in snow.
What else is going on this weekend in the city? Well, Sarah Silverman will be here. Bruce Springsteen will be here.
There's an indoor pool party, a wine festival, and an open bar at an art event. You want to have a great weekend in NYC this weekend? Read on to find out how.
Friday, January 22nd
1. New Orleans Mardi Gras Crawfish Boil (470 Driggs Avenue - Brooklyn)
highmightybrass Thrilled to announce we'll be playing every Saturday AND Sunday in January for the Mardi Gras Boozy Brunch Series at The Hall MP in Williamsburg. Bottomless booze, Nola inspired menu, & 3 sets of HMBB starting at 11:30am. Come rage with us and start off 2016 right! #mardigras #brunch #thehallmp #nolafunknyc #highandmightybrassband #cegpresents #boozybrunch 💥🎉🍾✨🎺
Whoever said you can't get good New Orleans food in NYC hasn't been to the New Orleans Mardi Gras Crawfish Boil.
Actually, no one's been to the New Orleans Mardi Gras Crawfish Boil because this is the first year is the first year it's ever been held. However, you get the point.
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On Friday, January 22nd there will be a Jambalaya Brass Band playing three sets starting at 7 p.m. and continuing into the night at The Hall MP in Brooklyn.
There will be a happy hour with two-for-one New Orleans craft cocktails and beers from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m., and a crawfish boil with absolutely authentic New Orleans fare.
If you've been really yearning for that New Orleans spirit, you should grab your tickets here.
2. Live Art Exhibition and Wine Tasting (55 Murray Street)
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Art and wine? We mean, what's not to like?
The TriBeCa Art Factory is hosting a Live Art Exhibition and Wine Tasting on Friday at 8 p.m. It's a social experiment that combines art and people.
You'll socialize with strangers (plus whoever you go with) in a vibrant, welcoming environment. You'll laugh with like-minded artists, clink glasses with art lovers, and watch the art get created right before your eyes.
Oh, did we mention there's an open bar from 8 p.m. to 12 a.m.? Well, there is, and for $25 a ticket, that's a pretty good deal. There will also be food. Everyone knows the art of the open bar relies upon eating.
Get tickets to this really excellent idea for a Friday night here.
3. Sarah Silverman at BAM (30 Lafayette Avenue - Brooklyn)
Sarah Silverman is pretty famous. Actually, she's super famous, smart, and ruthless. These are all traits that make a comedian unbearably funny, and wild to witness.
She's won two Emmys, she's on TV all the time, and she wrote The New York Times Bestseller, The Bedwetter. Do we have to keep going? You know who Sarah Silverman is, don't you?
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If you have any cash at all to blow, and you have even the most remote interest in comedy, you should probably take advantage of this opportunity. We don't know when she'll be back in NYC. Grab your tickets here.
Saturday, January 23rd
4. Birthday Pool Party (125 West 45th Street)
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Don't worry, no one is expecting you to swim in a pool outdoors at the end of January. We're crazy, but we're not that crazy.
The point is, it's an indoor pool party put on by Annika Connor and Active Ideas Productions at Grace Hotel starting at 8 p.m.. Just because it's winter doesn't mean you can't go swimming.
There will be a cash bar and a live DJ set by Ian Mellencamp, in addition to a lot of swimming, and complimentary Vodka Gimlets for the first hour of the party.
There will be towels, a sauna, changing rooms, and coat check for all guests, plus, obviously, access to the pool. The party will rock until 2 a.m., but the pool will close at midnight.
If it sounds like a blast to you, that's because it will be a blast. Get tickets here.
,5. Winter Jam (Central Park Bandshell at 72nd Street)
mountaincreek Our instructors will be in Central Park 11am -3pm today giving out free first time ski and snowboard lessons. Swing by if you're in NYC. #nycwinterjam @burtonmidatlantic @burtonsnowboard #rigletpark
Winter Jam is one of the most fun days of the winter in NYC. It's a free event put on by the city, and it's the ultimate snow day for everyone who loves winter fun.
Winter Jam debunks the rumor that you can't be active in winter, since on Saturday plenty of New Yorkers will be tearing up ski and snowboard ramps, taking ski and snowboard lessons, and sledding down hills at the Central Park Bandshell.
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There will be free ski and snowboard lessons, and equipment for sledding, skiing and snowboarding available to the public on a first-come, first-served basis.
If you get hungry, you can always purchase the delicious food from the vendors at the Taste NY Winter Market. It's going to be more fun than we can say. You should be there.
6. New York City Pinot Days (155 Varick Street)
There will be 1,000 people milling around City Winery on Saturday, all sipping pinot from California, Oregon, and New Zealand.
You'll have free rein to try 100 varieties of pinot from 35 exhibitors from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
If you love pinot, or you love someone who loves pinot, why not spend your Saturday afternoon getting completely tipsy on delicious wines?
We really can't think of a better way to spend a frigid winter weekend. Get tickets here.
Sunday, January 24th
7. Ski/Snowboard Day Trip to Hunter Mountain (85 Delancey Street)
Oh, you didn't make it out to Winter Jam, but you still want to hit the slopes? Actually, even if you did make it out to Winter Jam, you can still board the bus to shred snow on the steepest, fluffiest snow the Northern Catskills has to offer.
Sourced Adventures will be hosting a day trip upstate, yes, to Upstate New York, to the best ski terrain at Hunter Mountain.
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Buy this ticket, and you'll have all-day access to all-area lift tickets, a ski or snowboard rental, hot drinks after you've spent the day flying down mountains, and round-trip transportation from Sourced Adventure's headquarters.
You'll meet at 85 Delancey Street at 7 a.m. on Sunday, and basically have the day of your lives. Grab your tickets here.
8. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band at MSG (4 Pennsylvania Plaza)
So the boss and his band will be hitting NYC this Sunday. They'll be tearing up Madison Square Garden, and it's pretty much the opportunity of a lifetime.
The tickets cost a lot, we're just going to tell you that upfront. Thanks to SeatGeek, we can see all the ticket retailers and all their deals.
If you buy these tickets soon-- and make no mistake about it, you should buy them soon if you're thinking about going --they could cost you less than $300 from UberSeat and TN Direct.
If "Jungleland" is the anthem to your life, if you want to pull out of your town full of losers to win, you should think about catching Bruce in concert. Check out ticket deals here.
Check out 9 Best Things to Eat, Drink, and Do Off the Q, Z, and R Subway Lines in NYC.
[Feature Image Courtesy Instagram]